You and I have talked about this before but I think it’s important that we talk about it again.
The word “Friend”
Remember?
A friend is a feeling. It’s a person. It’s a relationship that helps us find balance in this crazy thing we call life.
A friend is a source of comfort. It’s a meaningful name that either puts a smile on your face or a feeling in your heart.
That’s what a friend is.
As we grow, we learn from a young age about how to be, how to act, how to think, and how to behave, how to say please, and when to say thank you. From the early years, we are taught things like, “be nice,” and “Share,” and “Don’t hit.”
We are taught things like The Golden Rule, which is do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The Gold Rule is a practice we follow to create our ultimate success, which, in a perfect world and in optimum conditions, sounds great. Unfortunately, the world we live in is far from perfect and the conditions are far from optimum.
When I listen to arguments over opinions about our country, I wonder if people realize that it is okay to see things differently. I am not sure when opinions became fact. I am not sure how we became the way we are, so divided that we fail to see straight or realize that we are actually on the same team. I don’t know much about politics. I don’t always I agree with what I hear and I don’t always like what I see.
All I know is I am me without apology. I am not the right side or the left. Instead of choosing a side, I consider myself the middle. I consider myself the heart of this country. I am part of the pulse that beats the blood through the system of this land. I am no better or worse. I am me. I am the son of a man who chose to serve our country. In fact, my Old Man served our country proudly in the Army Air Corps in 1946.
This morning you asked if there was a way to bring someone back from the dead.
Out of everything I have learned in my life, I have learned one certain thing, which is in times like this there are no right words to say.
I was thinking about that small place I stayed in. This was a while ago in Fort Lauderdale on the beach. I was not too far away from The Ritz and some of the other glamorous hotels.
In fact, I was only few blocks away. I was down the street from the beach and witness to the morning sunrise.
It was pretty here. Of course it was. I was on the beach seeing beautiful things during an intense time.
But oh, how the ocean does wonderful things. I swear the sound of the waves rushing in was perfect enough to cleanse me the same way the waves cleanse the sands.
I have been thinking about the farm lately. I was thinking about the barn crews and the times we spent on the hill, running around, chasing each other, and playing games like capture the flag. Hell, I was only 17 years-old then. I was just a kid.
There was something to this place though. But in fairness, if you were to go back and ask me if I would ever regard this as the best days of my youth, I’d have laughed and said you’re crazy. I suppose everyone on the farm would have said the same thing. We’d have all said you’re crazy
Continue readingThere is nothing more real than life
It’s as simple as that. Life is very real.
It happens every day.
Every morning, life happens.
True story
Imagine yourself sitting comfortably. Imagine yourself away from all of your stressors. You are far from the anxieties that cause concern.
Imagine yourself sitting on a shoreline where the waves move in quietly. The sound of the waves is the sound of Mother Earth breathing.
When the waves come in, she inhales.
When she exhales, the waves return out into sea.
I was just about to step outside and break away from my normal routine. I decided to talk a walk. I wanted to take a break from my usual scene. I wanted to get away from the group of my so-called friends.
I wanted to separate me from them and the self-absorbed conversations about this one keeping up with that one. I was young and the city was still new to me.
The following is about strength so as you read; I will kindly ask that you keep an open mind. This is not a plea or a cry for help. Instead, this is a roadmap that starts from where I came from and leads to where I am now, today, here with you.
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The Written Addiction 