HammerTimeTalk

As another beautiful day sets upon me, I graze the news on my smartphone and posts from facebook and I continually try to guess what has happened in American society.  From COVID, to police, to racial injustice, things have become very difficult for a lot of people to talk to one another about.  What is the right thing to say, or do, or am I on the correct side of the argument?

When I start to really give deep thought into the matter, I spin circles in my mind on what is the solution?  There has to be a solution to all of this that everyone can connect to right?  I believe there is a solution, however it will a day by day process, and we as American’s can definitely get there and it will have many ups and downs.

America’s history by no means has been a walk of beauty in the park.  Our history has seen some very bad times from the likes the beginning of our country to present day.  So many things to list I can’t even think of them all even when trying to conduct a good internet search on the matter.  I’ll share a story about one of my best friends from Albania and his journey here that helped me understand things better.

Once I worked at a hotel shipping and receiving in my early twenties while going to college.  It was a job that gave me the chance to talk and work along side with all races of Hispanic, White, Black, and Asian ethnicity.  It taught the differences in cultures from all around the world and all across every mindset you can imagine.  After about a year into the job, I met what would become like a second-father to me.  His name was Vasil, and he was from Tirana, Albania.  Vasil like so many others that worked at the hotel had come to America for a chance at starting a new life.  He left Albania shortly after the Kosovo war had happened.  Vasil was a geologist for the government in Albania and had a masters degree in geology from the University of Bucharest, in Romania.  On our breaks together Vasil and I would go outside and have a cigarette or two together and talk about the history of our families, news, or whatever we had on our minds.  He taught me conversational Albanian and I helped him with his English.

Vasil would always talk about the things that had happened in Albania before he left.  Mind you I was 21 years old and Vasil was 65 years old, so I tried to understand the best I could.  Vasil had told me of the lack of freedom or speech, religion, and the right to protest that had not been held for a long time do to government rules.  Vasil had two sons and a daughter along with his wife of 40 years.  He had to go through a series of events and obstacles to carefully get his family into the United States under amnesty laws from the Kosovo war.  It took 2 years of effort and he was the last one to leave Albania.  Vasil had made sure everyone in his family was on their way to America or all ready here before he left.  He stated to me the amount of secrecy was so important at the time.  I asked why, and he stated, “Kenny, they would have killed my entire family for just me defecting from my government job.”

Fast forward a few years and here is Vasil and I working in the basement of hotel.  Vasil was a dishwasher that polished all of the silverware for the hotel.  This man that had been a gifted geologist for 35 years for Albania was now reduced to polishing silverware???!! It was really hard to think of and brought me to tears several times.

Over the next few years I got to know Vasil’s family better and better.  His wife was the cutest thing you had ever seen and his children were amazing people.  However, one day he hadn’t come to work and then a next day and another, before his daughter told me that his cancer had come back.  Over the next few months, my good friend and second father went through literal “hell”.  Vasil had succumbed to the cancer and had finished his journey in this world.  It was one of the saddest moments in the my life at the time.  I remember talking to Donika his wife and her telling me all of the great things he did.  He had taught me so much that I didn’t even realize.

At Vasil’s funeral the amount of different ethnicities was mind blowing.  We had Nigerians, Koreans, Jews, Muslims, and everything you could have think of under the sun.  Then it hit me, Vasil was father to us all that worked in the basement at this hotel.  He touched more lives than anyone I had ever seen.  Everyone went to the man for personal advice, financial advice, and even relationship advice.  He even earned the nickname, “Papa Bill”.  Vasil translates in the English name Willam, so that will helped explain it better.  He influenced so many people in his life because he only ever saw one thing in a person and it was “love”.  Vasil had the ability to look behind any history, color, religion, or difference people had and find their humanity and best part of that person and magnify it ten-fold with his advice.

One day I asked Vasil, “how did you do this”?  You gave a good life up and a good job in Albania to become a dishwasher in America?  Vasil looked at me and didn’t miss a beat “Kenny I knew, I was leaving everything I worked for behind.” However, I wanted the best life for my family and that is what I came here for, and I found it he said.  I never did get that message until I had my own family and realized what Vasil mean’t.

