My Lady
I had someone post a comment on here the other day that I should quit playing around and marry my girlfriend one day. That comment alone inspired the following post. I have no problem telling anyone publicly I have every intention of marrying my girlfriend. Her love has grown stronger through any and every circumstance we’ve experienced. My girlfriend is a beautiful and intelligent college graduate who put her life on hold for me. I want to show her how much I appreciate that once I am released. She could have easily moved on and left me in the wind once the s**t hit the fan like so many others did but she didn’t. When things became confusing, stressful, and weird she stayed. That shows the amount of character she possesses. She is honest, respectful, humble, loyal, brave, courageous, smart, witty, beautiful, and one of three loves of my life. The other two are my daughter and my mother. She is with me because she loves me. This experience has really allowed me to see her in a different light and she still looks good. Marriage to me is more than just a ceremony and a reception. It is more than tuxedos and gowns. Marriage to me is the marrying of minds. Morals, values, principles, character and so many other things play into marriage. Even though she is beautiful I tell her all the time that I’ve transcended the physical attraction with her. I am now attracted to her intellect and spirit. I am attracted to the laughs we share together. I am attracted to her free spirit. I am attracted to our healthy conversations. I am attracted to her point of view. I am attracted to her aura. I am attracted to and love all of her. I am attracted to the way she supports me. I am attracted to the way she loves and supports my mother mentally. I am attracted to the way she home schools and raises our daughter. I am attracted to her. She has grown with me. She has experienced the ups and downs and stayed. The so called “homeboys” ran. She is still staying strong along with my mother and daughter. She never once gave me the feeling that she wanted to leave and for that, I will give her the world (mentally, spiritually, physically, and financially). I also can’t wait to have more children with her. J I am looking to have at least five. I want a lot of kids to love and I want them all by the same woman. I love that woman to death. There are three people who deserve everything from me, my mother, girlfriend, and daughter. Once released, I can’t wait to help lighten their loads. I love my tribe. As the saying goes, “I have 99 problems but a [woman] isn’t one.” J I have my home in order.
May 26, 2009 at 11:19 am
Real spit right there homie. My first day logging on and I am addicted to your posts. Coming from East Cleveland, I believe your words are sincere…
May 26, 2009 at 6:58 pm
You and Ashley will have a beautiful family! I am happy that you both remained strong throughout this ordeal. God bless.
May 26, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Maurice,
What a touching post,be able to say this things to the people we love is very important.
She shows her character since the day she decide to stay with you no matter what.And i imagine that was no easy decision.The support she gave you,its not easy to find,She must be a very special lady.
I wish you guys a lot of happiness and one big family
Peace,
Felipe
Ps: did you noticed that when you talk football the comments incresead?
our prays to Mike Tyson
May 26, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Just got to say for all the crap you get, if you someday find redemption by keeping your life on track, you’ll be an inspiration to those who have fallen before. I’m a buckeye that’s hoping you do succeed whatever life brings you. Day by day man.
May 27, 2009 at 6:02 am
Maurice,
I believe in your determination. Dues paid, I know you can move forward from this and achieve great things.
Best to you and your family,
Scot
May 27, 2009 at 6:06 am
When will you be released from prison?
May 27, 2009 at 6:59 am
Dear Mr. Clarett,
Well done. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to watch as someone of your age/generation stands up and actually take responsibility for their actions (I don’t mean to indite an entire generation but there are a great many people under the age of 40 that struggle to look inward when the s..t hits the fan….in short, they tend to blame others for their own shortcomings). As a soon to be really old ex-athlete white guy (I’m 55) I find myself spending more and more time reflecting back on my life in the hopes of securing some deep new meaning to life (haven’t found it yet). Looking back I wish there were more success stories to focus on but I guess like most people I tend to be a bit self critical. In the end, though, I have been fortunate enough to have gotten to this point without any major life missteps. How have I managed to do that? Like you have recently discovered there are alot of benefits derived from reflecting on the motives and results of ones previous life activities and that is something I have always done fairly well. That said, I don’t want to give you the impression that every decision I have made about how I should live my life (based on the “past behavior dictates future behavior” principle) has worked to my advantage. There have been times when I threw caution to the wind (or p…ed into it) and just did what felt right versus what I knew was right. Those decisions most often resulted in my life going into the proverbial crapper for a while but through hard work and a humble attitude (its hard not to be humble when your screw ups are out there for all to see) I’ve always bounced back. I guess what I am trying to say (my wife thinks I can get a bit wordy when I am making a point….what the hell does she know….and I have her permission to say that) is that I think you may have finally figured it out: Your family is number one….reflect back on your mistakes so you don’t repeat them…and stay humble. I hope you get the oppotunity to play in the NFL again but if you don’t I’ve got a feeling you (and your loved ones) are going to do just fine. Well done Mr. Clarett.
May 27, 2009 at 11:31 am
Yo,
I bumped into you a few times… We played in the same Y-League together… Remember the days when you was tearing it up at Austintown Fitch. Remember you bring Ohio it’s first title in a LONG time. I even remember the time you came up to Sacred Heart church and got on the court… LOL. You and Pig are good friends… Pig is my good friend too…
Either way you slice it… I wanted to tell you to keep your head up. I am new to your blog. Glad to hear that your mind is right, love the things you are saying about the WOMEN in your life. “And if you got one, love one, because you lucky just to have one”. That’s a hip-hop song you probably never heard, figured you’d like the words though man.
I’m a college graduate… I’m not a statistic… Grew up in those very same tough conditions that you endured in Youngstown. I was a philosophy major in college… Glad to hear you got an “A” on your first project, and I hope that it’s still going well man.
Check out some Socrates if you have a chance:
here’s a few quotes…
“He is rich who is content with the least; for contentment is the wealth of nature.”
Socrates
” The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance. ”
Socrates
“The unexamined life is not worth living”
Socrates.
Peace
Love
Joy
Blessings
Eddie
May 27, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Maurice
Sounds like u have a great lady and a great focus going forward, your family. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Stay strong, better times will come.
May 28, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I was never a fan of yours. But I will say that post made me tear up. If you can ride this wave of motivation and passion after you get out then you should do fine, and if nothing else I think you have a future in motivational speaking.
Don’t let them paint you out to be a thug. Do interviews, get a good PR person and get your face back out there. Let people know what you’ve been through and that you are sorry. People will respect that more than anything.
There will be naysayers who say “you don’t deserve a second chance” but keep your head up tell them you respect their point of view and keep walking.
What a great story it would be to see you back in the NFL and make a team. I think most people feel that Mike Vick’s crime is worse – if he gets a second chance I can’t imagine you not getting one.
Good luck and stay strong.
P.S.,
I work in PR and marketing and I’m going to forward your blog to as many people as I can. I think your words are truly inspirational.