R-E-L-A-X

Last year very early in the season, the Green Bay Packers struggled to win.  They looked ugly and lost some games they shouldn’t have lost.  Every fan was worried and every fan was wringing hands and fretting not sure what was happening to the Packers. 

Interestingly enough, even if he was privately unhappy or worried with his team’s 1-2 start, Aaron Rodgers did his best to be calm.  On his weekly radio show, he said, “Five letters here, just for everybody out there in Packer land.  R-E-L-A-X.  Relax. We’re going to be okay.”

Once upon a time, I was a young head coach of a very talented high school basketball team in Wyoming.  Very talented.  Heck, they were so good, even I couldn’t screw them up.  Seriously good!  That particular year, state tournament good.  That particular year, state title runner-up good.  Yeah, that good!

But one night, we had one of those games.  We couldn’t shoot.  We couldn’t play defense.  We couldn’t rebound.  We couldn’t pass the ball.  We fouled everyone, probably even the manager, at inopportune times.  It didn’t matter what combination of players I put out on the court, the combination didn’t work.  Absolutely nothing went right in the first half against a far less talented team.  And we ended up going into the locker room at the half 33 points down.

Can you imagine the half-time talk?  I can’t remember it, but given my personality and coaching style, I kinda think I didn’t respond as Aaron Rodgers did.  No way I could . . . or did . . . just sit by and R-E-L-A-X.  No way!

In the second half, we did some very unusual things.  Instead of pressing all over the court, we played a half-court zone.  Nothing fancy, just a zone.  We invited the other team to shoot over the top of us, which was opposite of what I should have done, because in the first half, everything they put up went in.  But in the second half, it was a different story.  They missed just about everything they put up, but kept on shooting.  I mean, they couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn and remember, this was Wyoming, so there were plenty of barns around. 

As improbable as it seemed, we ended up winning that game by more than twenty points.

Weird how doing the opposite of what you think you should do works.  How when you feel like you have to run around and scream and feel nervous seems like it is the natural thing to do, but weird how slowing yourself down, taking stock and breathing in the face of the frantic rush and worry of the world actually seems to work.  Sort of like us going into a zone rather than pressing all over the court.  It was the opposite of conventional wisdom and flew in the face of everything any coach knows about the game.  Weird.

R-E-L-A-X

You know those days when we struggle, when nothing seems to go right, when things fall apart, and one thing after another goes wrong?

It happens, doesn’t it?  We have those kinds of days every now and then.  All of us from time to time.

And it doesn’t help if we react in a frenzy.  It doesn’t help if we throw our hands in the air and rush about not knowing what to do or where to do it.

R-E-L-A-X

Perhaps instead of reacting the way we might normally react, instead of running around in a frenzy, we slow down.  We calm down.  We breathe.  We take Aaron’s advice and R-E-L-A-X.  I mean after all, he did pretty well on Jeopardy.  He ended up being the league MVP.  In the chaotic world of pro football, and the ensuing chaos of being a quarterback with 6 foot 5 inch, 300 pound linemen running at you with the intent to do you bodily harm .  .  . I mean, if he says we should R-E-L-A-X, maybe we should give it a try.  Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

From a Very Enthusiastic Reader/Reviewer:

READERS, this one is for you! I cannot fully put in words why you should read this book. I lack the ability to fully capture my excitement & enthusiasm for this series. This book as well as the other books that make up the trilogy are truly movies in print. Every character relatable…seeable. The pain, palpable. I cried, I laughed, and I found myself holding my breath in anticipation of the next page wondering where the story would take me. You don't want to miss out on this trilogy. I am personally waiting for the final installment "Splintered Lives" due out this month.

Here is the series with current kindle pricing, and all are free on Kindle Unlimited.

Book #1: Stolen Lives $3.99

http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Lives-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00PKKN6W4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415908221&sr=1-1&keywords=Stolen+Lives%2C+Joseph+Lewis  

Book #2: Shattered Lives $5.99

http://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Lives-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00UZRP828/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427118727&sr=1-1&keywords=Shattered+Lives%2C+Joseph+Lewis  

Prequel to the Lives Trilogy: Taking Lives $.99

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MG2JAWE?ie=UTF8&at=aw-android-pc-us-20&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links  

Book #3: Splintered Lives - Coming soon!

