“As I go through the coming year, I have to ask myself the following questions daily: (1) Am I conducting this activity with confidence and enthusiasm? (2) Am I committed to the results of my activity, be it good or bad? (3) Am I pushing myself beyond the mediocre and not fearing the success that comes from this activity? (4) Am I being faithful to the knowledge, habits, and practices that make the larger activity possible? (5) Am I conducting an activity that helps someone, strengthens my confidence, or benefits the world?”
From The Power of Conviction - Dec. 24, 2014
“Wherever I look the winter takes hold; a warm shelter
keeps my thoughts at bay, but they powerfully swirl in my mind and soothe
me...memories have a way of sustaining us…they must keep me content as each
passing hour unfreezes the hands of time.”
From Winter’s
Prisoner – March 1, 2015
“Some of us feel the burden of our own insecurities. We carry around our fears and imperfections
and they are almost too much to bear.
Sometimes I feel like Superman; like I can take on the world. Then
sometimes I feel like a little boy running around the back yard with a red cape
on, pretending that I have to power to do great things. But inside, I feel the
smallness of my limited power and size.”
From I am NOT
Superman – March 15, 2015
“Whatever your mountain may be, do not deem it
impossible, even though a thousand
glances have presented you with the same impossible
conclusion.
There is a better way.
Follow the path of those who succeeded where many have
stared and pondered their failure.
Rise on their shoulders and on their backs.
Find a way”
From Parable of the
Mountain – May 2, 2015
“I felt strangely calm with the whole scene and strangely
un-judgmental. I pictured Jesus looking over the crowd of followers or across
the party of the rejected sinners and having compassion on them all. Not
judging them, but loving them. Pure,
immeasurable love. For a moment I felt the same emptiness of forethought, the
same purity of love that the Bible talks about. For a moment I felt like this
“love they neighbor” thing was at once a possibility.”
From Once Upon a Time
at Walmart… - June 27, 2015
“Breathing is the only thing we must do to help the grief
subside;
Time continues on and eases the pain with each new turn
of the Earth.
The tears of grieving will fill the oceans, but the sun
will always shine again to dry them up; allow it to do its much needed work.
The tears will flow, my love.
But flow they must.”
From Grieving is as
Breathing – August 6, 2015
“The future is a bright and burning sun that flames and
then is no more.
Maybe we are that bright sun, but let us bring forth a
beautiful display of brilliance as we wave goodbye.”
From The Brilliant
Flame: A Tale of Life and Death – Oct. 15, 2015
“Rain, wash it away.
With each holiday or remembrance, the pundits and
prophets and machines of political correction remind us of why we should not
celebrate and how we have failed. Yet we must meet in fellowship to honor the
things we hold sacred. Our failures are many, but our sense of community is
vital as a species and as a race of imperfect people.”
From Healing Flood
– Nov. 26, 2015
“No audience is present; no record contracts or visions
of stardom; no one to impress.
Just a freedom of movement and motion that keeps despair
at bay and fights off the thick depression that can accompany reality.
This private dancing is a reminder that my heart still
beats and, because of that, there is still a reason to dance.”
From I Dance When
No One is Looking – Jan. 16, 2016
“When we are at the end of our lives and we look back and
reflect on our greatest moment, will we be able to pin it down to one major
event? I used to believe that we all have one star moment, fifteen minutes of
fame, moment in the sun, or time on top of the world. But is it that easy to
pin down? Is it even useful or necessary to try and pin it down? To me it is
like catching the elusive greased pig that we think we have a hold of, but
slips easily through our fingers. Just when we think we have that defining
moment defined, it is replaced with an ever better one…
I chose to define my life by seeking to live it to the
fullest. Because it is how we live the moments of everyday existence that
define us.
So keep chasing those dreams. Keep fulfilling promises to
yourself and to those you love. Make a name for yourself. Rest assured that you
have written your life story on the moments of the past, but know that an
abundance of defining moments are always around the next corner.”
From Defining
Moments – Feb 21, 2016
“Some look with tears; others laugh; yet others scream
the name of their long-lost love. Others take a good look and then close their
eyes to feel the cool wind on their face as they contemplate their requests…
Hoping upon hope that millions are also beholding the
glorious light show on display for free.
