Browsing Tag

Gratitude

Gratitude

Practicing Empathy In Daily Life

August 15, 2011
Brandon Sutton and Daryl Arnold

I’ve been thinking a lot about empathy lately, and I’d like to share a few thoughts on the subject.

The Dictionary.com definition of empathy is “the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.”

Last week, I accepted the challenge of caring for my 13-month-old Godson while his parents were traveling on business. I was an unexpected ask for all of us, but I thought it was a good opportunity for me to bond with the little guy and help them out in the process.

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Gratitude

Opportunity to Serve & Stop Keystone XL

August 8, 2011
Pipeline

Today, a project that I’ve been working on diligently for the past month is coming to life in a big way.  It started when 7 year old Devon Haas, founder and leader of the ‘Kids Army‘ tweeted me after the Yellowstone River tar sands oil spill in early July asking ‘what can we do about this?’

I just smiled – knowing what was coming down the line. The Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline permit is scheduled to either be issued or denied this Fall, and we have a chance to send the message that we don’t need or want this dirty, toxic oil flowing through the US heartland.

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Gratitude

1 Year in a Child’s Life

July 10, 2011
Brandon and Caelan on Day 1

One year ago today, I watched my Godson, Caelan come into the world and glimpse the first sights of life outside the womb. Fast forward a year, and the two of us were playing together in the pool while he kicked, slapped, and splashed around in pure joy.

I’ve heard parents talk about how the experience of having a child changed everything for them, but I’ve never been quite so close to it and seen the transformation in such profound ways. I can say with total certainty that little Caelan has been a blessing to everyone whose life he has touched, including my own. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to be actively involved in his life. Continue Reading…

Gratitude

Music Appreciation

July 3, 2011
Black Swan Lane - Staring Down The Path Of Sound

It’s been a week of great music.  I wrote about the phenomenal David Gray concert I attended on Tuesday, but there was a lot more musically that I wanted to highlight.

Thursday night, I went up to the lake to work on my friend Jack’s CD artwork for the soon-to-be-released Black Swan Lane album, Staring Down the Path of Sound.  Jack has been a friend and a client of mine for 10 years, but it wasn’t until this recent release that he let me participate in the creation of one of his albums.

Over the past year or so, I’ve been listening to rough cuts of songs from the band and giving him feedback that has helped shape the final selections on the album.  Continue Reading…

Inspiration

Thank You, David Gray

June 28, 2011
David Gray Fox Theatre Atlanta

Tonight, I was fortunate to attend a truly remarkable concert by my favorite singer/songwriter, David Gray.  Generally speaking, I let life unfold without a lot of expectations, but since I’ve seen David perform 3 times before, I couldn’t help but expect to experience something amazing.

He did not disappoint tonight.

In fact, there is no way I could have imagined a concert this incredible.

It was literally THAT good.

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