**And for those asking, no I do not work for Joseph Lewis, Author.  I am simply a book enthusiast. When I find a read I love, I feel it's my duty to share!

Here is my share.....Enjoy!

Another Beginning

Summer is a time of growth and lush beauty.  Flowers are in bloom.  The sun is warmer, days hotter, and where I live, it is humid.  Still, a nice time to be alive.

Fall is a time when the earth shows its age.  The leaves on trees change colors, die and fall off the branch.  Sweatshirts and jeans replace shorts and t-shirts.  I have to admit that I love fall a little more than the other seasons.  There is a different tone to the air, a different feel, a brisk crispness, I think, that doesn’t exist in the other seasons.

I find it interesting that we begin a school year in the fall.  I mean, learning should equate to growth, to beginning.  The beginning of school seems to be the opposite of the season in which it begins.  Interesting to me how that works.

Today, I spoke to about 500 kids, 400 of which are about to begin high school for the first time.  Nervous laughter.  Some quiet.  Most curious.  The other 100 or so were the upper classmen who have been around for several years, who have been walking the halls of high school for a while, and were in those same seats as freshmen not too long ago.

I purposely held the door to the auditorium and greeted parents as they arrived.  I’d say things like, “Welcome!” or “Good morning!” or “Thank you for coming!”  I could tell that several were nervous also.  Others, old vets who have been through this drill before with one of their older children.

For me, this year is bittersweet.  My youngest is one of the seniors who has been through it and who is anxious to get moving and get it done.  As a dad, I’m not that anxious, certainly not as anxious as she is.  I imagine there are other parents in my shoes.

Part of the natural progression of things, of life.  Ease the child out into the real world, watch them grow, struggle a little, pick them up when they fall- and they will.  They all do.  We all do.  Be there to help them back up and let them know that it’s okay, things will be alright.  Let them know that you love them.

Parents entrusting their children to teachers who will help guide, support, and mentor.  Hopefully love them enough to help them back up once the kids fall.  And they will.  We all have.  To let them know it’s okay, things will be alright.  Let them know that they love them.  At least, that they care.

And, as a principal, I have to tell you that I have some of the very best.  They work wonders with kids.  Kids enter their rooms and magic happens.  You don’t believe in magic?  Come to my school and I’ll show you what real magic looks like.  Every day.  Hallways, classrooms, parking lot, the practice field- doesn’t matter where or when.  Magic happens because they care.

So parents, kids, relax a little.  As the commercial says, “You’re in good hands with  . . .”  I believe that.  We care.  We’ll do our best and when there is a bloody knee or a bruise because of a fall, someone will be there to help pick them up, to let them know it’s okay, that things will be alright.  Absolutely.  After all, it’s magic.  It’s real and it happens.  Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To my readers:

Follow me on Twitter: @jrlewisauthor

Like my author page: https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

If you like thriller fiction, check out:

Stolen Lives, Book One of The Lives Trilogy on Amazon in both kindle and paperback at http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Lives-The-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00PKKN6W4/ref=pd_sim_351_1/191-5824396-0839845?ie=UTF8&refRID=00D8QXZB1CEW8WVTH6XF&dpSrc=sims&dpST=_UX300_PJku-sticker-v3%2CTopRight%2C0%2C-44_AC_UL320_SR214%2C320_

Shattered Lives, Book Two of The Lives Trilogy on Amazon in both kindle and paperback at

http://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Lives-The-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00UZRP828/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1V4YX5GRSTBRABFPFESB&dpSrc=sims&dpST=_UX300_PJku-sticker-v3%2CTopRight%2C0%2C-44_AC_UL320_SR216%2C320_

Taking Lives, the Prequel of The Lives Trilogy on Amazon in both kindle and paperback at

http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Lives-Joseph-Lewis-ebook/dp/B00MG2JAWE/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0DPW1GCRQ4DGN887M1XQ&dpSrc=sims&dpST=_UX300_PJku-sticker-v3%2CTopRight%2C0%2C-44_AC_UL320_SR214%2C320_

When Did It Become Okay?

