A Little Glimpse

Silence prevailed over the sleepy town. Ghosts of people from the past haunt the walls of the quiet building. Shut away behind four walls away from the rest of the world. A place that is quite charming inside but, at the same time the paradise is also a prison. The guards keep you in this place for hours at a time. You can not leave not even for a few minutes or with the sound of an I-Phone someone demands that you return. Not even for the sake of your health are you allowed to leave and all the time you spend in this place you try not to lose your mind. Insanity creeps up on those who are not careful. Silence can be deadly. Waiting for the people to come waiting alone. It was not always like this once he was free. Once he could go and see his friends the good friends that he misses so much. You know people his own age that he used to be able to go and see and spend quality time with them. Not the friends of the darker days but the true friends. He is very fortunate to have several close friends near him and he loves them so but, sometimes he just wants to have fun. Is that a crime? Just like Charlie when addressing the angels always over a speaker never in person with the tone that you would use with a second grader he is told that he can not live like that anymore. That what he thinks is fun is not right. He is never right he can never win the debate. He will never be able to live up to the expectations that have been set for him. His past will always haunt him the things that he has fought so hard to keep away from him. The things that almost destroyed him are always thrown in his face. He tries he does but it is never good enough. He has forgotten how to have a good time and relax. New people are coming into his life and they are sent from above but still he always will be reaching for the level of perfection that only one person has achieved but he will never achieve it. That leaves the question should he try to continue to fight to reach that level. Or should he just accept himself for what he is and move on with his life? For death might take him should he try to reach that level of perfection which he hates so much. His heart is hurting. He cares yet he is told he does not. He appreciates yet he is told he does not know how to show it. He loves but he is told that he does not know how to show love. He is not perfect and never has claimed to be. Help yes he has gotten and is thankful. But still trapped in a place with four walls. As the silence grows even more cold he is the light that keeps it from consuming his soul. Although his heart is hurting he still holds a little hope for the future. Waiting for the day when he can break out of his prison. You know a person can only be told that they are failing at something so many times before they start to believe it. He is beginning to believe that he has amounted to nothing and his story has already been written. Will he ever make the guard proud? Will it ever look at him with genuine eyes and have a normal adult conversation and say, "I am proud of you" and mean it. Behind a fake plastic cover lies a very scared and anti social person who does really not know how to communicate to other people. The guards mask is that of perfection. Sometimes he dreams of shattering that mask. But without it the guard would be naked emotionally. Lost in a world that has grown up around the guard. He dreams of shattering the mask....everyday of his life.

Find the Crayon Contest!!

Friends,

My store Bare Threads is currently having a Back To School sale and you can save up to 50% off of selected items. Teachers save an additional 10% off because they have to put up with children and I had to grow up with a Teacher for a mother and they deserve to be paid hourly. If they were I would not have to work!! Anyways, I am going to have an off the wall contest!! (I know what you are thinking off the wall and Dawson?) Well, I do not like to do things that are normal so I am going to offer an extra 20% off to the person who can find the Crayon!! That is right I am going to hide a crayon somewhere in the store and the person who finds it will save an extra 20% off their entire purchase. But there are a few rules...But, only three.

1. Your purchase must be at least $25.00 to qualify for the extra 20% off. But, you can feel free to come and search for a crayon just for the fun of it if you would like. It is indoors!!

2. No climbing on the furniture or racks.

Ok, there are only two rules.

The crayon will be some place in the store. It will not be in the backroom or behind the counter. This contest will begin tomorrow and end on Friday.

Good Luck!!


Hope to see you soon!!

P.S. (Hint) Re-Read this it is all in the wording. That's All!!

