We Must Continue......

Greetings People,

Before I get started with this post, I would like to say that my thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends that lost a loved one on the two Malaysian Airline flights this year. I would also like to give my thoughts and prayers to families that are going through difficult situations in Israel, the Gaza strip, and anywhere in the Middle East. This may sound like a stretch, but I wish this conflict could end on a peaceful note. It may be miles away, but if one step is taken.....all hope is not lost.

It doesn't matter if I take an international flight, or a flight across the country.
It doesn't matter if I drive across the country, or across the states of Nevada or California.
It doesn't matter if I take a simple drive to Wal-Mart.

No matter where one is, anything can happen at any given moment and any given time. The key thing is that we must continue to live our lives the best way we can. We may have fear about certain things, but that don't mean that fear has to have us. If we let fear control us, we can never live.

About a month ago, the city of Las Vegas lost two police officers in a senseless violent tragedy. They were having lunch at a pizzeria near my neighborhood when they were gunned down by two sick-minded individuals on a Sunday morning. This section was blocked off for the whole day as the police investigated the whole crime scene. When the area was opened up that Monday morning, a Toastmasters club I belong to had a decision to make. The club could decide to continue to meet at the nearby Olive Garden or cancel the meeting. Before the official decision was made, the President of that Toastmaster club said that no matter what happens, we must not let fear prevent us from continuing to meet. The best course is to keep moving forward. Those words were so powerful that we decided to have our Toastmasters meeting.

For those people that think that they are safe in the comfort of their own homes, I have two words to tell you....THINK AGAIN. Things can happen in our homes too. There was a friend I knew named Renee B. I met her a many social gatherings with her friend Diana. Those two were always the life of the party. Whenever I see those two walk through the door, I would say "Let the party begin." I always enjoyed their company and remember the good times that I shared with them. All of that would change Tuesday evening March 5, 2013.

As I was getting ready for a Toastmaster meeting at my home club, I glanced at a news story about a murder-suicide that happened at a home in nearby Henderson, Nevada. In the back of my mind, I hope that it was nobody I knew. However, I had a strange feeling that told me otherwise. It was not until the following morning that I found out who was involved in this tragedy. When I found out via online, I was shocked, saddened, and completely devastated.

Refusing to believe who it was, I called Diana and said "Please tell me that what I am reading is not true." She confirmed that it was true. The victim in this murder-suicide was my friend and fellow Gael, Dr. Renee Bassett. To this day, I still can't understand why a good person can be taken from us way too soon. She is still missed to this day.

People, the examples I have given you are examples that no matter where you are, terrible things can happen. It doesn't matter if you are flying over the Ukraine, having lunch at a pizzeria in Las Vegas, or in the comfort of a home, things can happen.

As terrible as these things are, we must not let the fear of these things affect our lives. It may be okay to remember, but we must continue to live our lives. It is better to open the door and know instead of keeping the door closed and never knowing at all.

If anything were to happen to me, only one would know....and that would be God. When God tells me that it's my time, I hope that I would have lived a good and blessed life that I shared with friends, family, and loved ones. I also hope that I would be remembered for more good than bad. Until I get that word from God, I am going to continue to live the best life I know how. There maybe a chance that I would have a small amount of fear in me, but I will do my best to not let it get me for the world is a big place and out of this big world there are still some good things that can be done.

No matter what happens in life, remember to live it. Only you have the ability to conquer any false evidences appearing real and come out on top. As long as you are still on this planet, you can still do it!!!

That is all I have to say. Take care and thank you for your time and attention!!!

Sincerely,

Mr. I-I-I