For The Sleepless

The average day minstrel tries to pen the words that will break all barriers, to speak deeply to the one they want to entrance. A child learns words so they can communicate with their parents. Those with an expiration date choose them like a seasoning to a perfect meal. Yet, others use them to cut deeply; blame others; and inevitably tear down strong walls of trust to replace them brick by brick with faulty lies and bitter resentment. I once remember focusing on the phrase, "A still, small, voice to cry one day for me." A baby in the night, needing its mom for nurturing; a dad for confident hugs; and a genuine love from each parent. A baby, that will eventually become an unsure teen that wants nothing more than to be right. They will outwardly turn away competent advice, but inwardly treasure its importance and potential impact. That teen turns into an adult that needs to have the answers, but their father and mother's number on speed dial is used more often than any numb...

I'm not sure if you have heard of the book For One More Day by Mitch Albom; but most people will tell you that when I talk about my favorite books or authors, this one comes up in the conversation. There are few books that bring tears to my eyes, that make me want to take action so quickly, and also, allow me to see the blessings in my life. There are five separate quotes I want to focus on, but before I do that, I'll provide some background info. The book is about Charles "Chick" Benetto. Chick is a baseball player who finds it hard to forgive himself, he finds himself at the end of the rope and he decides it's best to take his life. He, eventually, discovers that he is back at his old house, seeing his dead mother in front of him, as a ghost. Through his conversation with her, he seeks to understand ways to find peace by realizing what a mother's love truly is. "But there's a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. how a scar got on...

Nestled on the corner of 3rd Avenue SE and Arena Drive SE, unbeknownst to most of the world, save a hundred or so people, America defended home ice against Finland. ESPN didn't create headlines about it and other media outlets never showed interest. In fact, I never knew about it until 2:30 that afternoon. I made the necessary arrangements (aka I called my wife to make sure I could go.) Since the game was at 8:00 PM, I was cleared to go. I was stoked. How often do you get to go to a game of this caliber? I arrived to the arena and was immediately greeted by a front row, next to the doors, parking spot! This may be great to some, but not nearly exciting....unless it is -15 without windchill, then it's like winning the lottery. I hustle to the rink to watch the Zamboni  resurface the ice and grab a seat. Here I was, sitting at just the right height, so I could see above the glass at center ice; everybody else, in the way back. As game time approached, a bunch of kids gather in ...

You've seen sick people before. They aren't their normal self. Most of us, when we get the flu, want to curl under the blankets and sleep all day. We don't want to be social; we aren't in the mood to be active; and even our appetite goes away. I know, for most everyone, it is a difficult, miserable time and we look forward to it passing so we can be back to our normal self and carry on with life's daily activities. When it comes to being sick, have you ever seen anyone in Diabetic Ketoacidosis, or DKA? The person is experiencing such high blood sugars that their muscles cramp up in extremely painful ways, they are constantly thirsty but may throw up everything they try to put down, and their energy is so drained that they slump to a heap because all they want to do is sleep. The fight that the human body goes through to stay alive is absolutely draining, so much so, that death truly is the next best thing. Now picture this happening to a 10 month old that can only...

Lately I've been listening to the song "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors. I came across this song after watching "World of Dance" where Fik Shun interpreted this song beautifully. I have listened to it every day since.Click for the  Performance . Either way, the main message of the song repeats like so, "Hold on, hold on, hold on to me, because I'm a little unsteady, a little unsteady." I have had my days where I've felt unsteady, that is, I can't seem to get a foothold on life. My transition to Minnesota is somewhat complete. I'm trying to schedule times to go into school that allows either myself or my wife time to be home with the kids, which leads to wonderful time with the children but very little time with my wife. In the past week, we've tried to get to school, but 3 out of the 7 days, our car went out of commission with various parts needing to be replaced, so nothing that needed to get done at school was accomplished. My diabet...

     The view from the kitchen wouldn't suffice anymore. My view of the back yard was limited to a 1.5 foot by 4 foot window frame, and the screen wouldn't let my eyes focus correctly. After about 3 days of watching from this vantage point, I decided to go out and experience this phenomenon in the correct environment; I went outside.        If you are really good you can predict where it will happen next, but just when you start to lose hope that nothing will happen, the glow happens and then as soon as the light started and your eyes focus in that direction, it decrescendos and you are left waiting again, staring at a mute backdrop. As I stand outside on the steps of my back porch, I fix my eyes at the muddied silhouettes of trees, fences, garages, and other shapes; I do my best trying not to focus so much on the shapes, because they are not the focal point to the show.      There are many ways to describe what happens; for instance...

