Falling in Love with Apples. My Week of Reconciliation

            It was seven years ago when I had an inescapable idea of climbing this enormous apple tree. It was a tree that, I had noticed on my journey for months. It was a tree, whose leaves would wave at me while I traveled on my familiar routes. During my passing, this tree's engaging fruity smell would take flight in the wind and capture my attention with the sweetest aroma my nose had ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I was seduced by the soft howling of the wind that whispered “Come here young fellow, come here!” My mind escaped my body which pleaded for my lips to answer this call. This invitation to climb masturbated my heart while penetrating my soul. I longed to touch its ant infested bark.

            So I got out of my car, jumped the privacy fence and commenced to climb and with each step the bark yelled, YES, YES, YES!! I reached out for the reddest of the red and falling to the ground with this prize in my hands, my teeth raped the skin of this wooden mother's offspring.  It was the sweetest apple I had ever tasted and for once in my life I thought I was in heaven. I fell to the ground and licked the residue from my hands. At last, I had found a nutritious supplement that would keep me emotionally full for the rest of my days.

            My apple induced coma was interrupted by fruit pickers from across the field. “Hey there, hey you, stop eating my pears! Stop it I say!” Their voices approached as I rose in protest “This is an apple, how dare you insult the beauty of this fruit by lowering it properties to that of a dirty pear. How dare you sir?” I grabbed a hand full of apples and ran quickly to my car and drove away in hast. How could anyone confuse this apple for a pear? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. There should be a crime against folks who don’t know the value and beauty of an apple. I will take these babies home, put them in jars and save them until one day the world will appreciate its beauty. It will be on this day of reconciliation that I will then present them to everyone’s envy.

            Earlier this week, I went to my cabinet and opened a fresh jar of pears and threw them into the trash…..

Moral: Sometimes the battle would be won a lot sooner if we would admit what others have already known... Happy divorce

My Happy Birthday Blog.. Made it another day

What is the meaning behind the term Happy Birthday? For many people it is a day of celebration, a day to reminisce over past days and to be hopeful that if you live long enough you will be blessed with the opportunity to experience more. It is a celebratory day where we (the recipients) will rejoice in the decision that our parents made years ago. I believe wishing someone a happy birthday is one of the greatest human gestures that an individual can bestow upon another. It is a phrase that says “I acknowledge that you are here and I celebrate your years of existence, even though it was not your choice to enter the world, you have made a conscious or unconscious choice everyday to continue living, and for that my existence has been greatly influenced by your presence.” This form of social acknowledgement is one of the highest praises we can give. It is the closest thing we can do in our imperfect bodies that mirrors Godliness.

Today is my birthday, and I have to say that I am truly pleased with the well wishes that I have received. On days like these I am taken back to the greatest birthday present I ever received in my adulthood from a friend. Let me share.

It happened about fifteen years ago when a friend of mine called me at work and told me that she had forgotten something over my house the night before. I told her that she was welcome to come by and pick it up when I got off from work. She refused my offer and said that she would just come by my job and get the keys because she needed this item right away. She did and when she arrived at my job, she told me that she would just wait for me at my place until I got off. I told her that would be fine even though I was a little curious because this new behavior of hers was out of the ordinary. Well when I got home from work she had cleaned my place, cooked dinner, baked a cake and invited all of my friends over. I was overcome with emotion when I heard “Happy Birthday!!!” from my friends as I walked through the door.  

This birthday gift set the standard for every birthday I would have in the future. I believe that there is only handful of people in the world that you will ever meet; that will take a vested interest in your life. Although your interaction with them may be brief the connection will last forever. Today is my birthday and today I would like to share it with everyone that thought enough to appreciate my existence. I would like to extend my heart in gratitude with a simple “ty”.  

My Early Birthday Gift

                Yesterday something unexpected, beautiful and ground shaking happened to me. I was lying on the couch going over some paperwork, when my mother called. I have not spoken to her in over 2 weeks (I know shame on me) and this was one of those check-up calls that we give each other from time to time. After a few minutes of exchanging niceties my mother asked “Do you know what I have been doing this morning?” “No” I responded wandering where was this leading question going. “I have been up this morning reading your book; you know the book you wrote several years ago?” “Yes, I am familiar with it”. (Several years ago I self published a book that chronicled my journey from sin to redemption. I sold about 75 copies) She went on to ask me if it was okay for her to read a loud one of the spiritual passages that I wrote. I told her that would be fine.

My mother began to read my poem as if the words belonged to her and not her only surviving son. After she had read the last line, she stopped and asked me “That was beautiful and sad, David. You know this book never got the credit it deserved, but one day you will receive your credits in heaven”. I was left speechless, knowing that that the words I wrote many years ago on loose pieces of toilet paper in a bathroom stall was resurrected.