I’ve purposely put off writing this post for a number of weeks, though I’ve been thinking about it, formulating it, rehearsing it, and editing it.  Ever since the Charleston, South Carolina shooting this past June.  Actually, ever since the Columbine High School shooting.  And ever since the Pearl, Mississippi shooting.  And ever since the Virginia Tech shooting.  And ever since the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  And ever since the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting.  And yes, ever since my son was shot and killed a year ago.

When did it become okay to enter a movie theater and shoot people who were there to relax and enjoy themselves?  It had never occurred to me that if I went to a movie with Kim, or if my daughters went to a movie, our lives . . . your lives . . . might be in jeopardy because someone might pull out a gun and start shooting randomly.

When did it become okay for someone to go to a church and sit in a prayer group or a Bible study and begin shooting people because of the color of their skin?  I’ve always thought of a church as a place of peace and a place for prayer and thoughtful meditation.  Never would I have to worry about someone who might be unhinged enough to want to kill.  Never.

When did it become okay for a disgruntled, bullied child to enter a school and begin shooting either because he or she didn’t think they’d get help, or perhaps didn’t seek help, or perhaps, they just wanted to get even on their own terms?  It never occurred to me in my thirty-nine years in education, the kids and the staff . . . my kids and my staff . . . might be in jeopardy.

When did it become okay for one kid to shoot at another kid because of a difference in gangs and turf and territory?  And in so doing, when did it become okay for innocent bystanders, those who happened to be on the street at the wrong time and in the wrong place, to be shot and killed?  It never occurred to me that it would be dangerous to walk to a restaurant, do some shopping and walk back home.  It never occurred to me that my life, one’s life, would be in jeopardy.

When did it become okay for someone whose religion “tells” them to strap on a bomb, walk to a crowded area, and set it off, taking not only that life, but the lives of many innocent men, women and children?  In the name of . . . who, exactly?  I don’t think my God would ever ask me to do that, because I’ve always believed in a God of mercy, and forgiveness, and love.

When did it become okay to minimize and marginalize groups of people?  When did it become okay for a candidate for President of the United States can get cheers and chuckles for calling women bimbos, saying that one or more of them is fat, that one or more is ugly?  When did it become okay for a candidate to say that an entire group of people, an entire race of people, are drug dealers, prostitutes, criminals?  I’ve always wanted leaders to lead by example, not by bombastic rhetoric.  I’ve always wanted leaders to speak the truth, not just the flavor of the moment, to speak the truth, and not just something that might get him or her elected.  I’ve always wanted leaders to bring people together, not pull us apart.  I’ve always wanted leaders to remember that our past was built by those disenfranchised, those persecuted, and those who struggled to survive and who came to America to seek a better life for themselves and their families. 

So, I ask you again, when did all of this become okay?  Why aren’t we doing something about it? 

Why does it seem that there are more and more people getting shot and killed for no apparent reason?  Why is there a lack of tolerance for those whose opinions are different from ours, whose beliefs are different from ours, whose skin color or gender or sexual orientation is different from ours? It seems to me that refusal to serve others because of their beliefs, because of their religion or race, because of their sexuality was done before in history: Germany with Jews and Catholics, and other groups; the United States with our Black citizens in the 50’s and 60’s.  Why is it okay now?  Why the sudden change? 

What makes it okay for a bakery to not make a cake for a wedding because the couple might be the same sex?  Seems to me that back in our own history, we did that once before with signs on doors that read, “Blacks Not Welcome!” or with separate water fountains and separate bathrooms.  Exactly why was this okay then, and why is it okay now?  Seems to me that we’ve just exchanged one group of people with a different group of people.

Why are our stadiums filled with people who flock to listen to candidates who lie, who are callous, who are arrogant, who can’t be trusted, who aren’t compassionate, who don’t have our best interests at heart?  How is this okay?  Is it because one gives free rides to kids in a helicopter?  Is it because he speaks the loudest or because he is more outrageous than any other candidate?  Does that make it okay? 

