Tag Archives: Advocacy
YOU’RE NOT THE ONE – PART 2
I realize that I had no idea what it meant to find “the one.” I married when I was twenty and until this year I never lived on my own. I am certain I was far too young to have gotten married. I stayed married when the odds were against it. I stuck with my decision for 31 years and celebrate the beautiful children that my husband and I created together. Continue reading
I AM THE SANDWICH – PART 2
I love my mother and celebrate her quality of life. There are those who believe in spending countless dollars to extend the suffering of terminally ill patients. I am proud of my willingness to go against medical professionals who believe they know what is best for my mother. I am so sorry for elderly people who do not have an advocate! Continue reading
SADNESS WENT AWAY
I described to Connie how I visualized myself dealing with my current life. I used the metaphor of running a marathon. I had abundant energy and as I encountered horrific roadblocks in my path, I continued running. I was also running through long, dark tunnels. But my focus was on the beautiful sunlight streaming through and awaiting me at the end of those tunnels. As I ran, music played for me. I had an angel on my shoulder. Despite the challenges I continued to face, I loved my journey. It was easy for me to stay positive with all the encouragement I continued to receive surrounding my writing and music, I told Connie. As I left her guesthouse, I beamed and marveled at my blessed existence. Continue reading
EVERY TIME I SEE A SMILE
On Sunday, I picked up a brand new Mac computer! My childhood friend, Steve, helped me decided which one to order. I had the computer shipped to him first so he could prepare it for me. I sent him a backup drive to work with. Steve set it up and added significant and fantastic music software for me. There was no way I could ever repay him for all the extras he added for me. Continue reading
HEALING CAME AT LAST
I’m aware that I have a complicated life. However, because I’ve given myself permission to indulge my passions – well, I feel like I’m the luckiest person on earth. It’s not that I don’t have financial worries, responsibilities, or pressure. It’s just that I am so happy. The pain of grief is indescribable. It is suffocating, torturous, and excruciating. Even those words do not truly capture the feeling of wanting to escape from the world of the living. I have lived with that level of pain. Continue reading
HOW SHE WAS BLESSED
I was having a lot of difficult deciding on what to name my post. What could pull everything together? Suddenly, I found my insight. I decided to name my post “How She Was Blessed,” which was a line from my new song. To have a caregiver like Miriam for my mother reminded me of that. But then, the revelation came to me after I corresponded last night with my dear friend, Magda, who suffers terribly from the progression of MS. Continue reading
EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT AWARE
My friend, Sam, wrote: Do the best that you can for your Mom, but primarily spend time with her and try to enjoy the awareness that she still does have. Keep her comfortable and happy…but please don’t tear yourselves up over this. Professional advocacy, or adversarial relations probably won’t change much for your mom in the long run, but will significantly increase your own stress and discomfort. Continue reading
SOMEHOW I’M STILL PLAYING
There was certain, young man who I noticed was definitely connecting with my songs. He said, “You might have reached millions of people with your beautiful songs when you were younger, but it wouldn’t have been the same. Your life experience is what makes your songs so touching. Instead of reaching a million people, you could have a great impact on a few and change lives.” I stepped into the night air, and a vision came over me. I was playing my music for a lot of people on a large stage.
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