After the funeral I talked to his kids here and there.  Both of Vasil’s sons were successful business owners and his daughter taught in our public school system as a English high school teacher, yes an English teacher with a heavy Albanian accent.  Now when I think about it, Vasil accomplished everything for his family by sacrificing everything he worked for, and it was all for them.

America does have its problems, to say it doesn’t wouldn’t be correct.  This country does have one thing I have noticed over the years.  The ability to struggle, battle, and break through into even greater things for the people that call America home.  I never saw it until a dishwasher that never complained about his life here taught me that.

The only side my good friend saw was opportunity in America, and that this country was home to all people and all we needed was the love to listen, talk, and work on our differences for a better tomorrow.

 

I must admit at first I was taking COVID-19 much less seriously than I should.  I am like great, more fake news from the media and politicians yady yady yad ya.  So, today 4/7/2020 this corona-virus is anything but a joke.  Many people have died due to this horrible disease.

I feel like the unknown is like an abyss that can suck you in like a vacuum cleaner and then bring you into a host of emotions and compounding fear, anger, sorrow, and much more all in to one.  The hard notion to find is that peace, and that things will be ok.  That this is a temporary setback and we will move forward.   Much easier said than done unfortunately, especially if you can be a negative/pessimistic thinker like myself.

Many people have lost their primary sources of income including myself.  When I got that call, I shook in my boots.  “You are not needed anymore due to Covid”, is what I was told, and thank you for service.  Just like that the phone hung up and boom everything stopped.  I walked (I was working at home) out and told my other half.  I just got terminated, and of course, she had my back, like always ( I wanted to share this to tell you, that you are not alone if feel that way).  I am very fortunate and a blessed man because of my wife.

What if you do not have that somebody to fall back on? In fact where is God? Certainly not here many of us think.  How could a loving, caring, all powerful God let this happen to us? These questions come across my thoughts all of time.  I get really angry, upset, and bitter with God.  Sometimes I even shut him out of my life.  I got this, I am strong, and I sure can make it my own.  For a while that may true, and then I face plant into reality like missing the step to my porch.

Psalm 34:17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.

Isaiah 43:1-3 Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Both of these verses kind of marry each other in ways.  When David wrote this, I believe he was conveying, we are all God’s people, his children, and when we are on are backs, against the walls, God does here your calls.  Bad things are going to happen and that is that.  There is a rope and a  way to get out of the darkness and I find it the toughest thing to climb, I call it “faith”.   800 years later Isiah wrote this passage above and he is speaking about how the Israelite’s need to hold strong even while being held siege by Babylonian rule.  Gods promise to the Israelite’s was to hold strong, and I will walk you through this and protect my people.

Even through those dark times, when you or lose someone to a horrible illness or have loss of employment and go through the pains of anger, depression, and denial, there is someone walking with you.  You are never alone, and someone does love you.  Even though it seems like he is not here right now, he is.  Reach for that rope, climb it, and better days are not far ahead.  For it is our faith, are love, and endurance as his people to live in his righteousness.  God Bless you, for you are never alone.

 

 

 

I was at my church yesterday listening to the weekly sermon from one of the pastors that was talking about “sharing your story”.  It was an interesting detail of how he explained the hills and valleys of  peoples lives, and how sharing that experience can be a life preserver to someone else going through similar struggles.

About 6  years ago I had worked for the Detroit Fire Department Emergency Medical service divison.  It was a tough, interesting, stressful, and enlightening job.  It taught many values and experiences that I carry on with me to this day.  I was at the Detroit EMS for about 5 years and the impact that job had on my personal and work life still effects me to this day both good and bad.

The reason I bring up this section of my life was to share a few experiences myself that were destructive and constructive.  As many know, EMS is a very stressful job for the folks that grind it in day and out.  You see many things you cannot be unseen and cannot  shake out your mind easily.  Detroit was a tough job, and it changed me into someone I knew I was not.  I had been going through times with my family and not been treating people in my life the proper way.  I was heading down the wrong path, it was a dark time in my life.

