Tuesday, October 22, 2013

If I Could



If I could remove all the hate in the world
I'd replace it with love
If I could remove the sadness
I'd replace it with joy

If I could take away all illness
I'd give everyone a clean bill of health
If I could take away all loneliness
I'd greet everyone with true friendship

If I could take away bias and bigotry
I'd replace it with brotherhood
If I could remove politics
I would replace it with One Nation Under God

If I could prevent all killings
I'd give new hope to the world
If I could take away addictions
I would replace it with purpose

If I could remove just existing
I would fill the void with passion
If I could take away all grief
I'd replace it with strength

If I could make this world a better place

But wait, I can

I may not be able to change it all
But I can make a difference

I can make each breath a perfect example
One act of kindness, one word of encouragement
One smile, one hug, one gesture of hope
If I start, others will follow


and the Journey Continues.......

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Insecurities



I'm probably the most insecure person I know. Yep...it's true. But then again, unless I really take the time to look deeper at those around me, I'll never know.

I've always been shy, never wanting to make a scene or say something stupid. In a crowded room you will find me in the corner, not speaking unless spoken to. I catch myself not going to certain events simply because they take me out of my comfort zone. Yep....insecure....

When I am performing or talking before a crowded room, I'm just the opposite. I'm at ease and comfortable in my surroundings. I usually don't have the nervous jitters that some do when being put in the spotlight. When I'm put in a situation of needing to be in control, I'm in control. My business side takes over and I make sure things get done. But when I'm not in the spotlight, I'm as shy as they come.

While trying to break out of this mold, so to speak, I've done a lot of soul searching as to why. Looking back to my early years in Junior High and High School, I think those insecurities began to manifest. I was not one of the In Crowd so to speak, just a bit of a nerd and class clown. Talking with people who knew me back then, they say I was always smiling and energetic. Outwardly, maybe so, but inwardly it seemed like everything I said was not heard or not taken seriously. So my insecurity began.

College life seemed to be easier. It was a new beginning where we all had a fresh start with people, places and experiences and where my confidence grew. Returning home after graduation, I found a comfortable place because of my music, always performing in one way or another, always working toward a goal.

Moving on to the bigger city and becoming part of a Christian Rock Group also added to my confidence. But things were changing at home, with family. Every time I returned home, those dreaded feelings took hold again. It became easier to sit quietly and let others do the talking. Family problems seemed to take precedents over my circumstances, my cares and concerns. I found myself living more and more inside my head instead of living in the real world.

Moving to an even bigger city brought more experiences and yep....more insecurities. Working for large music companies was extremely rewarding as well as challenging. Being around artist and record and publishing executives was a chance of a lifetime, but at times brought back those feelings of doubt. Those old High School memories came back, not wanting to make a scene, not wanting to say something stupid.

There have been times since then that I've had to take control and make the decisions concerning the outcome of a lot of people. When life throws it's punches, especially where family is concerned, we seem to find our true character. But as my business side kicked in, more walls came up around my inner self.

So where am I today....still insecure and shy. I've been lucky enough to find outlets in my music as well as my writing. I've taken the courageous steps to start a new company, to start living my dreams, but I still find myself sitting quietly in a room full of people or not taking in certain events.......simply because of those insecurities.

Maybe I'll break out of that mold someday. Then again, maybe I've been in this way too long. The moral of this story.....learning that no matter how we outwardly appear to the people around us, we never know what lies beneath the skin until we take a deeper look, or take the time to ask. To make the effort to Really See........


and the Journey Continues.......


Monday, October 7, 2013

Freedom



We are a nation of Freedom, but what is Freedom...

Our founding fathers wanted us to have the right of freedom of religion, separation from Church and State. They had the vision of making sure that the government would not dictate what religion we choose.
That's it, plain and simple. They wanted us to have the freedom to choose our own religion and to be able to express it freely.

They gave us freedom of religion and freedom of speech so that we could express our religious views freely and worship the way we wanted. If we want to pray at a ballgame for protection of our team or pray publicly for our government, we were given that right.

It saddens me that a few have chosen to misinterpret the meaning of  separation of church and state. Our founding fathers were a Godly group of men who knew that the only way our country could survive was to have a strong faith in God, as well as give each of us the freedom to express that belief.

When a group of people come together to pray, that's their right, their freedom. If someone does not want to be a part of that prayer, that's their right, their freedom. But when they try to stop them from praying, they are blocking their rights, their freedom.

Our country has a habit of letting people that supposedly are politically correct, distort and tarnish our freedom. If a group choose to have a prayer before a ballgame on school grounds, it's not going against separation of church and state, it's allowing them to express their faith. The few who don't want to pray have the freedom to not participate but they don't have the right to stop others from expressing their beliefs.

I think we've let this travesty go on too long. We've let big money groups dictate how and when we can worship and express our faith. We've let the few who misinterpret the original meaning of separation crush the backbone of our country.

When will we get it right. When will we realize that by prohibiting our freedom of religion, we've sent our country into a downward spiral. When will we realize that allowing a Jewish menorah on capital grounds is no different that putting a Nativity Scene. When will we realize that talking about Islam in school rooms is no different than talking about Christianity. When will we stop letting the few prevent the freedom of the multitudes.

The more I see this travesty, the more my heart breaks. We were founded on freedom of religion but we allow that freedom to be stripped away day after day. When will we take a stand. When will we get it right.