Who Cares What You Think?

I'm on summer vacation and I've been watching a lot of TV which includes a lot of news and current event type shows. It has really been bothering me that some people feel they are entitled to give their opinions at any time to anyone. I guess I don't think my opinion is that important most of the time. Sometimes when I feel very strongly about something then I also feel entitled to state it. But, when someone disagress with my point of view, then I don't like it when they are "obnoxious" about it. Maybe what I think is "obnoxious" is to them just passion.

Where do we draw the line? Or do we at all? Is there a point when we should keep our opinion to ourself? Or should we be more tolerant of others and their opinions?

This is what I have concluded for myself: Listen more, talk less. Maybe if people feel that someone is listening to them, they won't have to yell so loud.

Here is a picture from our trip to Oregon. This was my first trip to the Pacific Ocean. It was beautiful! 

Now 

Then 

My Brother

Today is my brother's birthday. The day he was born is my very first memory. I can remember waking up to what sounded like my mom in pain-- of which I'm sure that she probably was. Our neighbor, Ilarose, came and whisked me down to her house while I was still in my pajamas. As a three year old, I definitely didn't know what was really going on.

I can also remember the day that he came home. I think that my mom was wearing high heels. A strange memory, I know, but maybe that's where I got my love for wearing the perfect shoes no matter how much the pain. Anyway, from that day on, I had a special addition to my life.

As kids, we didn't usually get along too much. We liked different things. We definitely see things differently. But as adults, we couldn't be closer. We live far away from each other, but you'd never know it if you saw us together. While we used to only notice our differences, now we see a lot of similarities. Because we're brother and sister, we've lived life with similar circumstances so we can understand each other. We don't need words to explain to each other about heartache. We hate to see the other hurt. We know each other's vulnerabilites, but no one can speak negatively about the other one in our presence. We're loyal to a fault, and we like it that way.

My brother is not just my brother anymore. He's my friend- one of the best ones I've got. Happy Birthday, Jonathan.