Eventually I went and sought out therapy to gain some help for myself, I was on edge of losing many things in my life because of my behavior.  So I started counseling, and at first I really didn’t give it much chance.  Hard to talk to some stranger you didn’t know right? Eventually she was able to help me peel back the layers of troubles that I was having.  After many counseling sessions, she told me to go talk to a psychiatrist about medications to help me.   I was like look, “I do not need medications to help me with my behavior.” It took me a lot to finally work-up going to see a psychiatrist.  I eventually did, and the psychiatrist conducted an assessment on me.  It was odd, cause I felt like this was absolutely absurd!!! She calmly told me I had bi-polar disorder.  In the back of my mind, I couldn’t except this.  It couldn’t be real, and why was I wasting my time.  However, I wanted to keep what I had in my life, so something had to change.

It took me many months to find a right combo of things that really help with the matters in my life.  As time went on I started to feel much better and to this very day I feel great compared to were I was.  I started a new job and things were looking much better.   Still though I didn’t feel totally whole at the time.

My wife has always been a Christian, she always has had a found belief in our religion.  I would go to church with her when we starting to date and we still go to the same church today and its a great thing.  During my time in Detroit EMS, I saw a lot of terrible things.  A lot of violence, struggle, and reality that a lot of us do not know exists.  As time went on I pretty much lost all hope of God and Jesus in my life and started to become a near Atheist.  This had went on for some time and it was impacting me in more than one way.  I was like “how can a God that I believe in let this happen to people?”  All of the bad in life, all of the suffering, and struggle I thought he could have just wished away in minute.  My faith was low and pretty much gone.  The relating factor that coincided with this was the my life was going, and I was the engine driving it smack into the ground.

Time moved on and as I stated things were getting a little better, but still even after I quit working for the city, my relationship with God was gone.  As the future progressed I was getting sick and tired of being down and having these feelings of depression.  I took that leap one more time and it was hard, but I had to work at it.  Believing in something again you thought was gone is far more difficult that I expected.  Slowly though it started to come back, my faith returned.  It took a while for me to totally believe again but it did happen.

So now it is present day, and things should be perfect right lol? Well life as a whole is a blessing and I pray for health, happiness, and safety everyday for my family.    I heard that happiness is a choice sometimes, and we had to choose it.  I work on that till this day, and like I said some things are easier said than done.  My family is my world and I appreciate every second I can, because in a second it can all be taken away.  That is the drive that make it all worth it.

In closing, if you going through the fire in your life, weither it be suicidal thoughts, depression, anger, violence etc., please go talk to someone.  It can make the difference  more than you know.  I am far from perfect, but trust me you can do it.  There is always hope.

Lastly, I do not want to be the guy in group that says….. “YOU NEED JESUS IN YOUR LIFE!!”  That is all you need and you will be forgiven, and all of your troubles will vanish and your will have a perfect life.  That is not the way to bring people to the Lord in my opinion.  I have seen many people say your going to hell and this and that.  I really believe if you go that route you will push someone further away from God than anything.  However, I always do invite folks to give a try and give a chance.  Come to a few worship services and see what you think.  It really is a great thing.  I am not hear to judge you, I hear to walk with you in the marathon that is life.  One of coolest hardest thing I heard said from a wise man was this, “We pray in our time, but the answers come in God’s time.”

So share your story, you never know when it could make the difference in life.   Many people are going through similar captions in their life.  Hearing your story can maybe break that chains of loneliness and captivity they are feeling.

Below is a quote I found from the movie Valor.  It was written by Chief Tecumseh of the Shawnee before the war of 1812.  I read it daily and I try my best to live up to those words.  Do not forget though you have a story to tell, and believe when I say this, people are listening.

