Tonight I attended the "unofficial" Vigil for Nathan T. Hardee. While they had a lovely opening prayer and speaker and turned it over to open mic, I wished I could have gotten up there and spoken. Unfortunately public speaking scares the crap out of me so I'm just going to write here what I wish I could have said there. ((PS my cousin Katie and I were both interview for the news at 10 on channel 10 and channel 13))
Nathan T. "Nat" Hardee was truly the heart and spirit of Deep Creek. My parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles were all either classmates of Mr. Hardee or he was their Principal. It's not often someone hands you your diploma then 20 or so years later you get to watch that same person hand your child a diploma. But he was much more than that. He remembered my name and all those of my family members (cousins included) and always asked about them or had some kind of story to tell about them. I remember him always asking me about my father every single day of my DCHS career and always telling me about how great of baseball player he was. He'd also ask about my aunts, uncles, and cousins. How amazing is that? I'd say most principals couldn't tell you the name of hardly anyone that walked the halls of their school 5 years ago unless they made some huge scholastic achievement, was a spectacular athlete, or caused a ruckus-never the less remember people from 30 years. The man never forgot a name or their relatives.
Despite all this though, Mr. Hardee taught me some valuable lessons through his many displays or greatness. He taught me to take pride in everything I do and to have pride in my community and my family. He taught me this by having pride in his school, his students past and present, and in the decisions he made. Mr. Hardee taught me to love- love thy family, love thy friends, and even more so to love thy enemies. He loved his school, he loved his "children", and he loved his community- no one who walked the halls of DCHS can deny this. He was there for us when we needed him and never denied anyone an ear who had an idea, a complaint, or needed guidance. He was a natural born leader and proved this when my aunt (Lolly) was in high school during the race issues and riots the school had in his early days as principal. He took on a seemingly impossible job and with great love and dedication turned Deep Creek from a place of turmoil to the loving community so many people like my parents choose to return to and raise their children. Through this he taught me two very different lessons - that nothing is impossible, and home really is where the heart is.
Now the times have changed and Deep Creek is nothing like it the place we all knew and loved. Mr. Hardee's death seems to truly signify the ending of an era. The turning of the tides. The time to close one chapter and start anew with the memories etched in our heads and hearts of days past. It is very sad indeed, but there is light in all that is dark. Let's take this moment and truly appreciate the legacy of a great man. A staple of a small town. The patriarch of the Deep Creek Hornets. The heart and soul of the Purple and White. Those are all things to describe the man that was Nathan T. Hardee, our friend and leader. May his spirit live on in the hearts of all that walked the halls of Deep Creek during his 37 year tenure as our principal of Deep Creek High School. Rest in peace Mr. Hardee, you will be loved, remembered, and missed.
Again, my heart and prayers go out to his family. My God bring them peace and comfort knowing the caliber of a man they got to call family.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
To Be a Man Like My Father
To be a man like my Father, You'd have to be strong
He stands up for me when I'm right and when I'm wrong
He loves his family, that I know
Because emotions for him are easy to show
He loves his children and his wife
He loves everything about his life
He's not afraid to cry
He always stands up for what he believes
And even when he probably shouldn't, he believes in me
There's nothing he wouldn't do for the people he loves
And he's always there to lend his ear, give advice, and give hugs
He's laid back and level headed
He rarely does anything crazy
He's smart, fun, and witty and never lazy
So if your a man like this, this ones for you
Cause it's rare to find a father so loving and true
He stands up for me when I'm right and when I'm wrong
He loves his family, that I know
Because emotions for him are easy to show
He loves his children and his wife
He loves everything about his life
He's not afraid to cry
He always stands up for what he believes
And even when he probably shouldn't, he believes in me
There's nothing he wouldn't do for the people he loves
And he's always there to lend his ear, give advice, and give hugs
He's laid back and level headed
He rarely does anything crazy
He's smart, fun, and witty and never lazy
So if your a man like this, this ones for you
Cause it's rare to find a father so loving and true
Let Time Pass You By!!!!
Just few moments ago I was standing on my front porch smoking a cigarette and witnessed something I'd never seen before. All around was blue sky except for an opening through the trees that was a golden orange which was obviously the sun setting covered by clouds. That of course I'd seen before, but what I had never seen was the clouds rushing by at the pace that they were. They were rushing by so fast, it was beautiful. It was like being able to see gale force winds fly by (think Pocahontas "colors of the wind.")
