A Lesson From A Life

About a year and a half ago, Lauren Hill was just like any other high school senior getting ready for college.  College applications, SATs and ACTs and the quest for financial aid.  All of it, just like any other high school senior.  The stress of finishing her senior year strong, dates and dances, all of it.  She loved soccer, but evidently liked basketball more because she decided to play basketball at Mount St. Joseph University.

 

Several weeks later as she played a basketball game for her high school team, she experienced dizziness.  She underwent tests to determine the cause and the tests revealed a tumor.  An inoperable tumor.

 

In an interview with the Associated Press, she stated, “I’m spreading awareness and also teaching people how to live in the moment because the next moment’s not promised.  Anything can happen at any given moment.  What matters is right now.”

 

Hmmm . . .

 

This nineteen year old co-founded a nonprofit foundation and helped raise $1.5 million.  She continued to be a high school senior.  She continued to smile.  She continued to live.

 

To live.

 

I wrote an earlier post titled “I Lived!” that spoke about the importance of living in the moment.  I wrote about not leaving anything to chance.  I wrote about the importance of embracing each moment and fully and completely living in it because one never knows when that next moment would be taken from us.

 

It happened to my son, who nine months ago today (as I write this post on this sunny April 12^th morning), my son walked down a street and was shot in the back and killed by a stray bullet.  It happened to my nephew as he stood on the shoulder of an icy road and was hit and killed by a car that hit the same icy patch he had hit earlier.  

 

Two kids who, moments before, had no worries or cares.  Just being kids.

 

It has happened to others, young and old.

 

There seems to be an important truth here to consider: life needs to be lived.  Each moment needs to be lived.  A moment and a life that we . . . you and I . . . cannot take for granted.  Life and each moment is to be fully and completely lived.

 

This past Friday, April 10^th, Lauren Hill lost her battle with the tumor that couldn’t be operated on.  And while Lauren lost her battle, she never gave in to the realization that her life was ending.  She was too busy living. 

 

Too busy with college.  Too busy with studies.  Too busy with her family.  Too busy with her friends.  Too busy with life.  Too busy.

 

A Lesson From A Life.

 

A Lesson From Lauren’s Life:  Never to give up, never to give in, never to quit, never to take anything for granted.  To live each day, each moment fully and completely because as she so eloquently said, “. . . live in the moment because the next moment’s not promised.  Anything can happen at any given moment.  What matters is right now.” Something to think about . . .

 

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

 

To My Readers:

 

Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives, is now available in both Kindle and paperback on Amazon.  It can be found at:  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

 

Book One, Stolen Lives, in both Kindle and paperback, can be found on Amazon at: 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

 

The Prequel, Taking Lives, in both Kindle and paperback, can be found on Amazon at: 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

 

jl

Leave A Memory

Sometimes I’m amazed that when one of the “oldies” comes on the radio, I can remember every word.  I can even harmonize with the melody. 

The other day, Neil Young’s version of Four Strong Winds came on one of the satellite stations I have my car radio tuned to and without a hiccup, sang along with the melody and at points, harmonized.  I had never heard Neil Young’s version before, and didn’t particularly care for it actually, preferring the Brothers Four version from back in the ‘60s. 

But that’s just one example of one song.  There are others, and the same can be said about movies.  There are times I can recite the dialogue along with the actors on screen.  Of course, my wife will say my mind is filled with useless trivia, but I contend that it’s at least filled with something besides sawdust.

Same can be said with old friends – not the brain filled with sawdust part. 

Aren’t there people in your life, longtime friends, who, when you get together after a long period of not seeing them, fall into the same patterns and pick up as if it were only yesterday? 

As I write this, I thought of Jack and Natalie who we haven’t seen in years until this past Christmas vacation, or one of my students, Steve, who came to a benefit in my son’s name this past October.  I hadn’t seen him in about thirty years, and it was like old times.  I have to mention Tom and Carol, (though Tom has passed away this past August) and their son, Jarret and his wife, Allie.  We see them and it’s like we’ve seen them just yesterday or the day before, though in reality, it has been years . . . too long, really.  Dan and Jenny, others.  Many others.

