Day 11 Mile 93-101 Waterloo to Sweet Home

Waterloo - Sweet Home
I allowed my self to rest up in the morning after my late evening discussion with Matt and my busy day in Lebanon. I didn’t get on the road until about 11:30 following my typical hour and a half of packing ,stretching, and email checking. Its a short 8 miles from Waterloo into Sweet Home so I didn’t have to hurry. I received an invitation to visit Colleen and Bernie Brooks who live 4 miles outside of Sweet Home only a mile off the 20 so I popped in for some juice with Bernie. Colleen was out supporting family who were having a new baby but Bernie and I got to visit and he showed me his garden and goats. Bernie was a Career Firefighter! I continued on through the beautiful valley and I got to see myself in the ditch! My article was right there on the side of the road and that gave me a good laugh:-) I stopped in at the A&W on the west side of Sweet Home and got chatting with Howard W. Bergerson. He had worked in Sweet Home as a shingles wrapper. At the age of 85 Howard is now a philosopher and a mathematician. We visited for over 4 hours discussing the sources and nature of an “ethical imperative”. What can and what should motivate humankind to do good? If there is an ethical imperative, then its source must be divine; for an ethical imperative of human conception would by its very nature be one’s opinion and would prove insufficient to task of appealing to all humans. But, an ethical imperative must appeal to all, and if we agree that one does exist, which Howard and I both do, then its origin must be divine. Thus we are not left to create an ethical imperative but to discover one. An ethical imperative from a divine source would serve to unite humanity and bring an end to wars and suffering. Howard explained to me what he had discovered as an ethical imperative and how he had come across it. He has asked me not to publish his proof here on my site, but I would be happy to discuss my understanding of it with you privately. The proof involves advanced mathematics, the number of nature (pi), Extra-terrestrial intelligence, and Galatians 4:17 of the King James Bible. If you allow Howard to take you through his proof, you will arrive at an eloquent ethical imperative “Affect, affect, but exclude might; not that them, they, they well would, ye, yea you, zealously”. Howard’s kindness and love and his keen intellect made for an evening I will never forget. After departing Howard and the A&W, I accepted the invitation of Jan and Michael West to stay the night at their home. They had read about me in the newspaper and had sent me an invitation and as it turns out they are the Aunt and Uncle of Matt who I had spent the evening with the night before... it really is small world. Jan was so kind to come and pick me up from downtown. They have a lovely home on the river and I got to stay in their daughters room who is away at college (Thank you for the super comfy bed). Jan was a school teacher in Alaska for many years and Married Michael four years ago and they started selling Z-coil shoes. Well, they fitted me for a pair and right when I tried them on I could tell that these shoes would carry me well. They have a large spring on the back of them which lessens the impact of each step by 50% and give a 40% spring into the next one. Thank you Michael and Jan for your love and hospitality.