Sunday, April 15, 2012

Why I wrote this book





Hello everyone,




I wanted to share with everybody why I became a writer and why I decided to write this memoir on my mom. It all started when I was a little kid in good ole Jonesville, Michigan. At a whopping population of approximately 2,500 people, Jonesville is a little town in Hillsdale County close to the Ohio and Indiana borders. 


My parents were teachers (my mom would later become an elementary school counselor) and I was encouraged at a very early age to read and write. Sure, my parents would buy us the occasional video game or toy, but for the most part they bought me books for Christmas and birthdays. Whether it was Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Oliver Twist, or the Hardy Boys, I could be found somewhere in our house reading my next adventure. 


Growing up in Michigan, I played a ton of sports as well. However, for practically 3-4 months out of the year, it is too cold and snowy to play anything outside. When I wasn't in school, I was reading and writing little short stories of my very own. My parents stated that I was very creative and inquisitive from an early age. I was always asking questions about the world around me. My mom stated that I got bored with toys and video games so I would write and just make up stories for fun. 


In high school and college I loved to write as well, but I never took it that serious. I wrote poems, song lyrics, and lyrics for rap songs as well. I loved to write. I felt like it was something I was good at. I believe that people are smart in different ways. I couldn't fix a car. I couldn't solve a complex algebraic equation. I wasn't very good at chemistry and biology. However, I could write pretty well. And it was fun to let my imagination run wild. 


Right after I turned twenty-one years old, my mom passed away in a tragic car accident. She was the number one person in my life. She was an angel living on earth. She loved my family more than words  can describe. Also, as an elementary school counselor, she was able to impact kids in a very positive way. At Christmas time, she would go to Wal-Mart and buy toys and clothes for underpriviledged kids in the community. It's not like my parents were rich either. They were teachers so they didn't have a lot of extra money. She did it out of the kindness in her heart. 


This May will be the 10-year anniversary of my mother's death. As a celebration to her life, I decided to write a memoir about how she impacted us as a family. I started this memoir in July of 2011. It has been several months in the making. I am looking forward to publishing my memoir next month. I'm not sure on the exact date yet. It will be sometime in May though. Most likely, it will be released through Amazon in the middle of the month. I am really looking forward to this celebration. This book is dedicated to my mom. Anyone who has lost a loved one or been through anxiety and depression can relate to this book. As always, thanks for listening to me. 


“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it”  Charles R. Swindoll

Sunday, April 8, 2012

What kind of impact do you want to make?





Hello everyone,



My mother always thanked the kids for coming to our sporting events in high school. Her relationship with the students she counseled was always a very strong one. She modeled the way that a counselor and a teacher should act as a professional. Whether she saw the kids at school or out in the community, she would always take time out from her day to chat with them. She wouldn’t just make small talk. She genuinely cared about these kids and would stop and really ask them how they were doing. She would ask the kids how they were feeling.  

Unfortunately, a lot of the students that she dealt with didn’t have a good parent in their life. They didn’t really have anybody to look up to. Not only did they see my mom as their counselor; they saw her as a friend, mother, and a parent.  

She led by example on the proper way of treating people. She didn't care what ethnic background somebody was. She didn't care if they were poor or rich. She judged people on the way they treated others. I learned how to treat people with dignity and respect from her. I learned from her not to judge a book by its cover. 







“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it”  Charles R. Swindoll

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Carlos Rubio my father-in-law


Hello everyone,


Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the death of my father-in-law Carlos Rubio. We celebrated his life by going to Clearwater Beach to swim and play in the sand with the little one. The following paragraphs describe the first time I met Carlos and how he impacted my wife and I. 


As we pulled in the driveway, Carlos was standing outside on the porch. He immediately smiled at me and shook my hand.  I thought, okay that was a relief. I didn’t get smacked or run off the property. So far so good. As we sat on the couch and engaged in a conversation, Carlos apologized because he said his English wasn’t very good. I begged to differ. I could understand his English fine. I told him I wished I was more fluent in Spanish. He said, "this is America, you shouldn’t have to learn spanish." Carlos was a very generous person.  He didn’t need to apologize to me for anything. However, he was such a caring person that he was always looking out for somebody else’s needs. 
 Carlos was a very instrumental person in Patricia’s life and I’m so very thankful for the way that he raised her. She is definitely a better person because of her father and the positive mindset that she exhibits on a daily basis has made me a better person as well. I am so proud of Patricia and she is a strong person because of her father and her mother as well.  
Carlos was a very well-rounded man and it was very evident from all the various conversations that I had with him over the last couple years. He loved to talk about movies, music, art, history, the world, and politics as we know it. For his birthday just this past February I bought him the movie 2012. He asked me what I thought about it and we discussed the movie. He then preceded to ask me if I believed the world would end in 2012. I told him no. He started smiling and laughing and he said I don’t believe in that crap either.  However, one thing that Carlos did believe in was loving your family and there is nothing more important than that. While I still have many goals in life that I want to achieve both personally and professionally, he reminded me that there is nothing than important than spending good quality time with your family.  
I will always cherish the moments I spent with Carlos. Although I’m very sad to see him leave this Earth, I’m also very happy he finally gets to meet my mom in heaven. Along with my mom, he will be re-united with his family and friends as well.  
Carlos I know you are looking down and I’ll promise I’ll help take care of Patricia and your family to the day that I die. In nomeni Patris et feli spiritus Sancti. Amén y Dios Bendice. 







“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it”  Charles R. Swindoll