Another One Gone To Soon - Hollis G. Mason

Another one of my son’s high school friends was murdered. 

He was in town for their 20-year high school reunion.

He went to get some food and someone came up to him and killed him. Shot him while his daughter and family waited for the food to come, instead they got the unthinkable that he wasn’t coming back home, he was not ever coming back home because someone had decided to play God as my son said.

So here I sit, in a different place than the last time this happened to one of his high school friends. I have the black folder project (may need to update the booklet, but I have it and can roll with it) but now I also can provide life insurance if someone needs it…and everyone needs it.

Somehow my heart feels like it is on the floor outside of my body.  It feels kind of hard to breath. Every mother knows this feeling.  At least every “so called black” mother does (another day for why I put so called black in quotes).  It is heart wrenching.  It is not your child but you feel some level of anguish for the mother of that child.   It is just heart wrenching. 

As I Sit Quietly, Watching The World

 Water Lapping

Wind Blowing

Kids Laughing

Lawn Mowers Mowing

Bushes Waving

Hearts Pounding

Sun Setting

Birds Flying

Pages Ruffling

Lips Smiling

Remember You Are STILL Dying

 You can't go through life thinking about cancer returning

There is no cancer 

Remember when cancer was the answer? 

Remember when you thought you were dying? 

Remember that you are STILL dying

Just because you "beat" cancer doesn't mean you are not STILL dying

Everyday you wake up and go to sleep you are dying over and over again

Beautiful Scars

How many scars do you have? I have too many to count. 

Consider your scars beautiful. Wear them proud like a tattoo.

 Listen to Merry Clayton about how to endure. 

Meditation and the Death of Thich Nhat Hanh

 Thich Nhat Hanh the Zen master, Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, teacher, author and poet died on January 22, 2022.  

This hit me hard. 

I learned to love his books and mindfulness movement. 

I learned how to do walking meditation by reading his book.

I looked for and found a sangha when I lived in Charlotte. 

The Insurance Industry and Agents

 I am astonished, almost to the point of being amazed. Let me explain. 

After you past the insurance test and get licensed in the state you past the test, that is the end. 

Everything is radio silence, UNLESS you were doing this to work as a captive agent.  

A captive agent means that you work FOR an insurance company...like Allstate.  A JOB. 

If you are doing this to be "uncaptive" or a "broker" to represent several insurance companies then nothing, you are totally on your own to figure it out. 

As I was studying for my license the topic/type of insurance that interested me the most was for eldery - Medicare.  I also certainly have an interest in Cancer Insurance (I know the importance of it) and Life Insurance, but when I looked at where to start it seemed to me that everyone turning 65 will need Medicare so you have people who actually need the insurance. 

Annuities, Life and Health Insurance

Over the past 2 YEARS (that's right I said years)  I have been leisurely studying the VA laws and statues about life insurance, health insurance and annuities.  It has been fastinating and I learned a lot. 

Well at about the 1.5 year mark I decided to study to become licensed in VA.  I spent many many weekends studying and took the State test last month and passed it.  It was interesting because the more I studied the more there was to study.  When I took the test it was a hog pog of questions many I knew, some I didn't but none the less I passed.  I will say that you have to study to pass, it wasn't easy, but why would it be because you're dealing with money so they are going to make it a little hard. 

After I passed the test you have to apply for your license.  Completing the license was an interesting process as well. I understood not wanting people who have a criminal record to be able to become licensed but didn't know they cared if you owned child support.  That seemed strange to me, almost like they were trying to eliminate certain people from being licensed.  It made me want to run for office, work on understanding and changing laws.  It's all so crazy to me. Anyway went through the license application and then went to get my fingerprints.