My darling,

*Copyright CullensOnline  2/2/2012 - No part may be used without written consent of the author*

The winter of my sixth year changed my life forever. It's the year we went from a family of two to a family of five. 

It was a particularly rough winter, fever had run rampant through father's congregation taking lives in an alarming rate. My father spent many a night away sitting bedside with dying congregants. I learned to fend for myself a lot that…

Wednesday 7th, December 1941

I remember it well. The news hit us fast and we were all in a state of disbelief. Was this a joke? A mistake? Surely we weren’t so vulnerable that they could just sneak in, destroy the entire fleet and get out before we knew what hit us. 



It was no joke. The Japanese had launched a full out attack on our…

Darling Esme,

I have existed for a long time not answering to anyone, dependent on nothing and committed to only myself. During that time, I felt as though the world was mine for the taking and truly believed that I was experiencing life to the fullest. Then, you came along and all of a sudden, I realized that was all a clever facade.

My love, without you I am an incomplete man in search of wholeness. I find that my existence was not all that I thought it was. In fact,…

My Darling Esme,…

Paris, France. The perfect romantic destination. The Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, The Arc du Triomphe all within reach. Or not.

I stand here on Champs Elysees trying to get my wits about me. My mind is a whirl of unrest, angst and worry. My wife, our daughters and friends have been taken to Volterra against their wishes being accused of murders they surely did not commit. I know though, that my boys are more than capable of taking care of the situation while I, along with Liam, Sio,…

A very wise man once told me,"Being willing to change allows you to move from a point of view to a viewing point -- a higher, more expansive place, from which you can see both sides."

I try so very hard to live by these words. I admit, sometimes it's not easy. Conflict is all around us. The fact that it affects us is due to OUR acceptance. If we simply accept it, there it is. Learning to embrace it and manipulate it to a positive outcome is what needs to be done.

It's…

Tonight I got jailed on Twitter for the very first time.

@AmyRanker stepped in and created a protest poster to get me freed from behind the bars!Thank you, Amy! I think it worked as I'm 'free' once again!

~ CC…

https://thecullensonline.ning.com/group/currentevents/forum/topics/esme-needs-closure

Some thoughts after my conversation with Esme

I sit here writing this feeling completely helpless as Esme slips out the back door in search of her own answers under the guise of needing a hunt. She hunted a day or…

Innocence Lost - Part 3



As I reached the top of the ladder I saw him. I jumped with a thud, my feet hit the ground running, he was behind me, catching up with great speed. My mind raced. I knew he was one of them, his eyes and feral expression was obvious. I ran like I had never run before, dodging trees, jumping over fallen limbs and rocks until I hit the clearing out behind the church. I didn't dare look behind me, that would just slow me down. I felt myself being lifted as if I…

The Boy who Cried Wolf

Aesop's Fables 

There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!"

The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf. The boy…

April, 9 1945

Dearest Esme:  

Two weeks have now passed so I am free to tell you of certain personal experiences and incidents that have happened on a recent combat mission.

There was tension in the air for days before. It was like a calm that precedes the storm.  I could feel that there was a big job coming and coming soon.  I wished it would come in a hurry, for the suspense of anticipation was…

Regret

How often do we say something that we immediately realize was not the right thing to say? …

Forgotten Cut



(Title inspired from a Men's Journal magazine article title with the same title)



Time marches on as do we, though slower than most, we are not immune to time as most may think.

As we go through the paces, we lose sight of that which was sacred to us... humanity.

Some let it go completely. Perhaps they were misguided as humans and do not want to remember. Some try to hold onto it by keeping their stories written down. We do forget over time.…

As 2010 came to a close I was tucked safely in the embrace of my beloved Esme. We reminisced, laughed and remembered good times and bad that we had experienced in 2010; things we shared together and also separately.

Work, family, friends... all things that we both love passionately. 

What 2011 will bring we have yet to discover. I look forward to taking each step along side of my family and friends. I hope to experience great things in 2011.

 …