Make your wishes humanity.
The stars will not wait forever.”
From The Stars Are
Waiting – Feb 27, 2016
“All it takes is that first step.
Then another….and another…and another.
You will rise above. You will conquer this monster that
will never leave you alone.
There is no other way but up.
No other direction but forward.
But I cannot make that step for you.
The first step belongs to you.”
From The First Step
– March 15, 2016
“Now a room full of lives has been lost in a senseless
hate-filled rampage.
Lives gone in an instant because of evil…a punishment
inflicted by a single judge and jury
with a coward’s weapon.
You could have been in that crowd…and I could have lost
you.
Some self-righteous ones would say it was not a great
loss and it was a form of judgement for a lifestyle that repulsed them.
But I disagree.
Your heart beat
just as mine and you loved differently than me…
But all I know is
that you were my uncle and I loved you.
And I think about
you now more than ever.”
From All I Knew Is
That I Loved You – Jun 14, 2016
“I am a walker watching the world run by
A confused poet in a room full of confident writers
I take it slow—not
a novel approach.”
From Walker –
June 25, 2016
“Keep running even though you may never win
Keep striving for good even though you will never be
good enough
Keep struggling and straining even though you will
never be strong enough
I am not good enough…but I will never give up--the finish
line is just around the corner.
My story is never good enough, but I will keep writing
it.”
From Never Enough
– July 3, 2016
“What most people want more than anything else is to be
heard. This does not mean listening to them as they say their peace, yet ready
to strike back with your vehement appeal and convictions firmly entrenched when
they are done speaking. Just listening with those who need to be heard, crying with
those who need to shed tears, and holding the hand of someone who feels no one
is on their side.
Until we learn to listen and see through the eyes of
others, America will never truly be great.”
From I DO NOT Want
Fries with That! A Case for Listening – Jul 7, 2016
“Yet I long to come back here…breathe the unique
air…drive the streets that lead me to that old house.
When I go I take a piece of it with me to the big city.
But, like a mesmerized zombie, the old town eventually
draws me back to face my former realities.
The new and old compete for my attention, yet they both
win”
From The Sameness
of Home – Aug. 14, 2016
“Unexpected
Loneliness hits you out of the blue; when you least expect it.
It makes no sense to feel alone in a crowd or even a full house…
When you long to feel nothing and even wish for pain and blood
To break the monotony of the numbness.
Unexplainable
We color it with busyness and searching for collectibles
to fill the empty spaces
But matter fills us all--we have no control over the
filling or the emptiness.
All we can do is hold out hope for the souring emotions to pass like a salty
wave
As we wait for refreshing to sooth the burning wounds like a salve.
Loneliness is not loneliness at all.
It is so much more.”
From The Bitter and
the Sweet – Aug. 28, 2016
“V. It is scary to finally see your potential
Like a superhero whose powers begin to take form
Will I use them for good?
Will I use them for evil?
Will I use them to change my world?
VI. I finally see that man emerging from his shell
Although it seems late, maybe it is right on time
The choices are in front of me
The future will proceed in its unstoppable pace
The prize is there for the taking
Time to reach out and claim the destiny that is mine.”
From A Glimpse –
Sep. 10, 2016
“I wondered about
My imprints—those I withstand and
Those I create.
Are they lasting and do they profess
That heat and pressure form the man and make us a work of
art?”
From Imprints –
Sep. 30, 2016
“It sounds so simplistic doesn’t it? Just love one another. But I am starting to
think that humans are incapable. I am never more able to love than when I am
alone in my quietness or watching nature as the clouds blow across a fall sky.
It is so easy to love at that human-less moment.
Then the contact happens. Or media reminds us of our
differences. Or we remember how that person lied to us and how we still have
lingering anger. Or we remember how a partner hurt us when they promised to
love us forever. Then love seems like a chasm, a canyon of difference, a
mountain of impossibility…
Like infants, like small children we reach out our feeble
hand to touch it. We may draw back because it burns, but we do not give up. The
reward is too great.”
From Why Can’t We
Love? – Oct. 16, 2016
“Sounds remind me I am alive--strumming guitars, a missed
voice that brings tears, a genuine and thankful response, the thud of my
beating heart.
