I grew up skateboarding in the ’80s and early ’90s and spent many days dealing with local law enforcement. Even though I never spent a day in jail I experienced my fair share of harassment. That is what makes this video very special to me. It’s amazing to see a young generation stand up for their rights. Whether you agree with the position of the skaters or not you have to admire their voice.
My wife’s father passed away May 1 of this past year. It was a sudden, unexpected death. He was full of life and loved his family deeply. It was and is a painful thing to process and deal with. In my attempts to understand what my wife and family continues to go through, I came across this statement from David Kessler
“Grief is not just a series of events, or stages or timelines. Our Society places enormous pressure on us to get over loss, to get through the grief. But how long do you grieve for a husband of fifty years? A teenager killed in a car accident? A four-year-old child? A year? Five years? Forever? The loss happens in time, in fact in a moment, but its aftermath lasts a lifetime.”
Aftermath… The word reminds me of epic movies and swords clashing, but it’s not the glorious part of the movie. It’s after the great battle when you see and realize the damage the battle has caused. Fathers and Mothers no longer have Sons. Sons and Daughters no longer have Fathers. Wives are left without Husbands. But life goes on and so does the loss but then the movie ends and the lights come up and I go home to my wife and kids. That is how I understood grief up to this event in my life.
Now… I understand grief differently. It is not a moment or an event. It is a state of mind. It does not mean that you do not laugh or enjoy your day. It does not mean that you do not pray or thank God for your family. It does not mean that you are a social leper. What it means is that you simply miss that person. You miss their smile. You miss their touch. You miss their words. You miss their wisdom. You know that you will never experience their presence in this life ever again. You could be having the greatest day you have ever had and then you cry yourself to sleep because that person was not there to share it with you. You can’t talk to them. You can’t see them. You can’t touch them. All you can do is imagine and believe that somewhere they are smiling and experiencing more joy and happiness than this life could ever give them.
But… You will always miss them.
Ok, I’m not one to like very many funny movies. There are probably only five that I could list that I think are awesome… But this movie has just blown all of them away! I will be laughing at Hot Rod for a very, very long time. Check out the preview!
If you have ever been the underdog, if you have ever wondered what could have been, if you have ever thought, if only… You have a reason to be inspired again, to try again, to believe again. Those of you that know me know that I don’t get excited about just a whole lot of things but this guy’s story is absolutely amazing and needs to be told the world over.
Here’s Paul’s website. www.paulpottsuk.com Spread the word.
This is the way to do announcements. This clip is from the Youth Ministry at Saddleback Church
It’s stuff like this that makes me sad that this guy doesn’t have a chance in the primaries