I feel like I owe some of you an apology. I started writing these "letters to friends" a few years ago because I wanted to share some of the insight that being married to an amazing woman, raising eight amazing children and trusting in an amazing God has given me over the years. (Too many amazings?)

            Well, I broke my own cardinal rule of "do no harm" when I allowed my political views to creep into my communications to some of you on "Facebook". I think that is one of the inherent dangers of Facebook.  

          I know my humor tends to lean toward sarcasm and when I was younger I took pride in honing it to a fine art. I can hear family and close friends saying in unison, "Ya Think!". Please know that God is dealing with me.

            The other morning during my prayer time I was stewing over something that I deemed "absurd", said by a friend of mine, regarding a political position. I was asking God what my response should be. When I opened my journal the quote above from Mother Teresa was staring up at me.

           I am very passionate about this wonderful country and I have made it a point to educate myself regarding its roots and the things that have made it great and the things that will bring it down if we're not careful.  I've written an expose on my views and you are welcome to read it here.  (America as I see it)     I promise I will say nothing more about politics here.

            I believe we should do everything in our life with passion. Life is too short to live without passion. One of the reasons I chose sports as a subject for my glasswork is because everyone involved is passionate about what they do.  

            I started writing these letters because I wanted to inspire passion and help people realize their true God given potential. I want everyone reading this to know that I really do love you and I feed off your passion. I found a great quote the other day.

"Passion is a heartfelt energy that flows through us, not from us..."

John J Murphy