Welcome to Carl’s Place, the home of my blog. A place where I share my thoughts on just about anything and everything. Thanks for dropping in.

Originally I started this blog with the You Can’t Define Me section to share inspirational thoughts that helped motivate and get me through tough times. I hope that these thoughts can be halfway as motivational to others as they have been to me and that others can use them as motivation to keep moving forward and achieving their dreams as I have. As I continued writing, I found myself writing more and more about love and relationships, and so the blog also contains sections on Love and Love Lost. Most of my adult life has been spent pursuing love and hoping that I find that one person to grow old and share my life with. Now, I haven’t found her yet (well, I thought I did a couple of times but let’s just say that’s what the section on love lost is about), but I remain a hopeless romantic, so I don’t plan on giving up because I know she is out there somewhere. The African-American Experience section deals with the realities of being black in America, the racial and social injustices we encounter every day, and how as a people, all people, we are trying to overcome America’s sinful past. Then there is the As A People Section. For as long as I can remember, humanity has always been a little bit of a puzzle to me with all the artificial ways we have created to divide instead of uniting ourselves to better our species as a whole. I know I am a dreamer in this regard, but that’s OK. I have long ago accepted that I live in a dream world, and as you read the posts in the As A People section, one thing will be clear, I am a firm believer that we are all one people. While it is seemingly in our DNA to look for ways to hate, I still hold out hope that we will come together and figure it out one day. On a lighter note, I’m also a huge sports nut from New York City, so you won’t be surprised to learn that I have plenty of opinions about my favorite teams: the Yankees, Giants, Rangers, and Celtics. I know, I know. How did a New Yorker become a Celtics fan? A long story for another time. Bottom line: if you’re half as passionate as I am when it comes to sports, I’m sure at least half of what I say will get your blood boiling, and the other half, you’ll dismiss it all as typical New York sports bias. Finally, there are the Today’s Issues and Quick Hits sections; Today’s Issues is just what it says it is, a place where I give my opinions on the important, or at least what I deem to be important, issues of the day. The Quick Hits section is what I like to think of as the expanded Twitter section of my blog, where I just throw out random silly stuff that comes to me daily. None of what you will see inside Carl’s Place would have been possible if I wasn’t raised by two of the most remarkable people in the world, my parents Charles and Frances Cooke. They are, without question, my heroes, and I dedicate this blog to them. Once again, thanks for dropping in, and I hope you enjoy your time here at Carl’s Place.

DEDICATED TO MY HEROES

Charles and Frances Cooke were not just my parents; they were my heroes. For the first 22 years of my life, I had a front-row seat to their beautiful love affair, and beautiful it was. Today I have no doubt they are dancing together in the clouds, holding each other close and shouting for all in heaven to hear I love you.

When I was 37 years old, the bombshell that I was adopted was revealed to me. For many, this would have been Earth-shattering news but not for me. For me, it only added to the love and respect I had for my parents. You see, anyone can love and sacrifice for their own, but it takes exceptional people to do that for someone else’s child. And while someone else carried me for nine months for both Charles and Frances Cooke, I was their child. Never once did they give me any reason to doubt their love for me, never once did I wonder if they would be there for me, and while they may be gone from this Earth now, never once do I doubt that they walk with and look out for me every day.

To my father, what can I say other than what has always been self-evident you were a remarkable man. You taught me how to throw a ball, you took me to my first ball game, and most importantly, you taught me how to be a man. You showed me how to live my life the right way, not by your words but by your actions. Yes, dad, you were indeed a remarkable man.

To my mom, you must have been the inspiration for Maya Angelou’s phenomenal woman. You read to me when I was a child. You wiped the blood from my knee and the tears from my eyes when I fell as a boy. You encouraged and believed in me when I was a teenager, and you were there for me even after I grew into a man. Through it all, you put up with my nonsense and loved me unconditionally. Yes, mom, you were a phenomenal woman.

To my Mom and Dad, I say thank you for everything, I love you, and you will always be in my heart.