Losing Friends, but Gaining Family

      We hang out. We shout out. We hit each other up.

        This is how we saw friendship in high school. This is how we thought it was always going to be in college, but quickly discovered that things were changing. These are the people we hoped we would still be talking to after we started our lives. And these are the people we've wondered about...where they have gone and what they are doing. These are the people we thought would always be there for us, always love and accept us, and always be there to lean on. These are the people long gone.

       We're all bound to "lose" or "gain" a few friends at different points of our lives. Sometimes we just drift apart, lose touch, or move on. Maybe that friend wronged you beyond forgiveness, betrayed your trust for something they wanted more...or for something that you had that they wanted. Maybe you ceased to be interesting or exciting to them, and they, all of a sudden, changed circles. No matter what the cause, some of the connections we call our friendships will end.

"What is a friend? It is a single soul dwelling in two bodies." 

-Aristotle-

         What makes up a friend? Someone with whom we share like interests? Someone who lets us vent out all of our problems? Someone who can give us a ride to the airport or let us crash on their couch? Is it the person who is there for all of our birthday outings, nights on the town, the person who we call when we get bored? The person we get into all our mischief with? Is it just someone we "know"? No doubt bits and pieces of these ideas are present in friendship. But are these what make up a truly good friend?

 Friend - /frend/ - n. 

 "a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection."

      How many of us just stop at the "a person we know" portion? We live in a culture that circles around who we know, and that if we know just enough about someone, we can call them our friend. But the times will come where our bonds are tested and we truly discover who our friends are...and who we are.
       

        When you make new acquaintance with someone that you think is interesting or exciting, in the initial stages of this new connection and relationship we quickly want to be able to call them "friend." It's definitely good to have more allies than enemies, and for some of us making new friends is so rare that we scoop them up. But like any relationship of any sort, what will test the foundation of your bond is time. 

        We all have people we seem to fall back on. Maybe it's the college group, church group, the workmates, or the roommates. We all want to feel included and have a sense of fellowship with others. But sometimes we've got to ask ourselves...are we in the best circle? Are these the people who build us up and point us in the right direction? Are these the people who care enough about us that they point out what will potentially harm us? Do they seek our best and make us want to be better?

         Or are these the people we just go out and party with? Are these the people that just complain to us about life while we do the same? Do we come away from time spent with these people uplifted or bogged down? We don't usually think about it until it's begun to take it's toll on us, but we are who we spend time with.

"True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends, but in the worth and choice."

-Ben Jonson- 

        You've heard it said, and it's true. It's during the hard times that we truly discover who our friends are. It's then that we discover how many of our "friends" are truly reaching out to us when we're knocked down, encouraging us, listening, guiding, or if they got what they could out of us and are done. How many of our "friendships" are purely one-sided? How often do we feel like we're the only ones pulling? How often do we still feel alone even though we have a multitude of "friends?" Friendship - true friendship - is significantly deeper...oft times even harder.

...

        Friends hurt one another. Whether it's intentional or unintentional, it's just a fact. When pain comes from misunderstandings, or when we say or do something without thinking all the way through, when human nature takes the best of us, are we willing to persevere? As human beings we often times think more about how other people have wronged us and not so much about the fact that we're capable of the exact same kind of hurt. Just because we haven't wronged one another doesn't mean we can't. We, as human beings, hurt one another. It's an unfortunate, but almost inevitable, reality that comes with the territory. That's why forgiveness is so important. Forgiveness and friendship cannot exist in separate worlds. 

       Some of us are in the season of life where we find out who our friends are and, as time goes on, that our circle gets smaller and smaller. It can be a depressing thought, but it's reality...that people will be coming and going for our entire lives. It was a hard fact to accept as I, someone who lived for my friendships, began to transition into the next step of my life. But as God worked in my life, I began to gain a new perspective and attitude when it came to my friendships and people I knew and would ever come across.

It was then that I decided this:

Instead of worrying about how many friends I will lose or gain, I will focus on being the best kind of friend to the ones I have and the people around me. 

        I discovered the fact that being a friend - the active, volitional choice of befriending and caring about someone else - was entirely more fulfilling and important than being able to count how many friends I have. Instead of being upset about who wasn't giving, I chose to give. Instead of being frustrated that no one was listening, I decided to listen and show interest in the lives of others. Instead of waiting for people to reach out to me and befriend me, I decided to reach out and invest in others.

