But Seriously

As we all know, the English language can be confusing at times. Different letters of our alphabet can have different pronunciations, with no specific rhyme no reason. Many years ago, I wondered if the letter "K" could be done away with completely. I played around with this theory, and concluded that this was feasible. In order for this change to work, some other adjustments to the English alphabet would have to be made. My first few assessments were a bit complicated, but I have since narrowed the adjustments down to a reasonable amount. This doesn't perfect the English language by any means, but it does make significant improvements. My proposal is as follows: Remove the letter "K" from the English alphabet! Only use the hard pronunciation for the letter "C." The silent variation of "K" is replaced with "C." Where a soft "C" is currently used, replace it with "S." "Ch" replaces the letter ...

Black Lives Matter is a movement that became popular after the killing of an unarmed black man Trayvon Martin 5 years ago. Many people thought that his death was racially motivated, yet the shooter, George Zimmerman, was acquitted.  Although he was a security guard – and not a police officer – it was immediately followed by two similar shootings that did involve police officers, who were also acquitted.  This left unrest in the black community,  because the feeling was that they were being systematically targeted by the police,  and that black lives did not seem to matter when it came to our legal justice system. Black Lives Matter protests were heavily criticized by much of white America. You started hearing other tags that dismissed this movement, such as “All Lives Matter” or “Blue lives Matter” – as if the phrase “Black Lives Matter” meant that black lives were the ONLY lives that matter. But that was not the case at all. Much of the black community feel like ...

I often publicly post my thoughts regarding my brother's death on social media. For most part, it's something inspirational - and it's honest... I have been lucky to be surrounded by great people who helped me through a tough time many years ago. However, on very rare occasions, I have my shit days too. This morning is shit. One of the most painful aspects of Jason's death is not that he's gone - everyone dies. What hurts is knowing the pain he was going through. He opened up to me once, and I didn't know what to say. I knew he was serious when he said he wanted to kill himself, so I reacted with anger. This was the wrong response. He closed up , and I never really was able to have a good conversation after that. Jason wrote some pretty hateful things in his suicide note. He died thinking I, and everyone else that loved him, was against him. I've had people tell me, "Inside, your brother knew how much you cared." But if you think that, you pro...

We’ve all heard the saying, “Time heals all wounds” when referring to emotional wounds. It’s most commonly heard after the death of a loved one, but there are many other ways one can suffer an emotional wound. You could have gone through a bitter divorce, been fired from a good job, or you could have been the victim of an abusive relationship. But what is time? Five seconds is time. Five hundred years is time. Saying “time heals all wounds” doesn’t really tell us anything. Yes, I’ll agree that it does take time for a wound to heal, but I’ll argue that time itself is not the actual healer. Much like a physical wound, in order for an emotional wound to heal properly, you must receive some sort of treatment. If untreated, an open wound can actually get worse with time. I remember when I was 10 years old, walking through the living room of our house. I saw my parents sitting on the couch as I continued towards to front door on my way out. Once outside I saw him – the neighborhood cat....

“Time Heals All Wounds” Well...sort of, but not really. Today marks 13 years since my youngest brother, Jason, took his own life when he was 19 years old. Over time, the open wound has turned into a scar for me. It still hurts at times (I’m fighting back tears as I type this) , but it’s a new normal. I have several friends that I know have recently lost parents, siblings, friends, and even children. If I could say one thing to you, is that it’s okay to allow your wound to heal. This is not forgetting about your loved one. Emotional wounds, just like physical ones, do not heal instantly. However, “time” itself is not the cure. These 5 steps will help you get “through” (not “over”) your grief: 1. Acknowledging your pain 2. Accepting that grief can trigger different and unexpected emotions 3. Understanding that your grief process will be unique to you 4. Seeking face-to-face support from people who care about you 5. Supporting yourself emotionally by taking care of yourself ph...

It's Super Bowl weekend, and the hosts of 96.7 The Ticket are in Atlanta covering it. While there, they visited the Civil Rights Museum, and several of them shared their expirience over the radio the next day. One of the exhibits they saw was the Norman Rockwell Painting: "The Problem We All Live With " I'll admit, I was not very familiar with the story of Ruby Bridges. Listening to her story was one of the most heartbreaking things ever. In 1960, at 6 years old, she was  the first black child to be intergrated into an all white school. Prostestors lined the streets, yelling obscenities as she bravely walked to school...protected by 4 U.S. Marshalls. When she got to school, all the parents pulled their children out. All the teachers...except for one...refused to teach. Eventually, kids started returning...but not to Ruby's class. That teacher taught only Ruby for the entire school year, as if she was teaching to a full classroom. My eyes filled with tear...