Dawson

Rapidly Approaching

Well with election day behind us and although the turnout was not the one that I had hoped for. I still find great satisfaction in the fact that for my first time on the ballot in Comanche I did not lose by that much. I was proud of myself for taking a chance like that and putting myself out there and I thank everyone for their support!! For, I do not think that this will be the last time that I am on a ballot. But, who knows. Now, I am focused on the store and on my school work which if Midwestern can get their online program to work it will be a lot easier. I have tried to take a test three times and it remains locked for no apparent reason. The store on the other hand is coming along quite nicely. Well I say that but the work is hard and I have had the crap that is going around so every other breath is a cough. So that makes things that much more difficult when you are coughing up your lungs. The building is coming along it looks like Iraq right now but that is to be expected with any renovation. I am excited and also nervous at the same time. I find myself having issues with sleep fearing that I will make a wrong decision. God only knows that I have made enough of those in my life and I am tired of hearing about my mistakes but, such is life. For every action there is an opposite criticism. I read on a sign once and it is true. Lord knows that I am trying to create something that everyone will enjoy and I am blessed to have help from my family because I can not redo a building by myself but, there are somethings that I struggle with when it comes to any creative decision made by others. You know I try and go with the flow and yes this will be a store unlike any ever seen in Comanche but, getting it to that point will either kill me or make me one hell of a business man. For, lord knows that I like to spend money. I hate mess and disorder and I have add. Add that in with some other factors mix it all together and you have a cocktail of the Griswold's version of Extreme Home Makeover. I find myself asking God for inner strength and patience more and more and it is because I can not do it alone but everything that I try and do and have done ends up being wrong in the eyes of others. You know Frank Sinatra sang My Way and he lived that song and the more I listen to it the more I understand why he did things his way. Because he knew that they would get done the correct way but, how are you suppose to do things the correct way when you are so confused as to what is going on you have no idea where to begin!! I need to learn more patience but also I need to learn how to take control of a situation and keep it under control. I have always thought of myself as assertive but, I think that I am going to have to step it up a level or two just so I can remain lucid. Some would say have a nice stiff drink at the end of the day but a glass of wine is where I draw the line. The one thing that I am struggling with now is the doubt that is being placed in my head by others. I just must keep reminding myself that I know fashion and what women want. I must follow my instinct and trust it and God and the rest is already determined. It is just getting to a point where I can say we are finished and we did a great job. I will take it from here. When I can say that out loud with all of my heart. That will be the day that I will be able to sleep a full night's sleep. I have a feeling it is just around the corner. But, it is a slow long road out of hell to that day. It just is making me stronger.

Bittersweet

Although the election did not turn out as I had planned I am walking away from this experience with my head held high. I knew that this was a possibility and I knew from day one that my age would play a huge factor in the way people would vote or not vote in my favor. But I can say that it was a tight race and I am proud of that and I thank all of those people who voted for me and showed their support and confidence in my ability to lead a County Democratic Party. This is not the end by any means and I do not plan to back down when it comes to calling for organization at the County level. Nor, does this mean I will not continue to work for the county Democratic party in any way. I congratulate the winner Mrs. Smith and I look forward to working with her in the weeks leading up to the County Convention. I hope to attend the State Convention with her in June in Corpus!! Thanks again for the support so many of you showed and we will get them next time!!

The State of the Union

Yes, tonight all of the news networks are buzzing. You can turn on Fox News and hear the fair and balanced news. I say that with the fair and balanced scale tipping to the right. Or, you can watch CNN and hear both sides and see Anderson Cooper in Haiti. You can turn on MSNBC and just listen to people talking. I prefer CNN but that is just me. I found the speech very uplifting. Yes, people think that the president is a huge failure already and he has not done anything but, he did address some major issues tonight. The one point I would like to make is that regardless if you are a Democrat or a Republican if you are elected to an office you should do your duty and represent all of the people that you serve. Like our Representative Conaway and the hate he came to Comanche preaching. How we should call friends in other states and have them call their Senators to tell them to vote no on the Health Care Bill. That solves nothing. What really turned me off was when I asked him a question and he lost his temper. It was just a simple question.."If you could of changed something in the bill what would it of been?" It is not like I called him out on some major issue that he has not addressed. I should of asked why he is not looking at the bills he votes on not as a Democratic bill or Republican bill but as a plain bill. I guess that many that approach Washington and are elected to positions like that are partial and vote party lines but, I would like to see someone who would for once just vote based on his or her belief. Like Kay Bailey who said that she was Pro-Choice. Perhaps that is not what Republicans want to hear but props to her for at least going against the grain. I will not vote in the Republican primary but, if I did I would not vote for her nor Pretty Boy Perry. I hope he wins though because that means we might have a Democratic governor in Texas!! I would vote for the third woman who was so straight and to the point during the debate it was just great. Tonight's speech I felt was needed it was needed to reaffirm that the president inherited many problems that we are faced with now and yes there has been improvement. But, change takes time. It does not happen overnight turning around an economy that has been falling for eight years. As he said we had a surplus in 2000 and when he walked in the door the deficit was the highest in history. Yes he has added to it but, he did mention how he would pay for it. He is proposing very strong and interesting actions but, if we can just get past party lines and work as Americans I feel that these actions can be done.

