What is Speak Your Mind? Hmm, how many times have I been asked that question. I must really say that for the real meaning of Speak Your Mind you would have to be there to see what I am about to talk about. I am not a writer. To ME As you all have probably read by now in our previous pages, Speak Your Mind is a large group of friends from all walks of life. People tired of the same ol' BS that society has led us to believe and live by. Who says one must live this way or that way or like this person or dislike another. I've always been taught to live and let live, that our world is made up of so many wonderful different things especially the people. Everyone is unique in his or her own way. So why must we us labels? Why can't we all see the beauty in everyone? Why do others worry what people are wearing, driving or who are their friends? I learned at an early age from my parents not to be like everyone else. Live your life the best way you can and treat others with respect no matter ho they are and chose your friends for how they relate to you and not what people think of them. No matter who a person is there are good qualities in everyone. What you see in one person others don't see; it's just like when you fall for a guy or a girl. You see something in them that no one else see's, so why would you turn anyone away? This is the way I feel all the time so when I created Speak Your Mind, I did so with the Idea that there were others out there whom no matter what their parents or friends said, believed that everyone is a person and you can have friends from all walks of life. I'm not saying that everyone will like who I or you meet, but give them a chance. If you are my friend, you will meet the people that I hold highly in my life and in time you will see the beauty inside them that made me chose them as friends. One day I was visiting some friends that would never get to meet much less even think of being friends with some of my other friends from different lifestyles or different walks of life; When I got a call from someone asking where I was at. I couldn't just tell them Oh I am at a friends house (Because they were my friends too) so I said what came to my mind at that moment- "I'm at Speak Your Mind, I came for some drinks" Well, each time someone would call me that's what I said and Bam! Speak Your Mind was Born.

I later brought one or two of my friends each time to meet my other friends and different as they might have been everyone got along just fine. Straight friends of mine who would have never met in the outside world gay friends of mine, Nurses met students, store clerks, Military personnel, customer service clerks, housewives, bartenders, autobody workers, etc as I met my other friend's friends and so on. All for the reason of just hanging out talking, hearing ones stories, learning about each others lives, and in the end we all knew we were all really the same. Friends. People who for some reason or another never gave others a chance to get to know them. I have to say that at first it felt good to let others learn that we are all somehow connected and we are a part of something that we would have not experienced of if we all just kept each others group of friends to ourselves. It was here that I met some wonderful people in the first few months that I (and my other friends) would have never had the pleasure of meeting. It was thru Speak Your Mind that I too met some new friends that I would have never have had the chance to know. I met ShAnTii, Lett, JP, Tony, Vicky, Christina, Christian, Gilbert R., Laura, Eddie, Voodoo, Woody, Michelle, Joe, Gina, Vanessa, Luz, Juan (Porky), Erika, Lilly, and many more. And all of these new friends met my friends so there went the size of Speak Your Mind. Today, four years later I cannot recall all of the names (well, that’s always been my problem) of those who have come thru Speak Your Mind as SYM has moved on and has grown to what it is today. As you will read in ShAnTii's article below, to many Speak Your Mind is a cool website or the Valentinos webpage, but to the more than one hundred original members it is a group of friends. A group of friends that has not let anyone dictate to us who we should be friends of or talk to. I am sure that if many of their parents, co-workers or unknown friends would know who they are friends of now (SYM) they would at first say why are you hanging around him or her, but as I was raised to believe, It's your life. They are my friends and I make my life what I want it to be. Free of Hippocrates, liars, cheaters, and prejudices. Or free of the bad ones at least. Speak Your Mind was not formed to be a place where one can "hook up" with others. If that happens I hope it is on their own and they as it is a person’s choice what they do. As I didn’t not form it to cause harm to anyone. I wanted a place where everyone can be themselves and not be afraid of being "hit" on or judged. A place where no one cared about your financial status or what you do in life. I believe in our Mission Statement and Today I still believe in it.

I am very protective of my friends and what Speak Your Mind is about. I care not about looks, money, or my place in society. To me A person is a person no matter what. Some people are mistaken of what a true friend is. Unfortunately In time everyone will learn that, some will learn when its too late. But if we keep up with what Speak Your Mind really is, then you will only see that Yes, we all can get along and love each other for the person we are inside. Speak Your Mind is not about drinking, drugs or sex. Its about the people we are and it is my hope that thru this group we will all be long time friends. On this 4th anniversary I must say that I do not know in what direction we are heading, but I do know that what ever direction it is we will all remember these past 4 years and hopefully many more. I would like to take this time to thank all of Speak Your Mind for the continued growth. And to those I have not seen in a while for whatever reason it is I say hello and I wave goodbye until we are together again. Special thanks to my website helpers, my friends - ShAnTii whom I put thru so much stress with my camera. Thanks for the hundreds of pictures you have taken and the thousands more you will take. Thanks for the articles and Ideas you have given me. To JP Thanks for the Articles and I expect more writings from you. Thanks to Jorge for taking the time to learn how to make pages and help ease my pain with the pages of photos you have now posted and the many more you will post. Thanks for stepping in when ShAntii is unable to be there and take pictures. I also want to Thank Henri for his column that we featured for a while. You are a great writer and I wish you the best. Speak Your Mind is changing every year and I only hope that each time it is for the best. The site is in the last stages of cleaning out and revamping some pages. They Will be turned on this week. We will continue to host Valentinos Club page and Photos and any other business or event or community news that we are sent. We have all learned a lot from Speak Your Mind- from the Music, the Shows, Plays, Trips and more than anything else from each other. To me Speak Your Mind is You! The People , My friends Speak Your Mind is wherever you are at as you continue to spin this world for the better. Thank You and we must continue the ride.

Ps: Yes I know that previously I was not known on the site But just today for the anniversary I reveal myself. I am usually a quiet behind the scenes person. :) Thank You ...... Henry