Focus - a poem by Joe Houston

FOCUS

He sits alone
He lives aloft
The wind blows gently over his body
Asking why
The sun gives him life as its rays illuminate his strong features
He asks why
As his body is upright and strong his mind relaxed and focused
Why...
The gentle wind dies giving way to silence
The answer unfolds before him as it is presented by the sun
"You are an alien... a foreign ambassador"
His eyes close and his heart opens
"You are to lead"
His mind awakes and presents difficulty and doubts
"You are given the potential and the steps are falling into place...faith"
Reality tells him he is dreaming
"You will wait and pray and the prize will be given to you"
His eyes open and the northern breeze begins to flow over him
Again, it whispers,"Why?"
He answers aloud
"I am chosen - set aside - for all to look upon...to sustain the righteous and give hope to the hearts of the weary"
The sun sends its rays upon him again
"You are mine, without me you are nothing"
His heart swells with gratitude and pride
His chest expands, head held high toward the sun
Countless eyes notice him now as he sits on the pinnacle
He becomes conscious of their relentless observation
He does not look down to meet the eyes of the many, but stares - focused ahead on infinity
Infinity slowly opens to reveal the calm face of the Son...his goal, his hope, his life
His eyes open wide, yet the world fades out into empty nothingness
All is still and silent - all is gone, leave the face of life
All points of infinity are focused as they bow to the Almighty.

Joe Houston 6/21/97

Updated info for Joe Houston Memorial Trust

The Joe Houston Memorial Trust is proud to announce that we went live with the new website last night. www.joehoustonmemorial.com and is accepting online donations. If you would like to help those Joe left behind, you can do so in three different ways:

Joe's companymates are pulling some money together to be sure Asher has a good Christmas this year. Dubbed "Operation Santa", we are collecting funds separate from the trust to be sure Asher is not forgotten this Christmas. Additionally, funds will be used to help defray the cost of Joe's funeral arrangements, to include costs for the funeral, reception, and airfare for the family during this difficult time. Donations to this can be made through the website.

Second, you can donate to the Joe Houston Memorial Trust. This is a trust set up to benefit Joe's son, Asher. All proceeds will be given to Asher as he gets older. It is being run by his company-mates.

If you feel more comfortable sending in a check via snail mail, you are more than welcome to do so. Please send all checks to:

Timothy C. Parlatore, Esq.
Associate
Law Offices of Eric Franz, PLLC
747 Third Avenue
20th Floor
New York, NY 10017
(212) 355-2200
(212) 937-2217 Fax
(732) 904-6391 Cell

Finally, you can donate to the "Remember the Rangers" site. You can donate at www.remembertherangers.com. This trust is equally split between Joe and his co-pilot, LT Bret Miller, and their 3 (between the two of them) children. There, you can also purchase patches specifically dedicated to Joe and Bret. All of those proceeds will go toward the two families as well.

Thank you,
Tim Parlatore
Legal Advisor
Joe Houston Memorial Trust

A letter of thanks from the Houston's

Dear Friends,

How can we ever express our gratitude to all of you who so generously donated your time, resources, equipment, expertise, funds and sweat equity in the search for our son, Joe. We have never experienced such an outpouring of love and support. We were completely overwhelmed with the magnitude of the search experience and seeing so many people come together in unity for a cause greater than themselves. You became family - our family! You are truly appreciated. Thank you to each and every one of you who had a part in any way.

In admiration and respect,
John and Glyndell Houston