With all due respect Mrs. Melania Trump, please do not insult our intelligence. Please do not try to convince us that Donald Chump has compassion for anyone but himself or HIS family. Your speech was, in the words of your husband, FAKE NEWS! None of the WORDS you used to describe your husband reflect his ACTIONS over the last four years. You say he cares about Corona virus victims? How many times has HE said that? You say he wants to bring people together? What has HE done to prove that? He cares about our country you say? Why does he marginalize our federal law enforcement (CIA, FBI, DOD, Ambassadors, Military)? Why does he LIE about democratic politicians and those who oppose him? Why does he name-call and belittle people? Why is he so disingenuous? BECAUSE THAT IS WHO HE TRULY IS. ONE 20 MINUTE SPEECH CANNOT HIDE 70 YEARS OF TRUTH. The real Donald Chump revealed himself even more so during the past four years. Now you have to accept it just like the rest of us! And by the way, if you want to stop the rioting and shooting, either you or your husband should tell the good cops to keep the bad ones from killing and shooting! REAL NEWS! We’ll be waiting……
P.S. Eric Chump, if you don’t support freedom of speech for ALL AMERICANS, LEAVE our White House and LEAVE OUR COUNTRY!
Have you defined what greatness is for yourself? Have you achieved it? Are you pursuing it? I ask these questions because I have long admired people who’ve achieved above and beyond the norm. Whether it be educational accomplishments, financial success, personal enrichment, contributions to society/humanity, philanthropy, discovery, invention or sports, those who rise above the crowd captivate our collective imagination and allow us to think outside of our self imposed limitations. In other words they allow us to dream bigger. I like that.
Just like most of you, as a youngster I had an idea of how I wanted to live as my life progressed through the years. Also just like some of you I had no idea what I wanted to do or how I was going to do it. All through junior and senior high I was conditioned to think “job” after graduating. I knew that I had to work to support myself and lessen the financial burden on my family. I needed a starting point. So at 18 years of age I did something that most people would consider unusual. I went back to my childhood home and asked the current owners if I could visit. They did not know me. Almost 10 years passed since I’d lived there. But I felt compelled to go there to refocus my starting point. They obliged. While there I went to the back yard to one of my childhood hiding spots, a tree about 30 yards away from the house. I climbed that tree a few times as a pre-teen because it provided cover from the other kids when I wanted some alone time. I would sit up in the branches laughing to myself as I saw them looking for me and asking where I was. On this day however, I climbed for a different reason. I wanted to talk to God, “if he was listening………”
I didn’t grow up in the church, but I understood religion and spirituality. The way I grew up I had lots of reasons to believe in God and some reasons not to. I chose to believe but I wanted to know for myself. So that day, the last day I ever climbed that tree, I said this: God, if you’re really there, I need you to talk to me. I’m 18 and I’m ready to start my life. I DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START! (Yeah, I yelled at God. A brother needed answers man!) PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO. RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW! Then, after praying quietly for one of the few times as a teenager, I promised God, if he was listening, that I would do my best to represent Him and my family if he gave me the guidance that I desperately sought. Then, remembering my fear of snakes and knowing that snakes like to climb trees, I jumped out of that tree and hauled-ass out of those woods!
I had a renewed sense of spirit after that experience. Although my life path had not been cleared completely, I had a sense of strength and purpose. Instead of uncertainty I developed an urgency about getting my adulthood started. So I decided to swing for the fences and if I struck out I would deal with the consequences. I would work extra hard to make up for it. I started a business and followed my dreams. Gave myself 10 years to make it happen. The business failed. As a result I started my family a little later in life. I was over 30 when my sons were born. Another talk with God, in my own house this time. I asked God for courage, strength, vision and compassion as a father. I needed it! So what does all of this have to do with greatness?
Exactly! I never thought about my own greatness. I never asked God to help me define it. I tried to create my life on my own. I didn’t invest enough time seeking advice from those who were more experienced and knowledgeable than myself. So as I raised my family and aged toward my mid-life I constantly reminded myself to seek my personal greatness, God’s purpose for me. We all may have our own definition of greatness and I define it with this question: am I using all of my God-given abilities to achieve all of my God-ordained tasks? Am I fulfilling God’s promise with all of my potential? I know that answer for me. Do you know that answer for yourself? If you’ve been blessed enough to achieve your own definition of greatness I applaud you. If, like me, you are continuing to define and purpose your greatness don’t give up. Each day that you’re alive is a day to grow in your purpose. For me personally I owe it to my community to do so. Good luck in your pursuits.
AAAAAAAAAAAAH! YEEAAAAAA! I had to do that. It’s the weekend man! Glad it’s Friday! Today was a strange day for me. Not particularly challenging or busy, but for some reason I couldn’t stay focused. Really had to concentrate to get things done. My mind wandered all day. ALL DAY. Now that I am home I’m gonna make the most of this weekend, starting tonight! Ain’t wasting ONE minute of it.
Once I get settled I’m gonna turn on my computer and sign in to class, plug in my bass and amp, charge my phone and separate my clothes to wash. Then I’m gonna fall asleep! I’ll see how much GOT DONE once I wake up! In the meantime I have a question: have you found your personal “greatness”? Have you identified it? Have you achieved it? Let’s talk about it. See you when I wake up.