        Yes, losing friends hurts. And human nature doesn't change. Therefore, I choose carefully the words I speak, I watch my actions, and make sure I can keep my promises. I want to be a strong friend for those I love and be there someone who has no friends that needs one. I want to know I'm being that friend...whether or not people are being that friend to me.
        Yes, we need friends we can relate to intellectually and experientially. Those friends we'll find as we find like rare gems as we dig deep and refine coal into diamonds. It falls on us to work and search. Good friendships, like anything good, don't come easy.

        I have found that the friendships that I've built on the foundation of this mindset have been more fulfilling, more meaningful, closer. Because I am choosing my friends. I am getting to know the people around me and find people that I legitimately admire and respect. These are the relationships where there is truly a bond of "mutual affection." These friendships make me a better person and overcome misunderstanding and hurt. They are the bonds that I can envision lasting for the rest of my life on earth. 

        Is there any guarantee that I'll keep the friends I have forever? Of course not. There's always risk, there are always a multitude of things that can happen. But no one wants to be given up on, so I don't want to give up on anyone, no matter how they've wronged me or continually hurt and disappoint me. Because I know a God that calls me friend that continually loves and is there for me despite how many times I step on Him, treat Him and His name like he means nothing, stab Him in the back, and trade my affection for Him for something or someone else. The truly good friends that we've been given, love, cherish, appreciate, and thank God for the privilege of knowing. But we can look forward to the many more we can make when we step out and reach.

A person who wants friends must show himself friendly,
and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

*photo by Paul Jacala, Copyright 2014

We're Professional Fakers

        I had met with a friend a week or so ago that I had recently reconnected with from high school. The two of us graduated the same year, both went to college, are both working...and are both in the struggle and discovery of post-grad life trying to figure out what we're called to do. The conversations we've had have been extremely beneficial for both of us in that there is always insight and understanding we gain from one another's perspective and experience, encouragement to not give up and keep searching, and comfort in the fact that someone out there has encountered the same struggles.

        Somewhere in the middle of the conversation my friend stopped me and said, "Hey...can I just thank you for being honest? All the people I've been talking to lately have just seemed like they're trying to look like they're keeping it all together, so having someone be honest is really a breath of fresh air."

        This is in no way meant to magnify myself. When it comes to my struggles, I'm honest...maybe too honest for my own good. And there are certainly times where I've tried to appear to be something I'm not. It's incredibly taxing. On top of that, I learned quickly that people can usually tell whether or not you're being real with them.

        It got me thinking. We operate in a society of where all of us are really, really good at faking. We fake everything: enthusiasm, kindness, feelings, interest, emotions, even our personalities. Everyone wants to appear like they have it all together, everyone wants to look intelligent, innovative, creative, strong, good-hearted, and beautiful. No one wants to show what's really underneath...the struggle, the pain, the insecurity, the problems, our own brokenness...because if people really knew, would anyone accept us any longer? What would they think of us then? Everyone puts up a mask. Everyone is cryptic. Okay, maybe not everyone, but a good lot!

        We all know a handful of fake people, and we all know how frustrating it is to deal with them. Many relationships become complicated or fail because somewhere down the road, we discover that someone...the person that we thought they were...is not actually who they are. There is no genuine, honest communication. Such a lifestyle only breeds suspicion and resentment.

        Some people have lived this way for so long that they have become emotionally numb to anything genuine. It's so easy to lose ourselves in a persona, an alternate version of ourselves that we create to try to please and attract other people, that we forget who we really are. We work so hard to maintain it that it wears down our mind and takes a toll on our relationships. And when the slightest possibility of being found out even presents itself, some of us panic, become defensive, or maybe even angry. We can only keep the face on for so long.

        I understand that many of us have trust or insecurity issues. Maybe a massive breach of trust, heartbreak, malicious criticism, judgement, or traumatizing experience has caused you to shut everyone out so that no one can hurt you. Or maybe you've been the perpetrator of such, and in realizing what you've done you don't want to hurt anyone ever again.... I'm not saying everyone should wear their heart on their sleeve, pour out their souls to random strangers, and have no filter on details of our lives that we discuss with other people. Discretion should always be used in all our interactions and dealings. It's merely and observation...that so many of us stress ourselves trying to control how people perceive us.