        Whenever my Uncle Russell would visit us in Texas, he would bring us unique science-y toys. We received a chemistry set, rockets, a plasma ball, and a boomerang. The year he got me the boomerang, I remember traveling to a nearby park that had an open field off of the sidewalk. On the other side of this field was a line of trees that started a forested area. I would say the distance (in my young eyes) was miles from the sidewalk to the forested area, but in reality  it was probably 30-50 yards apart.                 The goal of a boomerang is that if you throw it just right, it should come back to you. My first attempt was pretty horrible, mostly because I didn't know how to hold it. I'm pretty sure I threw it like a frisbee and the result is that it went 15 feet and died. Mind you, I was probably 9 years old. My uncle showed me how to properly hold the boomerang and then he threw it and magically it came ...

When I was in California during my Christmas Vacation, my family took a trip up to Cabrillo National Park. Our intentions were to see the lighthouse up there and the stunning views of Mexico and San Diego. The views did not disappoint. On our way up there, on both sides of the road there was a good stretch where all you saw were white headstones which marked men and women who died serving our country. I was not expecting to see this. At first we were just admiring the view of San Diego from this high cliff, and then we were sharing this view with thousands of tombstones. After my immediate reaction of surprise from the countless gravestones, my heart became heavy, I wanted to thank each and every stone for the person it marked. A person, whether bold or frightened, went into service for this country to defend her for me....for you. I kept wanting to stop the car and be among them. Resting peacefully after fighting so bravely, whether it was a short life or a long one, they deserved th...

We've all said it before at some point in time in our life, but I had never heard it said with so much conviction. We were sitting on some folding chairs in the driveway and he said, "I just want to go home." I remember when I was young, I went to my first sleepover at my cousins' house. I remember having a blast until it was time for bed. I remember laying in my sleeping bag, muttering over and over to myself, "I want to go home, I miss my mommy. I want to go home....I want to go home..." I didn't go home, I survived the night, but that memory has always stuck with me. I had never wanted to be home so badly.  In College, there were missed holidays where all I wanted to be was at home. There were the tough times my family was going through and I remember saying, "I want to go home. I NEED to be home."  When I heard, "I just want to go home." today, it wasn't from my 4 year old or even out of my mouth. It came from the ...

This is going to be one of those posts that doesn't really have any theme to it. I'm basically going to just ramble and whoever cares to read it, super. If no one does, it's therapy for me either way. Adjustments have been pretty hard to swallow since my wife being let go of her job. My 4 year old son calls at-home-days boring now since we can't afford to go out and do stuff that costs money. I guess the library, and Sea World (we get in free) get old after our weekly visits. I feel bad for my wife because she is 8 months pregnant and being on her feet all day just isn't something she can comfortably do. We spend our days at home and try to cope with the 100+ degree heat/humidity. When things get tough for me, I find that I revert back to things I enjoyed as a child. It varies each time, but it mostly switches back and forth from riding bikes, collecting Pokemon cards, reading Calvin and Hobbes, and Drawing. I gotta find a way to work playing the guitar back int...

The scene was set, the day had come. 8 months, 12 days, and 4 hours had gone into planning every last detail. A young man stood at the front of the church waiting to see his bride for the first time that day. The pre-service music filled the ornate church, the setting of the ceremony was being laid and it put everyone at ease. The young man took a moment to reflect on everything that brought him to this particular spot on this particular day. The "what ifs" and the tracing of the paths life took him on, which somehow crossed with her paths that lead to this day, put a smirk on his face. As the wedding party glided side by side down the aisle, he reflected on his parents and how he wished he could have their happiness that he grew up knowing. He focused on his friends and how happy they had been in their early stages of marriage. He was ready to have it all. As the final couple walked down the aisle, the ring bearer and flower girl trotted down to their positions momentar...

A young man went and stood on the beach staring at the ocean With no end in sight, he set out to conquer what was before him. Intrigue got the best of him and no warnings of danger could sway him. It took a certain kind of moxy to defeat a task that no amount of preparation Would be able to calm the fears of an average man. This man was not average. A boat was acquired, equipment purchased. With a dignified breath, the salty air filled his nostrils, His gaze was set and his heart was in rhythm with the waves. A crowd was gathered on the sand watching in wonder and fear. They did not know what the water kept hidden underneath its surface. How can a man and his boat tackle a vastness that had no proof of safety? Firmly with their feet in the sand, the crowd watched the sailor with his sanguine smile Advance toward a makeshift dock to the singular boat. Untying the vessel from its connection to land, the captain rang the bell 3 times. In a staccato like ...