Jim!

Found this the other day. It reminds me a lot of my friend Mark, but sentiment rings true for a lot of people.

A Letter To My Closest Friends

There’s an old adage that says “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”. It was drilled into my head as a child and teenager. Not to mention that it’s never, ever cool to criticize something that’s based on a personal preference, i.e. tattoos, piercings, hairstyles, clothing, music, etc.

For example, I recently posted a photo of my new tattoo on my Facebook page. Most of the comments regarding the image were complimentary, as Tami Jo did an absolutely fantastic job of replicating the source image that I gave her.

Read more after the jump.

It was ten years ago today that my mom passed away.

My Mom

Since I find it hard to say anything I shall simply post what I wrote on a very early version of my website about 9 years ago.

Another sadness that has struck my family is that on June 2, 1999, 14 days from what would have been her 55th birthday, my Mother died.  This was  a tremendous, sudden blow to our Family, and a change that I’ll never be able to fully get over.  She was different than most mothers, and was more than just a mother, but a friend to many, many people, especially to me.  There are things that happen to me daily that remind me of her and that I would love to bring to her attention, but forever, now, they will live inside of me, waiting for the day when I can see her again.  Now, over a year after her death, I still find myself thinking about her every day.  It hasn’t really gotten any easier, and my heart hurts when I think of her.

I Miss You, Mom.