My little brother Tom

My little brother Tom,

There are so many things I want to share with you that I don’t know where to start. I am almost 18 years older than you, so I have lived 18 more years more experiences than you have. I have so much more knowledge and wisdom that I can pass on to you.

I will start by telling you that if you ever want to join a fun organization, you should join boy scouts. Becoming an Eagle Scout is one of the best things I have accomplished so far. This means that if you ever need help with camping, wilderness survival skills, or even just tying some good knots, I’m the guy you need to talk to.  Don’t get me wrong; scouting is a lot of fun, but also a lot of hard work. It’s worth it though, it’s all about learning leadership skills and growing-up.

Our older sister is pretty cool. If you ever need a ride to or from school, she will pick you up without hesitation.  We also have good parents. Mom can be a little overprotective and sometimes nagging, but she will always love us no matter what. Our dad is strong and always ready to play catch whenever you feel like it.

I am going to college right out of high school and you should do the same thing.  I cannot tell you enough that you must get an education to succeed in your life.

Now let me tell you about girls. Stay away from the bossy ones, they always want you to do everything for them and they begin to control your life when you least expect it. Be careful!

Lastly, what I want you to know is that I love you. I am proud of you for the great things you will accomplish. Keep your faith real and know that I am here for you all the way. I love you very much : )

James

Home TEAM

A home team is something that doesn’t fall into your laps on a hot, sunny, mid June afternoon. It is something that happens over time. For me a home team member is someone who I wouldn’t mind spending a week with. For me thinking about spending more than a day with certain people can just drive me mad. A home team member is someone that I can relate with and they can relate to me. They are there for me even if I don’t ask.

My friend, who is also a home team member, came to my presentation of my eagle project to the committee. He came without telling me he would. I asked him why he had come and he said I was nervous and needed a pep talk. Now that is a Home team member!

A home team member isn’t just a super special friend but an extension of my family. A person that even my actual family calls them family as well. My home team doesn’t just revolve around me but my parents and my sister. Which is why it is a home team and not just a good friend.

That necessity of having a home team is crucial. Without this team friends are just friends nothing more nothing less. Nobody that you can truly count on. A home team in my eyes is healthy to have and unhealthy not to have. 

Overall a home team is a pleasant  group to have. It may change from different chapters in your life, but don’t worry. Sometimes people leave to be replaced by others when you need them the most.

Wow

Average, couldn’t describe Mr.DeTarr. The average person says magical words but Mr.DeTarr hardly uses them. As a matter of fact Mr.DeTarr has only said these words once to me in my six year scouting career. From the times that I was in charge of my own group of boys in the troop Mr. DeTarr never said these words to me, in fact he just told me to cut with the crap.

From being disappointed that this man has never said one encouraging thing to me that I got use to it. so use to it that I became numb to his constant bickering and complaining that he so often does for me. After my six month term for leading the entire troop of 60 plus boys I still received no ounce of support or pity just that I should have done better.

It wasn’t until my sixth year of boy scouts that I heard something positive for once, but knowing him bickering had to have come first. While failing my first board of review for Eagle, due to improper page lay out, Mr.DeTarr actually did something caring. He went in front of the board and barked at them for how much bs this page layout was. I was very comforted by this because I never asked him to do that, but looking back at it I feel like he was doing it for his own benefits. 

The aging faces of men, was the one thing I remember vividly of the board members. The next time I went for the board of review I was a nervous wreck. Panting and getting some sweaty pits was the least of my problems for that not. Through all my commotion Mr.DeTarr got my attention and spoke to me with heart felt eyes. “ You will do fine.” The only real encouragement that this man has ever given me and boy does he do it at the time I need it most. 

Finally getting the award that took me six years to get it I was able to hear something that not everyone gets to hear. “James I’m proud of you.” Mr.DeTarr finally said it! The only thing going through my head was Wow did you really Mean that? These were the only words I had in my head for the night.

Walking out of the board of review with my head up high, I finally felt proud.

A hug away

While I was on my new Macbook I came across an inspirational story but it wasn't your average one.  Just picture yourself walking into school on typical tuesday morning, which some may love, i hate. Going through the same routine that you get so a costumed to that you automatically do it on auto pilot.  