Yet one of the greatest sounds of all is the sound of
your own voice—knowing you have the power to bring calm to a storm, cause
someone sad to smile, bend wills, strengthen burdened hearts, and encourage
ones you love.
May I use my voice to be a sweet melody to a world that
hears only sadness and despair.”
From Sounds (For
Those Who Have Ears) – Nov. 24, 2016
“In seasons of great joy and solitude, it feels as if the
silence somehow
Grabs time and holds it ransom, takes it up to a lonely
hill and shows it why it must slow down
But like the wind, it cannot be harnessed, deceived, or
controlled
The standing still is an illusion—it is easier to catch
the wind.”
From Stand Still
– Dec. 25, 2016
“*Every day we write the stories
that make us who we are…stories filled with the daily inspirations that lift us
from our beds and bring us into the routines of reality.
*But what is reality except for the stories that we
write…those that transcend time and take us to places that we built…places that
defy the present and bring to life the past.
*I prefer the daring tales to the ones
that lead us into old age with a sack of regrets weighing us down. The dreams
of the future don’t hold us back, but they are the winds that burst our sails
into life.”
From The River of
Stories – March 13, 2017
“Being an optimist is a struggle because some days it
seems it would be so much easier to slide into the no man’s land of despair.
But seeing the good and the practical in every situation is a gift that should
be shared. You will never convert the pessimist, but you might show him a
better way and make him long for the hope that you effortlessly exude in every
situation. The optimist’s struggle is worth every minute of positivity. So take
a deep breath and exhale. There is another chance tomorrow to fight off the
stench of negativity.”
From Just You Wait
– April 1, 2017
“I am a loser—yet we all have come back from the dead at
some point and put up a valiant fight to exemplify how life is always worth the
trouble.
The world is filled with losers—yet it does not have to
be your epitaph. Start over and prove to the world that losers can never truly
be defeated.”
From Loser –
April 26, 2017
“I feel kinship with those of the soil; common ancestry,
common destination, and a common peace we will once again share
Introspection is always necessary in life; we struggle
against it, push back the inevitable until we have nothing else left to feel
Our aliveness seeks our favor, languishes in keeping us
happy; yet there are times when it is necessary to reflect on our mortality…
So take the stroll of certainty and do not fear; the dead
have no power over us, but they do give us the power to keep walking.”
From Walking
Through Cemeteries – May 29, 2017
“In the end freedom is won in small victories…in quiet
moments and in moments of great and small victories played out in gyms and
classrooms and hospitals and lawyer’s offices.
Freedom is a lifelong struggle…a daily fight…a goal is
that never conquered.
Freedom is found in the pursuit… in the everyday
victories that sometimes seem far away from our sight.”
From What is
Freedom? – July 4, 2017
“You always feel like you are one against an army. But an
army of one never won a single battle. Depend on the strengths of others and
follow the blazing path they have forged. Because you are the only person that
can allow yourself to be defeated. Never give an inch to worry, a foothold to
despair. Your weakness is multiplied by the power of love.”
From You are
Stronger Than You Think – Aug. 26, 2017
“We are the
pottery, cured in the flames.
Molded into comforting shapes that bestow on us reminders
of our beauty but also the reality of our fragile souls.
We are the future,
the past.
Knowing that it all burns away reminds
us of what we have in common and the subtle yet powerful
sameness that purifies us.
We are the healed,
the delivered.
Even though the imperfect pieces of our shattered lives
can be
restored, we realize that we are merely vessels who serve
their
purpose, then return to the flames.”
From Shattered –
Oct. 2, 2017
“I think I despise silence most of all. Invariably, I
feel the need to fill it with music or conversation. For in the silence, demons
rear their ugly heads, reminders of deadlines and priorities gnaw at me like
hungry piranha, and the reality of my mortality stares at me like a vulture
ready to pounce on my scattered remains. So music is usually my numbing drug of
choice to drown out the clammering voices.
In a sense, we are all oxymorons; confused and seeking a
path that is both clear and unclear at the same time. Never fear the silence,
for in silence we find the priorities that give our life clarity, and the
strength to push forward through the chaos that clouds our path.”
From Organized
Chaos – Oct. 8, 2017
