Being home......

Ahhhhhhhh........
finally I can just hang out......
I get up this morning and mom has been up and doing her usual motions of the day. Already up and alive for the day accomplishing things like clockwork. Setting out the day and how things are going to be done. Everyone having stayed home but dad and mikey, Both setting thier homelife emotions aside, they go forth to tackle the daily riggors of work and school. They are strong. I just want to hug them. I admire them for thier strength.

I spent the day keeping myself busy accomplishing small and mundane tasks. Fixing the mower, mowing, trimming the bushes, playing with catie to keep her out of grandma's hair. Making Catie laugh. She stayed home because she was "sick" and needed grandma. Dinner was good and late night snacks as well. Everyone's made thier rounds in the house, falling off slowly to thier resting spots for the night. Mike and I pound the keys into the wee hours finding no rest in sight. Sitting in the dark at our computers listening to chill music. The reality of home. It feels so the same. Just for a moment I don't hurt.

As I talked with mom today, I told mom if I was here when cat showed I'd be leaving about the time Cat got into town. She chuckled knowing my meaning and said ok joey. But then I thought about things deeply this evening. It would be nice to have her here. To tell her I love her. To see my nephew. Miss you lots tater tots. To share a moment or two with them. To keep them fresh in my heart. No matter what, good times or bad, a moment together is worth everything in the world. They are family. Embrace those moments together, for one day they will be worth a lifetime of smiles, tears, laughter and most importantly love. Looking forward in seeing you Cat, if I'm still here. I apologize if you took any offense to that but you understand how sometimes I can max you out with my hardheadedness. Moving on, I May be in Chicago with Uncle dave by the time that rolls around.Catie and I had fun today. She got a thorough tickling to the floor by the claw.

Life does go on no matter how hard it is. It is what it is.

Had to....just to see..

You Are a Believer

You definitely believe in God - and you're very unwavering in your religious beliefs. In fact, religion and spirituality are definitely big parts of your life. Religion shapes how you view right and wrong, as well as the decisions you make. It's hard for you to imagine how your life would be without your beliefs.

Are You an Atheist, Agnostic or a Believer?

Did anyone ever wonder?

The pot overfloweth

To explain to all and any that know me where I am at this point......you get a Joenalogy. Anyone who knows me knows that I use analogies but these are my special kind.

I am a pot. Filled with water. Water being emotion...it easily flows. It also can overflow. I sit upon the burner filled to the rim. No room to boil. No room to empty. To try to remove any water, I'll spill over. To try to do anything but give it time to evaporate or maybe even very low heat, things end in splashing. Only time and patience will allow the pot to empty.




Every morning of every day I wake in the usual manner. I think of all the things I can do and all the things I want to take on. I feel as if I can do none of them. Work, food, even thinking requires effort. Those around me kick my ass to get me in gear because my face must be an open book. I have Erika to thank for the reality check that I most recently have had. She has been a sister to me in so many ways. I have cried thinking of memories only to have her give me words that came from karens mouth. If it were not for her, I'd be even more lost than I already am. She took me under her wing to look out for her "little brother" and in dealing with her own pain and misery she tries to fix me. I realize how everyone is reaching out to help me. I've come to realize this is something I cannot let someone else fix. I cannot do it the way everyone else thinks is best. I have to survive the way I know best. So today I await the arrival of my parents, thinking of what fun times are to come. I have the smiles ready and the laughter prepared. Hopefully it will be genuine. I will be leaving The Ernst residence tomorrow with thankfulness in my heart. Had The Ernst family not been here for me, I would have been lost myself.

From the bottom of my heart, Thank you Erika, Ann and Coach.

If you ever need anything, I will do what I can from wherever I am. I am entirely grateful for your intervention.

Erika, Through all of this you have pulled me through this darkness just as karen would have. Your blunt reality checks have been a smile. You gave me something no one could have given me. Last moments with karen. I can never repay you.

Ann, Your understanding and kindness has been an experience like no other. Thank you for helping me keep strong in my faith.

Coach, Thanks for being an ear and understanding where I am coming from.

Duke, Maybe next time you can bite me...lol (inside joke)

I love you guys. I will see you again when lives have been sorted out.

Morning attempt...