 

 

 

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion;respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

Referenced from:http://www.waynemoran.com/blog2/2012/02/26/tecumseh-poem-from-act-of-valor-movie/

 

 

 

 

 

Friendship’s lost?  Harsh family and friendship arguments at the dinner table, in person, or on social media?  The political spectrum has become increasingly hostile since the last presidential election.  People have lost 20 year friendships over the matter, and some family members aren’t even talking to each other, OVER POLITICAL BELIEFS!!!! For crying out loud everyone, this is absolute madness!!!

As many of you know, I am a proud card carrying Libertarian through and through.  My political stand point is from the platform that the LP promotes.   If you do not agree with what the party stands for, I can totally respect that.  My personal standpoint on how folks are treating each other over politics is grim.  I have never seen such division in our country.  People are identifying themselves on who they voted for in 2016, instead of just who they are.  Kind of twist on the spectrum of life from my viewpoint.  I am so very tired of people not respecting one another.

As things progress into the future, all I can ask people that I talk to, is why there is a need to prove the other person on the opposite side of the isle wrong about their beliefs, and vice-versa for them as well to.  I mean differences can be a bridge, but the last few years I hear nothing but fireworks from people going at it about Clinton and Trump.

Its a mystery why we couldn’t produce better candidates then this, but that is the way the deck of cards fell, and well, we have to live with it.  I am not going to get into the details of what I think about the 2 major parties.  However, I have one thing to say; do either one of those parties really have the best interest of America’s people?  Just saying.  Not seeing a whole lot of productivity for the good of the people.

Libertarians are far from perfect, but bring a new thought process to the matter.  How about taking the good of both major parties and putting that into one? Many people have seriously laughed in my face for such commentary.  I am as serious as a Ben Stein commercial though.  Would it really hurt to try a new party? Give it some thought.  Instead of bashing each other all day long, and flipping insults around to each other, take a look and see what has become of America period.  I do not care who was president in the past and the whole blame game.  I CARE ABOUT NOW!!! Are you seriously satisfied with the way things have been?  Just asking for folks to take a look at what we believe and give it a chance.  Who knows right? Could be something great.  If its not for you that is cool, but for heaven sakes guys, were neighbors, friends, family, and more, please stop kicking each other down to stand on your box and tell them your right and their wrong; it just promotes more division, and seriously America has enough of that nonsense already.

 

 

Happy Father’s Day to all of my fellow fathers.  Hard to believe this summer is already in mid-June? Not to mention the heat hit like a brick house as well.  I thought I’d write an update to the blog since it has been a while.

These day’s seem so different from the last 30 years that I can remember.  What I mean by that is the way parenting has changed, and how the view society arbitrary thinks the father figure should be and his role in the family setting.  Back in the day I can remember when I saw the whites of my pops eyes, I was either getting a spanking or chilling in my room to do some involuntary solo time.

I have personally experienced the judgment from fellow adults from a multitude of parenting opinionating angles.  I remember that I disciplined my son at the grocery store and heard the chattering of a fellow adult expressing her feelings on how I was to harsh.  Another such moment came from a gentleman stating, “he is only a kid man!!”  While some opinions and constructive criticism I do not mind; cheap insult parenting shots can take a rain check from my fellow peers.

My standpoint on being a dad/father is changing with the times, yet trying to keep that old school touch.  Its a trapeze style of parenting however, its the frame of choice that I think is best for my family.  Don’t get me wrong, I am human and pass judgment I shouldn’t all the time, but 99% of that time I keep it in my head, and don’t verbalize it.

The world truly is a different place than 30 years ago.  Internet, cell phones, faster pace lives, and more go on the go than ever!!! I still see many kids playing around in the yard’s with their friends, and some street hockey and basketball going on in the court I live on.  That is always a great thing to see, I am always trying NOT to be the Clint Eastwood style of character that says to the neighbor kids, “GET OF MY LAWN!!!”  That is the guy I do not want to be.  However, I noticed over the year’s that less and less kids are playing and what seems like they are staying more indoors.

