Laughter

She lights up the room with her smile, and I love to make her laugh.  Most days it comes easy because of my sarcastic nature.  That is one of the things I love most about her, her laugh and smile. It keeps me going when things get tough. She has a way of making me feel like a top billed comedian.  I personally know my jokes are corny yet she laughs anyway. Laughter is the best medicine.
     I remember as a child what made our dinner times so special and memorable was the laughter that was shared among us.  No one else would get it because it was mostly inside jokes, but as a family and truly knowing one another we could pick at the things that made us unique and some were quite funny. It was never done as a mean spirited thing, it was mainly for amusement purposes. That was the origin of my sarcasm, it stemmed from those family meals and trying to be funny. I received my share of the laughter and still do.  When my siblings and I get together we still poke fun of each other because that is what we do. Its all for a laugh.
       There are lots of days when a sense of humor comes in handy and then some days not so much. For the most part I try to use my powers for good and not evil. I try to point out the obvious and the find the funny in it. I will say that nothing is off limits when it comes to comedy. Just yesterday while walking through the mall, a scantily dressed woman crossed our path. First off no one should be out in public dressed that way. She was pulling and tugging at her skirt trying to keep it down and she was losing the battle.  It was like Custer's last stand and just stating the obvious there was not enough skirt to cover what was asked of it.  That does not in any way promote the holiday spirit. In fact it was quite the opposite, it made me sad. I felt sorry for the skirt.  Please dress appropriately. You can find humor in any situation if you look for it.  Some days I can even use myself as material.  The imagination does become an integral part of comedy, sometimes you have to imagine things going a different way.  I really don't think that this makes me at all crazy just imaginative.
         I will often be watching a commercial and think what if they put this or that in it?  It would be funnier.  I think that sometimes we have lost our imagination and ability to laugh at circumstances.  We are so politically correct that most of the time we are afraid to laugh.  A story from just the other night comes to mind.  We were out the other night in Fort Worth.   All of Cynthia's daughters have worked in and around cheer for the majority of their lives.  They know a lot of gay men and count many as close friends. On this night a couple showed up where we were at  and one of the young men was obviously drunk.  As we were introduced we began talking and this gentleman kissed Cynthia on the cheek and I was fine with that.  He shook my hand and before I could react he  leaned in and pecked me on the cheek as well. I am not going to lie I was very uncomfortable at that point.  I kind of did an end around so to speak and kind of faded into the crowd of people there.  As I was sitting there this same said gentleman walks up to me and starts casually asking me questions. It was not really your regular question and answer session as he was about three inches from my face. I am going to tell you  I am not a fan at all of the close talker. As i was answering his questions he tries to lean in again to peck me on the cheek. My spidey sense kicked in this time and flashed a warning and I backed up and said. Hey dude I really don't like to have my space invaded and if you try to kiss me one more time I will punch you in the eye.  I got an apology and I walked away.  I am not sure If I offended him and he was probably to drunk to remember.  I do not take solace in that I am attractive to a drunk gay man but many seemed to find humor in that incident and are still laughing about it today.  My point is this. You don't have to walk around grouchy all day. People hate that.  If you look hard enough, life will provide you with just enough humor to get by.  Doesn't everyone need a laugh?  Live
Love
and Laugh
Kenney Pope 2015

The Empty Chair

There it sits, serving as a reminder of an unused place setting. It doesn't feel anything, yet it speaks to each and everyone who has lost a loved one.  For some it will be a first. For others it has become a way of life. The emotional breakdown and the waves of grief are overwhelming at times. You wonder how you will make it through this time of year. I'm here to tell you that you will. It gets a little easier with each passing year.  I still feel it at times. It never totally goes away.
    Every year as we gather to give thanks I see the Empty Chair and think about my mama. I think about how she made the holidays special. It had her touch all over it. You can't replace that. She had a way of bringing the whole family together. These days it's hit and miss who will show up. She showed us all that we had to be thankful for. We learned to accept and be happy with what we had.  I did not always have the best relationship with my mama. It was in part to being a know it all kid. As I got older and realized how wise she was and how much heartache she saved me over the years it gave me one more thing to be thankful for.  Her last few years on earth she looked at me like an adult. With that respect came deep conversations about life and love.  Those conversations I will always remember. It also makes me think she left way too soon because she had so much to share.  I wish she could have met Cynthia to see she taught me well and that I'm finally happy and at peace with my life.  I have so much to be thankful for.  
   These days the holidays seem like just another day. Cynthia don't take offense you and your family fill a void and make it special. The last three years have been some of the best holidays I have had in years. I'm talking about the gathering with my immediate family.  Something is missing. That empty chair says it loud and clear. I will never experience those days again they are gone and all that is left is memories. My dad does his best to fill the void but in reality it can't be filled.  I miss you mama and the thought of a holiday season without you, is tough. It's just not the same.  Another year will pass and Good Lord willing I will get another chance with my siblings to say thank you for being our mama. Thank you for your love and your guiding hands molding us into the adults we are today. Our mistakes aren't your fault it was simply bad choices on our part. You made us fighters and taught us how to dust ourselves off when we fall down and get back in there. Thanks most of all for showing us that family is the second  most important thing in this life of course God being first.  Mama thank you for leaving us with your memory and that empty chair.
   