        It might seem like a tall order, an unthinkable, insane proposal, or a daring feat to try to open up to other people. It might take time, finding a true friend that you can open your heart up to, overcoming extreme shyness or stepping out of our introvert box for a moment. In any case, I won't pretend like it will be easy for everyone. But I will say, that being genuine with the people around you is one of the most freeing and fulfilling choices you can ever make. Very rarely do you meet someone where what you see is what you get. Sometimes people's real personalities might be too straightforward, or too explicit, maybe even annoying. We all need to learn temperance. But at very least, it's better than being lying. It's better than feeling like you always have to hide. It's better than losing grasp of who you are.

        Those that strive to be genuine are the ones that can help the most people. When you're real about your struggles, you never know what kind of person may come along that's struggling with the exact same thing or something similar. You may be the only person who can help them and it'll be a good thing you came along! Not only that, but someone being genuine with people, giving the hard, honest truth that they need to hear is sometimes the only way to truly help them, not a vague exhortation that leaves people confused and unchanged. It's definitely an act of humility to be able to admit our faults and make yourself vulnerable, and it's a leap to give someone the genuine truth they need to overcome a roadblock.
         I'm not saying there's no risk involved, but when we let our love for others trump our pride and our fear, we'll find that being genuine is, indeed, better. I think that, ultimately, the best thing we can do for is just simply work on ourselves. When we see our short comings and are aware of our problems, why not try to change something? Why not try to solve those problems so that they're not there anymore? Then, when can we take down the mask and people can perceive us for who we really are...the better, stronger version of ourselves we were meant to be.

Thoughts for Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

        Many of us go through our days on autopilot. Not much thought, maybe to shut out the reality of where we work, the people we're around, or some hard trials we're facing. Maybe life has just become a repetitive routine, one that we cannot break or that we might be too scared to break. One way or another, days are passing, like rain drops hitting the ground. There are so many. We see them for a second, and then they're gone.

        A day - 24 hours - I'm sure we've discovered, is not a long time. Hours seem to pass by, depending on what we're doing, like they were nothing at all. Just brief moments. And we only have 24 of them! Not to mention that 5-8 of them are spend on sleep and another 8-12 of them are spent on work. There's time with family and people. Then there's cooking, cleaning, hygiene, and a smattering of other responsibilities. Not a lot of time for much else. Not a lot of time for ourselves.

        When we look at the gigantic ocean that is life from the perspective of one day's happenings, one days successes or one day's misfortunes, it's only natural to get depressed at life's mundaneness, despair at the idea that all we'll ever do is work, or get so hyped up about future opportunities that we all we do is "Go! Go! Go!" and we can hardly sit still.
        But that's just it. Why are we measuring the breadth of our lives by just one tick on the ruler? Why are we guessing at the events of tomorrow, next, week, or next year when we're only halfway through Monday? I'm not saying that it's bad to make plans or goals for the future, or that the rough events of today aren't something we should try to overcome. But it's a foolish, self-inflicted burden we place on ourselves when we view the whole of life in single moment. We've got to remember this:

Today is all we have.

        None of us are ever guaranteed tomorrow. I'm not trying to sound mystical or fatalistic. It's just a simple truth and reality that we really don't know that we'll wake up the next morning. We freak out about tomorrow's problems or groan at another sluggish day because we define it by what's happening within the moment, and by today's circumstances. Why do we do that ourselves? I think that a common mistake we all make is that we try to apply yesterday's principles to tomorrow's problems. Sure, that might work sometimes, but not always. No day is exactly the same. It may have minuscule or massive similarities, but never exactly, event for event, the same day. The only place that happens is on the Twilight Zone. So why are we trying to do it? It borders the manifestation of insanity.

        Every day is a new creature, as it were. It has a whole new set of events, happenings, quirks, and is a whole new set of potential successes or failures. It is, more or less, a blank slate. This way of thinking, I understand, does not come naturally. We're either taught to think this way or begin to over time.
        I'm not saying the problems of yesterday won't still be there, or that the successes we had yesterday don't count for anything. Certain kinds of consequences undoubtably carry over in life and we may have to deal with them for the rest of our lives. But these things aren't what define us. Life is what we do with those consequences. It's what we do after those victories and how we react to those misfortunes. It's how we choose to look at people in our lives and what we do in our relationships. There may be certain things that we're holding on to that are haunting our perspective: failures, unkind words and criticisms, past mistakes... These are screens that cloud our vision and steal away our motivation. With these things weighing on our minds, how can we ever expect to see, clearly, our potential day by day?

