Well, Christmas is over and the New Year has been ushered in.

My other writing projects are winding down and are now in the editing process.

Both cataracts have been replaced with implants, which means it's time to go back to work.

It's with mixed feelings that I return to work, I Love my Job but I Love my family more. It would be so nice if the trucking industry could find a way to allow us drivers to spend more time with our family s and still be able to make the wages we need in this expensive economy.

It's tough emotionally to be a truck driver and very few non drivers have any real appreciation for what we must endure spending weeks and even months away from our loved ones. Most drivers have been divorced more than once because it is also tough on the spouses. It takes a real commitment to each other to endure the forced separations.

It's tough on kids too.

I thank God that since I have been making my living this way that I live in a time and age when electronic communication has developed to the point where it has, but it's still not the same as being home.

This is a big consideration for anyone considering truck driving as a career  Sadly few people will ever be honest with themselves in this arena, the money blinds them to reality, and it's only after you have been on the road for awhile that the reality sets in. That reality is that you will be a stranger in your own home.

The distance between you and your spouse is always present even when you are home, both of you know that at some point you will again leave and it stands in the way of the deep bond most of us want to form. Some people find ways around this subtle form of isolation, I haven't, if you have, please share it with us.

The loneliness I experience on the road has been made easier by listening to books on tape or Cd and now iPod. Of course the chapels at truck stops help when you can find one that is open. What has helped the most has been developing a relationship with God, I can talk with Him anytime, of course it's not the same as face to face with another human but He does know my needs and provides just in time when I trust Him.

The writing projects help too. So does learning how to play the harmonica, it's one of the few instruments you can play while driving and has provided me with many hours of enjoyment.

My book, "So, You want to be a Truck Driver" has so far been a disappointment  In the two years it has been available I have sold less than ten copies.guess I need to find some money in our budget to promote it. Any ideas e-mail me at shipit007@yahoo.com subject line, book, thanks.

Till' next time, keep the rubber side down and God bless.