The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

My dear friend Brian, who came out to me over 22 years ago and was disowned by his parents after sharing with them who he was, recently passed away. Regardless of what his parents and their sympathizers want others to think, I will not be fooled, and wrote a poem titled "BeLIEve" to share my thoughts and feelings on the matter. In response, I received this comment: - "That's poignant and very well said." The poem can be read here. - https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2011/08/blood-before-principle-poem-i-just.html

Sadly, my dear friend of over a quarter century, Brian, passed away a month ago. I've been trying to reflect and make sense of things since that time. One such reflection was a blog I wrote shortly after his passing, titled, "RIP Brian." I recently received this comment on it: - "Your article was heartfelt and honest and I’m glad you wrote it. As a side note, you’re not alone. You’re not alone in wanting the truth and you’re not alone in spreading the truth." The piece can be read here. - https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2023/01/rip-brian.html

Over 11 years ago my friend Brian, who had come out 11 years prior and been disowned by his parents as a result, came to me with depressive and suicidal thoughts due to said rejection. Feeling helpless, I wrote this poem for him, in an attempt to help him see he wasn't alone. While he said it helped him at the time, he unfortunately passed last month. I recently received the following comment on the aforementioned poem, titled "Blood Before Principle": - "That was both beautiful and heartbreaking." The poem can be found here. - https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2011/08/blood-before-principle-poem-i-just.html

I just received this comment on an old writing of mine, titled "Horror film characters are ridiculously stupid": - "Haha! 😂 That's perfect!" The writing can be found here. - https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2013/07/horror-film-characters-are-ridiculously.html

I just received this comment on my satirical YouTube video, "Putin Murica First": - "I laughed. Great impressions." The video can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIFxNM7BHg4&t=4s

"Be LIE ve" Doors locked Windows closed Shades drawn Lights out   Ears plugged Shades worn Lips still Eyes closed   Hearts worn Minds closed Lies drawn Souls gone   No matter the shade No matter the combination The light will shine through And unlock your safe   Your denial may be strong The gullible may believe But truth can’t be hidden The blind can even see   Guilt gnawing at your core Flashbacks on a loop No matter how much you run The truth will follow you

I've been struggling with the recent passing of a good friend of mine on multiple fronts. Yes, I suppose this is common with the grieving process, but it feels different this time.  It's said that the grieving process is divided into 5 stages: 1) Denial, 2) Anger, 3) Bargaining, 4) Depression, and 5) Acceptance. Oddly enough, I've just been going back and forth between stages 2 and 4. I've never been in denial about my friend's passing; don't really believe in a higher power, so it's unlikely I'll attempt to bargain with any alleged entity; and I've accepted his death. So, I just keep going back and forth between depression and anger, anger and depression, sometimes a bizarre mix of the two.  My seemingly unorthodox grieving process has come at odds with others' more traditional means of grieving, and this has made things progressively more difficult for me. At 19-years-of-age my friend came out as gay, and while he was readily accepted by most p...

A dear old friend of mine, Brian Grgurich, sadly passed away recently. He would have turned 42 next month. I decided to write a tribute for him, and wanted to share it with everyone. Here it is: I’ve known Brian for about a quarter of a century. If someone were to ask me, “What are the first two words you think of when the name ‘Brian Grgurich’ comes to mind?,” I’d state unequivocally, “love” and “acceptance.” Having said that, I’m now going to read a few Bible verses which remind me of him, and I’ll then add my own thoughts after reading them.   John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”   Romans 15:7 “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”   1 Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints.” ...

I just received this comment on my latest YouTube satirical video, "Donald Trump's Home Grifting Network": - "I loved your impression 🤍I watched it. Cracked me up. (And I love your tree)" The video can be seen here. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjRFl43YSMQ&t=118s&fbclid=IwAR1xGXBZn0hmvZC0HODKpqh56Tx_cZV6J2seaAmM1XrM63HBStikpLwkz7Q

I received the following comments on my latest satirical YouTube video, entitled, "Donald Trump's Home Grifting Network": - "😂😂😂" - "Nice Christmas tree!" - "When you turn to the profile, that wig looks just like his nasty ass hair!" - "'E-AT S-HIT' I don't know how you come up with this stuff! 😂" - "You mentioned hands. Yours are a lot bigger than his." - "'Trump stakes' had me rolling!" - "'African-American unicorn' did too!" The video can be seen here. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjRFl43YSMQ&t=118s