So this morning I wake up in the normal way, and start going through the motions of life again. Each day finding itself less of a nightmare but still very raw.
Just as I think ok today's gonna be chill, my mind brings to the attention reality as it comes into focus for the first blinking moments. Then I realize yes, today is just as FUCKED as any other day......hey life as usual. Consistancy is the key to normal life right? After dreaming all night about hanging out with karen, I wake with a smile today though. Friday the 13th.....ooooh creepy. Makes me think of that movie with the people who switch bodies. Karen if you can hear me you're not gonna switch and posess my body to talk to those who are here. No matter how cool or relieving it may be to you......forget it. You'd dress me up in a tutu before you left possession.

The dreams...they come every night. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Always with a message. No matter how small the message is, I know. It is her way of saying Hi. Even when it's her poking at you. This entire dream I had wasnt of past events. Things that havent happened yet that could have...things if she were still alive. So I wake up, I cry and then smile....and try to hold onto every last detail of her. Of what she said to me in the dream . It's kinda funny how I spend 28 years tryin to forget some of the things she said to me and now I will spend the rest of my life trying to remember every last word. But that's Karen for you.

No matter how much she PISSED you off....she always had something worth hearing. Somewhere within the conversation. No matter if the rest of it was utter babble. There was always that one thing that she would say to redeem the rest of the conversation.

So today I went to her blog (which I havent done in a while) and decided I was gonna laugh. I took this test that she had on there.....Which card are you? Really creepy what it came up with. It described me to a "T" and it made me laugh.

I have spent many hours talking with karens friends. Those who truely knew her. Those who loved her as I did. As a sister. As a Best friend. As Karen in her full glory. It has helped me with the pain...but the memories still flood me.

Regret is something karen spoke about very sincerely. Karen knew what Regret was. She was very clear about the subject. It was her way of forgiving me for a few things and helping me forgive myself. In her awesome or as someone once quoted about karen "FUCKING AWESOME" (thanks Jim Gomoll...yeah Jim really said F*ing)way, Karen has helped me with part of my life that I was stuck upon. Constantly regretting my mistakes of the past. Always wallowing within them, she broke me free.

No at this point I havent lost my mind yet. I'm serious. She broke me free.

For those of you who know me I've done many things in a short lifespan. I continually run from thing to thing, place to place. I am constantly changing, making things different for me. Trying to find where I fit in. Trying to find what is comfortable for me. I have been all over the country and even now continually search for what is right. I know what I want, just now realizing how to get it. I have to let go of my regrets. I have to let go of my fears. Put my mind to it.
Uncle Dave once said "once you put your mind to something, its over with. You make it happen." followed by "you're smarter than I am.." Ok the man makes a great living and has the things in life he wants. I have the necessities and a few comforts....but what am I missing? What is it that he has that I do not? Then it hits me. Drive. He has the drive that no other person has. The determination to make things happen just because he decides thats what he's gonna do. Wanna live like uncle dave, gotta think like uncle dave.

Decisions are hard. They are the choice between failure and sucess. I hate to fail.

Why do I let failing stand in my way? No regrets remember?

Everyone stand back as I journey forth to make things happen. To take hold of my life. To venture off into another crazy adventure but this time.....I have her guidence. Something I never listened to before. I had good reason. Still, with that being said....Chicago here I come. I'm flying into Chicago to spend the night with Uncle Dave and the gang. Gonna take a moment to smile. To laugh. To get the encouragement I've always gotten from him. The love that he's always shown.

Then rebuild my life once again. To Find myself. To break free of this once and for all. It's as if I needed to completely shut down before I could start again. To Reboot. Too bad the system had to crash before I could reboot. I've never been so exhausted in my life.

I know as I venture forth, karen will be with me. I like to think that she's been charged with being my guardian angel for her passage into heaven. It keeps me smiling.

They say that when someone impacts your life, you're forever changed. With karen, You're completely a different person. Thats how "Fucking Awesome" she is.

Love you sis.