This is where that parenting thing comes in.  Difficult sometimes to say the least but, there is still that childhood we had, that we can take a slice of and bring down to our kids.   I try my best but do not always succeed to get my son outside and play baseball, tag, or whatever.  I try to spend time to help him as much as can with school, and other activities to be at.  I try to hang with my daughter and be there with her every bit I can as well  Sometimes it feels like a time struggle, but every moment really is a blessing, so I am grateful.

Know my fellow father’s do what you do and just DO the best that you can.  Give a 100% to your family and children, and leave the rest at the door.  Remember that your a person, not the almighty, and will make mistakes all the time.  The learning angle can be a curve, but is necessary for us to learn the in-and-outs of IT all as they say.  Remember how Dad knew how to do all of the fix its, and be so strong, and tough? Your that in training and do not even know it.

Lastly though I still have some of that TOUGH LOVE from time to time.  I will not tolerate certain things, and have a civil way of handling the matter.  Spanking seems to be deemed out these days by a lot of society.  HOWEVER……. I repeat, I am NOT, NOT my kids friend.  I am not hear to be easy on you, I am not going to let up on you to do your best, and what I say, I mean it.  Sometimes it sucks being that guy, but like I said, I not my kids friends.  I am here to make them into a productive member of society, and have them treat people well, and learn about our religion and values.  Yet I will do everything in my power to love you, be there for you, and cheer and cry with you.  There is no shame in that, and if anyone says so.  To Bad!

Closing in this post to my fathers and their families.  Thank you for Father’s Day.  Its not a day to celebrate us.  It is a day to realize the privilege it is to be a dad.  Cause there are many that want that yet, and can’t, or are trying and having trouble.  Remember them, do not forget about them! Your role as a father is an honor the good Lord has given you! Use it wisely, and be proud of every second you get to be a Father.

Happy Father’s Day fella’s.

Kent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As many of you know, the royal wedding yesterday seemed to have scooped up quite a large section of television time on American market.  I must admit that America’s infatuation with the Britain’s royal family is quite peculiar to me.  Call it speculative judgement, but America’s culture is free from Britain’s leadership and monarch style of government.

It’s not that the royal’s aren’t important, its that they seem to take more of an importance that many items that are current events in the American dynamic.  The fact that high school students are enduring violence and school shootings take a backseat to the publicized royal wedding not in our own country, kind of tweaks my view on how our media portrays the priorities of the American media reporting structure.

The most important of part of America is the freedom to be who you are, what you are, and the freedom to make the destiny that is yours.  The American people should be informed of current and drastic events reported in a non-biased manner.

I feel that the safety and freedom of our youth is in dire jeopardy.  The fact that mass violence of this nature happens continuously is absolutely horrifying.   When a 15 year old is scared to attend high school for fear of being attacked equals that their very freedom, rights, and safety are being striped from them.  Its our responsibility to take care of our children, to guide them, and teach them the moral and social principles that help them decide the appropriate decisions and actions to set forth for peace, safety, and advancing the American society.

However, for some reasons the royals are taking the priority time slot on American TV.  My fellow American’s, its time to make the change, to stop this acceptance of the norm, the violence, and the fogged priorities of our media market.  Our founding father’s wouldn’t want us divided like this.

90% of the problems we attack each other are petty.  I believe that most people are good at heart, but negativity sells, instead of collaborative work, and foundation.  Greed encompasses the mind, and fellowship for our common man and woman and gets caught in the net and dragged away for some reason.  I am not saying boycott news networks.  I feel though that change is needed to provide a structure for our the important matters of our country.  This encompasses us all, from every culture, ethnicity, or background.  Your differences matter, but let that be your strength my brothers and sisters.  The common goal of education, safety, understanding, bring more of a unified effort to keep us united.

In closing, the most important part of this change is YOU!!  Lets show are children that another countries royal wedding bash, does not not take more precedence than the safety of our kids.  I do not care what side of the isle your from, our what your political differences may be, or who you voted for.  I care about this country and the people that live in it and that is all at the moment.  So join me folks, and tell these mass media outlets that WE THE PEOPLE are first, and not the royals.  We need each other now more than ever.