Just My Thoughts

Where we did we go wrong as a nation? Why do we spend so much time and resources trying to change the world when our country is in turmoil. We want every country on the face of the planet to adopt our way of a democratic  lifestyle when it's broken. We worry about feeding the world when we have starving people living here in our country. We value the lives of animals more than humans. If you have money and power you have a different set of rights in our justice system  than those with with less. We use tragic world events for political gain. I was taught if you want change it all starts with the person staring back at you in the mirror.
     At one time I believe we were the best country on earth but we have lost our way. We have allowed political correctness to dominate our thinking instead of calling it like it is. We have taken Christ out of Christmas to avoid offending the non believer.  We spend our energy getting upset about a paper cup from starbucks. If you don't agree with a corporation's decision stop patronizing them and they will get the message. We hold the power. When a court of law gives some one a harsher sentence for animal cruelty than for taking a human life, we have a problem with our justice system.  If we have a society that no longer respects authority we have a problem. We have a government that is so corrupt that is filled with greed. We have big banks manipulating Wall Street to make billions only to get slapped on the hand. They are stealing from us and nothing is done. We have lobbyist controlling what laws are passed and the ones that are,  benefit the rich and powerful. Money in itself is not evil. It's the love of money that is evil. It's like breathing it's essential to living life.  My question is how much money is enough? How much more do they need to steal from us to have enough? How many more rights will they strip from us? When will we say that we have had enough? Will the next terrorist attack on our soil be the springboard for our rights to be taken? Only time will tell but the surety and fact is there will be an attack here.
   Our country can be great again if we put God first . He will protect us if we put him first.  The world offers many gods but unless you believe in the one true God and except his son Jesus Christ your belief is in vain. That is an unpopular statement and political correctness will stifle the message in the event it would offend the non believer in which case now they have more rights than me.  I believe if you want to know what's wrong with our country it all starts there. When we got away from what our country was founded on we were headed down a dark path. That's my opinion for what it's worth.
Happy Sunday pray for Paris ,the world  and God Bless America.

Second Helping

There I sat at the dinner table as a child and as usual I was the last to leave. Mom would pile anything left on the table on my plate. There wasn't much left usually. She had to feed eight of us. I earned the nickname of the human trashcan. I made sure there were no leftovers. It made the job of cleanup a little easier. That was a compliment to her. She received satisfaction  that the meal was eaten and that everyone was full and she had done a great job.
   Sometimes I think of life in that way. You know those times when life is going great and everything looks so good that you have to partake of seconds. The days that keep you coming back for more. The days that you look forward to with anticipation.  There are a lot of things that can make you feel this way.  Maybe it's just the fact you get to wake up every morning next to your best friend. Maybe it's anticipating  your life together. Maybe it's a career you love. It might be that the good Lord worked a miracle in your life and you can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.  For some it might be that you were handed a death sentence in the form of a terminal disease but you beat it. Now you wake up every day with a sense of gratitude  and purpose truly thankful for every new day. That is your second helping.
    We all come to a crossroad in life. It's the point in life where we can be happy and full with where we are in life. There is nothing wrong with that, but sometimes  God shows us what and where we could be and get a little more out of our lives. He shows us ways to be a blessing to someone else. We see areas where we could be encouragement for someone in need. Maybe it's a life experience that we dealt with that   we can help someone else get through.
    2015 has been full of ups and downs. It's had it shares of highs and lows. I've lost some great friends to cancer. I had the opportunity to make one of them smile one more time before she left this life. For a brief second she forgot about the pain and smiled. It wasn't much but I will remember it for the rest of my life.
  I realize just like with dinner life doesn't always offer seconds. Sometimes it's just enough to get by.  It's a quick easy meal designed to satisfy the need and no more.  But every once in a while you encounter  the feast and there are seconds for everyone.  If you have the chance dive into that second Helping and enjoy what's in front of you.

Kenney Pope