Joshua D. Cooke

Let's get something straight right away.  When I was around two years old or so, it was discovered I had a hearing impairment.  I was fitted with hearing aids and have dealt with the implications of this fact my entire life.  For all we know, my hearing impairment is simply a result of a premature birth and the all-out efforts to keep me alive.  The way I see it, when one looks at pictures of myself looking nothing short of a crazy science experiment at birth, I consider myself quite blessed to have come out of it all with nothing a few scars and a hearing impairment to show for it. Now, in many ways growing up with a hearing impairment was not easy.  First of all, I was and still am extremely stubborn when it comes to wearing my hearing aids.  It's not like those things fit in your ear like a glove on your hand.  They are uncomfortable and annoying.  They rub against the inside of you ear at times and makes them itchy and sore.  There were...

I was recently reminded that I have been remiss in writing in this blog over the past couple of months.  Between that reminder and yet another reminder of the realities of life, it's important for me to put some things down here and I hope that I can once again grab the attention of my readers.  Forgive my absensce. This post is not an easy one for me to write.  I have had a lot of thoughts over the past couple of days, and I really don't know how they are going to come together.  I do know this though.  It is fully my intention to write this post both as a tribute and as a reminder.  I write this post from my perspective and my perspective only.  I am not going to sit here and pretend to understand all the facts and circumstances, and at the same time I am not going to skirt around the truth either as I see it.  I am an individual who has become extremely familiar with hindsight, and I wouldn't be surprised if much of what I write here ...

I recognize that I have been remiss in writing the past few weeks.  I will use the simple excuse that I have been busy.  What can I say?  I'm in a Master's program that runs on the quarter system.  It makes for some pretty intense scheduling.  I have had some thoughts going through my head though, and would like to take the time to share them here.  As you can see, it's an entire conglameration of thoughts, so we will see whee it takes me. My family and I moved from Utah to Ashland Oregon at the end of July.  We have been here for several months now and it really has become home to us.  The weather has been awesome.  We are just now getting into the rainy season.  Up until three weeks ago we have had nothing but blue sky and sunshine.  This has made for some great times.  There has been a lot of family walks, trips to Lithia Park, one of the most gorgeous parks I have ever seen, and plenty of bike rides.  I have come to ...

The theme of loss keeps hitting myself and my family.  There doesn't seem to be any end in sight.  We are all to familiar and used to the sting of loss.  Fifteen years ago my brother brought home the greatest birthday gift he ever received.  He was a faithful Alaskan Malamute puppy we called "Malone," after NBA great Karl Malone.  He has been the greatest and most faithful companion any boy and family could have.  Of course, I think nearly everyone says that about their dog, but Malone was special.  Today, Malone passed away after fifteen faithful years.  His old body finally got tired one last time.  We love him and miss him so much, perhaps none more so than my brother.  Over the past several years, I have written poems and eulogies for nearly every one of my family members that have passed away.  Today, the need and desire to do so was no different.  What follows is a new poem in memory of our faithful friend and companion M...

Please head over to the Author Blog for an update.  I have some changes to announce in terms of my future projects.  I am excited about them and hope that you will look forward to them with me. Much has happened over the past couple of weeks that has caused me to reprioritize some of my projects.  Let's just say that being in the moment has caused me to see that some things are best left unsaid for awhile, and moving forward with new projects will be the best course of action for now. I hope my readers have enjoyed my thoughts on this blog as well.  I will continue to update each page regularly.  There are also some more poems that will be shared.  Keep on the lookout for them on this front page.

This is going to be a difficult weekend for me.   There has been much going through my head, and there is much in terms of the feelings in my heart.   One year ago this weekend was the last weekend I would spend with my Grandpa Nick while he was alive on this earth.   I look back on it now as some of the most tender moments of my life, but also some of the most difficult and heart wrenching.   My grandpa was one of my dearest friends, he was my hero, in many ways he was my rock.   I could describe my relationship with him in every cliché way possible.   I don’t think I can really put in to words sufficient what he meant to me or even what I meant to him.   We had something special and unique, indescribable, and the more I have thought about it, the more that is okay with me.   My relationship with my Grandpa Nick is a pearl of great price that I can carry with me in my heart, one that will be forever polished, and one that I really don’t have t...

Some things are just meant to be put on the front page, so I didn't think it necessary to link this post to anything, and that I would just put it right here.  It's 11:45 at night on September 30, and I can't sleep.  Not tonight.  It's just not sitting right with me.  Today I learned that some dear friends of mine lost their newborn baby boy.  What was four days ago a wonderful blessing shared with family, friends, and all around the social media sphere, today turned into sadness and a hard reality.  I can't get it out of my head, and I can't get my friend and his family out of my heart.  I ache for them in the worst possible way. In times like this, when I reflect on my own life, my thoughts turn to several things.  The first is, I am grateful that I know there is a God, and even more so, that He is my Heavenly Father.  I am grateful to know that there is a plan, and that life is not just a matter of chance or of happenstance.  Next t...