Turning Points
Life is a journey. It has a beginning and it has an end. All along its path are events, places
and people who are turning points. Here, I relate some of these turning points in my own
journey. Hopefully, the stories will illuminate and maybe entertain some of those who care
enough to read.
Life is a journey. It has a beginning and it has an end. All along its path are events, places
and people who are turning points. Here, I relate some of these turning points in my own
journey. Hopefully, the stories will illuminate and maybe entertain some of those who care
enough to read.
| Jamie November 10, 2006 |
The youngest boy in a brood of nine kids, my brother Jamie was
certainly not the least in talent and intelligence. He sat in front of the TV
set and did his homework and scored straight A’s. That was better
than I ever did with the utmost concentration and work.
I bought an electronic organ for Mama while I was still at home. She
struggled with it but Jamie found it to be a natural appendage and
certainly not the least in talent and intelligence. He sat in front of the TV
set and did his homework and scored straight A’s. That was better
than I ever did with the utmost concentration and work.
I bought an electronic organ for Mama while I was still at home. She
struggled with it but Jamie found it to be a natural appendage and
taught himself to play, progressing even to writing his own music. None of it was published to my
knowledge, but still…
He painted and some of his art is treasured on the walls of our home even today.
Being the youngest did not make it at all easy for him; by the time he arrived Daddy’s patience and
TLC had been pretty well exhausted by the rest of us. But Mama favored Jamie and his love for her
baking spurred her to a lot of cake and pie making for him.
Jamie had an aptitude for languages and actually invented a few of his own just for fun. Indeed
this talent was a key to his career with the National Security Agency after earning his Masters in
French studies at the University of Louisville He lived in the Washington, D.C. area where he is
today and completed a very successful career specializing in computational linguistics. He is
fluent in six other languages and received numerous awards including the prestigious National
Intelligence Medal of Achievement. Jamie holds several patents for developments in his field.
Of course, his work was highly classified and I learned most of the stuff about his career from the
bio published at one of his speaking engagements. Usually when we asked him what he did at
work, he used Tom Cruise's one liner, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."
Early in his career at NSA Jamie was in the national press as the first gay person to successfully
challenge dismissal based on homosexuality.
He loves to travel and has been all over the world both in connection with his profession and for
pleasure. Jamie is working on learning Arabic now and he also enjoys wine tasting, drawing,
roller blading, photography, and being with the family whenever it gathers.
knowledge, but still…
He painted and some of his art is treasured on the walls of our home even today.
Being the youngest did not make it at all easy for him; by the time he arrived Daddy’s patience and
TLC had been pretty well exhausted by the rest of us. But Mama favored Jamie and his love for her
baking spurred her to a lot of cake and pie making for him.
Jamie had an aptitude for languages and actually invented a few of his own just for fun. Indeed
this talent was a key to his career with the National Security Agency after earning his Masters in
French studies at the University of Louisville He lived in the Washington, D.C. area where he is
today and completed a very successful career specializing in computational linguistics. He is
fluent in six other languages and received numerous awards including the prestigious National
Intelligence Medal of Achievement. Jamie holds several patents for developments in his field.
Of course, his work was highly classified and I learned most of the stuff about his career from the
bio published at one of his speaking engagements. Usually when we asked him what he did at
work, he used Tom Cruise's one liner, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."
Early in his career at NSA Jamie was in the national press as the first gay person to successfully
challenge dismissal based on homosexuality.
He loves to travel and has been all over the world both in connection with his profession and for
pleasure. Jamie is working on learning Arabic now and he also enjoys wine tasting, drawing,
roller blading, photography, and being with the family whenever it gathers.
___________________________________________________
| And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV) |
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