Wonderful Weekend

I get to start off today with some wonderful news and I couldn't be happier. To begin with, last night I attended the open mic event at the Lea County Center for the Arts and I was mesmerized by all of the excellent talent. When I opened for the reading of my poetry, I stopped to mention how well I thought of every single performer there. I said, "The way you know how amazing these artists are is when you suddenly realize that your smiling because your cheeks hurt. And you have no idea when you started smiling in the first place. You just discover that they made you smile."

I read three poems in a set that I call "Good Things Come in Threes." I read them in reverse order than what I wrote them as. The reason for this is because I wanted the importance of the message to be the final and lingering thought for the people there. 

I read "Trinity the Troublemaker," which is in reference to my title character of my book series. Leading off with my own book title and considering it the lesser of the importance is something I will explain later. I know it makes no sense from a marketing point of view, but bear with me for a moment.

The second poem I read has equal importance to the final one. "Naked for Climate Change," began as a joke on Facebook. I tell people that if the heaviest pollution producing corporations could get a load of me in my birthday suit, then they might frantically invest in clean energy alternatives. 

The final poem, is a message about peace. I titled it, "Hatred Has No Home with Me." It was a Facebook post a long time ago and also the title of a term paper that I did in college. I think it's sad that there are so many people or entities that are trying to capitalize on our differences and trying to turn one another against each other. Not merely as Americans, but as a people. I feel that the eventuality of this course of behavior with lead to our own destruction. I've long said that "fighting fire with fire will be the end of us, we'll all go up in a huge conflagration." 

This probably makes me sound like a pacifist, and that would be partially true. However, I think there are definitely things worth fighting for. Peace is worth fighting for, but I don't want to see the cost come in a body count. Even though it tends to more often than not. Peace should be a battle fought with diplomacy, where people learn how to live together and reach an agreement. Looking upon each other as neighbors instead of rivals. Helping others to help sustain themselves with resources of their own, or opening commerce in trade.

My most exciting bit of news that I have received today is that my story of "Trinity and the Bully" was endorsed by a charitable organization. Ark of Hope for Children is a part of a global initiative to come to the aide of children who have been victimized in human trafficking, abuse, and bullying. Fifteen percent of the royalties of the sale of this Trinity story has gone to support their mission, and I will continue to give to them as the book sells. The executive director of the charity and president is a man by the name of Blair Corbett. He's a man who actively practices compassion and love to the kids that he serves. I am grateful for the opportunity to support his work and humbled.

I will post a link to the Ark of Hope for Children's website so that you can consider contributing to him directly. Or, you can buy "Trinity and the Bully" and I will make the donation. Either way readers, we are working together for a good cause for the sake of children.

​Thank you.