I love America. I love the freedoms we have. I truly would not want to live anywhere else. But I also realize that America has its problems, just like any other country. What’s great about America, is we have the right to criticize the things that need to be changed. Well, at least we used to.

I am concerned with this new sentiment of Love It or Leave It. We have all heard someone say it. Heck, I even saw it on a church sign. Really? Note to self, never attend that church. If you have used this statement, I would encourage you to check your heart. Also check your America History. America was build on people being able to share their concerns about this country without the threat of being told to “go back to your country.” Even though those who dare to criticize America, where actually born here in the Good Ole USA.

I know some will be upset with this post. How dare I think it’s okay to criticize America? I make such criticism, not because I hate America, but because I love America. We have to stand up for people even if we do not agree with their opinions. That is their right. A lot of great people died to give them that right. We have to be willing to look at the good and bad that makes up America. The day we stop allowing people to criticize America, is the day we become like a communist country and lose what has always made America great. ~OC

I love technology and social media. If you follow me at all, you know I have multiple social media pages. I love it. With that said, I wonder if all our technology has made us slowly stop living. I mean truly living.

Have you been at a restaurant, church or basically anywhere and looked around? Almost everyone is buried in their phones or computers. Sometimes this happens has we are sitting in our living room with family/friends. We have become so obsessed with checking our social media pages, I believe we have stopped truly living. We seem more concerned about how many friends we have on social media and less concerned about the actual friends we have, that would love to hear from us. We have become walking zombies, constantly looking for the perfect update to post on our social media pages. I am not pointing fingers, because I have been guilty of doing the same thing. Hello! I am writing this blog post from my cellphone.

Sadly, we don’t value friendships, conversation or just hanging out these days. We seem more concerned about posting the next great post. If we lay our phones down for a minute, we might miss what someone had for dinner. Meanwhile we are missing life. There is always going to be a new project, task, or social media update we have to complete. My fear is we are losing the true meaning of life. The art of truly living.

So this week, I challenge everyone including myself to put down the phone/computer and truly live. That could mean meeting a friend and spending time catching up. That could mean taking a walk and just enjoying time with nature. You don’t have to take a picture or video to prove you did it. Maybe you can use your phone to actually call a friend or loved one and have a real conversation. Take the time this week to truly live. ~OC

As I sit in the Infusion Room at Florida Cancer Specialists, I am surrounded by a lot of hurting people. My fellow patients were just living an ordinary life, when life threw them a curveball. Their lives will never be the same. Their family and friends will never be the same.

Life can change in a moment. None of my fellow overcomers were planning to deal with cancer or other health issues they are currently battling. Most were probably going to work everyday and trying to provide for their families. They probably had plans to take vacations and for some others to enjoy retirement. Then life threw them a big curveball. Most probably never saw it coming. I know I didn’t. I wasn’t prepared for my life to dramatically change. I am sure my fellow patients were not prepared for the curveball that came their way.

As I look around this room, I see stories of overcoming. I see people doing everything they can to get their old life back, but embracing their new one. I see some faces that have been on this journey for a long time and I also see people who are just starting the journey. We are all trying to navigate this new reality. Some are doing better than others, but everyone is battling.

As you go through life today, remember everyone is dealing with something. With some, you can see their pain. It is written all over their body. But there are others that the pain is not easily visible. Everyone’s journey looks different. That is why it is so important to treat people with love and respect. To live a life of compassion. Because you never know what curveball has been thrown their way. ~OC

Several people have suggested the reason I am not getting a lot of speaking engagements, is because of the things I share on my blog. They believe my choice of topics scare some people. Some people have suggested I stop sharing controversial topics. What I hear is, stop sharing on thought provoking topics and stick with sweet and positive post. Sorry I cannot do it.

Let me share, that everything that I write is what God has put on my heart. I always pray before I post anything on my blog. Some things I have written will probably never be posted. My intention is never to shock people with my post. I have no desire to be a “Shock Blogger.” Not sure if I just made up a new phrase. No, my desire is to make people think. To encourage people to have real conversations about tough topics. To never be afraid to speak up.

So, I will continue to share what God puts on my heart. If that means people don’t want to hire me to share my journey, that’s okay. I will never stop speaking out on topics that I care about. If you don’t care for my blog post and do not want me speaking to your organization that’s fine. I would probably not be a good fit anyways. I truly believe there are organizations that will welcome me and my crazy beautiful journey. Do not be afraid to reach out. ~OC

If you turn on the tv or listen to some of our politicians, you will here a lot of racist and hateful comments. This is nothing new in America, but the fact that so many of our leaders are staying silent is very disturbing.

Why does it appear so many politicians are afraid to speak out against racist and hateful comments? Is it fear of retaliation from the leaders within the political party? Are these silent leaders afraid they will lose votes if they speak up? Are they racist? Do they just simply not care? I wish I had some answers to these questions. I really do.

I think it’s a sad state of affairs when elected leaders make the choice to stay silent, as other elected leaders continuously make racist and hateful comments. As voters, we need to demand better from our elected officials. As voters, we need to call, email or visit these leaders when they refuse to speak out against racist and hateful comments. Even if it means speaking out against someone in their own party.

I can promise you, that I will never support any person that spews hateful and racist comments. I will speak out against and write about the wrongs I see. I challenge everyone to step up and speak out against any politician that is sharing racist and hateful ideas. If you don’t, that makes you part of the problem. Remember, as a registered voter you have the chance to make a difference by voting. ~OC