HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Valentine's Day is a day full of meaning for some and full of dread for others.  As I look at this day, I celebrate the many loves I am thankful for.  This day is about celebrating LOVE, not a specific love. It is not just for celebrating that love you share with your significant other.  It is about the love you share with every special person in your life. 

I celebrate first and foremost the love I have for and from my amazing partner.  We recently celebrated two years together, and are looking forward to many more.  He "completes me" in so many ways.  We have just the right amount mix of common interests and individual interests.  It is wonderful to share the same interests, but it is also amazing teaching and learning about the interests and "obsessions" of others.  I have an obsession and passion for politics and he has a strong love of music and audio equipment.  He is learning to indulge my political rants and ambitions, while I am starting to enjoy heavy bass and the multiple "subs" and "amps" that pass through my life.  It is refreshing to be in a relationship with someone who loves you and accepts your passions as you do theirs.

Next, I celebrate the love of my children.  They have been through much more than most 12 year old boys, yet less than some.  They have shown pure love through acceptance and support. In some things they are mature beyond their years, but they also are amazing children.  They are two of the most loving and accepting pre-teen boys I have ever known, and it is an honor for me to be their father.  I love them for who they are and for who they will become. 

Although strained at times, I have an undying love for my parents.  They brought me into this world and have stood by me through all my many ordeals and shortcomings.  They have always been my "go-to" when everyone else in my life seemed to turn away.  I know there are times they may not understand or agree with me, but they love me through it all and I owe them my undying gratitude for all that they have done and continue to do for me and my family.

My true friends receive the rest of my love.  These people are those who I know I can count on for whatever my needs may be from them, and they the same in return.  I wish everyone could have the loving, supportive, encouraging friends that I have in my life.  These people make me laugh, make me  cry, cheer me up, listen to my venting, and help to keep me calm during life's storms.  It is because of their love and support that I can face the dark days and look toward the light of the future. 

The many loves in my life are what keep me going.  These are the people who give reason for waking in the morning and for staying awake late nights.  I will give all I can for my family and friends, as I know they would do the same for me given the chance.  So, as I look at this Valentine's Day, I do so with the greatest love one can have for another.  I look at this day knowing I am loved by so many, and I have so many to love in return.

Happy Valentine's Day 2013! 

Loves,
Phil

I'M BACK AND YOU'RE AFRAID

Yes, I am back to writing on this blog.  Now, you are afraid once again.  But what exactly are you afraid of? Afraid that I may comment about you on my blog?  I just might, and chances are you might not like it.  Afraid I will write something offensive? This is a good possibility if you find reading about the life of a homosexual male to be offensive. Just remember you can always choose not to read it.  Afraid links to the blog will come across your newsfeed on social media?  I assure you it definitely will, unless you decide to block me from showing up in your newsfeed.  If this is your choice, you are probably also afraid for the other reasons, and you should just block me completely because you are not someone I want associated with my life.

To Be Continued . .  .

TRANSITIONING FROM 2012 TO 2013

So long 2012. What a year this past year was. During the past year, I found myself staring at impending change and taking on new and rewarding challenges. As I look back, I find myself to be happier, stronger, and more in tune with change. The challenges and changes of 2012 have taught me that I am who I am because of where I have been and what I have done in life. I have found love and an amazing partner who supports me daily, I work hard to be involved with my twin sons, I pour my heart into my love for teaching, and I found myself submerged into the life of political activism. I have done more in the past year for myself and the ones I love than I have done in a long while. As 2013 begins, I choose to set my sights on bigger and better things for my future with the ones I love. I will be the best, most supportive partner to the love of my life and live every day to prove how much he means to me. I will strive daily to show my sons how to live life to the fullest without regret, while showing them unconditional love is theirs. I will seek ways to improve education for my children and my students, past and present. I will stretch beyond my comfort zone and take political activism onto new heights as I plan to speak in Washington, DC in April to spread my message nationally. 2012 showed me that I am more than one small voice, but that I am one voice that has the power to move mountains when others share the same vision. As 2012 started, I found myself a bit lost in the world, searching for a purpose. AS 2012 closes out and 2013 makes its grand entrance, I find renewed purpose in my goals and aspirations. I look to this New Year with an optimistic mind and a heart filled with passion for the people I love and the profession I hold dear. 2012 will leave me refreshed and renewed to take on the challenges of my newfound desires and my unending passions. I will take 2013 and love to the fullest as I expand my parameters of comfort and explore new endeavors. I will be all that I can be to show love, compassion, pride, and persistence for my family, friends, and colleagues nationwide. Thank you to everyone who touched me in 2012, to those who have guided me my whole life and those who are new arrivals in my journey. Together we will all accomplish great things personally and professionally as we venture into a new year with renewed strength and conviction. I will miss the loved ones who passed on this year, but I know their love is eternal. My 2013 will be lived in memory of my political heroine, my personal inspiration, my Granny. She taught me politics from an early age, and I am proud to have inherited her desire for political involvement. Granny taught me to know what I want and to go after it, to live with no regrets. I will do that in every way possible this New Year and I hope she looks down with pride as I take on this next challenge and set out to see where a new road may lead.