This got me thinking about how quickly little moments in life pass us by. Often times we feel nostalgic for these moments, and sometimes we feel regret. Sometimes we wish we had stood still and really soaked it up, and sometimes we wish we had taken an extra moment and thought it through. Either way I think we always wish we had made the moment last longer whether it have been to enjoy it, or to chose differently. No matter what though, a minute never changes on the clock. That moment took 60 seconds to pass (figuratively speaking) you couldn't have slowed it down, or sped it up nor would you ever truly gain appreciation for how fast things can pass you by had you not taken for granted the time given. That's the thing about time, you can look back on it and wish you had cherished that hug a little longer, or every second you got to do something you really enjoyed as a kid. But those moments of indecision when we let things pass us by are the things that we reflect on and learn to live life a little slower and truly appreciate the things that have been laid before us and the paths we have chosen.
For a moment I wished there was someone there to witness that event with me so I could tell them about these thoughts going through my head at that very moment watching the clouds whip on by, then I was glad it was just me. It was my experience. Seemingly captured by my eyes and my eyes only. For once I felt happy with where I am in life. For all the wrong I've done, lessons I've learned, and time I've let slip on by. For once I find myself appreciating the fact that I don't know what's ahead of me and that I don't have it all figured out just yet. I have no clue what mistake or misstep I'm going to make tomorrow, but I do know I have little moments that i let pass by me faster than a tornado that have taught me so much and that I will hopefully apply to my future.
Moral of the story:
Don't beat yourself up over that which you can't change. Time passes you by, so what? Make what you can of it and move on. Time will keep passing you by, you'll always make mistakes, and there's always going to be something you wish you could change. Just remember the world doesn't stop for you, so don't stop for it.
This got me thinking about how quickly little moments in life pass us by. Often times we feel nostalgic for these moments, and sometimes we feel regret. Sometimes we wish we had stood still and really soaked it up, and sometimes we wish we had taken an extra moment and thought it through. Either way I think we always wish we had made the moment last longer whether it have been to enjoy it, or to chose differently. No matter what though, a minute never changes on the clock. That moment took 60 seconds to pass (figuratively speaking) you couldn't have slowed it down, or sped it up nor would you ever truly gain appreciation for how fast things can pass you by had you not taken for granted the time given. That's the thing about time, you can look back on it and wish you had cherished that hug a little longer, or every second you got to do something you really enjoyed as a kid. But those moments of indecision when we let things pass us by are the things that we reflect on and learn to live life a little slower and truly appreciate the things that have been laid before us and the paths we have chosen.
For a moment I wished there was someone there to witness that event with me so I could tell them about these thoughts going through my head at that very moment watching the clouds whip on by, then I was glad it was just me. It was my experience. Seemingly captured by my eyes and my eyes only. For once I felt happy with where I am in life. For all the wrong I've done, lessons I've learned, and time I've let slip on by. For once I find myself appreciating the fact that I don't know what's ahead of me and that I don't have it all figured out just yet. I have no clue what mistake or misstep I'm going to make tomorrow, but I do know I have little moments that i let pass by me faster than a tornado that have taught me so much and that I will hopefully apply to my future.
Moral of the story:
Don't beat yourself up over that which you can't change. Time passes you by, so what? Make what you can of it and move on. Time will keep passing you by, you'll always make mistakes, and there's always going to be something you wish you could change. Just remember the world doesn't stop for you, so don't stop for it.
6/9/09 Random Thought of the Day
It amazes me how all my more profound thoughts occur while smoking a cigarette on my parents front porch on some idle day or night, but anyways... more to the point of this...
