Thursday, May 29, 2014

Trying to live a Christian life.

This past year has been a great change in our lives. Jennifer and I have found our faith in Christ, and have started to try to live a life that is based in that faith. Now that has not meant a bunch of drastic changes, like some might think,. I remember hearing stories from my older brother and sister, how my parents made dramatic changes in their lives after being born again, short period after I was born. My sis was already 9 and my brother was 6, so they remember. Things like putting them into private school, My Dad who smoked cigars and had a valuable collection, quit cold turkey and sold his collection, they quit any consumption of alcohol, other drastic things. Things that rocked their world.

Now Jenn and I have not done things like that, but what we have tried is to implement small changes as we see them to be needed and build on those.  We also have become more aware of some stuff that was in our life that maybe should not be, and made adjustments to remove those things as needed.

Things like what we listen to on the radio. Now I am not saying we have cut out secular music, I will always have a place in my heart for many artists, whether they are christian or not, but what we both have done is stopped listening to some programs that have topics that are not Christ like, and have added Christian and uplifting music into our listening routines. Movies that we watch, we now have a different opinion of some topics movies will be based on. We have also both looked for ways to add scripture reading into our lives much more often, we have gotten more involved in the church activities and programs. Things like this have been done to help us learn what we need to do to live the life Christ wants for us, and help give us the support as needed.

Well yesterday something happened that made me very proud as a Christian father and man.

Desiree came downstairs after a long phone discussion with a best friend of hers. And she told Jenn and I that her friend was asking Desiree about being a Christian and what she believes. Her friend told Desiree she was asking her this cause she sees our family as a real Christan Family. She said, we go to church every week, we listen to christian music, and we read the bible. ETC. Well Desiree was taken of guard to this, but took the opportunity to share what she believes with her friend, and though she felt a bit unprepared,. she did a good job in my eyes.

Two things came to light after Dez told us this, one was that Desiree herself mentioned some of the changes she has seen from us, and talked about them in a positive way. And second one was that both Jennifer and I really did not think up unto this point that we really had not made that much of a change, but after thinking about it realized that we have. I pray and hope we can continue on this path, for so far it has been very uplifting and positive, and though I know major challenges will arise, I now feel confident I have the support to beat those challenges, where in the past I felt it was all on me to meet any challenge, and no support was needed, and that is why I failed so often.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Hosting families that have special needs kids.

I have always been one to not want sympathy from people, and that is why I try not to talk about the challenges of raising 2 kids on the Autism spectrum, unless another asks me about it or brings it up first. So the following post is not about wanting any, just trying to help create awareness.

A huge challenge a family with children having special needs, is traveling and visiting places/people that are not used to having those children around. Many reasons for this, like open space, size of the yards, the home decor and ETC are just a few. But I am going to focus on one in particular in this message, one that can be a very touchy subject, and can create a lot of stress for all parties.

How is the hosting family/people suppose to treat the kids with special needs????

The answer to this can be very difficult, cause it can vary based of the child's needs, the parents of the child expectations, and many other things. But I think I can give a few basic suggestions

1. Do not be afraid to ask the parents what the child's likes/needs are. But do not feel bad if you do not have exactly what our answers are. We know you might not be prepared, especially if this is first time hosting us.

2. Remember that though the child has unique needs, feel free to interact with the child like you would any other, but be prepared for the child's response to be different. Even a child who is not verbal, and seems to not want interaction, has the need to be loved and included. If you ignore them completely, they will feel ignored and possibly uncomfortable. If they are not comfortable, then they will make the visit hard for everyone, not on purpose, but many times the way they express their uncomfort comes out in a manner that can be disruptive. When a person makes no effort to interact with a child, whether the child has special needs or not, it gives the impression. they do not want to child around. Not always true, but impressions mean a lot, and if we as parents feel you do not want to child around, then we will not want to be bring the child around, which for us means we cannot come around either.

