Kickball

Kickball

Kickball is a sport that I have been playing for about a year now. It brings me so much joy while satisfying my competitive side of life. I find myself looking forward to Thursday nights as a release from the pressures of everyday life. I have become a little too committed to this sport as I have also found myself planning life and even work around, yet it has paid dividends.

Last Thursday my new team, affectionate called “Your Mom”, won the kickball championship again. I have been on another team previously called the Blue Ballers, which was full of my Orlando friends. The Blue Ballers decided to take a season off. I won a championship with the blue balers three seasons ago and got to hoist the cup of victory for the first time. This year around with “Your Mom” was different. I found myself having smack around “Your Mom” in order to get things done. I would push “Your Mom” harder n deeper than I thought was possible…. Okay that is enough with the silly puns!!

This has faced me with quite the dilemma, do I stay with “Your Mom” or do I go back to my trusty faithful “Blue Ballers”. Oh the drama that we have in life. I have wn a championship with both, but I found that my old team will be coming back with a vengeance. My new team is good, but is not as athletic as the balers were. “Your Mom or Blue Ballers” Just sounds funny saying it!!

On the serious side of Kickball, I also am the charity director. Which means I am apart of the “Brain Trust” as Mike and Steve so humbly put it. Wanting to do things in the community is another passion of mine. I honestly find myself enjoying the charities as much as I do rounding the bases on a home run. Last year we were able to do a couple of awesome events. This fall I want to put together a big tournament for the Florida. We would raise funds for a local charity. Wish me luck.

The new season starts in September. We shall see what team I am on.

La Nuit Noir

La Nuit Noire

Bonjour, It has been a while but I will catch you up on me in a while.

Lets talk about the Dark Knight shall we! AAAAAmazing!! The movie was one of the better, if not, the best superhero movie of all times. As I was watching the movie, I could not help but recognize its greatness. I am not one to jump on the hype machine bandwagon and was a little leery going into the movie, but Heath Ledger’s performance was phenomenal.

As I examined his art at work, it left me with a number of questions. Was his performance that great, or was it overstated due to his untimely death? The answer is true to both. Unfortunately, we will never be able to separate the one from the other. As this as a backdrop, lets look deeper into this final epilogue from a great actor and a wonderful movie character.

Ledgers performance will become iconic in the years to come. His role as the Joker in the re-born Batman series will be seen as a superhero villain extraordinaire. (Look for look-a-like clowns running around this Halloween!!) As so many who meet untimely death, it is paradoxical that Ledger’s death brought so much attention to his performance. He has been a classy actor for years and really came to the head in Brokeback Mountain. (HEHE… I just reread that sentence!!) . It is sad to profit off of ones death, but the past cannot be changed. Ledgers death planned or unplanned, has made this film one of the most watched ever and has challenged me to question some basic beliefs and thoughts. Was Ledgers death essential to the success of this movie? If fate exist, was this almost written to be apart of the script and secure this movie in the pantheon of all time greats?

I know this. In life sometimes we can be apart of something that leads to something greater than we could imagine. It is not always the part that we want to play, but we have no control over the script, that is the director, and no rewrites will occur! Ironically, on the day I watched “The Dark Night”, apart of my heart was removed unexpectedly. (Figuratively not literally) Yet, by this loss, something greater will come about for them and many others. Without making Ledger or myself into a martyr, the parallel remains. That through loss of something special, something greater can return. Ledger’s death was terrible and something I wish it never happened. But the past is done, and we must find the understanding in the midst of the sadness. This movie will be an eternal remembrance of something special.

I find solace in these thoughts as my heart heals and I will learn to love again.

I have always had a faith in God. I find myself doing more and more preaching these days on the importance of having this relationship. It is my belief that God has a plan for all of us. Did God want Heath Ledger to die… to bring attention to this movie? Who knows, I do believe that the moral questions in the movie bring up so many deep issues that affect our society today. Any dialogue on these topics will be blessing. I know that Ledger’s performance will be considered historic in years to come. Through his death Ledger, will inspire many minds to do wonderful things… even if it is seeing the beauty of the dark night.

“Suddenly, the night does not seem so dark, and the morning is just a couple moments away. I can see the sunlight in the distance, fighting back the dark, and bringing the joy of a new day. My heart will take these rays of hope and keep them hidden in my soul.”-OK

30

30 Thought

I’m 30. That’s right, the Big O is 3 O. Wow, I must tell you that it feels different. To be honest, my twenties was a decade of transition that has brought me to where I am today. Around my birthday every year, I usually take time to reflect on all the good and bad that have happened.

This year was a little different. Found myself in an unfamiliar place. I was with my mom. It was nice. I spent the morning with the person who gave me life. She told that she was proud of me and gave me her blessing. She mentioned how much joy I have given her. We embraced and a tear fell as I thought of my father, as I know he would be proud of me too. It has been 9 years since I last hugged the man who also gave me life; the sting is still there as though it were yesterday. I have come to embrace the pain and relish in his love for me. In all that I do, it is the hopes and dreams of my parents that drive me. Their constant sacrifices for me have made me the man I am. My life is an extension of their dreams, and now my dreams are his….

I have grown so much in 30 years. I look at old pictures of myself from high school and can’t believe I was ever that skinny!! Life is series of changes. These changes are necessary in the creation of our personal character. As I am going through changes right now, I realize the beauty of life. I thank God that I have been given the time I have. It is so wonderful to wake up each day despite the despair and hard times that we face. I have a faith that will see me through. This too shall pass, and I am sure that the story of my life has a few more pages to be written.

I thought about Jesus. According to biblical records, he started his ministry at age 30. I don’t think I will be leading the world to salvation, but it also puts my next portion of life in perspective. Can one person save the world? Can the power of one be so great that it inspires people to do the impossible? To walk on water? No, I don’t think I will be doing that, but what can I do? How can I impact people for good? What have I done today to make the lives of my neighbors better? I have asked myself this question often lately. I find myself far too often being cynical to those less fortunate. I pray that in the time I have been given that I help those in need. Maybe then I will start working on that water onto wine trick!