Taking Chances...A Good Idea or Bad?

Have you ever taken a chance? Have you ever done something in your life that you had no control over the outcome of your actions? For me I have always liked to stay in my own personal safety bubble but, I learned quite along time ago that sometimes it is ok to burst your own bubble. So many times in life we choose a path that leads into the darkness but, as the Scarecrow said in The Wizard of Oz "It can only get darker before it gets lighter again." Interesting concept for perhaps out of decisions that have led us into the darkness there is still light at the end of the tunnel. When you reach the light it is a feeling of accomplishment for you know that you battled and fought the good fight for yourself. So many times people just give up and throw in the towel. But, I do believe that there is someone upstairs that will help carry you through the darkness as it tries to take you over. So I am challenging myself once again to take another chance. I don't know what it is yet but I am going to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. You know so many times we always seem to get stuck in the same old routine of things and that can be so dangerous. For you become like a robot just living your life as if each new day is the same as the one before. As Auntie Mame said in the movie, "Life is a banquet and most sons of bitches are starving to death." That is very true. For so long I was stuck in the same routine but I decided that I wanted to progress my surroundings. Well progression begins with one's self and so I switched things around and began getting involved to see if we couldn't see something different and the outlook is good. For, people are seeing that progression has so much potential if done correctly. But, you have to take a chance. There are many people taking chances in my hometown and it fills me with joy. For, we have so much potential I can gradually see that progression is right around the corner. But, it is the fear of change that scares most people off from making taking that one chance that could benefit them in the long run.

That's All

HRH JDH

Why am I running?

Over the course of the past month many people have asked me. "Why are you running." Many people do not understand why I am doing what I am doing. Well it is not for any glory or fame it is because I want to see some much needed organization within the County's democratic party. Regardless of which party you follow or if you just do not follow any party there is always a need for organization. There are rules in place so that everything is done correctly and I have seen rules broken. Now, I know that I have not always obeyed the laws yes I speed sometimes going down the highway and I have broken others and I have admitted my mistakes and done my retribution for my shortcomings. But, the voting process is a right that is given to us and I feel that we take it for granted. Every vote does count I firmly believe and you know I love politics because it gives me a passion that nothing else does. I have yet to wavier on my beliefs nor compromise my standards to please others. I have been calling for organization for two years now. Do you know where that landed me in the party. I was cut off by our former County Chair. Then she decides that she is going to step down and does not tell anyone and went down a list asking people and finally she found someone who would take the position. Now I find it funny in elections when there is more than one name on the ballot people say some pretty funny things. I was working with Ernie Casbeer's campaign in the 2008 election and I was given the names of every registered democrat in Comanche County. I do believe my list was printed after the primary and there was one name that was not on there. Mistake perhaps I do not know but the husband's name was on there. Where was she? A question that will never be answered. I am not trying to be mean or ugly but I am very protective of my political views and the party itself. The people that give their time at the Pow Wow each year are dear to me. That shows that we still have a spark of interest in the party and it only takes a spark. I hope if given the chance I can turn the spark into a fire. Then later this year we have our State Convention in Corpus Christi which I hope not to miss. The last one was a blast minus when I locked my keys in my car. I was amazed to see people that were just as passionate as me and I became friends with a girl who is the county chair in Llano county and was elected as a national delegate and got to go to Denver to the National Democratic Convention. I did not apply but, the stories I got and the phone calls that I got during speeches filled me up. It is so awesome to see so many people with the same beliefs it makes you feel like you are not alone. The best part was when our petition that I began in my apartment was forced to the floor by passing the rules committee. They threw a State Senator and then we were forced to evacuate the building for an "Emergency Situation" we were told to walk across the street and I was talking to someone from Austin and I told him, "I hope it is not a bomb for we will all die from glass impaction." Ten minutes later they let us in. It was struck down but, our Senate District voted not to table the resolution which made me feel as though I had made a slight difference. Perhaps one honest voice is louder than a crowds and fake bomb threats. I would be honored if you would vote for me for County Chair. Early voting begins on February 16th at the Courthouse and ends on Tuesday February 23. The polls are open from 8:00-7:00 I do believe. Together with your support and your advice we can better this county party with organization and a simple idea that everyone is welcome!!

Thanks For Your Time,
HRH JDH