This average day is the one that turns dramatically bad. Why you may ask? Well on a tuesday morning a student at Pine Middle School decided to bring his parents .38 pistol with the intention to kill.This 14 year old kid whose name is James Newman starting shooting at students at school.

i know for me that if something liked that ever happened I would run as fast as my legs could let me. Not to many of us has the courage to actually try and stop this kid from causing madness. its a practical thing to think of ones self before thinking of others in a scenario like this one but gym teacher Fagan thought otherwise.

Newman was able to get 3 shoots out of his .38 pistol before Fagan walked up, opened her arms, and…. and….. then she hugged him! Shocking isn't it? This gym teacher thought it was best not to show violence but rather love. Oddly enough this worked and she held onto him until teacher came in to aid her. This teacher, who with much care, saved the day.

I found this story to be inspiration because it shows just how far love can be used to save the day. I'm not telling everyone to go and hug a shooter who is on a rampage but to show love to prevent disasters like this one from ever happing at all.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1732518&page=1#.UW3tylHnsaU

Christianity

           We know it's true because we see it all the time, youth turning away from their faith. An article that explains 10 reasons for this turn had good points but also bad points. The author describes the Christianity as a trend for coolness. Describing how it is relevant when it is irrelevant. I think nobody gets in the Christian faith as a means of getting cool just like any man who gets a job not thinking of money. This point in my eyes is quite a terrible but the author makes up for it in his article. I think a very real and very true statement he made was that atheists are very smart especially when turning down faith. Now a days more and more people have blind faith with no means of explaining why they believe in God in the first place. With this faith it can be beaten down easily with questions like why does God let us go to hell, or explains just how wrathful our God really is. Christians with blind faith need to smarten themselves up. Not everyone gets the luxury of having an apologetics class that can answer the difficult questions surrounding Christianity. The author also states that church's send kids away with the simple vacation bible school answers to Christianity. How many times does your church has a time when they focus on the hard questions of Christianity. I think church's avoid this subject since they don't want there congregation to lose their faith from it. I think that these 2 points Out of the ten are the best and most seen cases for Christians to turn from their faith, but with a little thought and investigation I think that these troubling question can be answered with certainty and confidence.

Words of a child

              What makes a video so popular on YouTube? Is it because of the of the message of the video or is it because the video makes you laugh. I video I found to have a great message behind and also is becoming very Popular is the "Pep Talk From Kid President." This video is about a adolescent boy who gives you advice. His words are moving, even though they are coming from his young mouth. The video, I think, is so popular because it gives hope for the new generation to come and also to my generation. Hope is a powerful thing making men go crazy just to have it. What I really like in the video is the poem the kid shares. "Two road diverged in the woods..." "... And I took the road less traveled." This quote makes me think that in life doing the same routine everyday is the way to live life to its fullest. Making new friends, trying new extracurricular actives can change life from good to great. As the kid puts it "Boring is easy; everybody can be boring. But you're "gooder" than that." The popularity of this video comes from the wisdom that such a young boy can have on life. Not only is there humor in this video, which is very funny, but also a gives a little push for you to go out and do something new in your life. This video is a great one and can be shown to those that needs a push in the right direction with plenty of laughs.

The shot of no return

          We've all had that moment when the spot light is on us to make a basketball shot, but we don't make it. The embarrassment of not making it can have it tole on people but, what are some ways to make a shot no one will forget. It's is a simple process of just 5 steps.

1st: When bragging or the center of attention when shooting a shot just remember this, choose a shot that us relatively easy for you to make. It is a simply shot but will have a twist later on.

2nd step: When you have chosen a location to shoot spread your legs so they are shoulder width apart and grip the ball firmly in your hands. These maneuvers is a message to everyone that you know what you are doing even if you have no clue how to shoot properly.

3rd step: Now comes the twist, when standing to make your shot do a complete 180 turn so that the back of your head is pointed towards the basketball hoop. This might sound observed but you want a shot that no one will forget and this is your chance. The expression "go big or go home," sure does come in handy for a situation like this one.

4th step: When standing and preparing for your shot take a few peaks behind you so that you can line up your shot. When confident about your shot shoot it and hope for the best.

5th step: There are two options for you, you either made the shot of missed it two complete opposites of each. If you made it you can brag about how good you are by jumping up and down and yelling to the top of your lungs. If you miss though just shrug it off. Since the shot was so strange you can simply show and tell to the crowd that you didn't care about making it even though deep down you wanted to along.

          These steps can take you to fame and fortune but only if you complete them correctly.