Say

I don't have much to say. Or... Perhaps I have too much to say.

a speck of sand...

My voice is just a speck of sand in a vast wasteland
The wind will blow me where it may
Perhaps my voice will get stuck in your eye
And make you pay attention
You will wince in pain
And cry real tears
My voice will affect you

I don't want to cause you pain
I want to enlighten you
If I can

But my voice
my tiny speck of sand
will more than likely be drowned out
by the infinite din
and multitude of voices
You look at them swirl in the wind
And from a distance
They all sound the same
It is all sand
It is all meaningless

And though I yell
I am different
The other specks yell louder
We are all pleading our case
We are all different
None of us is right

My voice is just a speck of sand in a vast wasteland
Aiming for your eye
Just so you will hear me.

Tolstoy

Mother's Day

I could understand if you
from all the daily stress should bend
and with your tears replace the dew
and sorrow's hands your heart should rend

When all your many burdens bear
a weight which dwarfs the very earth
the weight of loving ones so dear
Who crawl then walk away from birth

The time that they were always near
When every stirring, every kick
Would cause great wonder, calm your fears
would make you smile and make you sick

A distant memory of the past
When two hearts shared one steady beat
This constant march seems all too fast
 and slow and good and bittersweet

But every day you strive to teach
them how to  learn and live and love
So when one day, you're out of reach
They'll turn their face to God above

There is no trophy, prize or fame
Just little wins and simple joys
Just two people who know  your name
Your little girl and your little boy

Not Just Space, But Time

If I handed you a map

That could leadyou far away

Before you leave just figure out

Some place that you could stay

And if that place is comfy

And if you settle down

Make sure you keep that sacred  map

That led you to that town

Cause maps can work both ways, you know?

Just trace a backward line

Until you find you’ve traveled back

Through not just space, but time

A time when things seemed simpler

When you didn’t have to fear

When you didn’t have to worry

When you had not tasted beer

When you said you hated nap times

When you cuddled close and cried

When you hit your sister in the car

On every single ride

When the maps you drew were pirate maps

That led you through the yard

X marked the spot where you would dig

(X wasn’t very far)

But use that map and travel

All its wand’ring, winding drives

Just remember which ones lead you back

Through, not just space, but time

And follow them occasionally

Come sit and laugh and stay

If only for a moment

‘fore the map draws you away

A journey’s full of changes

And lives are much the same

They switch and rearrange us

Till our past is just a name

Till we think that we are too old

Till we think that we are right

Till we think that we have figured out

Just how to win the fight

And we forget the road that led which way

WE forget the lines we lost

WE forget the map can show us which

Crossroads we had crossed

We forget that comfy corner

Where we had settled down

We forget the lights and streets and signs

Of our very own hometown

So use that small gift wisely

And sometimes use its lines

To help you take a journey back

Through not just space but time

Where you can find your bearings

And tell us where you’ve been

And we can smile and laugh and play

And hold you once again

Then send you through that rough terrain

With new tires and a spare

And all our love and wishes

With all our deepest prayers

And you can use that map again

And it can lead you home

To that place where you had settled down

That place you called your own

And, my map can always lead you

If you follow all its lines

Ever onward, ever forward through

Not just space but time.

hill top

Dear Karen, Supervisors and Associates,

It has been my pleasure to work with you all to create a better Hill Top Coffee Shop over the last (nearly) 3 years.  We have made some big steps forward towards destroying the stigma of the ‘campus’ coffee shop.  Together we have changed the logo, the atmosphere, we have cultivated its personality and culture and we even upped the level of professionalism that was already there.  There is now no denying that the Hill Top is a ‘real’ coffee shop.  Better than most, but still surging forward.

That is why I am sad to say that my time with the Hill Top is over.  I have been offered a position with Tazza Mia that will give me the opportunity to take the lessons I have learned here and build on them.

I feel like I have been blessed to be a part of the team that was headed up by the sweetest, most caring and compassionate boss around.  Karen, thank you for all you have taught me about leadership and life in general.  I will not forget the times we have spent brainstorming and learning new and different ways to bring the Hill Top up another notch.

For all the supervisors that have worked under me, thank you for all the passion and creativity you have poured into Hill Top.  You have stretched me in many ways and I have enjoyed all the frustrations, all the silliness and all the fun we have had together.

To all the associates… you are what makes the Hill Top so special.  Your enthusiasm for what that place represents is contagious.  Thank you for bearing with me and my crazy coffee obsession (even going so far as to drink bad espresso shots and even good ones with me).

It is a bittersweet thing when you grow up and leave for college.  You climb in the car with a few suitcases, adjust your mirrors, and go. Suddenly, you look back at the road behind you and realize, you can come back and visit every now and again, but things will never be the same.  That is what this feels like to me.  I am driving on and looking back through the rear view realizing it will never be the same.  That I will never be the same. 

Sincerely,

Eric