A LIFE FOR A LIFE

The world just remembered the anniversary of 9-11. The taking of lives for the taking of lives, an eye-for-an-eye religious/political/economic crusade by warriors in the name of God and country.

I'm glad President Bush is bringing more troops home. I've never been the president of any country so I find it hard to judge and blast someone whose shoes I've never been in, no matter how much I may disagree with them.

Instead I try to understand and see where I can relate to them first, in order to take both sides to a higher level of thinking, feeling, and acting AFTER I better understand where they're coming from.

I'm protective over what I care about and love, and willing to fight for it. I've knocked a guy out for simply brushing the back his hand against my wife's rear. He disrespected her and violated her by touching her, so I touched him.

So if someone violated and touched the country I led, maybe I would be doing the same thing as President Bush. Maybe not. As explosive as my energy can ignite, taking a life for the taking of life just doesn't make any sense to me. I will beat a man for beating his child, but I will never kill him for killing. What's done is done, I can do nothing but cry, and try to get him to change and dedicate the rest of his life to creating more life.

Destroying more life for the destruction of life just ends up blinding and killing the world.

Giving your life for the creation of more life makes more sense.

In the movie, "Man on Fire", Denzel Washington's character is told by the kidnapper that he will release the little girl he is holding, if Denzel will give up his life in exchange for hers. .......A life for a life.

Have you ever heard a line in a movie that connects with you so much that everything around you stops? The words resonate in your heart and bounce around all over your soul, letting you know that it is perfect truth for you, the answers you are looking for. You are completely in the moment, in a place of zen.

This line is one of those lines for me. And after a week of remembering the anniversary of great tragedy and death, I realized yesterday marked the one week anniversary of offering a life for the life of another. One of my students got in trouble before class again, and knocked his desk over in anger when he came in.

I got in his face and spoke to him from the heart. I told him I would be in his face every single day for the rest of the year, and if he didn't like it, he had two choices to get me to stop; either to believe in himself as much as I did, or to put a bullet in my head to get rid of me. I told him he was worth risking my life for his life.

One week later, he became the top reader in minutes read, worked harder than I've ever seen, and was the Principal's Award Winner yesterday.

One week later.....He has LIFE!

You and I have life. What will we do with it? Will we go about our day just trying to get through it, focusing on all the things that are wrong? We will escape from believing in ourselves by instead believing in our favorite football team? I am a big fan of enjoying life and experiencing life's greatest pleasures. I am not a fan of escaping life by living through the actions and dreams of others.

I snuck Bella (4th grade) in from her lunch to say hello to her sister (kindergarten). Sofia is pointing to the love note I had hidden in her crayon box. sofia (Sofia, sitting on my lap as I'm typing this, just typed her own name, and says the note made her feel happy). Actions don't have to be big. In fact, it's the little ones that are appreciated fully that are spectacular. When Bella and I walked in to the room, Sofia burst out, "Daddy! You love me!)

Many, many people across the world did not wake up to today. Many more woke up detached from it by the beatings they've taken from life. I was one of them. Thank God (yes, as much as I've cursed you I still believe some higher power exists)....Thank God that I had one of my children with me.

Before I even opened my eyes I began to remember the week's beatings, and felt tired, worn out, doubted, rejected, etc. Then I opened my eyes, and saw the face of my Sofia. I saw love all over her. I ran my finger ever so lightly down the bridge of her nose, to her lips, and kissed her gently before gently hugging her. She turned and hugged me tightly while still sleeping. Love, the greatest of all life forces, raced into me and said prayers in my heart.

And love gives its life.......for a life, for at least one more day.

And I have the courage to share my stories of strength and struggles, confidence and insecurities, in hopes of giving my life to the life of another. And hoping that in doing so I am not seen as anything more than the reader sees themselves, and capable of nothing more than the reader sees themselves capable of .....

This is not about me, it is about "us", you and me...

Fully appreciating our lives, choosing to believe in ourselves and others for just one more day, and GIVING OUR LIVES...TO OTHER LIVES......for the CREATION OF LIFE!

160,000 of us WILL NOT have it tomorrow.

LIVE TODAY! MAKE CHANGE TODAY! GIVE YOUR OWN LIFE, YOUR BEST LIFE, TO LIFE...... TODAY!

Watch this video all the way to the very end. The more I watch it the more I get out of it. If if does the same for you, feel free to visit my MySpace homepage anytime, by clicking INNER STRENGTH, HARMONY, HAPPINESS & PASSION. You'll find it on the left side at the bottom. Have a great day today, no matter what....

