JMFK (MF = My Friend)

Someone recently reminded me of this scene in the Adams Family. I bet like me you had forgot about how funny it was, but if you get a chance watch it again. It was a different take on how the first Thanksgiving went. Anyway its that time of year again, and once again I will physically be at work, but my spirit will travel to Nashville and hang out with my family as it has done for many a holiday.      As I think about this day that we give thanks for all we are blessed with I can't help but reflect on all that I have been given. I have been so fortunate to grow up with a loving family who watched over me and gave me a chance to have a good life. So blessed to be able to work and take care of myself. Extremely blessed to even still be in the land of the living. So I can definitely say thank you and mean it!      Thank you to all that have taken time to pray for me. Thank you to those who have had my back. Those who stopped to give a hand when I needed ...

I love music, and I mean Music. I definitely have favorite types, but I love to hear all kinds of music. It can lift me up on a bad day as well as push me through a tough one. It’s hard for me to lift some weights or go for a run without some headphones in my ears. In fact I’m listening to Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton’s performance at the CMA’s as I’m writing this. Yes for those wondering I do listen to a little country, but later I might be listening to Sade or Tool. You never know with me, I’m all over the place sometimes. When I’m working on my novels I’m usually listening to classical because it helps me think. If it’s good sounding instruments and singing or just good singing without the instruments or good instruments without the singing it don’t matter. I just want to hear it in my head to help take me away from the world.       You may share my same love of music, and like me it probably has some influence on how you feel and even think. Lik...

So I took a look at my blog and thought maybe I could make it look a little better. Hopefully my words will continue to get better, but I realize presentation helps people read them so let me know if this is better. By the way I am still working on a new series of fantasy novels. I have semi-finished parts, but I want to take the time to write more and focus on cutting out errors. I feel like I am getting better so if anyone out there reads anything I write, give some feedback. I don't care if its online or in the real world. I just want feedback, there is no positive or negative for me. If it sucks you can say so, I put on my big boy pants everyday. I can take it!

When I was little a lot of times my argument for something would boil down to me stating "Its what everybody else is doing or saying" or "Everybody else was acting up or nobody else did it right either". My mom would simply say "If everybody was jumping off a bridge, would you jump too?".      You see my parents raised me to live a certain way, as probably most of your parents did as well. That way was supposed to be based on the Bible, and the life of Jesus. In addition they encouraged me to not just know that way, but to have the courage and strength to follow that way even when others around me didn't.      Now this lesson went beyond just not cussing, listening to your elders, treating people kindly. They also encouraged me to strive to do and be my best. Even when people might call you a nerd, or tell you its okay to slack off or that you were doing enough, my parents said "You can do better". Those words of wisdom have made me the ...

Hopefully you haven't forgotten the great celestial event of a couple of weeks ago. I for one have not, and in fact I miss it already. It was a sight to see indeed! My glasses are sitting on a cabinet in my room, and sometimes I want to put them on and go outside and stare up at the sun, wishing for another eclipse. The way the world looked and felt was just magical, like nothing I may never get to experience again in my lifetime.      The thing that makes me want it to come again though is not what it was, but what it did. I don't know how you experienced it, but I was with my family and if the world had ended right at that moment I would have been at peace with everything. For a few moments we were all together, and there was nothing but love and wonderment. Grandmother down to great grandchild stood together on my parents back deck and it was like we were all children again for a brief time. No cares about sickness, troubled relationships, financial problems. We we...

**NOT A PICTURE OF MY ACTUAL HOUSE**    Some people may remember my house in Nashville flooded a few years ago. Now when I bought the house I was forced to buy flood insurance for the whole house because the den, which sits a few feet lower than the rest of the house, was in the thousand year flood zone. The den was in the problem area, but its attached to the house so MY WHOLE HOUSE MATTERS . Now the great thousand year flood came and wouldn't you know it the den flooded.      My family, who I can't thank enough, came down to my house and fought the waters. I was out of town working. There was nothing in it for them, but because they have love in their hearts they fought for me. They know we are connected through physical and spiritual blood, so to them it was worth the effort because for them  JOHN MATTERS .      Now I get to Nashville and start cleaning up. Now as I said the den flooded. The rest of the house was fine. If you had been...

We have become very fixated on crime in certain cities in this country. A lot of false information is out there and I thought a quick reminder of math might help clear up some things. Crime rates are listed in crimes per amount of people. This lets you know statistically how likely you are to be a victim of that crime in one area compared to another.      The crime we in the US seem to be fascinated with is homicide, but many time we just see total number and fail to understand the rate. So if you are in a room full of ten people and I say half the people will be murdered you will probably be shocked because five people died. While in another room the same will happen, half will be murdered, but there are only two people in that room. Will you be as shocked? The same rate is happening in both rooms, but which would you choose to be in if they were the only choices? Something to think about for sure.      That being said here is a link to a site listing t...