Rising from the Ashes

[frtimmyd]

I'm Back, Baby! We finally got phone and internet service here in West Liberty. The town's in shambles but life is beginning to reassert itself. An early spring is bringing out the flowering trees and we shall rebuild.
Thanks to all of you who sent private messages letting me know of your prayers and concern. They were well appreciated. So I'll light up my Peterson 999 with some Villager 1888 Early Day and raise my bowl to all of you.

 

[morlader]

Welcome back and good to know that things are building up again.Dominus Vobiscum

Tom

 

[dervis]

Glad to hear it. Can always rebuild. Smoke it up!

 

[adam12]

Awesome news, one step at a time!

 

[bentmike]

Hello Father, nice to see you back on the forum!
My great uncle is a priest. Fr. Frederick Schill (Diocese of Toledo). A few years back we celebrated his 50th anniversary.
God Bless

 

[irishsmoker]

That's good to hear!

 

[cyndi]

Things can be replaced. People can't.
I'm glad you're back with us and up and running! :D

 

[pipeinhand]

Glad you are safe Friar. Anything we can do to help you?

 

[jameral]

Good to hear Father. Welcome back.

 

[docrx]

WB and +1 on how can we help?

 

[frtimmyd]

Thanks for the WB's everyone.
I think one of my biggest prayers and hopes for West Liberty will be an economic revival. This county seat in Eastern Kentucky has been a very economically depressed area for quite some time. Now, with the destruction of it's business district you have a glut of unemployed people wondering what to do next. I worry that the focus of the government resources will be "survival". What we need are incentives for people to build or rebuild businesses that will put people to work at good paying jobs. Many of the owners of the businesses were from two or three generations ago and they are simply not interested in starting up again.
Sooooo...anyone interested in starting up a pipe shop? I'll settle for a good bookstore/coffee house but begger's can't be choosers .

 

[maduroman]

padre, the warden and i are getting real sick of kalifornia....

 

[adam12]

anyone interested in starting up a pipe shop?

You know, you can get all philosophical about it but the sky is truly the limit now. Sometimes it takes a major event like this to jolt people out of their state of mind enough that everything afterwards is like a total re-groove. I mean just look at the people of New Orleans. Some might even say the city is leaner and better than it ever was, because the people who are back truly are committed to making something happen. The exact same thing could be said for Detroit. Or any one of a number of places where tragedy has struck. Greensburg, Kansas which was wiped off the map by a tornado has become a model global city for environmentally-friendly building construction. Who knew? In the middle of nowhere in Kansas is a city with totally insane and innovative building ideas going off.
So pipe shop - or coffee shop - or dog clipping salon - or vintage record store - or 360-degree video/audio touchscreen iMac day care center - or megasuper nursery and plant store - whatever it is, the future can't be any worse than what just happened!

 

[puffy]

Welcome Back..It will probably take a good deal of effort and time to return to normal.I hope things go well.