“I want to grow close to this beast, to understand it and
match the heat of its intensity.
But it is not my friend. It tolerates me and expects me
to give it more than I am willing to concede.
I cannot release it. It is too much a part of me to grant
it freedom now.
So I move forward with resolve; fearful of what I have
become.
Embracing this changling, this dragon-like beast that
only a few years ago
Cowered in fear at the unknown world that I was creating.
As I accept the task at hand, I know a piece of me may be
destroyed in the process.”
From The Dragon’s Heart
(March 16, 2018)
“We cling to happiness like it is something we can own, but
we know it really owns us. Happiness gives clarity to all that is light and
dark, real and unreal, lasting and vanity.
Nothing is under our control, and that realization keeps us
on our guard. It helps us to breath when we must and hold our breath when the
air is too hard to take in.
All we can do is make confident choices that take us to the
next plateau. We can push forward or we can allow the world to pass us by.
To be alive, we must give up all control, for in that
abandon we find that love is the key to the opened door.”
From What Does it Mean to Be Alive? (May 13, 2018)
“You may not feel like you can affect someone every day, or
move them toward greatness, but you will. You may inspire someone across the
world that you will never meet, and never know the impact you had on them. This
kind of lasting mark takes the faith to know that each hurdle is for a reason.
And that reason could be that because you did it, others can follow in your
footsteps. Be the one that causes people to stumble into greatness.”
From The Power of “One” – A Letter to ALL My Children
(August 5, 2018)
“I picture my skeptics in the background with their ugly
smirks, reminding me that I chose this life, so I should stop complaining;
ready to break out their “I told you so” retorts when I have failed.
But rather than shrinking back or retreating, I push forward;
knowing that there is always a chance I will fail, but clinging to the chances
of success like a warrior preparing for battle.
I may fail, but if I do, I will not go down without a fight.”
From Crossroads (October 7, 2018)
“I will stand with you, strengthen you, carry your burden
and
Retain the book of confidence for you, to read you
bedtime stories
Of a little boy who crossed a great chasm,
Who fought dragons of internal despair and self-doubt,
And who emerged victorious at the end of your perilous
journey
With an unbelieving backward gaze at all you have
conquered.
I cannot write the story of triumph for you, but
I will always be there to carry your burden and read you
the
Adventures of your life as you, in undying confidence and
strength,
Write the next chapter.”
From If I Could Take Your Burden Away (October 23,
2018)
“Now knowledge is my canvas, and words are my paint as
I train others to see through the eyes of love and give
voice to the silent.
Former passions have been replaced by new ones, as I
embrace the blessings of bygone love
And watch children become teenagers and college-goers
become dedicated adults.
I do not mourn their lost childhood, but cherish my new
role as watcher and guardian.”
From Do Not Mourn the Past, But Embrace the Now
(December 23, 2018)
“I have never sought a fight. I avoided it at all costs
during my childhood. My modus operandi was to cut and run. Even into adulthood,
my rocky marriage hit turbulence because it was easier to avoid a fight than to
point out the approaching iceberg. But in the last few years, I have picked up
my boxing gloves.
Funny thing about these fights - they have left me battered,
bruised, bloodied, and beaten. But they have never left me defeated.”
From It’s a Street Fight (March 16, 2019)
“Embracing, as carefree lovers lost in time,
grants us assurance that the sting of pain and
Suffering will not prevail; even death cannot shade us
from the brilliance of our miraculous humanity.
Yet when we try to contemplate life’s glorious wonder, we
are left speechless and can only sit in quiet silence and appreciate the steady
beat of our hearts.”
From No Man is an Island (June 9, 2019)
“Creation
With our last breath the fears and regrets that once
haunted us escape from our minds,
Yet linger still in the courage of those who come after
us,
An inheritance brighter than gold or silver but
nonetheless more valuable;
Dreaming of the unlimited stories they will create, with
hills and valleys that are part of every journey,
Is the salve that heals our spirits and helps us send
forth hope like a cannon shot.”
From All is Not Lost (November 19, 2019)
“Years ago I felt like it was a curse to be mediocre at many
things. I thought I had to be a superstar in every area of my life—teacher,
husband, dad, son. As a preacher once told me, “You can be perfect.” What a
lie. In reality, my pursuit of perfection was exhausting. There is no way we can be amazing at
everything. No matter what life coaches try to tell us.
You may have heard the term “imposter syndrome” described as
the feeling that you will never be good enough. It is pitched as something that
goes away when you reach the pinnacle of success. But that could not be further
from the truth. Every day when I roll out of bed and look in the mirror, I see
an imposter staring back at me.”
