My Theme Song to Life

Dear Reader

I have a song, well actually two songs that have been with me for most of my life. I have them on my iPhone, my iPod, my Macs, before the computer age, I had those songs on LPs. Whenever I was sad, those songs helped me through my trial and tribulations. When I needed inspiration those songs inspired me, when I had my radio on and was going through a tough day, just that long intro would put a smile on my face.

There are two versions of this song, the first version of this song came out in 1967 it peaked at 19. In 1970, a very different version of this song came out and went on to become a number one hit for this artist. I like the original version of this song because it is easy to sing to, and though my vocals do not come anywhere near the artists that originally sang the song, I have fun trying to sing it. The cover version of this song was more dramatic, with a spoken word passage; the artist would eventually be nominated for a Grammy. This version of the song with an orchestration that is beyond brilliant, it combines R & B, with Classical and Pop music. The vocals are strong, the background vocals moves the song to its final climax. When I hear the intro, my heart stops for a moment, a strange, yet serene look overtakes me. If I am by myself I start to say the spoken words.

The song, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, originally song by the late Marvin Gaye and the late Tammi Terrell and later covered by Diana Ross, written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson. If I produced a Hot 100 these two songs would always top my charts. I think anyone who likes music has a special song or songs, songs that inspire or make one feel happy when we one is sad, or make one want to dance or sing. This is what music is all about, unfortunately not all people have musical talent, but it does not take talent to enjoy music.

When the original version of this song came out, I had just lost my Dad, the snappy beat, the incredible vocals, the music, helped me through this difficult time. I was just six years old and I was learning the power of music. When the Diana Ross version came out, I was nine, I did not know anything about love, at least not the romantic type of love, but I thought as I still do, it was and is a great song. Some say it is a little over the top, but in essence I am a little over the top, so the song fits my character. My friends describe me as poetic and …”Mountain….” is poetic, the raw emotion of the song, a pivotal moment in ones life is escalated into a frenzy as the song reaches a high, then slowly fades away. This is why I like this song; it underscores life, the intro, the build-up, the peak, and then the slow fading emotion.

Today listen for your theme song, think about how that song describes you, how that song has helped you and both in good and bad times. If you do not have a theme song, find one.

2009; A year to Reflect

Dear Reader

One of my favorite movies is "Its a Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart. I assume my readers are familiar with the film, the tale of a man who thinks the world would be better off without him, not realizing how much good he has done for others. As we enter 2010, I like to reflect on 2009; did I make a positive mark on someones life, did I make the world, even on a limited level a better place? Is the world better off without me?

I like to think in some small way, I made a worthwhile mark on the world. I like to think my presence made a difference in someones life. I also like to think there were angels in my life that helped me, that were there when I needed them. I believe in karma, one does good for others, good will come to them, do bad and bad things will happen.

This was a challenging year, just like George Bailey, when his world was falling apart, he doubted himself, he tried to commit suicide, but an angel saved him. An angel proved to George Bailey that he did make a difference in his world, and his presence aided others, in a sense we are all capable of being angels.

So as 2009 transcends into 2010, lets reflect on the good that we have done, and the desire we have to be better individuals. Lets not put ourselves down for our flaws, our sins, our pains, but lets focus on the positive. Two-thousand and ten is going to be a great year, lets place an emphasis on the positive.

A challenging Year

Dear Reader

The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect the past and the future. The time to envision ones position in the world and how that can perpetuate one to the next level. One should not gravitate to ones failures in the course of the year, but the positive accolades, even if such accolades were personal in nature. Small positive steps are an honor; small steps lead to larger steps in the future.

One cannot argue 2009 was a challenging year; challenges are what give people the opportunity to explore new horizons. For instance on a personal level, I witness a downturn in my business, I increased my advertising budget the previous year (for 2009) when I had extra resources, the benefit was in 2009 I was able to get into new markets and obtain new Clients to offset my declining revenues in my Los Angeles market. More importantly I established a networking base with vendors in my same field and developed relationships with such people that ultimately turned into friendships. Like most businesses, I took financial hit on my bank account, but I also learned to live without certain luxuries that I took as necessities.

I also established a criterion for what was most important to me, and my sanity. I developed a personal business plan, detailing my goals and aspirations. Forth most was my relationship with God, I believe in faith, faith is the catalyst that propels me to wake up and look forward to life. Without my relationship with God, I would just be another wondering soul, walking aimlessly, with no plan and no direction. God is my rock, my foundation. Next I wanted to look at my other talents like writing, photography and filmmaking. I was able in a small way to explore such talents; I started writing several blogs, an article for a magazine, had some of my photographs published on some web sites and pre-production on a documentary film.