3.  When you make the effort to interact with them, but do not get a positive response, do not feel bad. Observe how the parent interacts, and attempt to mimic that.

4. If you observe the child in some behavior or activity that you might be concerned about, you can mention it to the parent, but do it in an sharing/gathering information way. IE of you see a child drinking muddy water, and the parent is there, say to the parent,  "he/she is drinking that muddy water, is that OK?" If we do not react, then you do not need to either, if we do react, then you know that if it happens again you may react in the same way. If we do not react in a manner that you feel is appropriate, well its not your child, so I will ask you get over it. If you witness the child doing something to your property/belongings and are worried about damage or the like, and we cannot or do not react immediately, feel free to get involved, but try and do it in a non judgemental way.

5. Lastly, I will be first to admit that parents of special needs children, at times allow the fear of being judged, or causing other people to feel uncomfortable prevent us from taking the children to others homes. This is on us and many of us need to own that better, but if you truly want to be involved in our lives then please try to avoid being judgemental. ALL parents want to avoid being judged for how they parent their kids, and that feeling can be magnified with special needs kids parents.

There are many other things that can be added to this, but thought I would share.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

I say something stupid, does that make me stupid?

Mark Cuban was recently asked his opinion on Donald Sterling, and his racist behavior. Mark's response was intended to be one with the meaning of, do not condemn a person for having a prejudice in some manner, cause we all have them.

He used some examples of stereotyping, and how he might act in a certain situation. Though he was not being racist, I can see how one part of the comment could come off as racist. But I think, and remember I do not speak for Mark, he was just saying, I am not in a position to be his judge and jury, and you probably are not either, and here's why, then he gave the 2 examples of stereotyping.

Using a stereotype is not on its own a racist action. Saying something that sounds racist does not make one a racist.

What is racism?? http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism

Beliving a race is superior to another, and has a right to rule the other based soley on the aspect of race. Being a racist is one who follow this belief. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racist?s=t

Now am I saying it is ok to make certain jokes or use certain words considered racist? No, I have done those things in the past, and they where wrong. But in that moment I did not beleive I was superior just cause of my race, and my actions reflected that.

I grew up and live in Texas, and at times have been guilty of making jokes about Mexicans, even at times making negative comments about the illegal immagrants here. Does that make me a racist??? No it does not, does it make me a person who says stupid things, sure at times. But I do not use the race of an individual to control how I am going to treat them, or think about them. And i certanly do not think I am better then them. Yes I might fall victim to stereotyping in certain situations, but when I actually have to decide how to treat the person, the race has nothing to do with it, and in my opinion, that is the way it should be.

In my job I have many times had to dicide who to hire to work for me, and I can proudly say, I have interviewed people of many races, and never has the race been a deciding factor. I did once tell an individual I could not hire them, cause I did not think they spoke English well enough, and the lack of that skill was due to the fact they where from another country, and though they had American citizenship. I felt the position required better communication skills, and if I had a hard time undertanding them one on one, how could a group of people do with them in a setting with a lot of distractions? And they would be in that environment. So the decding factor was their skill set, not the race. If they could develope that skill set then it would be a different matter, no matter the race.

It has gotten to the point in todays world that a white person cannot say anyting negative about a person of another color, without the racsim card getting played, even when the comment has nothing to do with race. And you know what it does, it makes poeple numb to it. so do not go whining when actual racism happens and no one notices due to you crying wolf all the other times. Also when you do cry wolf, make sure your not yourself even more guily of the racism/bigotry your condemning.

So remember this, no matter what race you are, you have steroetypes in your mind about people of other races, and at times they effect your thoughts of a person, we are all guilty of it. Just do not let those thoughts control your lifes actions.

We all laughed at White Men can't jump. That alone does not make you a racist.




Monday, May 12, 2014

Sports Media and peoples private life, cannot have it both ways

Their are have 2 major stories in the sports world today, that revolve around racial and sexual decisions and opinions.