From I Am the Okayest! (January 19, 2020)
“If God is Asleep…
What will be our greatest focus?
What will be our most frivolous fear?
What will be our lasting legacy?
If God is Asleep…should we even wake him?”
From What if God is Asleep? (February 11, 2020)
“Frozen in time
This icy state of indifference weighs heavily on
the soul
Crushing the vital air from our lungs and
making us long for the touch of another human.
Suspended animation
This cartoon-like existence impels us to ponder what
is real
Living each day through our rhythmic routines
and wondering when a sense of normalcy will return.”
From All Together Separate (April 4, 2020)
“As with so many other worried souls, I once believed
that I was powerless, but now my reflection is coming into focus; the lessons I
learned from traversing my treacherous paths now energize and refresh my aching
feet.
When the night is dark and the rumbling that stirs in
distant retreating formations slowly fades into tomorrow, I smile to know that
the storms of my yesterday now give way to the clear skies that warm my face as
I confront the coming day with virtue and resolve.”
From Dodging Lightning (May 10, 2020)
“Life floating by on wispy clouds as we remain
tethered to the ground;
Completely in chains, yet free.
This isolation and emptiness are punishments it seems, a
cruel prison sentence on those
That long to see the faces of other floating ghosts.
We know they are out there; we remember them
From the age of normalcy, as we cry out for a return to a
time of rat races and ordinary stress.”
From We Are Ghosts (July 16, 2020)
INTERVIEWER: Would you consider yourself a great teacher?
TEACHER: Interesting question. But the answer is no, not
particularly. In fact, I jokingly say that I “aspire to goodness.”
INTERVIEWER: Wow, I have never heard anyone put it that
way. Explain “aspiring to goodness” for me.
TEACHER: I guess I should back up and say that I struggled
as a student. There was always something holding me back. Later I found out it
was a combination of lack of confidence, imposter syndrome, and my ADHD.
Somehow, I earned “more degrees than a thermometer” as my dad would have said.
But there was always a restlessness in me that held me back from being a great
teacher --my thirst for knowledge, hobbies and collections, relationships,
religion, music, and other distractions. Oh, I am not saying I didn’t have
flashes of greatness; I think all teachers do. But I remember feeling in the
last third of my career that I would rather be “good” than “great.”
From Aspire to Goodness (2032) (October 25, 2020)
“Life is about quality, not quantity. I have no
aspirations of living to 100. All I want to do is increase the quality of my
years. That includes my personal desire to become a better human being.
I refuse to let life lead me around like a stray dog on a
leash. I know it owns me, but I want to feel the freedom to make choices about
the direction where I will go. I want to explore. I want to find all the hidden
treasures life has to offer. Most of all, I want to treasure all that I have.”
From GET BETTER (January 3, 2021)
“The meaning of life is what you make it. What you craft
it into. What you design it to be. When you reach the end, it may appear in the
eyes of the world to be senseless garbage. Or it might be a work of art crafted
out of the tinsel, fluff, and trash of your life; like a toddler decorating a
Christmas tree. It is messy. But just like a toddler, since you don’t know any
better, it is the tree of your creation. Just like the toddler, you can smile
and know you did your best. Even if the world only sees it as garbage.
Take comfort in knowing that everyone is on a parallel
journey to find meaning in it all.”
From The Meaning (Making) of Life (January 24,
2021)
“Knowing you will not see it is not the source of the
tears…but the realization that it WILL happen.
Life will proceed on with our passing;
More sights, sounds, music, love, pets, exciting
scientific discoveries, and an abundance of great food
The tears are a realization that love is the source of
all bliss for the future ones…and love will carry them forward and fill them to
overflowing.”
From The Bliss of Life (March 5, 2021)
“Universe, you were created from a collection of dust and
a mass of explosions billions of years ago, yet somehow you formed me, a
sentient being, from that dust. A being that now struggles with the quality and
deeper meaning of his life until I am returned to dust once more. Help me to
realize that my brief spark of life has no particular meaning in and of itself,
but I choose to create meaning out of this chaos.”
From Meaning Out of Chaos (A Re-Framing of the
Serenity Prayer) (April 12, 2021)
“My hope is that everyone at some point in their life has
this revelation. That they come to understand the commonalities of human
existence and that we all have our battles, hardships, loneliness, and
emptiness to fight. Some may not openly reveal it but it is there. Always
there. There are no easy answers. There is no resolution or solution. There is
only life, and breathing, and pain. But it is the glue that binds us to our
brothers and sisters who share this blood and DNA.”
From There is No “Someday” (May 16, 2021)