In times like these it is so easy to give up, and walk away. Don’t give up, look for new opportunities, new relationships and let God into your heart and you don’t need a phone to talk to God.

A trip to Remember

Dear Readers

I had a chance to go to Tijuana, Mexico last weekend (October 1oth and 11th) for the Amor Project. The Amor Ministries helps to build homes for the poor in Mexico, started about sixteen years ago, Amor has built over 16,000 homes. Religious and non religious groups on various weekends throughout the year, help build homes in Mexico, using only hand tools and raw human power. The groups are made up from high school students all the way to senior citizens. Our group came from the "First Presbyterian Church of Newhall", consisted of three very hard working women and twelve men ranging in age from thirty-one to late seventies.

We arrived at the Amor Camp about forty-five minutes south-east of Tijuana around eight at night. Our escort TJ meet us at a Carl's Jr. and we caravan into Mexico and ultimately to our secured camp. Accommodations were basic, portable restrooms, an area to take a shower, a large lot that could hold a thousand campers, plenty of wood for a camp fire and a guard who kept the camp safe at night and during the

day.

The next morning TJ arrived and escorted us through the tattered, mostly dirt roads to the home that are team would work on Saturday and Sunday. Observing the lack of signage, ruts in the road, a family making their way through the narrow enclaves on their way to town, relying on American buses made in the fifties. The deploring conditions were more reminiscent of a camp in a war scorn area as oppose to a neighborhood made of civilians in their home country. This is what made the presence of Amor so important, this project allowed families to have a safe roof over their heads and instill a sense of normalcy and pride.

Building a home is a lot of hard work, Victor the owner of the house was and is a very skilled builder, his guidance was invaluable. Amor provided a basic blue print as to how the home is to be configured. The objective this weekend was to build a foundation, framing and a roof on the back section of this home. This would provide a dining room and an additional bedroom to Victors home. Victor has a beautiful Wife and two very beautiful kids, a two year old daughter with an enduring smile and a nine year old son who was always helping us. They had a cute kitten who adopted us and decided to live in one of our tool bags.

Our first line of business was to carry sand and rock up to the work site, four meters up a steep driveway. It was a task unto itself that meant a lot of sweating and I admit Florence a beautiful senior citizen far outpaced me in terms of endurance. By the end of the day, we completed the foundation and the framing.

That night we ate in front of a camp fire, the air was windy and cold, but I surmise there was a sense of pride amongst our team. We were sweaty and dirty, our solar shower was the only instrument that could clean us, I am a bit modest and maybe a bit to sheltered to endure an outside shower. I opted to take a sponge bath behind a building. My idea of camping is in a large Class A motor home, but this trip was not about self adulation, it was about helping a family have a better existence.

The next day, after a couple of problems, we installed the framing and roof, this was a tough task, it required a lot of "man" power to drag the framing from the street to the work site. At the end of the day our group was disappointed that we were not able to stucco the walls and cover the roof. Next weekend a new team would complete out task and Victor will have a completed home.

Going to a foreign country like Mexico is an eye opening experience, in the United States as bad as we American think we have, the US has a strong government and laws to protect its citizens. As poor as the people we saw in Mexico, there is a strong sense of family, a glue that mends like concrete to the essence of these families. There is something that "we" Americans can learn from the poorest of the poor, in Tijuana, the importance of family and no matter the economics realities of the day, the family unit is transfigured as the catalyst to happiness.

Family Matters

Dear Reader

Families are one of those aspects in life that we as humans or any other species do not choose. In a sense maybe if God gave us the ability to decide what people we would want to be our parents, our siblings and other family members, the Homo sapiens species as we know it, might be extinct. Who would choose an imperfect soul, predestined with ungodly diseases, void of manners, a bad sense of humor, a body as old as the hills. Surely not "I", wait I have these faults according to my daughter Taunji and she still loves me.

Faults is what makes us human, "we" are not perfect, because "we" are not God. We can strive for perfection, but perfection is unattainable even to the purest of pure. That is not to indicate that "we" should not strive to be the best we can be from a moral standpoint. And "we" as humans will make mistakes, this is when "we" forgive. In the case of family forgiveness is a more difficult matter, for some families. In the case of my family, forgiveness seems unattainable.

It all started in the 1950's when my mother fell in love with my dad. It sounds simple, in the fifties there was nothing simple about a bi-ricial marriage, no matter what part of the country one lived. My mother is Russian and Jewish and my father is African American or in those days a "negro". Ironically I was raised Catholic, but that is whole other blog. I have two older Sisters and we all got along well, until my Moms mother made a surprise visit, thus the expression was born, "guess whose coming to dinner", took on a new meaning to our household. I never saw my Grandmother again, I never got to know my Grandfather or meet my cousins from my Mothers side of the family. In my mind I forgave, my Grandparents, but I do not sense my Mom forgave them, thus starts the complexity of forgiveness.