        If it's what we do that defines how we look at and live out our lives, then that means we have a whole new facet of life to consider. It's been said, "Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it." One day is what you make it, who you choose be in your dealings and relationships. And when you string them all together, what is life, but a series of days? Therefore, and you've heard this said before, I'm sure... "Life is what you make it." I'm not sure what kind of hand you've been dealt in life.... Maybe you've had it very, very, very rough most of your life, and every day you're living is a certain kind of hell. That is definitely hard, and I understand life is and can be very complicated...
        Or maybe life couldn't be better...you have a good job, a nice home, a wonderful family and a great group of friends. You feel like nothing could ever go wrong. I say to you: be wary. Appreciate what you have, cherish, and protect it. Life can change at the drop of a dime.

         Either way, in any scenario, we choose what we do with our days. There are a dozen things that may come at us that we cannot control, but in the small moments, our choices can define how we live out each day. I'm not saying that it's not and that it won't be hard. Circumstances, cross-roads moments, freedoms that seem to be disappearing and taken away from us will definitely affect how we make our choices. Some of us don't have the luxury of an array of choices. But we always have a choice...to muscle through, to cave into pressure, to respond with love, with hate, with anger, grace, or serenity. The choice is ours. We can't undo our choices. Once we make them, we have to live with them...day by day.

        So what is it you will do with the day you've been given? What are you pouring into? Who are you investing in? And are you taking time for yourself? It's not selfish or wrong. We need it. I understand that "you time" might be little to none day to day. But if you can somehow find a moment to just stop, think, pray, and appreciate...it can change the entire heartbeat of your day. The days that we have to yourself, do something meaningful with them. Take time to enjoy life a little and rest in the moment. Once this day is over, be thankful for it. And if you've been given the next, take that day and make it yours. It's what you do with it.

Once we learn how to number our days, we'll begin to have a heart of wisdom. 

*photo by Paul Jacala, Copyright 2014

Beauty is Broken

      Call me a weird guy, but I really love weddings. I love what they signify. I love how in one place you find so much community...so much coming together to make the day one to remember. I admire the vision and dreaming that is put into them, and, when the day finally comes, the emotion, the anticipation, the joy that is finally realized in the celebration of a man and a woman becoming one. I feel like like it's one of the few things that we as human beings do best.

      Days like those are so rare, so few and far between. In the midst of the chaos of life, it's the short, momentary glimpses of beauty that remind us that there things in this life still worth cherishing...still worth protecting...still worth fighting for. These are the moments that make us want to keep going... keep hoping. They make us want to see what else lies around that corner, make us want to climb to the top of the mountain and see what's on the other side. They remind us that all the struggle we face on this earth isn't all there is.

      The beauty that we experience is a broken beauty. Not just because we live in a world that is flawed, tainted, and worn, but because so many of us are, on the inside, broken. Beauty is, indeed, in the eyes of the beholder. And when the heart of a beholder is broken, his eyes won't perceive the world around him the way that he's meant to perceive it. So much of what we see is distorted by our pain. And so much beauty is ruined and destroyed day by day by a variety of forces. I think the fact that we miss so much and that so much is lost is a testament to just how messed up everything really is. Every small glimpse of beauty that we see, I believe, is a gift...a sign post...a way that we're reminded and drawn back to things that are good. Many wonder about, but even less seek, the source of beauty. We seek it to capture it, to chamber it in our minds and hearts so that we can go back to it, especially in our old age. But beauty itself doesn't last. Buildings wear down, lilies and roses die, and we as human beings, our minds, our youth, our words, ideas, and passions...they all fade...as does our ability to experience and remember things once beautiful.

