“The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better”-Robert F. Kennedy
I woke up today feeling incredibly inspired and motivated. I dreamt up a bunch of new ideas for my brand idea I am trying to bring to life. Now I know I don’t have a huge audience as of yet, but I’m going to write as if the whole world is listening. I have officially taken my Instagram to a “WHOLE… ‘NOTHER… LEVEL” (MadTV skit Keegan-Michael Key). I’ve gone public and have made it into a “professional page”. Despite my obvious sarcasm I am actually pretty excited to start this journey and post new content. I’ve been writing down ideas, organizing outfits, and purchasing different props. It’s all so much. I thought being an influencer was easy work, but I have to say it is not easy and it is not cheap. I am fully committed and invested in this project because I am hoping to gain enough attention and funding to support my other main goal. I am working with my Church on potentially buying land and building homes for homeless veterans. This is my ultimate goal and dream. It will be called Hugo Lemus’ Home for Veterans after my father. It will have free housing and counselors that will help these veterans utilize their VA benefits to the fullest.
My dream is to buy enough land to build 50 Tiny House properties with a Church in the center. I would also like enough space to have a full functioning garden to harvest from and sell at Farmers Markets to help fund this project. I also envision enough land to care for stray cats and dogs with the option of adoption for the Veterans. I hope to offer rides to the VA hospital and Pharmacies. I want to offer grocery trips and community dinners. Everything would be on a volunteer basis. I hope I can help my Pastor, Bishop Cecil Richardson, to build a Church that focuses strictly on the Word of God. A Church where you can ask questions and be heard. A Church that is not segregated by race, politics, or sexual orientation. A Church where God’s word is not twisted or distorted to fit any kind of hidden agenda. A true Christian Church where no one is judged only welcomed and accepted.
When it comes to faith, there are few things you should know about me. I was born and raised Catholic. My natural rebellious instincts were automatically triggered every time I was forced to sit down for an hour and told to keep quiet. My inability to just automatically obey caused me to become extremely irritable whenever I had to stand, kneel, and sit. Church meant nothing to me. I always believed in God and the idea of a Creator. I used to simply think Jesus was an awesome guy who got screwed over. I used to feel like God didn’t really have time for me and I was doomed to spend centuries in Purgatory anyways so why did anything I do matter? I used to blame God for everything. I blamed Him for the abuse I suffered as a child, my parent’s divorce, the abuse I endured as a preteen and teenager, my father getting sick, and all my failed dreams.
I was lost and angry for a very long time. It took the death of my father to gain some enlightenment and to finally open that door in my heart whose knock I ignored for so long. What came through that door was pure love and acceptance. It was a bright light filling me up with understanding and an intense feeling of knowing that everything really was going to be ok now. As much as I wished I could have kept my daddy here with me, I know he is no longer suffering. His soul has been set free from the body that could no longer keep up with his spirit and I know he’s running around in heaven doing everything he ever loved to do and more. I also know he is watching over my family and me. The point is this, once I opened my heart to God my pain was taken away and I felt comfort knowing my daddy was no longer in pain, but finally whole again.
I was my father’s caretaker when he got sick. I took him to his doctor’s appointment, his dialysis treatments, and spent time with him as much as I could working full time. I tried to help him out with meal prepping and taking him out to walk around for exercise and fresh air. My dad and I just always got a long and understood one another. My dad was everything to me, I cannot stress that enough. I put a lot on hold to take care of my father and I have ZERO regrets about that. I’m glad I spent all that time with my dad. It still wasn’t enough time though and that’s the thing, there never is; life is short. My dad’s death helped me realize that the amount of time you spend on this earth means nothing next to what you have done on this earth and how you lived your life. In realizing this I put together a list of all the things I want to accomplish and do. We are all capable of doing great things no matter how big or small as long as you make a positive impact. What I want my readers to take from this post is that making a positive impact on this earth is ALL of our life’s purpose. To even change one person’s life for the better is to have lived a great life.
