Dear Brother,

By chance, I met your sister the other day and we had a conversation which compelled me to "speak" to you. Your sister explained how you grew up without a father and how proud your mother was of the fact that you had reached manhood against the odds. The odds being that as a young black male you would either be in jail or in the ground. So you see brother!! You are beating the odds, each day you are able to wake up, each day you are not incarcerated, you ARE beating the odds. I don't profess to be all-knowing or a shining example for one to follow. I am just as you are, ONE thought, ONE breath and One action away from making a WRONG decision. The graveyards and prisons are filled to the brim with those of us who have made a WRONG decision. Though we have never met, we are eternally connected. I have felt your anger, your frustration, your disappointment and I've wished right along with you for a brighter tomorrow.

Brother, do you know that for each one of us that dies by the hand of one of us a piece of us dies too? Brother…you and I are US, we are one. One no more a failure, one no more a success than the other. Brother, I've wanted to tell you this for some time, but I guess I never quite knew how to approach you. Many thanks to your sister for letting me know it was time to "speak up". Brother if you could have seen and heard the love and concern in your sister's eyes and voice as she spoke of you, you would understand completely why I needed to "speak" to you NOW.

Brother, I understand your disappointment when you are unable to attain one of your goals, but brother let me tell you, life is too short to let one or two obstacles determine your life's path. So many times we go through life feeling sorry for ourselves or blaming something or somebody when things don't turn out the way we've planned. Realize this brother, there are some things in life you have absolutely no control over. You can't live your life beating yourself up over things you can't control. The more time you spend doing this, the less time you have to concentrate on the things you CAN control. Brother, I'm not the one to tell you what you've done right or wrong, nor am I trying to tell you how to live your life, I'm just trying to share a little of what I know about LIFE.

You know brother I was thinking how funny it is that we are more than willing to "pour some out for the brothers that ain't here", yet we hesitate to pour some LOVE out for the brothers that ARE here. BROTHER, do you hear me? Do you hear the worried mothers and sisters crying out? Do you hear the babies asking for love and guidance?

Brother do you HEAR what I'm saying? Brother, brother...brother, do you hear yourself? Only you know where you'll go from here, I never said I had the answers for you, I only hope that my speaking to you NOW, helps you have a chance to find some. PEACE To You, A. Brother