While sitting here somewhat pondering all the crazy nights I've had and the legendary hangovers the next morning and coffee drank to drown out the night of drowning, a thought occurred to me... what if we drink in reverse? What if we drink coffee all night and then woke up and got wasted all morning? Would we still make the same mistakes or would there be a whole new pattern of mistakes made? Does the night carry some sort of behavioral pattern and mystery that the day time with its piercing rays never will? Or will it all still be the same? Maybe we hide under the veil of dark and indulge our selves into the random hookups when we can turn off the lights and to some degree not see the person in front of us and pretend as if it really isn't happening or that we can be hidden by the void of light in acting out things we dare not let people see us do in the light (vandalism, breaking in to that abandoned house, sneaking into the park.. ya know- anything illegal lol) ...maybe drinking coffee all night would give us some sort of stamina. or not... I know I've certainly had better conversations over coffee in some lone mom and pop shop than during any night at the bar... hmm makes me wonder
I'm not sure if any of us will ever practice this pattern to get a clear result, but then again that's why this is food for thought :-)
Feel Free to chime in :-)
While sitting here somewhat pondering all the crazy nights I've had and the legendary hangovers the next morning and coffee drank to drown out the night of drowning, a thought occurred to me... what if we drink in reverse? What if we drink coffee all night and then woke up and got wasted all morning? Would we still make the same mistakes or would there be a whole new pattern of mistakes made? Does the night carry some sort of behavioral pattern and mystery that the day time with its piercing rays never will? Or will it all still be the same? Maybe we hide under the veil of dark and indulge our selves into the random hookups when we can turn off the lights and to some degree not see the person in front of us and pretend as if it really isn't happening or that we can be hidden by the void of light in acting out things we dare not let people see us do in the light (vandalism, breaking in to that abandoned house, sneaking into the park.. ya know- anything illegal lol) ...maybe drinking coffee all night would give us some sort of stamina. or not... I know I've certainly had better conversations over coffee in some lone mom and pop shop than during any night at the bar... hmm makes me wonder
I'm not sure if any of us will ever practice this pattern to get a clear result, but then again that's why this is food for thought :-)
Feel Free to chime in :-)
Be Young and Careless
Appreciation for being Young and Single.
Sometimes I can't believe how much I like being by myself in some way shape or form. I'm not married (unless to my job counts), I'm not engaged, I don't have anyone to really "answer to" per se. I absolutely love coming in from a long day of work and whatever other events followed through my day, walking in the door, whipping up a quick meal for myself made solely of fresh produce, whatever spice i can find off the spice rack and cheese and eating it by the TV with a cheap glass of vino. Maybe I'm weird, but its an awesome feeling of solitude knowing I don't have to compromise or fight with anyone over the TV remote. Or how I really don't care where my love life or career is going to go exactly. I know that I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and do the same thing i do monday through friday but i have no clue where the road will take me next month or next year, and to some degree... I don't care.
So what I'll leave you guys with is try to think it through before you get all down in the dumps about being 20 or 30 something and still single. Enjoy it while it lasts and to some degree.. be a little carefree about it because the harsh truth is one day the rest of your life will be about caring. You're going to care when you fall in love and you just can't make it work. You're going to care when you got passed up for that big promotion when you knew you deserved it. You're going to care about the label on the wine you drink, how much money you're making, and where your life is going in the immediate future. So appreciate the small little things while they last. These are some of the best days of our lives- and if they're not, make the best of em!
- so i know this wasn't really food for though, but it will work ;-)
Sometimes I can't believe how much I like being by myself in some way shape or form. I'm not married (unless to my job counts), I'm not engaged, I don't have anyone to really "answer to" per se. I absolutely love coming in from a long day of work and whatever other events followed through my day, walking in the door, whipping up a quick meal for myself made solely of fresh produce, whatever spice i can find off the spice rack and cheese and eating it by the TV with a cheap glass of vino. Maybe I'm weird, but its an awesome feeling of solitude knowing I don't have to compromise or fight with anyone over the TV remote. Or how I really don't care where my love life or career is going to go exactly. I know that I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and do the same thing i do monday through friday but i have no clue where the road will take me next month or next year, and to some degree... I don't care.
So what I'll leave you guys with is try to think it through before you get all down in the dumps about being 20 or 30 something and still single. Enjoy it while it lasts and to some degree.. be a little carefree about it because the harsh truth is one day the rest of your life will be about caring. You're going to care when you fall in love and you just can't make it work. You're going to care when you got passed up for that big promotion when you knew you deserved it. You're going to care about the label on the wine you drink, how much money you're making, and where your life is going in the immediate future. So appreciate the small little things while they last. These are some of the best days of our lives- and if they're not, make the best of em!
- so i know this wasn't really food for though, but it will work ;-)
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