Donald Sterling, is now the Devil, because a private conversation that happened in his own home between him and a "girlfriend" in which he says some things deemed racist. I am not here to argue whether he is a racist or not, I have already commented on that, but everyone in the sports world and associated with him and the NBA knew his history, and things he had done, some much worse then what was said on tape. even made public knowledge.

Michael Sam from the university of Missouri, and for the time being, now in the NFL, has been labeled Heroic, and a pioneer for the gay community, for being the 1st openly gay person drafted into the NFL. Again I am not going to give any opinion of mine about Michael being gay. What I do wonder is,

WHY IS EITHER SUCH A BIG DEAL?

On Donald Sterling, how is it that a private conversation, in ones home can create such backlash, yet his actual actions meant nothing. His actions years ago, his wife's actions years ago indicated he was a racist bastard. His treatment of his so called mistresses while married, and his wife, indicates hes a sexist pig. Yet no one was up in arms. Hell there is not a single person in this world who has said some things that where racist/sexist in a private conversation at least a few times. And I am sorry, if the black community wants to judge a person harshly by his spoken words, the why do they still support Al Sharpton, no matter what side your on, his public speaking has to be a turn off for anyone.

And I know I Know, I am not a professional athlete, and I have no idea what Michael Sam has dealt with or will deal with! But here's my question. Why is it that the homosexual community is constantly fighting for their sexual lifestyle to be labeled no differently when it comes to human rights as such, basically saying, what we do sexually in private should not matter when it comes to human and legal rights, yet at times like this making it so PUBLIC is the greatest thing in the world.

If it really should not matter if a person is gay or not, then why doesn't the gay community act like it? Why must it be declared? Why must Mr Sam and Mr Collins actively seek out media to tell the world. Lets look at recent history, when it comes to Hollywood and professional sports. We all know that if you just look at the odds, there are a number of gay athletes playing a professional sports. Even though we might not be aware of them, they are there. As for Hollywood, we know of more openly gay people there, but lets look at the ones we know of. How have the careers gone? Have they plummeted since their homosexuality was announced? In many cases heck no, its actually boosted many of their careers. And for the few athletes we know of. Well Jason Collins went public after he could not get signed, and wow he gets signed, Michale Sam seeks out media attention, just when athletic reports come out about his lack of ability, and pro scouts' concerns about his NFL ability. And WOW guess what, the most media coverage for a late round pick in the history of football.

And now lets compare Michael Sam to another athlete, who was very public about his lifestyle. Tebow, that's right I went there. How many times did we hear from the media, keep your religion out of football, cant we just talk about football, no one would care about him if it not for his constant declarations about his beliefs. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah, Whats the difference between the two I ask? Why is Mr Sam a hero in the medias eyes, and Mr Tebow a obnoxious Jesus freak. They both openly expressed their private life, Tebow was a Christian and Virgin, yet he was ridiculed by the media, Sam openly seeks out media to proclaim his being Gay, and hes praised.

And back to Sterling, all those who are calling for his head because the only thing you know about him was ONE private conversation, and whatever after became public knowledge, think about this, what if big brother where to release all those phone conversations you have had, or your spouse taped all those fights you have had, and put those on you tube, or better yet sent them to your employer. Or your "best Friend" went public with all those conversations you had after 3-4 drinks. Would any of those put you in a bad light, of course some of them would, and if so what would your argument be to those said statements. 99% of the time your argument would be, just cause I said that doesn't mean I would really do it, or I really didn't mean it the way it sounded.  But can Sterling use that?

So to wrap up, Ill say this, if what we do sexually in our private life should really not matter, then lets treat it like it doesn't really matter. Don't openly seek ways to make it public. If you want to be able to feel your have the God given right and constitutional right to privacy, then do not condemn another to something he said in private. Once you go public or judge, you open yourself up to being victimized for doing so, and once you make it a big deal about being "different" do not try to say your "difference" should not make a difference in the way you are viewed/treated, cause you are the one making it a big deal.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Finding joy in successes

I recently posted about not being angry anymore. This has lead to me being able to find my more joy in life, especially in the successes no matter how small.

