time certainly does fly, but all the more so when every Daddy grimly observes the ticking clock against the dreaded time his “little girl” lets go of his protective hand.

however, those fears can be reasonably set aside for the moment, because its that magical time of year, again. and, the 7th Annual – My Princess Dance is upon us! it is! so, mark your calendars! guard the date, and fiercely so! Saturday, February 18th at 630pm to 9pm at The Foundry at Puritan Hill. stand firm, goodly men, and register, here.

to be sure, you’ve read earlier stories on this Blog from last year, God gave me daughters. What did He give you?, Its time for a Princess to Dance!, the Princess and the me, and, investing in my daughters.

consider forging a few stories of your own.

I have three Princesses in my immediate family with the girl of my dreams at my side, and two daughters that I’m determined will realize their own.

I coach a good number of princesses in soccer. but, that is different. and, the stuff of other stories. you can always read about those adventures, here. now, I’m also coaching young lads in Lacrosse with the best hopes of influencing them to be gallant around any right Princess. more on all that, to be certain.

Haley Anne and I went to the first “Daddy/ Daughter Dance” six short years ago after a heads-up from Woody Faulk (a father of four girls of his own) let me know he would be hosting this inspiring event. it has quickly became an Atlanta-area tradition. Last year the event was renamed, and aptly so, “My Princess Dance,” and held at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead. More than five hundred fathers and daughters came to that My Princess Dance, and they are, and all of them, forever changed. complete with princesses, carriages, chocolate fountains, and a knighting ceremony, the evening was spectacular.

Haley Anne kicked me to the curb after seventh grade and I started taking Emma Jo to the dance. the experience has been brilliant for us all, and I’m keen to share it with any man that understands how important he is in the life of his daughter. I’m convinced this is a vital bond where God really trusts some of us with daughters. the anticipation builds with talks about pretty dresses and an afternoon getting hair and nails done (or, Mommy can certainly do that!). it’s dancing practice and perhaps a special dinner. then come the shared secrets and the memories that enchant a life-time realized in only the span of a few hours that leave us all the more excited about the next year.

the My Princess Dance is all about the importance of family by stopping the busy-ness of life, and spending time with those we love, and cherish, the most.

read more about My Princess Dance in this story, printed by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution: bit.ly/fLhOUt. do it!

and, then watch the video below for a sense of what is yet to come (sorry if it’s bleeding over on this blog page. it’s videos fault, and not mine own – yet, I’ll forgive almost anything that helps me share this wondrous event with you all.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

So…

my Blog posting has certainly realized itself a rare effort, lame and uninspired of late.

my only excuse has been the holidays and coaching an indoor and a Select Field Lacrosse team.

but, I did find the time to revisit a book that reminded me how much I have always favored alternative music, especially that from the ’80′s and early 90′s. in particular, I’ll have to mention and lift-up The Smiths. and, one of the best chronicles of their significant contribution was, and remains, Johnny Rogan’s Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance.

that was a powerful, charismatic, dynamic and  creative team. likely on-par with Lennon and Mccarthy (Beatles). and, their crushing falling-out was equally telling within the history of musical collaboration.

to wit…

Rogan has offered us an account of the rise and inevitably agonizing fall of English indie phenom The Smiths that is a must-read for any music fan that understands how this band forever changed the music industry by pioneering the alternative recording scene. the book dives deep offering us insight within the steady development of the bands brilliant four albums. you’ll also have an accurate insight into the lives and thinking that drove an unprecedented string of hit singles.

NOTE: what is a bit unusual is this is a partial rewrite of the original book. the first effort famously drove Morrissey, himself, to publicly state that he wished Rogan would “…perish in a car crash”.

charming. but, so Morrissey.

a must read. do it!

meanwhile, enjoy How Soon Is Now by, by (the very same) The Smiths. the tune was recoded in 1984, the year I graduated from University, and released in 1985, the year I stormed Southern California. originally released as a B-side single to William, It Was Really Nothing, it soon after found a home on the Smiths album, Hatful of Hollow. more recently it’s showed-up on the refreshed the eponymously named album, The Sound of the Smiths. I tell you all of this because I suspect you should be wondering.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

you can also listen to me narrate this post, here: you have to understand evil to appreciate goodness by brian patrick cork.

when I was much younger (which is all the more relevant now that I’m near one hundred years of age), my Nana (Mom’s Grand Mother) said, “where there is greatest good is where you will find evil’s best opportunity”. of course, she said it with a very raspy Italian accent, but I clearly understood.

mind you, Nana ran boot-leg gin out of her bathroom during the depression in Old Sacramento. but, she also taught my Mom how to high-dive, think independently, and to love “fiercely”.

I think she meant that you have to understand evil to appreciate goodness.

I am not hypocrite, just like I can’t claim to be an evangelical Christian. but, I talk about subjects and discuss topics realized in the Bible because the book is so relevant with it’s perspective and point-of-ageless example.

in any event, dedicated readers of this blog and long-time stalwarts of mine understand that I don’t know for certain that Christ rose from the dead to make his point and save us all. but, I do look around myself daily with confidence there is a higher power that influences and compels my actions around doing good things. so, I’m hip with God. I’ve always been quite matter-of-fact about that. its seems obvious to me God is our ultimate cause-and-effect. I’ve never seen any point in debating against it. call that instinct, but I know it’s conviction.

so…

Satan might be a frame-of-mind. but, that perspective is what offers the greatest hope that good can prevail. maybe that propels our actions. were there no comparison, we would have no baring-point to align those actions. the fear of death and fading to black nothingness awakened God in our hearts. and for God to hold us accountable there must needs be something to lose. that makes Satan darkness, and God light.

if only life were always that simple. then again, perhaps it is. ironically, death is the proving ground, eh.

so… I’m typically focused on doing good work. most of the time it’s easier than the alternative, anyway. especially if you surround yourself with people that generally feel the same way and conduct themselves accordingly. I still get offended and surprised when people are bad or do things that seem out-of-sync with my sense of fairness or fair-play (that occurred just late last week with a guy in my business life named Marcus, for example). but, that’s the best potential to stay on-point, right?

I ask God every day to keep introducing me to good and better men. when bad things happen I keep learning and refining my own sense of virtu, by comparison.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork