The Morning After....No Pill to take it away

My thought as I awoke this morning was that the events of yesterday are real.  My dreams throughout the night were not.  How I wish the two could have been flipped and i woke up in an altered reality.   The first thought of so many families this morning who are unable to sleep.  My prayer is for God to take away their sorrow, but there is so little solace for them right now.  No prayer, no speech from the president, nothing is going to sooth this pain they feel. Nothing.

As for the rest of us.  The first knee jerk reaction is to call for more gun control.  As i am an opponent for our current “Gun Culture”, lets not try to pacify our society by calling for something that will never make it through.  

So what's the real problem?  I don’t know... I guess that is the part that keeps me up at night.  That’s the part that I am the most fearful of is that there is no rhyme or reason to these events.  7 attacks on the public have occurred in this year alone.  My heart is still in mourning for the acts that happened a year ago in Norway.  These senseless acts are just that.  Senseless.  Trying to wrap legislation to try and stop the acts of the unbalanced will only promote future hysteria.

Where do we go from here?  We can’t live in a bubble.  The world is a scarier place than ever before.  Take each day, each moment, and  know that they are fickle.  Like a candle in the wind.  Love those around you like it was the time you would ever see them.  Come together and show celebrate the life  we have while we have it... for tomorrow is not promised, and our dreams are never the reality.

O King's Blog Spot: Serendipity Highway

O King's Blog Spot: Serendipity Highway

Serendipity Highway

I wish I could be a person who conjures up fables in their head.  I am not.  This story I am about to detail is true and just happened.

I went to watch the UFC fight tonight with a couple of friends.  The fights were boring and truly a waste of my time.  Yet still, we stayed to the end.  As my friends departed, I took a quick relief in the men’s restroom and was on my journey back to Arbor Lakes.  On the 417, I was looking at the exits and the time it took me to get from Oviedo to the Lake Mary.  In looking at the time, I accidentally missed the 46A exit and was forced onward to the Rhinehart exit instead.   Before the exit, I found a car in the left lane with the hazard lights blinking.  As I sped by, I saw a young man in a hat waving for help.  My first instinct was to brush it off as a crazy person on the side of the road.  A voice inside, which I now know more than ever, told me to stop and help.

I jammed on my brakes and started to reverse on a major freeway.(Not the brightest of plans)  Fortunately there were no cars behind me as it was 1:15 AM.  I rolled down my window and asked if everything was okay? The man explained that he was on his way back from the airport and ran out of gas.  He asked if I was able to help him in any way.  Against my better judgment, I obliged and offered to escort him the Wal-Mart the next exit down.  He was thrilled and hopped in the car after locking up his Accord.  My nerves were racing.  I have never done this before and felt very vulnerable being alone on a highway with a random stranger.  This is not something I make a practice of, nor do I recommend it to any person of a sane mind.  Every now and then, something supernatural happens that you can neither cause nor prevent.

As we made small talk, the man explained that he had just gotten back from a missionary trip from El Salvador.  His friend, who had picked him up from the airport, was now walking back to the car.  We pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot, but the gas station was closed.   With my nerves beginning to settle, I offered to take him to the Race Trac a little further down the road and a little farther out of my way. 

We pulled into the Race Trac and the father of three exited  my car to grab a gas tank and some gas.  I looked at myself in the mirror questioning what it was I had gotten myself into.  “Playing Taxi, to some stranger on the side of the road???”  Cleary this is not a Standard Operation Procedure that I practice on a daily basis, but there is nothing standard about God’s work either.  Once he purchased the gas and filled his tank, he got back in the car.  I chuckled as I offered to take him back to his car (going out of my desired path home).  It was just a funny story to me at this point on how life works out.

 As we began our journey back to his car, we began talking about his trip and its purpose.  He explained that it had been a missionary trip to help those less fortunate.  How ironic. I let him know that I was a believer of the faith and we shared a chuckle on how God work in “mysterious ways”.  Unknown to me, he had prayed right before he saw my headlights that God would help him out of this situation.  Unknown to him, I was able to facilitate someone’s prayer without any reason.  Yes when God steps in, things happen.

Epiphany:

 It wasn’t the young father, Jonathon, on the side of the road who was out of gas.  It was me.  Little to his knowledge, it was I who has been was out on the side of the road watching cars go by as I sat and waited for God to fill up my tank so I could get going again.  There was a time in my life where my tank “ranneth over” in sharing blessings to others.  That tank had run dry and I have been increasingly discouraged in my faith.  To a point, I was very cautious in proclaiming my belief in fear of association with those who falsely proclaim the name so proudly.  Here was a father who has been away from his family for two weeks so he could spread the gospel to one of the poorest countries in this hemisphere, runs out of gas, and still has the mind to pray to God for help.  At a time when he has sacrificed so much for the faith, watching each care drive by must have been a sledge hammer to the heart of his faith.  Yet, he held true to his belief that God is always there.

Where is my faith?  What does that say about me as I am pulling farther and farther away from the God who loves me so much?   My reality is that I have been waiting for God to give me a sign that he is there, funny though…. He has been waiting for me to do the same thing.  Tonight, I was on the side of the road out of gas and waiting for someone to pick me up… Fortunately, God sent someone.

   

O King's Blog Spot: Birthday Gratitude

O King's Blog Spot: Birthday Gratitude

Birthday Gratitude

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for all of the birthday love I have received this weekend.  It truly means the world to me and I would be remised if I did not take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of you for taking a few moments to brighten my day.  As many of you know I turned the ripe old age of 34 this Bastille Day.  I have been blessed to have been given these years with great health and the love of friends and family.  As this is the second year that I have been blessed to have my daughter in my life, it also paints a new perspective of what a birthday truly means and how special that moment is when a person takes their first breath.

If you are still reading this, then I hope can read just a few more paragraphs of thoughts that I would like to share with you.  Through my years here on earth, I have been blessed with a family who loves me unconditionally.  I have found the love of my life in Mandi, and have been blessed with a beautiful daughter in Kaia.  I have friends from Key West to Boston and across this country to Hawaii that are some of the finest people I have ever met.   To say I am blessed and content, is probably one of the biggest understatements one could make.  Yet in all of our correspondence, letters, conversations, emails, post and tags, I have never expressed to anyone my feelings and thoughts on the essence of life.  As many of you know, I am a Christian.  I have a very strong faith in Jesus Christ and the God that is his father.  I share this in no way to cause division of those people of other faiths or those who choose to have none at all, my reasoning for explaining this is to allow a certain perspective of my thoughts.

 A few years ago I spent a few months in Jamaica exploring the depth of my faith and other religions around the world.  My quest for knowledge and truth led me down many paths, none of which had all of the answers, but all carried the same ethos of Love.  Whether it were the teaching of Mohammed, Jesus, Buddha, Tao, or the God of Abraham, they all taught on the power of love.  The bible sums this up in two basic principles that I have adopted for my life:  Love God with all your heart and Love your neighbor as you would love yourself.  Very basic, very simple, yet so forgotten in our day to day trappings of life. 

Love God and Love One Another.  If I could ever offer one nugget of information that you took away in whatever relationship we have had, it would be this.  I know for those who choose other paths than Christianity, this may seem foreign, but whatever you choose in life, showing love to your creator (whatever you decide that to be) puts life in a certain perspective, understanding the relationship that exist between a parent and a child is similar to that between you and your creator.  Second, loving your neighbor brings to thought that we all share this third rock from the sun.  Showing love to your neighbor just as you have shown me great love on my birthday can only brighten the days of everyone me meet. 

 I truly love each one of you from the bottom of my heart.  If I can ever be of any assistance to you along your life’s journey, please do not hesitate to let me know.  I hope you all have a blessed year and again, thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes.  

Rock Chalk Refuge

Today is the first day of college football. Across the country student athletes are chomping at the bit to start their season. Their dream of a national title and BCS bowl at stake, nerves run high for these young people as they have put in countless hours for this season to start.

For three young people in Lawrence, I imagine they have a whole different set of nerves. As new head football coach Turner Gill leads the Kansas Jayhawks on the field for the first time. These three young people will still be catching their breath from a grueling 20 minute performance. As 300+ lbs linemen rumble the ground, they will wave their arms directing the band to the tune of I’m a Jayhawk. The crowd will clap and the beads of sweat will hit their lily white uniforms. Yes it is game day and time for the band to take the field.

They say you never forget your first time. This is true. My uniform was one size too small. It was constricting and did not allow me the flexibility I needed to truly perform as the other Drum Majors have in the past. Walter and Devin were both experienced and had warned me to be ready to sweat. I did not know that every ounce of me would be drained in a 20 minute performance.

The run in from the stands starts the first test. It started with a 70yard goose step that ended with a leap and salute to the crowd. Then, a 60 yard strut that leads back through the band as we perform the KU countermarch. With mace in hand, I was now conducting from the 35 yard line. My arms were rubber. I often saw drum majors in year’s prior conduct with one hand. I now knew why. Being out of breath was not to time to be waving a 42’ mace, but still I pressed on. 2 songs later and it was back to the strut. A 40 yard jaunt into the Sunflower Formation. With thousands of eyes upon me, my pregame butterflies have now been overtaken by a mixture of adrenaline and exhaustion. The noise of the crowd cheering you on excites you, living your childhood dream motivates you. I push on to do my best.

Conducting the Star Spangled Banner never seemed difficult. When you conduct it in a traditional way with a mace you find yourself wanting it to me much shorter. The Alma Mater was no different. As the big finish comes, I lean back as far as humanly possible. The ligaments in my knees begin to remind me of my basketball injuries and I stop pushing. I knew my limit and it had been past long ago. The Rock Chalk Chant became my refuge, an oasis in the sea of exhaustion. A strut to the sideline to finish catching my breath ended and I watched the band march off the field. As Devin gave the order to the two African American drum majors that flanked him, rose to a 40 yard goose step across the field.

I rose from my knees and took off my helmet. A mix of emotions was met with cheers from the fans and high fives from fellow band members. Hours of practice have lead to this point, and it was only pregame. We had a whole other performance to do at halftime.

To the young men and women at the University of Kansas, I salute you all who blow the whistle and strike up the band. May these next few hours stain your memories as they have mine a decade later. As you call the hogs, pray for strength and stamina. Pray for precision and perfection. Always remember that it is a great day to be a Jayhawk.

What's goin on..... Again???

Okay, lets face it. We are in a recession. Our economy is going through a downward spiral and has been since 1999. It has been a steady decline, but we have really hit a low point over the past few years.

I have found out recently that many of my friends are going through tough times at work. People are getting laid off left and right. Even in my own career, which has normally been very stable, my co-workers are getting laid off. This is hard for me I am doing ok, but feel terrible for those who now have to go without a steady income.

What’s goin on? Marvin Gaye sang this song back in the 70’s with so much turmoil. It is time we speak out again and find out what is going on. We need to start asking the right questions and not accepting life as it is presented to us. Why are gas prices so high? Why are we spending money protecting other countries when our own borders are not secure? All these questions linger in my head as I am not happy with things.

Prayer.

Over the next few weeks I am taking time each day to meditate and pray. So many people in my life need prayer and healing. I am at the top of this list!! Our nation and world need prayer. My heart is beginning to open itself again going overseas and being a basic missionary. The life of 50hrs a week and filling someone else’s pockets just doesn’t seem that appealing anymore!!

I am asking that everyone take some time over the next month and pray everyday. Even if you are not a person of faith, you can meditate and focus your energy on the positive things in your life. Spread the love in your heart to one another and use that time to balance yourself. For those persons of faith, I ask that your spend some time with the creator and ask for grace. We all could use a little grace and mercy these days. If not for you, then someone in your life who just might have it harder. I am praying for all of you!!

Love you all,

Oliver

Tic Toc….

So it is happening. I never knew what it felt like, but it is happening to me! A few months ago a friend of mine noticed that I was looking at babies and children differently. I never thought I would have them, I thought it could happen, but my life would be to complicated and fast paced to have children. Now… I can’t get them off my mind.

Here is the sad story, I am 30, a decent guy, and have a good sense of humor. I think in the end I would make a great dad!! In my business I deal with a ton of people who are not good parents and see their children suffer daily from people who have no business being a parent in the first place. WTF??? How is it that the idiots in the world seem to multiply like lab rats, but the people who actually pay their taxes wait until their clocks have almost ticked out to have their first child? Sad!! I am not saying that everyone who has multiple children are bad, but the movie “Idiocracy” seems to be a fantasy that is coming true. The idiots have us outnumbered 2 to 1. It is true. I deal with people who just can’t seem to get it together everyday. Guess what… they all have babies on their hips…

Over the weekend I spent some extended time with my friends a their newborn baby. She is absolutely adorable and could be a baby model. I used to be scared to death of babies, as I would always be afraid to do the wrong thing and mess up someone else’s child. This baby was great. I was playing with her all weekend. She fell asleep on my chest and I was hooked. I wanted one… I want my own little shorty!! I am not going to rich in and just have a baby mama…but for the first time in my life, I felt my biological clock ticking… more like ringing the bells from St. Marks Cathedral. Oh yes, it is definitely time to settle down and make some moves!

