impact

Just finished reading "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. To say it impacted me is to put it mildly.

The shortness of life, the knowledge to know what matters and the desire to grow. Things I think I do, but knowing I can do them better, better for having read Randy's words.

The bible stands far and above in being the book most impacting my life.

The Green Mile- the book; blew me away, good and evil, classic/ingrained. And in the end....evil wins, at least here on earth.

The Last Lecture; an intelligent articulate man of integrity giving his children himself. Pure.

If I have nothing to give, I have yet myself which is far more valuable then all and it is time to give of myself and doing this is acknowledging who I am and loving myself for the goodness that I know of in my heart.

Thanks for listening.

My Amazon Wish List

So I was listening to Ryan Adams on youtube performing "When the Stars Go Blue", and I was listening over and over since I am learning to play it, in fact I am listening now or at least trying to as the song loads via air card 10+ minutes outside of Philly on the Amtrak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgrljNU_2w0
(link to song above)

I had noticed this book earlier, something caught my eye from a good distance and I don't know what it was; was it the title, the cover, something....what was it???

Little Princes-One man's journey to bring home the lost children of Nepal-- My kind of book. A book of meaning of substance, a book that makes a difference about a man who did so.

I had set a reminder in my phone with the book title so that when I was training home it would pop up and I could check it out and it did, while I was listening to stars going blue, over and over. I viewed the book decided I wanted it, but first need to finish the book I am reading and the one in the waiting line.

I went to save the book, save it to my Amazon "wish list" and it was then, scrolling through the 43 items on that wish list that I realized...I may not have time to read all of these books. It was then I realized...time, time, time and you.
Do i know you, have i told you, told you I love you?

I love you.

Peace friend peace

take me home

Phil Collins is the type of artist that I have always loathed. He made it successful in the pop world and to me that automatically strikes you from my listening, except I secretly liked him.

In 1985 Phil put out an album called "No Jacket Required" and on it is a song that I find myself singing more times then I care to admit. No it isn't Sussido, thank God, but "Take Me Home" and I think the reason I find myself signing this is I am actually praying/speaking it to God.

I long for heaven....no crying, no dying, no pain, no more tears....yes, I believe in the good of the God, and I long for it.

Believing in Jesus and heaven is not something I do out of thinking I am imperfect or for reasons of submission; as much as having searched the world, the scholars of the world and the hearts and minds of men and womanI have found few truths of life-- God is one of them.

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30

change of heart.

There has been a lot of change going on in my life, chameleons change color and then change back again. I want the change I am experiencing to remain permenant.

I have been working on being a better man, better husband, father a better man in God's eyes.

Tis isn't always easy.

Forcing and maintaining this change is causing a lot of ripples. Ripples in my life and others. lives.

As much as others volunteer to help and assist ME with MY change, it is really up to me and no one else. We are all responsible for ourselves and others are not responsible for our feelings/actions/thoughts/demeanor/attitude.

The end result is good.
I feel better about myself.
I like who I am.
I feel closer to God.

But change is hard, the chameleon (think Pasquale in Tangled) changes his color, but always changes back.

The heart is the key. If you want real change, hardcore, see the difference, know there is a difference change, then it must be from the heart.....see Pasquale's change is only skin deep and as vivid as his change is, the depth of it is known by all.

Change of heart.

I forgot to let my annual Christmas beard grow. I like to stop shaving on Thanksgiving and then shave on Christmas. This year I am changing it. (12/25-2/14)

so you, thought you, might like to, go to the show

It's 7:45ish and my bud just called and said he has a tix for tonight's performance of The Wall. The train is now leaving Wilmington DE. I have my guitar and two bags of luggage and need to get transportation to the show. He said Roger does not hit the stage till 8:20...I asked him to tell Roger to go on at 9. Fat Chance.

To be cont.

Wil hooked me up, dropped my bags at the Amtrak counter for 3 bucks each and I can pick them up in the AM.
Trained it to the "Wells Fargo Center" and made it to the show by 8:45, one hour after getting the news. I missed a bit, but saw PLENTY. This did not resemble a typical concert---I mean it was Pink Floyd (aka Roger Waters) and yes I have now seen Floyd (at least a semblance of them) . I will be posting a full review on my concert review blog. stay tuned.

What I'm reading...

Junger wrote the Perfect Storm which was an amazing book and forced me to keep him on my radar as an author to watch.

A few of his books have come with less positive feedback in the aftermath of the storm and I have laid him low on the priority list enjoying the occasional magazine article and such, but keeping the books at bay till now.

WAR- I saw this at the local Barnes, ordered it from Amazon the next day and got it shortly thereafter. It has certainly been a quick moving intriguing read, but not quite as gripping as I anticipated, but certainly as telling.
War is an interesting concept, Junger is keeping an unbiased thought process for which I am grateful and even though I am not done reading I feel compelled to share some wisdom.

EXCERPT- "They have a huge shoulder-fired rocket called a Javelin, for example, that can be steered into the window of a speeding car half a mile away. Each Javelin round costs $80,000.00 and the idea that it's fired by a guy who doesn't make that in a year at a guy who doesn't make that in a lifetime is somehow so outrageous..."

So, I wonder....how many Javelin rockets have we fired and how many have we purchased and what if we put the money spent on that towards the overall good of people?

Yeah....they bombed us....first? I don't know, but I learned in 6th grade from the assistant principal, Mr. Parker that "two wrongs, don't make a right".

Peace,

Tate