Family. Love. Simple. I had the pleasure of having my nephew and sister visit this weekend. Talked to mom, dad and brothers as well. Had a good laugh about motorcycles and old age. Simply family love. Left to right: the bass, the nephew, the son, the sister, the son and me. Enjoy your family.
When a person dies, those of us left behind struggle to use words and phrases that make the loss easier to manage. We may say things like “passed away, deceased, gone home to Glory, gone to a better place, God called him home”. These descriptive and appropriate words may ease the pain, but the fact remains that we’ve lost a cherished person in our lives.
I lost a cherished childhood friend recently. Out of respect for his family I will refer to him as “Cov”, which was the nickname given to him by his boyhood buddies, myself included. He referred to me as “Hamilton”, a play on my boyhood nickname of “Ham” (don’t ask…if you only knew how I got this name…). Cov grew up with the rest of our peers in Bywater (you know!) in the “Golden Years”. This is the era between 1972 and 1990. This is when the community was establishing its identity. Specifically from 1976 to 1985.These years split three distinct times: OGs (1972-1980), Bywater Crew (1978-1985) and Bywater Hustlers (1986-1995)
Cov was part of the Bywater Crew, the teens who were in high school between ’80 and ’85. These were my peers and let me tell you (because you just don’t know!), these were some of the coolest, baddest, nicest, purest, got-your-back, ride or die brothers you EVER gonna find in any fuckin’ neighborhood. Real talk! We were mentored by the OGs. Out of respect for their privacy I won’t name them, but man I want to. They protected us, taught us, supported us and showed us tough love. Many of us were raised by single moms and needed ANY male guidance we could get. We got good ones. Boy the stories I could tell!
Cov learned his lessons well. He was the first of the crew with a license and a car. Need a ride to the party down Crow’s Nest? Cov got EVERYBODY. Ride in town? Cov got EVERYBODY. Ride down Robinwood? Cov got EVERYBODY. Ride out Parole? Yep, Cov got you! Cov was the first with Atari. We all came to play. You the party type? Cov could get it started. Good hearted brother for sure. To be honest we knew how to find mischief when necessary too…one year I got a video camera and movie projector for my birthday. Any fellas or ladies remember the “movie nights” at my house..? I’m not talking
Cov and I lost touch in the mid eighties. I hadn’t seen him in about 30 years when one day out of nowhere I ran into him in a local store. We walked right past each other and paused at about the same time. We turned to each other, said our “what’s ups” and began to talk. Convo went straight to Bywater, the Golden Years…..
Fitting. Cov was living in his Golden Years when God called him home. I heard that his health had been failing recently. I cannot speak to who he became in his later years because we hadn’t talked. But I KNOW where he came from. I KNOW where he started. I KNOW he was one of the good ones in “The Bywater Crew”. The Golden Years. RIP Cov………
I have always liked green grass. I have long appreciated well-manicured lawns. In junior high I sometimes missed the bus to school. I had to walk two miles to get to school on those unfortunate days. You ever have to WALK to a place that you really didn’t want to go to? Glad that’s over. However, on those lonely walks, I took comfort in knowing that I’d get to walk past one of the best looking lawns in town. In the community where I lived most of us had rather small front yards with a tiny patch of grass. (My grandmother managed to grow a pretty good garden in there. RIP Ms. Mommie) Some had back yards that were maybe 12′ x 12′. I quietly envied kids who grew up with their own yards to play in……
In 1997 my wife and I had the pleasure of buying our first home. It was a townhouse. Quaint, cozy and comfortable but it too had a smallish yard, maybe a quarter of an acre. Loved that house and grateful for the opportunity of homeownership.
Fast forward to 2010. On a spring afternoon on my way home from work I noticed my wife taking her afternoon jog. She hurriedly stops me and tells me that a coveted home nearby is for sale. That summer we became the lucky owners of said home. Bigger home, bigger bills, bigger yard AND bigger responsibilities. For the first two years I dreaded cutting the grass, cleaning the leaves and shoveling the snow. Then, one spring day in 2012, fate somehow lead me back to that house of my childhood with the nice yard. But now, the yard wasn’t as well maintained. In fact, the house was empty, seemingly abandoned, windows boarded and the yard overrun with tall brush. Even though some twenty five years or so had passed I felt disappointed that that house ended up in that condition. It was like seeing a childhood friend who had faced tough times.
Upon returning to my house, I stood and looked at this view in the picture. I kept my yard neat and my grass green, but I had a new sense of appreciation for the effort it took. I was reminded of how much I wanted a lawn of my own and now I had one. Having something that you want usually takes more than WANTING it. It takes time, effort, money and WORK! So now, each time I return to my house, I sit in my car and take a second to look at the green grass. I thank God for the opportunity that he has afforded my family. I reminisce about my childhood and feel appreciation for the friends and family that helped me along the way. I appreciate my green grass. I really do. Brings a smile to my heart everyday. And not even the five bee stings I got on Sunday while cleaning the back yard will change that……
Green grass. A simple thing that I appreciate. You know, a new riding lawnmower and a new snow blower would make me appreciate it even more…….
The Real Life Corner 