Here is my favorite part!! I was that guy. The anti children guy, “ they will ruin your life”… well… the crow meat taste great because I am recanting my statement and understanding what so many before have. Children are God’s greatest gift to humanity! The ability to bring another life into this world is nothing short of divine and should never be taken for granted under any circumstances.

God bless all the children (I sound like some cheesy movie) but it is true. I hope that one day I will be get that feeling and put this clock to bed once and for all.

First Day of School

Today is the first day of school for most kids in our area. This weekend I could feel the buzz, as the Wal-Mart & Target shelves were empty from the mad frenzy that is that first day.

Being so far removed now, I reminisced over my childhood experiences. Last year I remember shopping with a friend for school bags for her children and wondering what it feels like to hold the keys to someone’s education in your hand. Elementary school specifically was such a huge part of ones development. You can go from being the “smart” kid the “Dunce” in the matter of one year. Since you usually travel with the same group of kids through High School, these stigmas can be hard to shake. I remember the first day of school in 3rd grade when I had Ms. McDonald, who just so happened to be the hottest teacher at the school. My best Friend Jason was in the class too. It was awesome. That year was so much fun as I listened to every word that came from Ms. McD’s mouth. I can honestly think back as that as my first school hood crush… (ask me later and I will tell you a funny story about that). That year went by so fast and I learned so much. Much of my development as a “smart kid” started there as I began to accelerate much more rapidly and eventually would end up in the gifted program in 7th grade.

My friend’s son is starting third grade today. He was excited for school as I was back in the day. Ah, the cycle continues, as I am sure he is set for some fun times. The pressures on the faculty and staff today seem unfair as too much attention is being played on the fcat and not enough on the development of well-rounded children. I think too many kids are falling onto the “dunce” category just because they do not test well, and now that is the only focus of schools so they do not loose any funding….This is a vicious cycle.

As I was very close to becoming a teacher it makes me wonder what I would be doing this morning as I am about to get ready for my chosen profession… Would I be getting kids ready to play instruments…. Sad that this was my life for 15yrs and now it is so far away. Funny…

So, my hat is off to all you teachers who are making the world a better place by shaping the lives of so many children. If by chance you are the “hot” teacher in school… Thank you, thank you, thank you!! To all of my parents, May God show you patients and understanding as you guide your children through the educational journey of life. To all the shorties out there… My prayers are for you right now.

Not coming back

Not coming back

As many of you know, I recently turned thirty. This is not so bad anymore as I realize that it’s just another year. The first few days before and after my birthday were some of the hardest days I have ever had to encounter, but I made it through and am now on my way to a new life.

I decided to shave my head as I always do in the summer months. Over the past couple of years I have noticed a rapid decline in my hair’s thickness, particularly to the front portion. In thinking about the remaining follicles, it is probably not a good idea that I take a razor to them, but I do. I am bad boy. The other morning I was getting ready to shave again and stopped to look in the mirror. After gazing at a very good-looking face for a while, I focus on my hairline. It was gone baby gone. I always knew it. One day the fro would be no more.

So, it’s not coming back. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the hairs on my head. I have to accept that I will be wearing the baldhead look for the rest of my days on the spaceship earth. The sad thing is that I don’t even have to shave my facial hair but once a week. (A trait that I get from my late father.) I shuffle through pictures of me with hair and will now have to chuckle, these days are far behind me…. “I use to have hair back in my 20’s”, is a statement I might need to get used to.

Symbolically, changes in our lives happen without question. No one knows how or why they do they just do. I have known that this change in my hair would come one day. I guess when it was time to happen, I am just not ready to say goodbye, but have to accept that my hair is gone, but that’s okay… there is nothing wrong with being a sexy bald brotha….