Well I hope you all had a great weekend and Mother’s Day.  Monday is here and the start of a new work week.  It has been a interesting two weeks from scary, to crazy, to interesting.  Making major decisions in life never seems to come easy ya know? I pray for a clear thought process, but sometimes I feel like I am stuck in the mud like a stick.  The interesting things from life I guess are those things that you never thought might materialize.

As many of you know I make custom knives.  What had started from just the joy of handcrafting and forge steel to reproduce a usable tool, has surmounted into something much more.  I have had many people in the last few weeks ask me to build them custom knives more than ever before.  Things that didn’t seem to be a reality, can materialize if they are mean’t to be.

Rough sea’s can turn calm and the eye of the horizon can change views so many different ways.  Risk is so scary and yet at the same time fulfilling to take that step into the unknown.  That is where I am kind of at right now.

How many of you are in a similar situation or thought process in your life? Faith seems like such a gamble, and losing control is human nature that none of use never like to feel.  For it is in that control, that grip, that seems to give us some grasp of our own destiny.

I think its the letting go, and giving it to upstairs, can even  paralyze the most mighty of human nature.  That is the real task that seems to even bring the most stubborn of individuals to their knees at times.  We were never mean’t to serve ourselves, but mean’t to serve each other it seems.  Its the unknown of the future that can be blatantly scary in the face of the abyss that life can represent.

So for those of you go through similar facets of life, let’s jump in it, together.  Scary as it may be, the challenge is ahead, and I’ll  try to use fear, as my fuel to jump into the fire.  For its better to try and fail, than not to have tried at all.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”  Winston Churchill

 

So how many of you are ready for summer already? I am ringing my cow bell for the warm weather to plant and do a long staycation for a while. Something about summertime gives you that great feeling of being out by the water, and hanging out with family or friends on the back patio and enjoying a nice evening.

I did something I never thought I would do. I bought a rubber boat. “Really a rubber boat?” Hey at least you can fold it up and put in the back of a mid-size sedan right? Haha. My son Dylan is 5 now and as the next few years progress, I would like to see if he is interested in fishing and or enjoying time on the water. Even if you do go fishing and get frustrated that you haven’t caught something, its still that time that you have with a loved one.

I had always had this goal in my head from the past to the near present. It was about making money. The more the you make, the more comfortable you’ll be, and happier you’ll be right? Not exactly.

How many lotto winners and high end actors and folks that have money from head to check into rehabilitation clinics for drinking and drug addiction? Money is only a component that is a minuet part of life. The difficult face of reality is that we strive to make more and more money, and to a point that is healthy. Folks should be able to live a good, safe, and comfortable lifestyle. However, when it overtakes you, that is the problem.

It has taken about up until this time for me to realize that money is a necessity, but not a want. The time that I spend with family and friends, and enjoy the good and bad with them is the trademark I would rather leave on my timeline in this lifetime. I have sent what seem like a million prayers these last few days for guidance. I think the Lord sent some of that guidance back to me last evening. I was doing my normal routine with Dylan getting him to bed for the evening, and he stopped and asked me, “daddy are you happy today?” The only response I could say to him was “You are the happy part of my day, just like your sister, and mother are.” He smiled and changed the subject (cause hey that is what a 5 year old does right?) and went to sleep.

Gathering my thoughts after he went to sleep, I realized that I have been consumed to much by the material matter in my life. I want to plant the seed of God, family, friends in my kids. I want to teach both of them, that life is more than just video games, legos, or what kind of car you drive, or where you live.

Its the human connection that we can offer each other, the love, support, and companionship that only a human being can give to one another. That is the goal I want to strive for, the time, the love, and cherished moments. When that day does come, I want more laughter than sorrow, and to show my kids that a life well lived can not hold a monetized value.

So for today, I am going to make the most of the most I can. That way I can guide my kids to hopefully have a similar footprint as well. I hope you all have a great weekend, and enjoy the start to summer!! Let the fishing begin!