Steve Vai - For the Love of God

In This ONE UNITED WORLD...We Stand

Tomorrow is another day

Another chance to see the light

Another chance to do things right


Tomorrow is another chance

To better love those in my life

To finally end all the ridiculous strife


Tomorrow......Never came after 9-11

And will no more

And it is a great shame


And since then no more tomorrows

Are no longer coming

For more and more everyday


In a war which should wake us up

To those of us who do wake up

To the preciousness of life


With the courage to do what is right

Which is not to fight

Against our fellow man


But instead fight for peace

With a hug and a handshake

And see 9-11 as life shaking us awake


My God is better than your God

Says man as he charges ahead

With a rock, a spear, a rocket, a plane


My religion tells me to kill you

My "religion" based on the philosophy of enlightened men

And turned it into a killing religion after they are dead


Religion used as an opium for the masses

As Karl Marx said so enlightened

Whose is now dead


So why not use his philosophy

Make him a God and start a religion against all religion

And start killing people over it in his name


"God" Damn it!

It's time to stop

This battle between man and his "gods"


Seeing salvation as outside of himself

Seeing Heaven up above

And Hell down below


Instead of where they really exist

Heaven inside one's own soul

And hell created in one's own head


It's time to start living united

And living as one

In this ONE UNITED WORLD........




We Stand.....and hopefully continue to live.



- Adam Stuart (2007)

I'm Tired

My wonderful Aunt Sharon sent this to me. It begins with "This says it all..". I agree.


This says it all. . .


"I'm Tired"

Two weeks ago, as I was starting my sixth month of duty in Iraq, I was forced to return to the USA for surgery for an injury I sustained prior to my deployment. With luck, I'll return to Iraq to finish my tour.

I left Baghdad and a war that has every indication that we are winning to return to a demoralized country much like the one I returned to in 1971 after my tour in Vietnam. Maybe it's because I'll turn 60 years old in just four months, but I'm tired:

I'm tired of spineless politicians, both Democrat and Republican who lack the courage, fortitude, and character to see these difficult tasks through.

I'm tired of the hypocrisy of politicians who want to rewrite history when the going gets tough.
I'm tired of the disingenuous clamor from those that claim they 'Support the Troops' by wanting them
to 'Cut and Run' before victory is achieved.
I'm tired of a mainstream media that can only focus on car bombs and casualty reports because they are too afraid to leave the safety of their hotels to report on the courage and success our brave men and women are having on the battlefield.

I'm tired that so many Americans think you can rebuild a dictatorship into a democracy over night.
I'm tired that so many ignore the bravery of the Iraqi people to go to the voting booth and freely elect a Constitution and soon a permanent Parliament.

I'm tired of the so called 'Elite Left' that prolongs this war by giving aid and comfort to our enemy, just as they did during the Vietnam War.

I'm tired of antiwar protesters showing up at the funerals of our fallen soldiers. A family who's loved ones gave their life in a just and noble cause, only to be cruelly tormented on the funeral day by cowardly protesters is beyond shameful.

I'm tired that my generation, the Baby Boomers -- Vietnam
generation, who have such a weak backbone that they can't stomach seeing the difficult tasks through to victory.

I'm tired that some are more concerned about the treatment of captives than they are the slaughter and beheading of our citizens and allies.

I'm tired that when we find mass graves it is seldom reported by the press, but mistreat a prisoner and it is front page news.
Mostly, I'm tired that the people of this great nation
didn't learn from history that there is no substitute for Victory.

Sincerely,
Joe Repya,
Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Army
101st Airborne Division

Please send to all your e-mail friends

This needs to get all over the U S A

National Championship Rematch

Here we go again! The Ohio State Buckeyes facing the Florida Gators for a national championship.

This time it's for the NCAA basketball title.

Let's hope we fare better in this game tonight than we did back in January. (Great job to Brosden's friend, Christian, for taking these most excellent photos)

I predict a Buckeye Beating of the Gators this time! But then again, I always play to win, as do my children.

In Brosden's last baseball game NOT ONE ball got past him at shortstop. Give it all you got. If you're going to fail, you're going to do it giving your best.

And Iszabella's team won another cheer leading competition yesterday. The more fun you have the more likely you are to succeed.

I'm not bragging (oh, of course I am), but I know from experience that if you don't believe you can win, no matter what you're doing, you're not really believing you're a winner. And not thinking you're a winner is a terrible waste of your thoughts.

So for you, for me, for The Buckeyes (and the Gators I guess if you're a fan of those guys), I've got one thing to say today..........

PLAY HARD! PLAY TO WIN!

(I know that's two things but I heard the Gator fans couldn't count.) Ooooooohh. See how easy it is to start a war?

1. Start with a difference of opinion.
2. Think you're better than they are and let them know it.
3. Add in a few ridiculous insults that they'll take personally.
***Boom! You've got a war! (I heard that the Florida God and government is different than the Ohio God and government. We have to win now, for religious and political reasons.)

Peace and Harmony. And Victory to the team that believes the most they can win, and goes out and does it! (Still impressed by the thrashing you Gators put on my Buckeyes in football. You really thought you could win and you did. The power of powerful thought!)