     I love traveling and live music. There is so much of this world I have not yet seen, places that my minds eye has yet to admire. Whenever I travel somewhere I always want to be able to capture what I see. I want to able to show people what I've seen and look back on my time...I love the showmanship and energy of live concerts, the way that musicians and venues blend light and sound while telling a story, communicating an idea, or expressing an emotion. But I realize that there are certain sights and sounds, pictures and melodies that aren't meant to be experienced through a lens or a filter. It's an extremely hard thing for me to do, but sometimes it's best to just put the camera away and see the world through my own eyes...eyes that haven't yet faded that can see all the intricacies of the smallest flowers, the patters on the tree trunks, the lights of the city, and the grains of white sand through crystal blue water. It's better to just take in the words of a song, listen to the story, and let it resonate within your soul, singing it back with a hundred thousand people that, for a brief moment, you have found something in common with...even though you know that the music will soon become silence...


      Whether it's spending time with someone we love, enjoying the vibrance and wonder of nature, letting our hearts get swept away by a word, a song, a dance...or saying your vows to the one that is soon to be your other half...this is the fleeting, raw beauty you cannot manufacture. When it's before you, take the moment to wonder at it, admire it, and savor it. And when it has passed, keep going. Keep hoping. Be thankful that you could experience it. The only way we can see the greatest beauty in this world is when we take our eyes off ourselves and look up. We should all seek beauty in the world without, but there is broken beauty within each of us, as well, waiting to be made whole...waiting to be brought out in its fullest for the world to be able to see. When that happens, that is the beauty in this world that does not fade.

"The grass withers and the flowers fade, the word of our God endures forever." -Isaiah 40:8-

*photos by Paul Jacala, Copyright 2014

Not A Cure-All, but a Dang Good Medicine

      What traveling starting at a very young age, working at Starbucks, and working with youth has helped me see is that this world is entirely too large and that we miscommunicate entirely too much. Living in Europe and visiting the Philippines and has made my mind used to the idea that there are idealisms and customs beyond our own, and living in the North, the South, and the spending time in the West has helped me see the notable differences in culture, even among the nation I grew up in. With all our differences of value, culture, race, social class, and context, the only way we get by is by communicating...but we don't always do it gracefully and effectively. 

     Back in my early days as a barista I met a man of Middle-Eastern descent who was well-traveled. He was born in Saudi Arabia, but had lived teaching English in Europe and has traveled to several countries in South East Asia, as well (I believe). Conversing with him for brief periods was both enjoyable and insightful, learning about him and his experiences. What stuck with me in my interactions with him was his remark that in each culture he had experienced, there was always a strong, or stronger, sense of value...a stronger emphasis on respect, a stronger emphasis on community, a stronger emphasis on family.
      Another time I met a dear, sweet woman who lived in Cuba when Castro was in power. She conversed with me (and regular customer of mine) about the hardships that she faced and the things she saw living in Cuba. She had a grace and serenity about her that overcame that hardship, a life dominated by peace. But the point she made was how many people she had met that have little knowledge or awareness of what is happening outside of their borders.

     I know people that have never been anywhere outside of their small town. I know many that wish they could travel, and others that really don't care to. There are other ways to learn. What gets me is meeting people who choose to ignore and be oblivious...people that won't listen or consider. It's the people who have experienced the most that have the most to offer in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding...while so many others are content to be ignorant of the world. The thing I took away from all my experiences this that so many of our issues, our struggles...North and South, black and white, right and wrong, truth and falsehood...comes down to two things: communication and heart.

     There is, certainly, a enormous lack of communication. But the even bigger issue, I believe, is miscommunication. Communication is, many neglect, a two-way street of speaking and listening. This is where most fail...at listening. Our first impulse to speak...often times in bias, prideful showiness, or anger, depending on the issue. We all know those people. Trying to communicate ideas to them who It's like trying to push water out of a pipe while a jet stream is being shoved into the opening. The best conversationalists understand the perfect balance of speaking and listening, interjecting and holding back. A good communicator understands that there is an appropriate time and place for every word.

"The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. 

We listen to reply."

      We fail to hear first where a person is coming from, to put ourselves in other people's shoes, consider their past, their pain, their struggle, the way they were brought up to think. Likewise, what we don't always consider is that our own viewpoint might be faulty, incomplete, or - heaven forbid - wrong. We make mistakes in our assumptions. We must make the choice to listen, to speak, to not be a harmful human being. When others are being ignorant, instead of writing them off, why not show interest...engage in that two-way dialogue. Figure out where they're at, empathize, try to understand, feel, think, and then, when you've done all those things, speak. In all the interactions we have with all the people we will ever come across in this world, there will be millions of ideas and sentiments we will communicate in our life time that we send into the air. Contrary to popular belief, once something is communicated, it cannot be "un-communicated." That being said, it's not just a choice, but it's our responsibility...to communicate what we mean, what we feel. If you, like every human being on this planet, want to be truly understood, you have to communicate.

