Giving Thanks

It took fours hours to drive to my son's house in Sacramento for Thanksgiving. Normally, it would take about one and a half hours. As we crawled through traffic, I had the opportunity to spend time with my mom, sisters and an out of town friend. We sang seventies songs, reminiscing about our past lives together, and learned about life in Italy from our visiting guest. While all this was happening, I had a dialogue of prayer going on in my mind and heart. I thanked God for everything and everyone that I have been blessed with. Even as my left side ached, reminding me of my recent surgery, I was thankful to be alive. I thought of the war in Iraq and people starving in Ethiopia, and I was humbled. I thanked God repeatedly. I did not mind the traffic or how long it took to get there. I did not mind having to pick over the Thanksgiving leftovers because we were late due to the traffic. I felt truly thankful. Thankful for my fiancee, Kimberly, who was with her family. Thankful for One Martial Arts, it is my passion. Thankful for the deep missing I felt for my sister, Lisa who past away almost five years ago, and my best buddy and son in my heart, Alex, who I have not been aloud to see now for over six months. Life is often so bittersweet, but none the less, it is a life I choose to be very thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving.

Heroes

The people I admire most, Billie Holiday, John F. Kennedy, Dalai Lama, Bruce Lee, Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Mother Teresa, Gandhi and Thit Nat Han, are to me, the best representation of life's unlimited possibilities. They possessed the human condition as well as the capacity to dream beyond it's limitations. They fell harder and flew higher than most would have ever dared. They walked the path of individuality without compromise. They stood by the beliefs they held closest and some even died for them. They were not perfect but they lived their own version of the truth. They spoke to me. They said dream big and never give up until it is time to go home. Even through their deepest sorrow, they held faith at it's highest. I am humbled when I hear one of my heroes songs or read a passage or teaching that spoke of greatness. To my heroes, I offer Buddha's half smile to contemplate their gift of love and selflessness.

My Hero

Bruce Lee is one of my greatest heroes. He said, "You must be fluid like water. When in a bowl, become the bowl, when in a cup, become the cup". Bruce Lee did not believe in what he called, "The classical mess of the martial arts". He believed in all styles and no styles. Bruce said, "My style is the art of fighting without fighting". He was always fluid, adapting to overcome his adversaries. He inspired me in ways I can only begin to describe. Bruce Lee taught me freedom with discipline is the balance of creative expression. You must express yourself completely, with true emotion; physically, mentally and spiritually to achieve personal freedom. Bruce Lee recognized the path to one's truer self through his total commitment to creative expression. A kick was not just a kick, it was the complete immersion of one's self. To this day, his passion lives on in my own heart. It challenges me to be my best, with no excuses. I will always look up to Bruce Lee, and his total creative expression of life, as my hero.

Poem 4

So I find myself
Again in transition.
Flux as one would say.
Crossing bridges and
Ascending stairs
To the next level
Or plateau as
Experiences go.
The only consistent
Is patience and faith.
Mistakes, sins and
Hope is the balance
Of weight that
Sits upon my scale.
Just be.
Being is the answer.
Do not think or
Act with emotion.
Simply be.
Exist on a level
Of harmony and
Inner peace will
Light the way
Through the darkness
Of fearful confusion.

Poem 3

Visions
Are an
Exercise
Of the eyes
Which channel
The energy
Into the mind
Where it is
Digested
For the purpose
Of understanding
And establishing
An opinion to
Identity and
Association with
The world
Around us...