The Blue Line

Blue Line

I am a fan of the Blue line for Law Enforcement. I understand and I get it, I just think the public perception tends to be more divisive than inclusive. Most people are not fans of the Black Lives Matter movement, again, by proclamation the title tends to be more Dismissive of other cultures than its original intent.

This week my heart aches. Within 48 hours stretch I have observed the darkness that can only push our human connection further from each other.

Item 1. - A local FHP officer was killed in an accident this week. Driving home from work in the early hours is something I can relate to as I often find myself Ride-sharing at late night times.  From all accounts, Officer Vickers was doing his best to keep our roads safe.  His lost is a tragedy for the entire LE community.  The Blue Line of Law Enforcement makes sense here.

Item 2.  Amber Guyger tearfully testified in the murder Trial for Bothem Jean.  This is not a complicated case, but overall the LE community has sided with Ms. Guyger in her defense that she was exhausted from a long shift. The Texas Ranger’s went as far as to say that she was “Justified” in the killing of Mr. Jean in his own apartment that she entered unlawfully.  The Blue Line of Law Enforcement does not make sense here.

Items 3.  Officer Sandeep Dhaliwal was murdered in cold blood after performing a routine traffic stop. Officer Dhaliwal was the national first Sikh officer and wore a turban as apart of his official uniform.  Normally a religion of Peace, his appointment was a major step forward for Law Enforcement being more inclusive to the communities they serve. His tragic murder is still being investigated, but could be also classified as a hate crime on top of a capital offense.

Law Enforcement Officers wake up each morning kissing their families to protect and serve.  They lay their lives on the line every day in order to keep our society safe.  This is the Blue Line that separates us from the evil in the world. But they are human. They make mistakes and have bad days, week, and years just like the rest of us.

I support Law Enforcement. I also support Criminal Justice reform including Black Lives Matter initiatives and the protest efforts of Colin Kaepernick. It is possible to understand the valor of LEO while also recognizing that change is necessary to address some systemic bias that exist everywhere in our society.

Where we go from here is going be left up to people who can let their guard (and guns) down and have some open dialogue about this issue. I have some many friends that are in LE through some capacity from dispatchers to SWAT members.  On the opposite side of the coin I have friends who are lock step with the call for criminal justice reform.  I will continue to pray for both sides to come to a deeper understanding of each other wherein that one day in this nation we call home, the brave men and women who put thief lives on the line daily will garner the same respect for those persons who find themselves the victim of Law Enforcement.

The Light Within

Probably one of my favorite days on social media is the first day of school. With each of my friends posting pics of their crisply dressed  children and fresh haircuts, it takes me back to a time of innocence and hope. 

One of my former teachers also posted a message.  Mrs. Light was my 7th & 8th grade music teacher. We were fortunate to reconnect a few years ago and have a great peer relationship, even though it is still awkward to call her by her first name. She posted a picture of a banner she has in her classroom. The banner tells of all the wonderful things these students will learn this year in music. Her heartfelt post made me smile as every item on the list is 💯true. 

Over my lifetime, music has been the one constant I could rely on. It has literally taken me all over the world and I have been fortunate to meet the most amazing people I could have not otherwise encountered.  This post is not about my life’s musical adventure, this post is about the special educator who hung this sign in her classroom.  She doesn’t realize it, but this sign is not about the students entering her classroom, it’s about the ones who have already exited. See, I was one of her first batch of Volusia County students so many years ago.  In my parents house is a box of blue Solo & Ensemble medals that Mrs. Light helped me achieve. My first exposure to all county band and the baritone came under the guidance of her classroom.  As my musical career expanded to high school, a Euprope trip, The University of Kansas, Japan, and ultimately countless of Saturday morning performances, the lessons she taught of hard work and practice were never forgotten. Mrs Light recognized my talent, but she saw my heart first and foremost. She was a parent to so many long before she was blessed with Her daughter. 