      But the crux of it all is heart. It's the starting point to whether we're closed off or open to the prospect of listening, opening up, and becoming vulnerable...and, in turn, learning about other people. Our hearts have a desire to be filled, and cultivated, and enriched by the relationships we build with other people, but often times selfishness and prejudice get in the way of truly connecting. If our hearts are full of hate, anger, bitterness, laziness...we don't communicate. We can't communicate. Even the most effective communicators abilities can be hindered by their personal vendettas. But if our hearts are right with the people around us, when we're being selfless, when we give...then we learn, and we can take it all in because we're pouring out. One of the greatest acts of love we can show someone is just listening to where they're coming from, asking questions about them and showing interest in their lives, and showing respect...for who they are and where they've been. This world is entirely too large and overpopulated to only be focused on ourselves. If we truly want to understand one another, we need open hearts, listening ears, and discerning tongues.

      From our hearts flow the issues of life, and from the heart the mouth speaks.

      Photo by Karissa Kincaid, Copyright 2014 

For Those Searching

“This is home.

Now I’m finally where I belong….

I’ve been searching for a place of my own.

Now I’ve found it…”

      We all want that. We want this sense that we've finally arrived at the place that we belong. We want to know we're doing what we were meant to do. We want to know that we indeed have...purpose. We look for this day to day in our personal dealings, in our relationships, in our work, in our hobbies, and in ourselves. We dig deeper and deeper in this crazy never ending search for peace. Or maybe we gave up on that search long ago. No matter where we're at, I think the problem is that we've looked in all the wrong places.

      I think that the issue is identity. We want to be able to be or associate ourselves with something good...something meaningful...something that is satisfying to our heart and psyche. We want to be able to take pride in who we are and what we do so that we can rest in who we are and look forward to doing it again the next day. We want to be able to look into the eyes of a person who completes us in all the right ways that we have the privilege of spending the rest of our lives with knowing we can lean on and share ourselves with them hand-in-hand. These are, in our culture, what we have called "the dream."

      But what happens when things change? What if we no longer have that career? What if the day to day craziness and stress takes the best of us and we aren't even doing what we set out to do any more? What do we do when that significant other becomes distant, suddenly picks up and leaves, or breaks our trust and heart? What happens when the adventures stop? What happens when sickness or accidents take away our abilities and energy. What happens at the end of our lives...?

"...We were meant to live for so much more.

Have we lost ourselves?

Somewhere we live inside..." 

     We don't think twice about the possibilities, and maybe we try not to. We're clutching onto everything we have in this world for dear life in fear that a strong wind, bad luck, or bad people will come along and take it away. But the fact of the matter is that this life is fleeting...ever changing. The things we have, the people we know, won't be here forever. If that is true, what do we hold on to then? What do we find our identity in? 

      Life is a journey with a world full of endless possibilities. We might be meant to do a number of things in our lifetime, go any number of places and meet all kinds of people, but our arrival never occurs on this planet. 

It's in the hereafter.

      We find our ultimate identity in a God that made us, loves us, gave Himself for us, and has a plan for us. We can fight that fact, deny it, kick and scream, shake our fist, ignore it, but at the end of life, we all need to face the possibility. So why not search it out? Test it. Question it. Put it on trial. And maybe, one day, embrace it. 

      We all have a bag full of choices given to us that we can make from the day we're able to think to the day we die. We all have a sense of self-awareness. Every day and every moment is a chance to be the best version of ourselves, to be the person we were meant to be and that we want to be. Don't settle. Take the higher road. Live the deepest life. See the world and what it is. Dig into the hard questions...the ones that really matter. When we find our identity in and pursue the plans that God has for us, we will always have purpose, direction, and hope. We can find that...if we search hard enough.

"It wont be long. 

I belong somewhere past this setting sun.

Finally free, finally strong...

Somewhere back where I belong."

quotes/lyrics from "This Is Home", "Meant To Live", and "The Setting Sun" by Switchfoot