July 26, 2017
Category: love
July 24, 2017
Fight The “Blues” With Me
It’s the first day of the work week, but I'm not experiencing your typical "Monday Blues" today. I have no clue what's wrong; it's as though a dark cloud of sadness, almost an anxiousness, has moved into the duplex next door. Sometimes—for me anyway—stress, depression, anger and even anxiety unwillingly invade, like watching black storm clouds roll into my spirit. As I am helpless to chase away a thunderstorm by sheer will, so this feels in my heart. But my family and I are born fighters. We surrender to God alone; never to darkness, never to defeat.
July 18, 2017
You Cannot Give Up
I’m going to share with you my whole reason for being; the entire reason I'm on planet Earth. My life's purpose rolled up into one paragraph. Here it is: never give up. Never, never, never give up. Never surrender to the darkness which tries to swallow you whole. Never quit. Not tonight, not tomorrow, and not ever. Keep fighting, until you draw your last breath. Keep reaching for the stars, keep breathing, keep laughing, keep loving. Just keep on, and never quit. Life is worth it.
July 11, 2017
Laugh It Up, Fuzzball
The tattoo on my right upper bicep (and on my daughter’s calf) says, “No fear of the future, no regrets of the past.” Granted, this is a mindset which is hard to attain, and even harder to maintain. It's a goal both she and I strive for every day. I'm closer to it than I was a year ago, but not as adept as I will be in a year. It’s totally doable, though. I know this because I've witnessed the joyful faces of those who have gone through terrible agony. There is a terrible sadness, hidden away, which has forever altered their lives. But not destroyed them. So follow the advice of that great theologian, Han Solo, who said, “Laugh it up, fuzzball.”
July 3, 2017
Hats Off to the Veterans of Pain & Life
Sometimes I literally have to speak to the old dude staring back at me in the mirror. "Make peace with him," I say. "You're older, you're not as thin. Look at him. Make peace with him. His wife loves him. His children love him. His grandson and his parents love him. You must love him, too." We can allow the aging process to blanket our entire soul, or we can acquiesce to the inescapable, and cultivate an appetite for the artistry and charm of life.
June 21, 2017
Rest In Peace, Hollie
Being around those who are terminally ill is always awkward for me, but Hollie put people at ease immediately with her goofy sense of humor and her contagious laugh. She was all about laughing through the pain, smiling through the fatigue, pushing herself as long as physically possible, resting a while and then getting up and doing it all over again. We lost Hollie to cancer on Monday, June 19. Rest in peace, my friend. See ya soon.
June 16, 2017
What’s Holding You Back?
Is something holding you back from loving with all your heart, and if so, what are you afraid of? Since telling stories is what I love to do the most in this life, allow me to give you access to a conversation between my wife and I, from nearly 30 years ago, that, up to now, nobody else but her and I were privy to. It’s difficult for me to be so vulnerable, but I feel there are many people who are holding back in life, terrified of being hurt. As far as I’m concerned, however, life is a beautiful, amazing, breath-taking adventure, and I'm all in.
June 13, 2017
My Children are my Heroes – Part 2: Trey
My son not only conquered a spirit of fear, which he fought for years, but remains a true gentleman; hard-working, kind-hearted, sincere, warm and funny. The cynicism and sense of entitlement some of his generation have chosen has never worn off on him, and I could not be more proud of him.
June 10, 2017