Pain

The neverending pain

the nonstop tears

the burning inside

the constant fears

Having thoughts and memories

flying through your head

feeling eternal sadness

for the one who is dead

Having those times together

those cherished smiles

travelling across the country

thinking for 1300 miles

laughter, anger, sadness and joy

I am not the same man

I am broken

never to smile again for I dont think I can

Then I hear her say to me

dont be that way joe

I love you little brudder

I just want you to know

I see it in her pictures

the love she had to give

We all shall carry them with us

but my eyes still leaking like a siv

The last picture I took of my sister

the Smile and her middle finger

Knowing I was her little brother

Her love shall always linger

Karen Jeanne Chin

Karen Jeanne Chin, She was A Mother, A Daughter, A Sister, An Aunt. A Neice, A Cousin, and a Friend to all of you.
When I think of Karen. I think of Times of fun and times when we were little. Late night parties and carefree days.
Times when she had her life together.
There was a time that she shined in everything she did.
My sister was like no other person on this earth.
From laughter to tears, Karen allowed me to know what it is to be human.
She taught me that it’s ok to make mistakes because we are human.
She taught me that sometimes you just have to do what feels right, but just be ready for the consequences, Joey.
I remember standing in my mothers dining room and having to keep my mothers dining room table between us.
Why this specific moment you ask?
Because it was when Karen was at her best....and her worst.
It is a moment I always think of.
She was always trying to prove her point, yet she was unwilling to truly hurt anyone……….So she was throwing dinner rolls at me!
She always beat up on me growing up.
Not just the bullying older sisters impose on younger brothers.
Oh, no………….not Karen…..She was TOUGH!
And She taught me to be tough.
She was the older brother I never had.
No matter what, if I was being an idiot,
Karen would set me straight...and even try to punish me like a Mom.
It was her way. SMACK!.....Get your head out of your butt Joey.
I got that a lot from Karen.
Then time passed and we grew up.
"Mackinac Island Pudge" as she called her chubby little brother, grew to be a man and had a family.
And I still thought back to the things Karen taught me.
The times she defended me.
We once worked together at Taco Bell. She was my boss and she loved that.
We partied together after work.
We were finally the friends that I'd always imagined we'd be.

We were so close that I stood up for her one night when we went out to a bar. Some guy was bothering Karen and I stepped in. The guy swung at me and Karen ended up knocking the guy with a flying side kick because he had swung HER BROTHER. The whole family had a good laugh over that one. Karen loved her family.


She has recently been taking care of Mom, who has been sick.
She worried about Dad constantly and was always trying to feed him.
She has been looking out for Mike and Andy since they were born.
She and Cat have a connection that is beyond words. She loved to tease Cat and say "I know you know how to fly jet planes, but I know what to do when a baby gets a fever…so HA! HA! HA!


Then her life fell apart once again.
In true Karen style, she bottomed out.....and then picked herself back up.
I often times compared my sister to the Phoenix. That mythical creature whose qualities are present in certain people.
She was just one of them.
No matter how many times she burst into flames....she would somehow arise from the ashes.
And she would soar again.
Karen was a survivor. Someone who no matter what pile of poop she ended up in, she would turn it into a manure stand and make a profit from it while smiling.
I truly believe that Karen is ok now.
I know that Karen would not miss her final performance.
She is here with us.
She will stay far beyond the final curtain.
In true Karen style.
Each and every one of you that knows my sister will know exactly what I'm talking about.
Years from now you will come across something or have a moment and think back to her. You will hear her voice say to you in whatever tone that fits the situation. She will speak to you louder than your own voice.
She will say to you...I love you.

In all of her years on this earth, she was never short of love. Nor voice. Karen as outspoken as she was, always had something to say about whatever the subject was.
She was the family comedian. No matter how hard I tried, I was still the little brother, and could never quite zing her like she zinged me.
I remember the last few times I saw her. I remember being so hurt looking at her thinking to myself that I just wanted her to be ok. She was struggling.
As I looked at her in the hospital she was so peaceful....
I knew she finally was not worried. She was not upset. She was not alone any more.
She was at peace after years of chaos and too much pain.
She is in Gods hands now.
No more worries, Karen.
God felt it was her time to feel the everlasting bliss of heaven.
She will never be troubled by the demons that tormented her.
But Karen, I shall never be the same without you.
My WONDER CHIN POWERS will no longer activate without you.
My Golden condor will never fly.
Building Lego cities will never be the same.
I have to bury the one who stood beside me when I could not stand alone.
Karen, You once carried me into the hospital, all 4 foot nothing of you....helping me walk. I lived because you made me go to the doctor.
Life without my little twin will never be the same. I cannot look into the mirror without seeing you looking back at me and then making a face at me. Always, trying to get me to smile.
Even now....crying inside, as I read this, I think back to our childhood.
I wanted nothing more than to be your buddy.
At one time you were my best friend.
Mom says be strong, so I have to.
Dad can barely speak and he doesn’t need to.
Your brothers shall be strong for you Karen...Just like the last time you went to Holy Communion when Mike and Andy took you and helped guide you to the altar when you were too weak.
And when no one is looking we all shall be weak, with missing you.
You always looked out for us, now its our turn and we will celebrate you, bury your body and say goodbye until we meet again in heaven.
I love you. Sis.