Many years ago Jennifer and I had taken a trip over to Europe.  We took the Sound of Music tour that took us through Austria’s alps and through some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever witnessed till this day.  It was almost like traveling through a painting.

Alias, reality can kick in sometimes.  I appreciate all of the kind words and encouragement I received from yesterday’s post, and wanted to thank you all very much.  It definitely helped with a lot of the sorrow clinging on to a heart beaten soul.  So thank you once again.

I will be traveling up to Port Huron shortly to get the results of my nursing final and review it, to see what I did wrong.  There had been this section of an interview that I had remembered I saw on TV many years ago.  It is actually was by the late Bruce Lee.  He states “keep your mind as clear as the blue sky, and your worries and fears are conquered away.” Not a popular speech that he had made, just something I had remembered from a long time ago.

The validity of Bruce Lee’s views were of complexity that he made simplified.  Life is a mix of great conquers and losses I guess.  As upset and angry as I thought I’d be, I am not.  Usually I would have shook my fist to the sky and told the man upstairs, “Why is this happening to me?” “What did I do to deserve this Father?”

Well as I stated in yesterdays writing, you get a little older and you get a little wiser with time that steadfastly progresses.  So I have to try to keep that open mind and see the hill’s and valleys that face us all.

I guess keeping that emptiness of the mind is harder than we think, but as family, friends, colleagues, and so forth we can give each other that gracious lift when trying back to climb the peak to see what awaits us.

In closing for today, if you are in a valley of life and things are difficult; I hope that you can keep your mind free and see whats ahead.  Even though it is not planned, having that faith from power that is within will give us the strength to climb, and hopefully the grace to fall when we hit those pivotal times in the days ahead.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”   1 Peter 5:7

Thanks for stopping by, this blog is dedicated to everyday life.  The ups and downs of the world we live in, and the experiences that bring it all together.

Recently I had suffered a steep setback of proportion in my life.  I had been enrolled in the St. Clair County Community College nursing program.  My grades had been spot on all semester however, I failed the final and lost my chance to advance in the program.

I have to admit last night was a bit of shocker realizing I wasn’t moving on in goals to becoming a nurse.  I had found out the news as I was picking the kids up from school.  “D+”, in my lecture class which was 77%.  Still kind of in shock as I write this.  (You need an 80% or better to move on in the program)

Do not get me wrong, I am still pretty hit up with a lot of emotions and sad to say the least.  As we got home, I was trying to hide my emotions as the kids and I walked into the house.  “I kept asking myself, how am I going to explain this to my wife Jennifer”?  Jennifer is the rock of our relationship.  A solid beacon in the ocean of life that I hold onto, many times from drowning in my own entangled emotions.  As I started to get upset and tell her I was sorry, she stayed and gave me a hug.  Jennifer had sacrificed A LOT this semester taking care of the kids and so many other hosts of events in our lives.  Once again, she was there for me in some rough seas of life.  Thank you Jennifer and I love you very much!

Failure is a word I think many of us struggle with.  Earlier in my days I would have sworn the program off and not said two more words to its loss.  As you get older though, you have a different mind frame.  I think sometimes you get that wisdom, that little bit of common sense, that says, “you think your through, but someone else upstairs has plans for you.”

I’ll never forget words from an old friend named Vasil had told me.  “Kenny life is not fair, not at all; you are going to fail many times in life, and you will get knocked down, get up, and then fail again.” Vasil then would ask me, “what’s next?”  Those were words have lived with me for a long time.

So for today I’ll wrap this blog up with this.  “Whats next?” If you are going through similar struggles from different perspectives; what are you going to do? Well join me and we will smash one foot in front of the other and the emotions that go along with it on the daily grind.

I am good to look to the sky from guidance from him.  He shall tell me were to go.

I will try to keep this blog up daily as much as I can.  Please tell me your experiences, thoughts, and feelings.  These daily entries are meant to connect one of us to each other and bring a forward movement in life.  Everyday isn’t a great day, but its a day we have to live, so do your best.

In each of us there is the strength to fly, the love to support us, and the dream to make us try.  Author Unknown