Way too late.....but not really

Gods timing is not our timing...even after 10 months...I'm still learning.

It's 12:58am here in Nashville. I finally nabbed a job with a little help from the Man upstairs. This night is one of the last nights that I get to stay up this late...Sometimes (like yesterday) I'm up till the sun shines through my Green Hills apartment and the birds here in the courtyard remind me that I should either get to bed or begin to make some coffee (what is it with coffee anyways?...seems overrated in my head but I still fall for it every time.)

So the title of this post fits my life to a "T." Especially for the last 10 months... Wow. Have I really not had a job for 10 months?? Thats a miracle in itself. I'd like to believe that God is in control of all that. He's obviously been my accountant for the last 10 months because freelancing for me has definitely not been a cash cow. Though I'll admit those checks from good ol' uncle Sam helped. But not really. I went to Mexico 2 times in the last 10 months. The 2nd time I went for 2 months. How did I do that, you ask? Well. I'm not sure in my own logic, but then, theres that God thing. So I get back from traveling. And I mean traveling a LOT....I was so burnt out from sleeping on the floor, friends couches, mexican couches, foreign beds, caves (yes I slept in a cave), camping, my dads truck, & Mexican hotels that when I finally got back into the country and back into nashville (I spent a couple weeks in SC, "debriefing"), I couldn't even sleep in my own bed... My body was still in "travel shock." (Not only Mexico in the last 10 but to SC, ILL, AZ & NC) I ended up sleeping on my own couch, in my sleeping bag, for two weeks. I just couldn't get myself to sleep in my own bed. I promised myself that I would write, make slideshows, edit travel videos of my trip. But I couldn't. I just couldn't... Until now... I mean. I did post (read below) some stuff about my trip... But never in the detail that I wanted it to have. I felt that my life was on hold...and I was late getting back... But thats the thing... my life wasn't on hold... maybe in some instances...But this was another turning point that would lead to a purification process that is still going on today.

I started reading the bible, praying and meditating every morning. By-the-way, "meditating" for me is different that you would think. I don't sit in the middle of my bed and go "oohm." My meditations are something special and between me and God... I know, sounds wacko doesn't it? Trust me, its nothing spectacular. Its just a way to help me prepare my time with God in the morning....err.. afternoon, depending on when I wake up. Anyways. Late....again with the lateness. I started this travel blog after a 2 year hiatus from blogging... It got too boring for me...I felt like I was writing just to write. I started a series of notebooks to keep with me...At any given time I can have about 3-4 different notebooks going. (music composition, design stuff, journal, travel) I've never seen my self as a writer but that's whats seems to be dripping from my seams lately. Lee and Drew held the Design biz down pretty well while I was out of the country. I missed a couple of birthdays (sorry Chris) but I made it back in time for one (Morgan). Once back, I felt that my time alone in what I call, "my wilderness," wasn't over yet.

God really works in crazy ways. I know its been said before... But its true. The thing is, He works in real ways. We just have to have the sight to see them when He does work. I see him work all around me if I can just look for the small things so I can see the Big things.... I'm not sure where I'm going in this blog...or where I'm going in the next month. Let alone the next 3 days. I'll be starting a new job soon and working for a new company that's expanding to Nashville from out West. I'll be working on a ministry for Mexico....Mexico is never far from my mind. Sometimes I grin or chuckle at the thought of Mexican Federales after us one eventful night. God was surely watching after us then ... Like he is tonight. I did feel alive during those days... And I feel alive today. I just had to let go of the world...I'm still letting go. Dying is a hard process because it goes against everything our bodies are telling us. But once you accept it. Letting go of the world is not so bad.

Now. Looks like I hit my second wind. Guess I'll go cruise to the other blogs.
whoever and where ever you are, I hope things are well.

