My Ramblings

For seven years I taught vocational training to probation officers and juvenile hall counselors. I would often begin my presentation on the first day saying that who we are as people is shaped greatly by our upbringing. And, that how we treat those in our charge is often determined by our own upbringing. I have since added to this that our closest friends also have a huge impact on who we eventually become; sometimes our associates shape us more than our families do. If we associate primarily with people of low morals and poor behavior we risk falling into those same patterns. How many times have we seen “good” kids from loving homes fall into the “wrong” crowd and end up in sad circumstances? I don’t have to look farther than my own family to see this pattern. All three of my siblings were drug and alcohol users in spite of our mother’s loving and stable care. All three of them came to associate with people of low character and bad habits. All three of them died while driving under

I just finished watching the movie “Chasing Mavericks.” It’s a true story about a young surfer from Santa Cruz, Jay Moriarity. It’s a very good movie and is family friendly. If you get it (I rented it from Red Box) get it in Blu-Ray if you have a Blu-Ray player. It is a visually stunning movie and illustrates the power and majesty of the ocean. Anyway, watching it made me recall my own experience with the Pacific Ocean which taught me how small and weak I am in a very painful way. In 2000, our family went to Maui for an eleven day vacation. We stayed in a great hotel in Kehei called the Mauna Kai (I think, but my memory is a bit hazy). We had lots of fun doing the typical stuff like snorkeling,sightseeing and going to a luau. I have my motorcycle license so I rented a Harley Road King and everyone took turns riding with me around the island. Five members of my family (Linda, Daniel, Heather, Holly and Meagan) were able to bask in the sun and sand for the entire eleven days. I, on th