J.P.M.F.Y.F.

J.P.M.F.Y.F. - by Tim Easton
(from his album "Ammunition")

Jesus, protect me...Jesus, protect me

From your father's words

Not all of them

Just the ones that turn love into fear and hatred

And the ones who say they are above me

And then point their fingers down at me

And the ones who judge me when I'm troubled

And then tell me on my street that I am lost

And they tell me on my doorstep that I will burn in Hell

Jesus, protect me...Jesus, protect me

From your father's words

Like the ones who only speak with anger

They're screaming from my television

While stealing from the hand that feeds them

And demanding that you are the only way

While spitting in the face of love

With one hand on the Bible and the other in the purse

Jesus, protect me...Jesus, protect me

From your father's words

Like the ones who turn their back on the dying

And laugh in the face of pain and suffering

They would kill in the name of freedom

Or the ones who would manipulate the constitution

And try to make laws of their opinions

While walking shoulder to shoulder with greed and violence

To the ones who would start wars in your name

To the ones who would attack me for this song

I sing Jesus, protect me...Jesus, protect me

From your father's words

Not all of them

Just the ones who turn love into fear and hatred

Home

I find myself dwelling on the idea of "home" much more frequently lately. The next 6 weeks....let alone the next 6 months....are going to yeild a great deal of change for me. Good change, for sure...but with change often comes a need to recharge and check in with "home" and all the people, places and feelings associated with it. I consider myself to be one of the most fortunate to have my "home" in such a place of beauty. I honestly can't think of any other place on earth to where I'd rather return than Marin county and our beautiful Bay Area. So much about this place just reminds me of everything I love and value and cherish in my life, and every time I return I feel as though my sense of self is somehow recharged and validated by the fulfillment I get from being home.

Home is a place where I can walk for 4 hours in the wilderness and not see a single human being. It's also a place where I can walk down the street and run into an old friend I haven't seen in years. It's where I spend hours laughing with my family, and where I'm reminded of why I love them. It's where I can spend an entire day and night on top of a mountain with an old friend and never want to come down. The sunsets are unmatched. The stars are always out. The deer and turkeys share the road with you, and the air is always fresh. You can recycle cans, bottles and paper when you're walking down the streets of Fairfax, and you can't look anywhere without seeing green.

The people - my people - are just as amazing. They care about the world both in sentiment and in action. They have passion that leads them down paths that are not only respectable, but inspirational. They defy convention and seek out happiness and success where most would never think to look. They overcome obstacles that would floor most. Most of them can out smart me in any discussion, and outwit me in any debate, but can still make me laugh until I cry. They've taught me about patience and about determination. They've taught me about compassion and about humilty. They've taught me to stand up for what I believe in, even if the people around me disagree, and that there are infinite ways to reach happiness. In knowing them, I've learned how to let go of pain and how to laugh. I've learned how to love unconditionally, even if from a distance. I've learned that sometimes people find what they've been looking for all their lives when it seems like it's too late...but really it's just in time. Some of them are my teachers, some my source of laughter. Some look out for me, while others give me someone to look out for. Some I've only known for a relatively short time, others I've known longer than even they know. But in them all I've found guidance, friendship, inspiration, support, lightness of heart, love and the freedom to be myself. They are home to me, and they continue to be the pillars of meaning in my life. They are my foundation.

And since leaving home, I have continued to build upon that foundation, finding others who emulate these values and sentiments and who have become a part of what I call "home." Over the past 5 years I have met just as many amazing people who inspire me in ways others have before, as well as in ways I could never have prepared for. I have found love of a whole new depth, and laughter unparalleled. And now as I prepare to leave both places I've considered home, I feel sad but fortunate to now have TWO places to which I can return and feel as though I'm coming home.

I guess home is much more than a place, or even a series of places. It's a feeling, and a sense of belonging. A sense that you have existed somewhere, been a part of something, and felt an impact by the people and places you've come to know. And, hopefully...if you're lucky...you leave an impact as well...so when you return...even if it's years later and just for a visit...you can somehow slither back into place...and feel as though you've been there before.