la douleur exquise

He is courageous, bold, full of light,

She is smart, pretty, inventive.

He catches the wind like a kite,

She is at the end holding firm.

He loves that he can talk to her,

She loves the sparkle in his eyes.

He has big plans for his future,

She lives in the present moment.

He passes her in the hallway,

She smiles inside and outside.

He sees just another school day,

She sees another day with him.

He plans to find the perfect one.

She knows she is the one.

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If

      This is one of my favorite poems.  It takes so much courage and strength to do the things it says.  As I relate to these things in my life, I realize that I have a long way to go.  I am good in some areas, but worse in others.  Consider comparing the poem to your life to see where you are on the long journey to becoming a man.
      Just the first two lines are a prevalent issue in my life right now.  It seems that everyone around me is losing their minds, and I am being blamed for it.  I also feel like I am losing my mind.  But I have a choice to trust myself and to keep my head about me. 
     I quote the end of the second stanza: "...or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, and stoop and build'em up with worn out tools."  I have had to do this a few times in my life, and it can be very painful.  The ability to do this shows your courage.  It would be so easy to just give up, but what would that make you? A coward.
   I hope that I can "own the earth and everything that's in it, ...and become a Man..."  The journey is steep and lengthy, and although it is tough, it is well worth it in the end.

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My Grandpa's Life

An amazing person passed away yesterday, my Grandpa.  He was a spectacular and fascinating man.  He accomplished so much during his life.  Although it was tough losing him, the last moments in the hospital with him and all my family will be something I will never forget.  It was stunning how much love there was in the room.  A couple hours before he passed, all of my aunts and uncles went around telling a simple memory of him.  I was able to learn so much about him and his accomplishments, his personality, his younger life, and so much more.  We were all laughing as we remembered funny things.  We decided that we would sing a few songs.  The feeling in the room was felt so peaceful.  It was a privilege to know this man, let alone that he was my Grandpa.  He was such a hard working man, he worked on B-52 in WWII, as he served in the air force.  He helped NASA with the space shuttle to the moon.  He also raised eight children, leaving behind a strong legacy.  I am honored that I could be named after him.  Love ya Grandpa!

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Doors

Everyone has doors, some are closed, some are wide open, some are cracked slightly, and some are locked completely. There is magnificent beauty behind everyone’s doors.  There is immense happiness, staggering sadness, etc…  I’m not saying we all need to have our doors open wide for the entire world to see, but keeping it ajar can be very helpful.  Letting people in when you are having a hard time can help release the stress and heartache that could potentially build up behind a locked door.  It takes enormous faith and trust when opening the door to others, because opening it makes you vulnerable.  I just want you to know that I will never purposefully do anything to hurt you, and if I do, I will beg for your forgiveness.

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Hello

My name is John Macey, and I am truly in love with the world around us.  Good and evil are here, and although it is hard, I have found it very rewarding to try and find the good things in life.  Sure we can complain and groan about the bad things, but what does that do for us?  Does it really help to hang on the things that bring us down?  My friends have been such a good example of this, they try and find the good things in life, people, places and situations.  I know that I am not that great in this, in fact, I can see myself being more pessimistic than optimistic most of the time, but it is my goal to look at the glass halfway full.

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