In HOPE We Believe Together

There are times when our eyes are so teared, foggy, and blind that we can’t see or focus on anything except the pain, hurt, anger, or frustration we are in. Sometimes we rely on others HOPE to help guide us. Hope Opens People Eyes to see beyond the events or circumstances that surround us and consume us. There have been times in my life when I couldn’t see and being honest, didn’t want to see. During these times, I have had family, friends, and sometimes people I don’t even know scrape mud off my windshield and give me something to live for. Hope empowered me to see and focus on something beyond the pain. When my dad died in my arms, I lost a huge part of my existence. It took my wife and others to help me see beyond. Since my dad lost his earthly body suit, I have been with hundreds of people in comforting them in their last breath. There is power in HOPE and we can be part of the empowering process if we believe together. I have committed to carrying windshield wiper blades at all times.

In FAITH We Walk Together

There are times when we get the wind knocked out of us and we need each other. Sometimes we have to be there holding each other’s hands, wrapping our arms around a shoulder, using a wheel barrel to push, using a rope to pull, and/or sometimes doing nothing and saying nothing. There are times when we exist because somebody is beside us. Unexpected tragic life loss is one of those times. I have seen middle school and high school students huddled in a circle crying and leaning on each other after a fellow student completed suicide. I have witnessed high school students rally beside each other at the tragic accidental loss of a fellow student. I have experienced young men come together after the horrific news of losing a former High School buddy. I have encountered families that must walk beside each other in family loss. I have facilitated support groups of parents living with loss, survivors of violent crimes, people who have pet loss. I am connected to a core group of professionals who have devoted their life to helping people walk through their deepest darkest times. Bottom line is we need each other. In FAITH (Fear Ain’t In This House) we walk together.

In LOVE We Exist Together

There isn’t a person alive that hasn’t either experienced or knows someone who has an empty tank. When we are empty, it is hard to think, feel, and act. There are countless things that drain us physically, spiritually, and emotionally. LOVE, living outside a vulnerable experience, is the source of fuel for us to exist. When others love us outside a vulnerable experience it fills our tank. This could be a parent who continues to love me when something I have done or not done has caused pain and hurt. The unconditional love from mom and dad can fill our tank. It could be a friend or associate that still accepts me because of poor choices or behaviors. It could be learning to love and forgive myself despite living in a dark tunnel. The dark place could be a result of something I did or something I inherited. The darkness could be a result of guilt from an accident or a self-destructive decision that someone we care for committed. Love is the only thing that can fill us in our times of emptiness. My favorite scripture is three words. “God is love” 1 John 4:8 In LOVE we exist together.