[+] greg

Tenochtitlan. Mexico City

I had a chance to be there. Where the culture of my people began. Where I have roots. Where my history is... I've always wondered what the history of Mexico was and is. Since I grew up in America, all I've ever known is the history here. But being Mexican and having that heritage, I've never really had a chance to see where I came from. Until this year. I saw that history... and it made my spirit cringe.We were in the Federal District of Mexico City. Right there in the heart of it all. One of the largest catholic cathedrals I had ever seen was right there along with the presidential palace. But almost in between those was the site of old ruins in what was once Tenochtitlan. (prounounced: Tenosh-tit-lan. more or less). Tenochtitlan was founded by a wandering tribe of Mexica , or Aztecs, that basically built the city on a swamp. They built it because the sign the gods gave them of an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake. Which is todays Mexican flag. The Aztecs were an advanced civilization and even Hernan Cortez noted his impressions in his letters back to Spain. The Aztecs believed that they needed to have human heart sacrifices in order to see the sun rise every day. When they went to war with other tribes they made sure they kept as many prisoners alive so they would have bodies for the ritual. I was right in the very place that these rituals took place and I felt a pain in my soul because this is something that my ancestors where a part of. It's true that they were one of the most advanced civilizations to date... They had a great trade and agricultural system and had polytheistic practices.As I walked through the museum of the Templo Mayor ( The Major Temple) in Mexico City, I was saddened to know that my roots came from these type of practices... That my heritage came from the daily spilling of blood just to satisfy a piece of rock. A rock that now sits in a museum. And then enter the Spanish. The Spanish came and completely obliterated this civilization. And when they moved on...they left disease. All this I learned in a day but I still continue to research this culture. I think its good for one to know where they come from. We plan to make future visits to Mexico. See other places that I've only seen in dreams. Its funny... because when I was a toddler, my parents took me to Mexico. And I DO remember some of it. But it has been mostly in my dreams... I often ask my parents to confirm my memories.

So. these are the first couple of posts. I will continue to post about my travels so long as there are readers there to read them. I also want to post travels I have taken with other friends. So look out for those. I may even post about past trips. Such as a pretty sweet canoe trip I took in the late summer last year. Pictures will also be posted. Keep checking back.

[+] greg

When I left the world.

I just spent about 45 days in Mexico. My father and I left sometime right before the end of January. We left to start a business and came back with an even bigger vision of what we needed to accomplish. The 1st week we came down with a stomach virus but we managed to keep moving. Being in Mexico wasn't a culture shock as much as a vivid experience. By the end of our trip we had gotten so accustomed to being there (speaking spanish, driving, thinking, eating) that we forgot what the U.S. was like. Not that its super different. But yes, it was a different way of living and doing business. Looks like those international business classes paid off. Also, the fact I could speak Spanish fluently.We had lots of adventure. From the Federal police on on our tail to broken down trucks. Most of these are all too long to tell, but believe me we had an eye opening experience. I got a chance to meet family I've never met before. I got a chance to see a part of Mexico that most tourists don't ever see. I got a chance to see a lot of Mexico. I'm still adjusting to being back in the U.S. There were a lot of times that we wanted to go back home, but we had to finish and finish strong.

We went to visit four companies that my father wants to represent in the states. I was there to help him implement his web and marketing strategy. We managed to compile over a thousand photos and some video that we will incorporate into the website. This is also the first part of a new project to help people in Mexico. During our time there we also got the opportunity to begin some work with local churches. This was also a main priority for us. The first two weeks we stayed in my late great uncles house. It's a two-story house that we had all to ourselves. The house was fine, when we had running water and there were no scorpions! But we were there only for 2 weeks. After that we stayed in hotels and other families houses. Mainly hotels. We were definitely spoiled there considering some of the houses other people lived in. One of the ranches we started doing work in was full of straw and grass houses.Being here helping these people is something that is beyond words. We were in many states, San Luis Potosi, Jalisco, and the State of Mexico just to name a few. A lot of planning and brainstorming sessions came during our travel between cities and states. One of the miraculous events that occurred, was when we got a chance to meet a congressman in San Luis Potosi to present a plan of reforestation of Mesquite wood. A lot of doors where opened from this. My job was to not only help my father plan and brainstorm ideas for the business but to document and organize the info so when we returned we could begin to implement a plan of action. Now that we are back, we have begun the next level of this project. A website is in the works as well as other marketing materials that will be utilized to draw attention to the project.

[+] greg