One of the great things about music is that it teaches you to see the world differently. The notes on the page only tell part of the story, and often when sight reading, you look at the entire page to better understand the notes before you.  When I look at this banner, I see something very different. Reading it from top to bottom, it says all the things the student will experience, but reading this from the bottom to the top, tells the true story of who Kris Light is an educator and friend.  

When I see this poster, it reads like this:

To Kris Light...

You... are the reason we made it here!

You.... are Loved by all of your students current and former. 

You... are a Friend to all that meet you!

You... are so very very Important to us!

You... are an Instrumentalist (and a heck of a Clarinet player)

You... are a Composer, making our lives your manuscript. 

You... are a Creator of Dreams.

You... are quite the Performer, having a smile everyday, even when life and career are overwhelming. 

You... are a Mover of peoples hearts, the good in you shines through on all of us. 

Never heard you sing... lol!!

You... have made so many Musicians through your love of people and music(in that order). 

We all have been blessed to have been in your classroom. 

Mrs. Light is just one of the educators along my life’s journey who have made an incredible impact on the lives of so many students.  With so many of her former students now taking the mantle of music educators themselves, I hope she knows that her great opus will always be the students who cherish her classroom. 

Pecola’s Eyes

 

“The Bluest Eye” is going to be one of those books Kaia will be required to read before she is aloud to put on make up.  As a novel it holds a special place in my heart as it opened up my own eyes to my own identity issues and life choices I have made because of them.

As we mourn the lost of the author, Toni Morrison, it will be important that future generations do not forget the truth about images of beauty in this country.   The ugliness that is hate.  The struggle that women face everyday to assimilate to our beauty culture. The destructive path that women are put on from early stages in life to use provocation for attention. These are all my takeaways from TBE and I am so thankful Ms. Morrison’s love letter to all women, but especially those women of color.  

RIP Toni

Dunk You Very Much

Let’s be clear, humanity is lost and in desperate need of a savior.  As we all spin around the Sun on this tilted 3rd Rock, we blindly navigate this life with a limited amount of sunrises and sunsets. Our only hope is in a savior that through each other, we can reflect his love to one another. 

Throughout humanities history, we  have shown tremendous acts of love, but disproportionately amounts of hate to each other.  One of those original forms of hatred manifested itself into slavery in this country.  An unfortunate aspect of slavery is America’s original family separation plan.  See, slaves were separated in order to disrupt the family unit.  With no strong family units, the likelihood of an uprising would be limited at best.  The moment a slave got “all uppity”, they were sold.  This was also used as a fear tactic to control slaves and deter them from running away.  Generations of families were destroyed, separated, and held in bondage.  Father’s never got a chance to raise their children, Mother’s were used as Broodmares instead of nurturers to the AA family.  No legacies, and no direct lineage can ever be attributed due to this practice they spanned 300+ years in America alone. 

Now this blog is not about my admiration for LBJ.  It is more about the perception, that somehow a man who was raised without a father in home, should be chastised for investing time in his family.  For all of his faults, (which their are many) and short comings as an athlete, entrepreneur, and SJW, being present in the lives of his children is not one of them.  

This past weekend his enthusiasm spilt over to the lay up lines with his son. Now, truth be told, if I was 6’8 and a paid athlete, I would like to think that I would be able to dunk a basketball well into my 30’s, nowadays I have trouble  bending over to tie my shoes nevertheless soaring through the air for self alley-oop dunks.  And for the random fan at an AAU tournament, it must have been pretty awesome to watch one of the best of all times in a lay up line with your kid.  Somehow, this was a bad thing. An African American father being not only present, but deeply engaged with his child’s life.  Now the haters will say, “Jordan never got in lay up lines with his boys”, which is probably true, but if you know anything about Michael’s legacy, he was hardly the family man and spent more time in casinos then with his family on Taco Tuesday. 

