WHO HAS A DREAM?

It was a normal evening sitting at home watching television when my phone vibrated and a proud moment arrived.

On Tuesday, January 27 2015, at 10:16pm I received an email from the Language Arts teacher of one of my sons.  

Tears of pride filled my eyes as I read these words.

"Dear Mr. Arnold,

I hope this message finds you well.  I wanted to send you a note about how proud I am of Trey.  He did an amazing job writing and presenting his I Have a Dream speech to the class on Friday.  I'm not sure if he shared it with you, but I hope he will.  I know he spoke from his heart, and made an impact on so many people.  He struggled with some emotions, but that just showed how compassionate he felt.  You have a wonderful son, and it has been a real pleasure to have him in class this year.

Fondly,

K"

The next day my son messaged me and asked if I would like him to send his speech to me.  This became the second proud moment of the week.  As I read the words my fourteen year old son had spoken to his classmates, I was overcome with emotion.  I imagine it would have been even more emotional had I actually heard him give the speech.  

The following is the speech that was written by my fourteen year old son that has given me a stronger sense of pride than I have felt in a while.

I Have a Dream

By: "T"

I have a dream that one day this nation will accept people for who they are.

I have a dream that one day the world will be a better place. People will treat everyone around the world with the respect they have desperately deserved for so long

I have a dream that one day individuals who are gay will finally have the respect and equality they have deserved for years. I will avoid the places that do not support gay rights and marriage.

I have a dream that one day marriage for any sexual orientation will be legal in any state and any country.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream today that one day my father and his partner will be able to reunite with his family who has pushed him out of their lives. I haven’t seen my aunt and uncle in 2 years because they don’t approve of his sexual orientation.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day everyone will be able to be in the pursuit of happiness. The Martin Luther King Jr. speech of equality for African Americans is the horrible beast that is now the discriminating against individuals who are gay today.

This is my faith. With this faith we will be able to have the Individuals who are gay and the individuals who are straight be treated equally.

I have two amazing sons, who never cease to amaze me.  They are both so full of love and compassion, and they both truly understand more about this life than I ever imagined they would at the age of fourteen.  I can only hope that, as they grow up, they will continue to share their love and compassion with others to show the positives in this world without letting the negatives bring them down.

New Year, New Me, New Life

2015 looks to bring a lot of change to my life.  Yes, it is the beginning of a new year, but it is already shaping up to be so much more than that for me.

As 2013 came to close, I looked ahead to 2014 with cautious optimism.  Then I woke up on January 1 and found myself needing more caution and feeling less optimism.  I found that I was over being the guy who worked to keep things peaceful and make everyone else around me happy, while I was falling apart myself.  Then 2014 saw two major health scares that nearly brought my life to a halt. March brought hospital stay number one, then December found another hospital stay. There was even a visit to the emergency room in between.

I found myself staring death in the face in March as pneumonia put me in a coma, left me hospitilized for 37 days, and months of recovery ahead.  It also showed me how my real friends rallied around to uplift and support me during my lengthy recovery.  By June I was back to my self with minimal risidual effects from the illness that nearly took me away.  Experiencing this type of illness, the return from a coma, and the months of therapy, made me realize I can overcome most anything.

After recovering we took a much needed family vacation to Florida.  We enjoyed family time with a renewed sense of life and what life holds for all of us.  We began to work on strengthening our family unit and working on more time to spend together with less interruptions.

Then, BAM!!  December 18 I was hit with a stroke. This gave me another chance to see that I am not invincible and that life can take so many unexpected turns in a short period of time.  I am still in the midst of this latest recovery, but I am determined to return to myself and take on the future with whatever it has to throw my way.  I am gearing up for the year ahead with plans of advancing myself, my family, and my career.  I vowed in April that I would not be defeated, and I am even more committed today to what lies ahead.  I will proceed with caution but with a renewed sense of optimism that will not see me fail.

As 2015 takes shape, I plan to recover my health, advance my aspirations, and see my family stronger than last year.  Together we will all be more successful as long as we all work together to inspire, support, and encourage one another from day one.  So, as this new year begins, I vow to fight for things that are important and stay committed to the relationships that make me who I am.  Fight has taken on a whole new meaning for me, and you need to get on board with what it means or get out of the way because I do not plan to give up or stop any time soon.

Thankful For Another Day

A year ago at this time my life was beginning to take a downward spiral that would not be evident for a few months to everyone, but looking back this is where it all started.  I began to suffer mentally and physically.  I came down with my first round of bronchitis and fell into a depression that seemed never ending.   I took a personal "retreat" prior to Thanksgiving and tried to pull myself back together.  I returned "home" Thanksgiving day with hopes of a renewed sense of self.  

After a month of continued soul searchjng, self doubt, and another round of bronchitis,  I found myself once again drowning in a sea of wonder.  I continued to muddle through as winter cam and forced myself to think Happy thoughts.  I moved to a new place to find myself, yet always longed to be "home".  The constant doubting myself, my place, and my worth caused me to once again find illness as Spring came.  

I spiraled out of control as I chose to ignore the illness until it was too late.   Told it was "just bronchitis" again, I chose to let the illness get the best of me.  This is when I gave up on myself and anything of value left in my life.   I felt others would be better off if I were to succumb to whatever was ailing me.  I was already feeling rejected by some I was closest too and felt I was dragging others down.

Then I slept! 

Thirty-seven days in the hospital gave me time to rest,  heal, and find myself.  All the soul searching I had done was minimal compared to my time in the hospital once I woke up.  I realized I needed to live and make things right for my family and myself.

This Thanksgiving,  I am still recovering,  but I am healthy and ready to tackle anything this life has in store.  I am thankful for my family and friends who have stayed by my side and who continue to support me on my journey.  I'm not going to lie and make people believe things are perfect, but I will let you all know I am doing everything I can to make things better.