I suppose there are those who might label me a liberal, as someone from the far left, when actually, I consider myself to be a moderate and an independent.  I consider myself as someone who cares about people, who tries to see the good in people, who tries to build up instead of tearing down, who seeks to lend a hand and speak an encouraging word, who would rather be optimistic then pessimistic.

So I guess the answer to my own question, “What Makes It Okay?” is that I believe it is because we’ve not done enough, listened enough, or cared enough.  I believe it is because we’ve not extended a helping hand or an open heart.  I believe it is because we spend so much time talking, arguing, and persuading, that we’ve not taken the time to listen and to understand.  And that is simply not okay.  Not okay at all.  Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

Relentless

My family and I have not had a real family vacation in years.  Usually, we travel back to Wisconsin for the Christmas holidays, but I don’t consider that a real vacation, though we do have a wonderful time.

 

This summer, just a few weeks ago, actually, we went to North Carolina and stayed on the Outer Banks for a week.  Last summer, Kim went online after we decided that we needed to do something differently after the terrible summer and year we just had.  She came up with a house to rent right across the street from the ocean.  The house also had a pool and hot tub and was only short distances away from restaurants and shopping.  We invited Kim’s parents, her sister and her family, her brother and his family along with his girlfriend and her two kids, and Hannah’s boyfriend. 

 

It was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations I’ve had in a really long time and to be honest, I’d like to go back again and again.  Heck, I’d leave tomorrow if I could.

 

One morning, Emily and I walked the beach.  Both of us barefoot, toes in the wet sand.  What a way to begin a morning! 

 

One thing I miss is sitting out on the upper deck and listening to the waves.  Every now and then we’d spot dolphins, and while I enjoyed watching them dance in the ocean, I was more attracted to the waves.

 

I’d listen to and watch them crash and pound the shore.  Sometimes there were whitecaps and the sea roiled, rose and fell in a heap on the sand.  Other times, the ocean was calmer, but never really calm, because the waves still hit the shore, only a bit more gently.  At times, the sound of the waves hitting the shoreline was so loud that even though we were across the street, it sounded like they were in our own backyard.  Other times, the sound was softer, still there, but softer.

 

No matter, wave after wave, hour after hour, minute after minute, waves hit the shore.  Persistent.  Relentless.  No amount of want or need or design could or would prevent waves from landing on shore, dragging sand into the ocean only to spew it back as the next wave fell.

 

I think love is just as persistent, just as Relentless.

 

I look at young mothers holding a baby and I see a persistent, Relentless love.  I watch young teachers staying up late, putting in extra time, spending their own money even though they get paid a pittance, leaning over a student who just doesn’t get it, and I’d call that love.  I’ve known parents staying up late to make sure their sons or daughters get home safely.  Definitely love.

 

And even though the baby might grow up to hurt, and even though the student might not learn it as fast or as quickly as others, and even though that son or daughter might make a poor choice or decision that causes heartbreak, in each case, their love is persistent, Relentless.

 

Love doesn’t give up.  Love might make you frustrated, angry and sad.  Love might cause you to weep or cry or fly into a rage.  Love might move us to silence and peace and utter joy.

 

But like the waves crashing onto shore or gently lapping at the sand, love is at the core and the root, the driving force in each of us, and in each other. Persistent . . . Relentless . . . Love.  Something to think about . . .

 

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

 

Readers:

Available on Amazon in ebook and paperback, or available from me in signed paperback message me on my author page:  https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

or find my on Twitter @jrlewisauthor

 

Taking Lives, prequel to The Lives Trilogy

http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Lives-Joseph-Lewis-ebook/dp/B00MG2JAWE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407974964&sr=8-1&keywords=Taking+Lives%2C+Joseph+Lewis

 

Stolen Lives, Book One of The Lives Trilogy

http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Lives-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00PKKN6W4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415927661&sr=1-1&keywords=stolen+Lives%2C+Joseph+Lewis

 

Shattered Lives, Book Two of The Lives Trilogy

http://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Lives-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00UZRP828/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426952407&sr=1-3&keywords=Shattered+Lives%2C+Joseph+Lewis

 

Thanks,

JL