I read a post on Facebook Huck wrote on my son, Wil.  It was beautifully and powerfully written, full of detail and memories the two friends had with each other, the love they shared for each other, the friendship that was cemented together.  Though it was about Wil, it didn’t cause sadness, but instead, brought a smile.  I remember nodding my head as I read it and thinking, ‘Wil left a memory.’  For Huck, for me, for my family, for a whole lot of others.  A very nice memory.

And thinking about Wil, or Tom and Carol, or Jarret and Allie, or Steve, or Dan and Jenny, or any number of others, always brings me a smile and raises up in me a good feeling.  Thinking about them lifts me up.

Just like hearing an oldie.  I listen to a song and it propels me back in time to a place and with people and it creates a warm, good feeling.  It causes a smile and it lifts me up.  Hopefully, the same thing happens to you in that a song or a memory of someone brings a smile to your face, your eyes, and lifts you up.

Made me consider . . .

Just as I think of Tom and Carol, Steve, Jack and Natalie, Jarret and Allie, Dan and Jenny, what kind of memory do they have of me? 

Just as when a certain oldie comes on the radio, when someone thinks of me, do I lift them up?  Do I cause a smile?

Because in each life we touch, each person we come into contact with, certainly with the kids we teach or with the colleagues we work with, even those in our own families, we Leave A Memory.

Be it good or bad, happy or sad, leaving us wanting more or perhaps, wanting less, we Leave A Memory.  So I ask you just as I asked myself, what kind of memory are you leaving for those whose lives you touch?  How will they think of you in a year, ten years, many years down the road?  Is it the kind of memory you’ll be proud to leave?  Or, is it the kind of memory you’d rather them forget.  Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

For My Readers:

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am at the reception my three books are receiving- thank you!  When I wrote and published the first one, there were two thoughts that went through my mind: would anyone buy it? and would anyone like it?  I guess the answer to both is a resounding “Yes!”  So thank you.

But I have to say that the prequel, Taking Lives, didn’t have the rigor applied to it by the editor that it should have received, and for that, I apologize.  My name is on it and I take responsibility.  But I want you to know that the editor that was used on that book is no longer being used.  A different editor, a much better editor, was used on book one of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives and the same editor was used on book two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives.  I think you’ll be pleased as you read them.  I do hope that Taking Lives didn’t/doesn’t detract you from reading Stolen Lives and Shattered Lives.  I think all three serve a purpose: to bring to light a problem in our society, and just as importantly, tell a story of kids with heart and courage.

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

Stolen Lives is found at 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

Shattered Lives is found at 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

Thanks,

jl

Three Thoughts

This week's message is short and sweet.  I wanted to leave you with three thoughts that are not my own, but I like the sentiment expressed in them.  These are things that perhaps we might think about, but not really consider closely. 

They are:

"Everyone makes mistakes in life, but that doesn't mean they have to pay for them the rest of their life.  Sometimes good people make bad choices.  It doesn't mean they are bad.  It means they are human."  Unknown (at least to me)

"Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can,

At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can."  John Wesley

"Always end the day with a positive thought.  No matter how hard things were, tomorrow's a fresh opportunity to make it better."  Unknown (at least to me)

I think these three statements are related in that if we make mistakes, and we all do, if we recognize this, we can still "do good" by any and all means possible to help those who have made mistakes and who have fallen, and to remind them that they, like we, are human.

And if we remember that each day brings a new morning, we can begin again.  We can start over and do better.  All of us has this opportunity open to us.  Let's take advantage of it instead of just pushing play-repeat-play over and over again.  Each of us gets a "do over" and we need to allow others to receive a "do over" also.  It isn't a luxury for just a few.   Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives, is now available on Amazon.  It carries the reader forward from the prequel, Taking Lives, and book one of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives.  All three can be found on Amazon.

The publicity blurb I use for Shattered Lives is as follows:

Everyone thought the boys were safe, and they were. That is, until people began dying. Some of the men responsible for the boys’ captivity escaped and without any leads, the FBI can only wait. A dangerous strategy when it involves the lives of the kids and their parents. Continue the journey that began with the prequel, Taking Lives, and book one of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives, with book two, Shattered Lives. 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

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

You can find Stolen Lives at 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