I used to be a person who even when I was successful at something, I would immediattly look at how I could have done it better, or quicker, ETC. Rarely allowed myself to enjoy the success. And then when I found ways I could have done better, the angry man in me would come out, and would overshadow and joy I should be experincing. This attitide started to show in the way I looked at other peoples successes as well, my familys in paticular. At times the first thing I would say about whatever it was they where proiud of, would some sarcastic comment about it not being... insert something better then what was accomplished here.... and of course not find joy in it with them.

Well I am slowing learning a lot about being joyful in things in life.

For instance, things with Chris. Finding successes with him has always been hard, and even when there was some in the past, my attitude would not allow me to enjoy it. But no more I say. Like today. This boy is not potty trained of course, and changing a 10 year olds dirty diaper is never fun. But it was today, why???? Cause he told me he needed to be changed. Well kinda, You see he does not talk, and possibly never will. So we are trying to find ways for him to communicate, and the other day I learned that at school, by the bathroom, there is this button on the wall, and when pressed it says "I need to be changed" and the teachers have him press it whenever he needs to be changed. They have said he does not use it himself in the proper manner much yet, but they direct him to press it whenever they realize he needs changed. So guess what, he did today for us at home, and we only put it up a day ago. Thats right. I gave him a bath, got him dressed and not 30 minutes later, well #2 happened, and while I was sitting in my office I hear that saying go off, " I need to be changed" Go out the the living room and chris is standing in the middle of the room wating for someone, and yes he needed changed. I did indeed enjoy probably for the 1st time ever changing that boys diaper.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Another opinion I need to share about a Movie. Superman/Batman

For those who know me, know I do like movies, but I am very critical of them. Either way I have string opinions about them.

Well a lot has been talked about on the upcoming Superman/Batman movie. Still quite a long way down the road but I have already formed some strong opinions.

First off lets back up. The most recent Batman trilogy of movies by Christopher Nolan was in my opinion the best comic book trilogy so far. #2 of those was the best comic book movie EVER hands down.

This points to a certain trend I want to mention. Lets go back 15 years and touch base on some comic book "Trilogies. Specifically X Men, Batman(Nolan), Spiderman(Tobey Mcguire) and Iron Man, 3 of those 4 can easily say that the 2nd movie of the 3 was the best, Iron Man being the exception, I can also say comfortably that the 3rd installment of each of those 3 where considered the worst, not necessarily bad, just the least favorite of the 3. This trend of course matches the original and BEST trilogy of all time, Star Wars. This lead me to the next movie

The recent Man of Steel movie was well done, but could have done some better character development. Character development was what I think the 1st movie of the previously mentioned trilogies focused on, thus leading to GREAT #2s, But then that great success lead to mediocre #3s, but due to the lack of this being done with the Superman movie, worries me about the next one. I believe that worry was well communicated to WB as well, thus the adding of Batman to the storyline, well that and the wanting to create the Justice League franchise to hopefully match what Disney has done with the Avengers.

So based of those opinions here is what I expect to happen with the upcoming Superman/Batman movie.

1. It will reach top 5 Box office numbers of all time for one reason only. Its the 2 biggest comic book characters of all time, and they are coming off the heals of successes.

2. I however will not like it nearly as much as as I have other comic book movies like X Men, Batman, and Spiderman, and that feeling will be pretty common from the public. It will be like the 3rd Transformers, or 3rd Iron Man.  Make a crap load of money, but no one will say, WOW that was one of the best movies I have seen. Most will actually be disappointed.

3. It will lead to writer/Director Zack Snyder, though I think has a load of talent, to lose his opportunity to be in charge of the Justice League Movie Franchise.