Fast forward today, my family is feuding over the fact that forgiveness for some is so difficult to reason or fathom. For the most part, "my family" got along very well together. It was not until the family expanded, did problems, simple problems that turned into a snowball rolling down a steep mountain, life went astray.

Forgiveness is one of the most effortless expressions that we as humans can exert to one another. Jesus expressed in the bible we should forgive seventy seven times seven, I ask my Readers to take heed to that message, because in these difficult times, we need to forgive each other, then move on and embrace each other with love.

I pray everyday to God, that my family can be whole again. Today, tomorrow, call a love one and tell them you love them, tell them "you" are sorry about any misunderstandings, because you never know when the Lord is going to come a knocking, love is so contagious, love someone today.

Don't Give Up

Dear Reader

One could say today the economy is a challenge for most people; credit is almost impossible to obtain, lines of credit are disappearing. Life as we know it, is dramatically different than it was a year ago; maybe in a strange way, this is good. I relied on my credit cards to pay for the unexpected and the things I could not afford, I admit, I overspent when I had money, I wanted it all. Now, I am afraid to answer my phone, my phone used to be my friend, now my phone is my enemy, the sound of its ringing haunts me, like a leopard stalking its prey.

I did what the economist told "us" to do, borrow and spend, it is good for the economy, the economy is now in the tank. I spend my resources more wisely, if I can not afford something, I do not buy it, my large purchases are carefully planned, less is better. I am not out of the woods, I might have to make some serious decisions about my finances in the near future, I realize I am not alone. It is a struggle to pay my bills, the entertainment industry, my industry, like other industries are struggling in one of the worst recessions in fifty years. Instead of being pessimistic, I am optimistic about the future, I see opportunities, instead of obstacles. Instead of roadblocks I see detours to destinations unknown.

It is easy to give up, to walk away, but it takes tenacity and guts to travel forward on the boulevard of broken dreams, littered with the souls who lost hope. Those who walk with faith are able to float above the pessimism, the pain, they try to find the answers that confuse those who have no faith.

Opportunity is a strange commodity, you cannot touch it, you cannot feel it, it shows itself at unexpected moments in our life, one must have faith to take advantage of opportunity, because opportunity is not guaranteed to happen everyday.

Do not give up, even in these uncertain times, there is a road with a fork in it, which way should you transverse, right or left, you decide, just keep moving and don't lose the faith.

"Failure is not an Option"

Dear Reader

Yesterday, July 17th we celebrated our ten years of marriage. As my beautiful wife Lecia sleeps so very soundly next to me, I realize how much of a presence she is to me, my rock. In these turbulent times, marriages are put to the test, some because of their weak fibers snap at the slightest tug and fail. Other marriages are made of strong steel cable and can resist the heaviest of uncertainty that can prey upon a marriage in these uncertain times.

I work in the entertainment industry, I work with some of the most beautiful women in the modeling industry and the acting world, to be honest it is not easy to resist the "candy", but I do everyday, because I have a wonderful Wife waiting for me every night. There is always temptation that wants to sway us and make us wonder what is on the other side of the grass, we are as the say "human". What then is the defining words of being "human", doing what we please or doing what is morally right?

If one creates a strong foundation, a hurricane can resist whatever winds besiege its very structure. When times are good, in a slight breeze any marriage can stay sound, however once a couple is met with adversity, a bad economy, loss of income, sickness, the very fiber of that structure can destroy itself from within.

On a personal side, this has been a very challenging year for "us", my business is down, like so many other businesses in this down economy, credit is tight and one has to make the decisions what are the most important bills to be paid every month. In my office I have a slogan sitting on my desk that reads "Failure is not an Option", many times I pondered those words, not only for my business, but for my marriage. "Failure is not an option", what do those words really mean? At the time when I wrote that phrase back in 2006; I was studying for my commercial driver license and about to purchase a new motor home for my business. This was a motivating slogan to give me an incentive to keep on studying, to keep looking for the right RV. Today that phrase is a cornerstone that perpetuates me to not give up when it is so easy to just walk away from everything. Quitters give up, that is their nature, but individuals with a strong moral core do not give up when hit with adversity, adversity makes them stronger.

I am networking more than any other time in my life and I am always seeking new markets for my services. This is what it takes to survive in this economy, and in my mind, if the business ultimately fails, something that I realize I have no control of; God will steer me in a new and better direction, but I will do so, with my co-pilot sitting next to me, my Wife.