Before you hit send:

Sometimes we need perspective of time.  It is so limited that we think our few cycles sunrises and sunsets are the only ones that will ever be lived.  Our time here on this planet is a tiny fraction of history that has and will ever be exhibited.  Before we tear down a man for maybe being an over enthusiastic father, let’s take a moment and see where so many father’s (both famous and non famous) are absent on a Saturday morning tournament, LBJ has made the decision to break that cycle that has plagued so many African Americans since their arrival in this country.  However you feel about the player, should not cast a shadow about him as a father.  In know way is LBJ a savior figure that we need, but lets show some more love to each other these days, instead of hate, we only have so much time together.

 $.02

Mud People

I was listening to an actual radio station Today.  They mentioned that organizers had to cancel the 50th anniversary celebration of Woodstock.  I paused. 50th year....  wasn’t just 25 years ahhhhh..... I’m old.

And with that, I realize that I am much more retro than modern. I am old enough to remember rotary phones and ALF, but young enough to keep up with the latest technologies.  

It is weird though.  When I think back to when MTV has actual music on it and the Woodstock festival was a huge deal.  It is was apart of my teenage years, but time flies when you are having fun I guess.  It is true that life can flash before your eyes unless you take some time for yourself. 

Smell some 🌹 

Infested

When I was in property management, bed bugs and German roaches were a 4 letter word.  Whatever pest control company we used, when an apartment was “infested” with either of these two pest, it almost always meant that the unit had to be taken off line for an undetermined amount of time.  The most challenging part of the removal was never pest themselves, it more than likely dealt with the tenant that caused the infestation in the first place. That tenant’s actions, unless it was properly corrected, would only welcome back the same pest. 

America is infested with racism.  It is our original sin, and although we have had pest control in 1865 and the 1960’s, we have never really addressed the sin that is racism in this country.  See back then, they just hid under hoods and masked.  They made laws that held back progress.  They used law enforcement as an extended arm of bigotry in places like Philadelphia(MS) and Chicago. And now, the infestation has come out with tiki torches. They call law enforcement on men mowing their own lawns.  We have never reconciled a past that as of today, has 10 year old black children charged with aggravated assault for playing dodgeball.  The statistics and numbers already tell a story that most Americans would rather “look away” from, our history continues to define our future.  

Resolution:  

Often when an apartment was so bad, the entire building had to be “tented” and the pest would be smoked out. This process was arduous and.... expensive, but it worked. Every time.  Smoke’m out. Expose them for their actions and behavior. Expose them for their silence and complicity.  From the White House to the School yard to the TSA, unless we stomp it out of every corner of this country, we will never rid ourselves of this infestation. 

Dumbo

I have an Elephant in the room that I need to address. It was recently brought to my attention a concern over Mandi’s health due to the absence of her from my photos.  I can say that although she is fighting other immunity issues, she has beaten Cancer like I knew she would. She is in better health and has recovered from her chemo treatments as well as her hysterectomy.  

Unfortunately, our marriage, which was on shaky ground prior to a rash of sicknesses and passings(my Mom and her Dad), was not strong enough to survive the winter.  We officially separated in late August of 2018.

We both are dedicated to raising our shared children with all the love they deserve.  Although we are no longer under one household, our children are a priority in both of our lives.  Both Kaia and Emanuel have adjusted as well as can be expected, and look forward to both time at Mommy’s house and Daddy’s house.  We will both continue to keep God first in their lives and participate actively in pointing them back to their Heavenly Father. 

Many changes have taken place over the past year in both of our lives. I wish Mandi nothing but happiness and joy as she continues down her chosen path.  Given some time to reflect, I too have recalibrated my life to focus first and foremost on my faith, and then my children.   

So to recap, everyone is in relative good health. Kids are as happy as can be expected. (See the photo evidence).  Mandi has gone back to her maiden name, Coggon, if you are looking for her on social media.  I have begun a new path, new career, and new interest.  I will also be launching a new ministry tapping into my passion of ending homelessness. 

Asking for privacy and no comments publicly. You can always message me privately. I do ask that you continue to pray for Mandi’s health, our children, and future paths. 

I leave you with a quote from a song that has gotten me through these difficult past few months. 

“When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me

You have been so, so good to me

When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me

You have been so, so kind to me

And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine

And I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God”

~Reckless Love 

Cory Asbury