José N. Harris

“Who was that, dear?" I heard his mother's voice. "It was that dumb “wetback” kid," was his reply.”

“It felt to me as if we were all involved in some kind of twisted, South-of-the-Border, Darwinian, "Survival of The Fittest" experiment. And I wanted to win.”

“IT WAS A HOT AND MUGGY DAY AS I looked up in the powder blue sky that covered the Port of San Pedro. The Bell helicopter circled above like a dragonfly in my Grandma Cholé's rose garden. I don't know if it was the unbearable humidity or the whoop- whoop- whoop of the chopper's rotor blades as they sliced through the air, but something was affecting me.”

“I ran into the house, crumpled the pack of cigarettes and cried to myself. I cried for Ricky. I cried because I felt like such a coward.”

“Ricky opened his mouth and started to say something but his voice cracked. He closed his mouth. He then reopened it and then closed it again. He took a deep breath and then he stepped back and wiped his face again.”

“Esteban took a step backwards and took his sweatshirt off. He folded it and placed it on the ground next to the wall. He looked like a matador preparing for a bullfight. I opened my mouth and almost said something...”

“. I can still see Ricky on that roof... the sunlight shining in his round dark eyes, eyes dark as the onyx stones on my mother’s silver bracelet. His shiny black hair was matted and shoulder-length. I wondered who cut his hair. My grandmother cut mine.”

“In Juan Aldama, Zacatecas, no one had ever seen a "real" Jew before. Certainly not a living one! They were thought to be mythical like unicorns or gremlins or... La Llorona! Kids would poke and curse me. They would feel the top of my head... to see if I was sprouting horns... like Satan... like the Devil. Didn't they know? I was the new Jesus!”

“I could be illegal!”

“We swore to take care of each other. To never hurt each other. To love each other unending...”

“I still believe in Faith, Hope and Love. I will wait to see what my Father has in store for me next. This has just been a reminder for me to not forget that I am here for Him. And I can trust, He will take care of me.”

“Just when you think you know everything you can about a person... surprise!”

“Some people will try their best to snuff out the candle of hope inside of you. Don't let them!”

“Watching people who you love struggle with their own problems and refuse help, can be like having to watch someone you care about drown before your own eyes... and you are helpless. You can't save them...”

“Will you save my soul tonight?”

“I can be your hero...”

“Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.”

“SELFLESS LOVE.If you have a special person in your life, but you find yourselves arguing, irritated and/or fighting out of the blue… you both need to try to step back and be selfless and think of the other person... with no ego of your own. No ego. We are ALL dealing with our own tough issues. We may keep them to ourselves, but we all have struggles. If you BOTH allow yourselves to step into each others shoes- to have the awareness and respect for each others issues and struggles... that will most likely allow the love that you have for each other to shine through at its brightest.There will be ups and downs- feelings of being under-appreciated for both. It will happen. But let that be the worst that happens. Unity through diversity. That's the greatest love. A selfless love. It’s paradoxical, but you each would get back more than you give out. That's the love that conquers all things that’s mentioned in the Bible. It will be challenging for both of you, but well worth it.”

“The Bible talks primarily of two kinds of angels- Cherubim and Seraphim. But there is a third kind of angel. If you ever find yourself troubled, suffering or in despair, God may send you this third type of angel. These angels are called...'friends.”

“Most people know that when we are faced with an immediate perceived “threat,” adrenaline kicks in and we experience the “fight or flight syndrome”. Well, the brain also works the same at higher levels of processing. When we perceive a “crisis”, even if we have time to think about it, our brain will perceive it as a “danger” or as an “opportunity”. And… we will act accordingly. And… we will have an outcome based on that perception- danger or opportunity. I try to choose “opportunity” every time.”

“And where are you now My trusted friend And I'm so sorry You are not here I cannot think I cannot sleep I need somebody And always will This strange sick darkness Comes creeping on Haunting, calling me Swiftly approaching So come with me My trusted friend Lets refight the war In my dreams”

“For years now, I have waited to grow up. The truth, that I've learned, is that age has no reality except in the physical world. Our essence, of being human, is resistant to the passage of time. Our core and inner selves can remain eternal. Which is to say that our spirits remain as youthful and vigorous as when we thought we were in full bloom. As for me, I'm still quite a child inside..”

