Carlos

The only person that’s coming to my head, that I’ve actually met in person, with the name Carlos is a college professor I had back in the day.

I’m not writing about that professor. Although, I do hope he’s doing well! I always enjoyed his classes.

Anyways…

I’ve had this blog on my mind for the last week or so. It’s been my favorite radio station’s annual spring pledge drive this week and last week. The station is funded by listeners who donate to help prevent the station from needing advertisements to fund their station.

I’ve been listening to the K-LOVE radio station for probably about 25 years. I remember my brother and I convincing our mom to donate to them when we were kids.

I’ve always found the station comforting, and it’s been the primary station in all the cars I’ve driven since I started driving at 16, 16 years ago.

If you’ve read either of the blogs I posted related to music, you’ll already know I’ve mentioned K-LOVE before.

(Those blogs are “10 Songs for Mental Health Support” and “Love Through Music.” Check them out if you want to learn about some wonderful songs played on K-LOVE!)

I’m writing this blog because of Carlos, a DJ on the morning show for the station. My son asked me the other day what Carlos looked like. I found it interesting that he only asked about Carlos despite having listened to most of the other K-LOVE DJs for pretty much his whole life.

I told him I had a picture of Carlos hanging in my room at home that I would show him later as we were driving at the time that he asked that question. I did eventually show him the picture, and he said cool and then moved on.

A few years ago I donated to the station and they sent me one of their K-LOVE tshirts (that I’m coincidentally wearing as I write these words) they give away during the pledge drives and a thank you card that just so happened to be a picture of Carlos.

I hung it up on my motivation board back in my apartment in Texas, and it’s still on the board in my home in Kentucky to this day.

I posted a picture of the board on my author Instagram early on. It’s much more chaotic these days but brings me immense joy. I can almost guarantee I’ll be posting an updated picture on my author Instagram when I publish this blog, so go check it out!

The reason I added Carlos to the chaos of my motivation board is because he kind of changed my life. Again, I’ve always loved K-LOVE and have laughed and cried to many other things other DJs have said, but there was something about Carlos joining that shifted things for my brain.

Google says Carlos joined K-LOVE in August of 2022. That sounds pretty accurate for my brain shifting timeline.

I specifically remember Carlos starting on the afternoon show, and that was typically when I would listen the most back at that time. I’ve never met him in person but the sincere genuineness that came through the radio helped me so much.

I went through a divorce back in 2014/2015, and its impact led me to make many choices I long regretted. When Carlos started, I remember him speaking about going through a divorce from his first wife. He shared pretty much exactly how I felt. He felt ashamed and that so many made him feel like a failure because he wasn’t able to make the marriage work.

I don’t remember his exact words, but I know I no longer felt like a failure. It helped me shift my mind to focus on how I did the best I could at the time. Carlos reminded me how loved I am by God regardless of what choices I’ve made.

Since then, he’s continued to share vulnerable stories and seems like a genuine person that cares about those who are reached by K-LOVE. I’m not writing these words simply to thank Carlos for how he’s helped me. That’s definitely part of it, but it’s more than that.

My partner shared with me recently about talking to someone about church. It meant a lot to him that someone sought him out over others to have that conversation. It brought me joy to witness his joy.

It reminded me that sometimes you don’t realize how someone or something can impact your life.

I never imagined as a young child when I started listening to K-LOVE that I would be writing a blog about a radio DJ I’ve never met. My partner did not realize that some of his choices would lead others to talk to him about church and God in general.

I’m writing this blog to help others pay attention to the little things. Pay attention to the people around you. Pay attention to the things in your life that are consistent even if you don’t always recognize your gratitude for them every day.

Whatever path you’re on could lead you to stumble across someone or something that has the potential to change your life in the best way. We are all so unique and beautifully different. It may not be K-LOVE or Carlos that helps you. It may not be a friend that you see often. It could literally be anything and that’s wonderful!

Anything that helps you in this journey through life is something to be celebrated! I wanted to take this moment in my life to be grateful for the life that I’m living and to encourage others to keep moving forward!

Life is so hard! It’s never going to be easy but there are so many opportunities for joy! You are so loved by so many even if you don’t realize it at times!

Find your Carlos! Find your K-LOVE! Find joy and cling to it on the tough days! I’m here if you need a listening ear or a comforting page to seek out in times of stress. You’re doing great!