finally!

finally this works for me!
i was trying to think of something really cool to write for my first big snaps and stirrups post but i think i'm gonna share something with you guys that i've been chewing on for awhile now. it's something that jacob marshall, the drummer for mae posted on one of his blogs. i really liked it. hopefully you will get something out of it like i did. this is from maeteam.com...(it's long, but bear with it.)

As many of you know, we were invited to come to the Capitol and White House for some meetings about art and its role in the development of culture. The most important thing about about this experience was the oppotunity to learn. As a band we are just a collection of individuals and as individuals we have been divided in certain aspects of personal political ideology. We have never rushed to be a "political" band because of those differences of opinion. While writing Singularity, we challenged ourselves to really explore the worldviews we each had and basically went under a drastic deconstruction of how we arrived at those foundational views and opinions. The ability to see ourselves from a distance led to an amazing season of reflection and the beginning of a reconstruction based on what we learned.I say all of that to say this. We don't have the easy "answer." We have a lot of questions and some basic things that we are all unified on. Those things are foundational. Things like responsibitly for ones actions and decisions. Care for those less fortunate than ourselves. The poor. The orphans. The widows. The disenfranchised. The isolated. Care for our planet and the future generations that will have to inhabit this place when we are gone. Belief in something greater than ourselves and not rushing to put a label on what that is. Love. Hope. Compassion. Humility. Community. Beauty. Logic. Hard work. Respect. Asking questions and not being too easily satisfied with other people's answers.I am so blessed to a part of a family that loves me and it is devistating to think that love is something that is missing from many homes and families. I can't even begin to express how grieved we were over these Va Tech shootings and the lives that were ripped apart in the wake of that devestation. I can't help but think about what could have been done to avoid that. Would love have spoken a different perspective into that moment before the first shots were fired? I don't know but I can't help but feel like it would have made a difference. Isolation is a cold blanket to be wrapped inside of. We are all born into a complicated world. Life is a story that we are thrown into without a chioce and left to figure out as we go. Its hard to find our bearings. Everywhere you look someone is selling an "answer." But those answers leave me unsatisfied. They inevitably fall apart and leave a bad taste in my mouth.I believe in the search. I believe that we are meant to be here. I believe that there is more to our story than we are aware of. I celebrate the mystery that through us the universe has become conscious of itself. I have seen some amazing (and unimaginable) things along the way and I am grateful for the patience of those who took the time to teach me something. And as hard as it is sometimes (and I will humbly admit there have been times of extreme depression that I wanted to throw it all away) LIFE is truly a gift to be treasured. If this makes you feel something, let me know. I don't believe I am alone.