“I do not want to fall in love...Its like having two souls inside of you,and you control over neither one.”

“People can come into our lives, then leave without a moment's notice. Each time someone new enters my life, I open a room for them in my heart. When they leave, the room remains. My heart is full of mostly empty rooms.”

“The child inside of me,Cares about the child inside of you.”

“Random intermittent positive reinforcement can be found in gambling... and bad relationships.”

“If only for a day, I got to be "Dr. Harris, Neuroscientist" again... It felt nice.”

“To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did. When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, butmerely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate onthis sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace ofGod will not protect you.”

“Look at these clowns...-Hand picked monkeys.What's wrong with this scene?-Everything.”

“Immediately after the explosion of the concussion or fragmentation grenades, Soldiers in the kill zone return fire and assault through the ambush position using fire and movement...”

“One of the things I learned firsthand as a child, growing up in Zacatecas, Mexico was... that when you fight with a pig, you both get dirty,but the pig likes it.”

“In the morning, I do not eat because I think of you... At noon, I do not eat because I think of you...In the evening, I do eat because I think of you...At night, I do not sleep because I am hungry!”

“Pooh leaned back against the tree, thinking to himself, "Hmm... I wonder if there's any hunny left in the hunny pot?" As he slowly switched the clacker's safety to the "off" position.Piglet had just finished inserting the blasting cap into the claymore. "What?" said Piglet, with a jump. And then, to show that he hadn't been frightened, he jumped up and down once or twice more in an exercising sort of way.”

“There are some that criticize and insult because they feel my views of how we should treat one another are too conservative. Others try to attack me for being too liberal. As for me, I don't take it personally... It just means I am doing something right. For... I don't stand for any political party nor am I interested in politics. I care about Constitutional, Civil and Human rights. I care about my fellow brothers and sisters. Depression is anger turned inward... and vice-a-versa.”

“Do not say I didn't loved youDo not say that I didn't give you,My love, body and soul.I gave my life for youI was thereI never failed,I surrendered my self.You did not accept me as I am,And every time I spread my wingsYou cut to them.You never wanted to acceptEveryone has a pastThe past is past.”

“Some of us lived different lives, during a different time, in a different universe. We did it on this planet, though. You may have been watching Miami Vice or something else on TV at the time, so you didn't notice what was happening. You would not recognize us among you. We look, walk and talk the same and we can tell funny jokes. But we are different and will never be the same again.”

“The fastest runners don't always win the race and the greatest heroes don't always win the battles. But just keep running and fighting if that's all you can do. Never lose faith. And one day, you just might attain all that you hoped for and... more.”

“Look at meIt really was not easyBut I can breatheAnd I’m so grateful because I can seeI am freeTo do exactly what I pleaseSo come with meTo a place where we can be”

“I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday. :)”

“Each of us, has inside of us, a basic decency and goodness. If we listen to it and act on it, we can give a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It's not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage to listen to our own goodness and act on it.”

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken - because the greatest tragedy in life is to risk nothing at all...”

“Control Mastery Theory in psychology says that sometimes life is like watching a difficult and tragic movie. We can become too caught up in the action and the pain to let our emotions show. But in the end, if it turns out happy, then our tears can flow. Because then, we know we are safe.”

“I think "Swiffer" wet mops were made for lazy men, but hey.. they work!!!”

“My mom passed away 3 years ago. Recently, I found her “special” photo album- the one in which she saved her favorite pictures, postcards and memories. Halfway through the album I found a small, wrinkled, slip of paper. When I looked closer, I could see that it was a “re-admittance” slip for me, to get back into school... in the 10th grade! Why would she save that all these years???”

“The ache for "home" lives inside all of us, to be able to return to our safe place and not have to be stressed and burdeoned by the world. Home”

“Many of God's angels do not have wings...”

“I don't know what scares me more- When my daughter's start calling me daily or when they don't call...”

“Live and laugh like there is no tomorrow.Bark at the moon frequently, but never alone...”

“In the end, when they are unsure of what is going on- I always tell my daughters the same thing.That for the most part...People wo care, act like they care.And people who don't care, act like they don't care.”

“Trust what you love, continue to move forward in that direction, and you will end up where you truly hope to be.”