Gratitude: Things That Start With B

I've been trying to write this post for over a week, and it keeps going into a tailspin for some reason. The original motivation for this post was my sense of outrage over an off-hand comment by an ill-informed stranger. I was so highly offended at the time that I had to walk out of the room. The lesson I've learned, and not for the first time, is that it's hard to re-capture that sense of outrage. At first I wanted to write about it, but now I've decided that guy's ideas aren't really worth my time. So I've moved on.

What I really need to write about is stuff that starts with the letter B. There's an old Al-Anon practice of making a gratitude list where you start with A and go through the alphabet listing stuff you are grateful for. Well, Lent started yesterday, and I'm going to write blog posts on things I'm grateful for. But I'm going to start with B and move through the alphabet in any order I want. What is this obsession with "alphabetical order" anyway? I'm not a librarian, and this is my blog, so I'll make my own rules.

First of all, I'm grateful for Being a Boehm, which means I'm grateful for hubby, children, and the entire extended family. For privacy reasons, I'm not going to go into a lot a detail about family individuals.

I'm grateful for the Barrys, of which I am one, and Barry, from whom I come.

I'm grateful for Beginnings, like starting this year with a new job situation. I finally have some time to write, play music, organize my house, and try new things...

...like glass Blowing. I made this ornament at a class at the Franklin Glassblowing Studio, and I hope to be able to trade guitar lessons for glassblowing lessons. Never had time for cool stuff like that before.

I'm grateful for my new friend Ed Beaver, who is making me a Tele-style Bass guitar. (More on the bass later,,,) Ed's shop is currently located in Sound Check Nashville, which flooded in the May 2010 Nashville Flood. The facility offers storage and rehearsal space for Nashville's musicians. Many professional musicians had instruments there which were covered in water from the Cumberland River.

Ed has been through a lot in the past two and a half years, working to save and repair flood-damaged instruments. Ed is known as the Guitar Whisperer, and he's also a singer-songwriter. Ed is at World Music Nashville in Bellevue two days a week, so you can also find him there if you need a repair.

I'm grateful for getting to spend some time recently with Thom Bresh, aka the Breshman. You'll notice that several of the videos I've linked to were made by Bresh. Thom made a video of my two girls singing on Saturday at World Music Nashville. Thom is a famous guitar picker and singer, a multifaceted guy; watch his EPK in order to understand more about Thom. The guy is indescribable. He's one of the most intelligent, funny and talented people I know, which is saying something. (Wait until we get to A and K.)

Let's not forget Bipolar. I'm grateful for bipolar because it makes me who I am. It gives me both creativity and structure, a full palette of emotion and nuances of the same. Bipolar limits me in some ways, frustrates me always, and never leaves me alone. Yet, I'm grateful because I have Become a Better person through managing Bipolar. I have to be honest with myself and others in order to stay healthy. I have to communicate clearly, monitor myself constantly, and ask for help when I need it. I am learning to say no finally. And all of that is due to Bipolar.

So...this ignorant guy's comment has percolated into a short litany of gratitude. I'm really happy to feel grateful. There's no need to waste my time untangling the illogical and offensive comment of a passing stranger.

Inauguration, Respect Life Sunday, MLK Day, Civil Rights

First of all, I'm pro-life; I was adopted as an infant, and my birthmother and her family chose to give me life. My family adopted me, loved me, and raised me. I've never had any illusions about the fact that abortions, although illegal, were still obtainable in 1964. I now know that abortion was never considered, but I'm sure that there are many like me who were never born.

Secondly, I'm not writing to condemn those women who have chosen to have an abortion, been pressured into one, or believed that having one would make life easier. I know what it feels like to lose a child early in pregnancy because it has happened to me twice. Organizations like Project Rachel support women who need help coming to terms with their feelings after having an abortion. I'm sure that the range of emotions is myriad, and I don't presume to know how anyone else feels. I do, however, wish that there was more pre-abortion counseling and wider access to agencies like Hope Clinic for Women, here in Nashville.

Today, President Barack Obama will take the oath of office for a second time in a small but official ceremony in the Blue Room, according to the New York Times. The president has to be inaugurated on January 20th, by law.


Tomorrow, as we all know, there will be a public ceremony, conveniently scheduled on Martin Luther King Day. I'm pleased that the public ceremony will occur at a time when almost all students are out of school so that they can witness the tradition and freedoms we enjoy in this country.

Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, which posits a right to privacy based in part on the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment yet also emphasizes the need to balance "protecting prenatal life and protecting women's health." The Court's argument for a right to privacy is in Section VIII of the Roe v. Wade decision: " Although, "The Constitution does not explicitly mention any right of privacy," Mr. Justice Blackmun constructs an argument for such a right and indicates that elements of the 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th and 14th Amendment support such a right.

"This right of privacy, whether it be founded in the Fourteenth Amendment's concept of personal liberty and restrictions upon state action, as we feel it is, or, as the District Court determined, in the Ninth Amendment's reservation of rights to the people, is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy."

Anyway, I think that people should familiarize themselves with the U.S. Constitution and read these landmark decisions from time to time.

So, I was on Twitter, and I found @ProLifeBlogs, which led me to this video--graphic image warning--called 3801 Lancaster, and I know this is an extreme example. However, a couple of facts jumped out at me.

There is a section of that video in which a woman refers to the fact that the never-born babies will never experience the Civil Rights that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others fought so hard to obtain. I learned that most abortion clinics are in poor areas or neighborhoods, and that most of the people "served" by that clinic were brown or black. So, we have yet another example of an industry that preys on the poor; line it up with the prison industry, the liquor industry and the drug trade.

Then, I went to the website of the National Black Pro-Life Union, and I can see so clearly how the prevalence of abortion in our society is a slap in the face of Civil Rights leaders. I found this video by Fred Hammond, in which he testifies to God's power in his life before he was born. Not only is his story very moving, he's a great gospel artist.

Here's Fred Hammond's song "Freedom," a tribute to Rosa Parks.


All of these things are linked, and not just by my train of thought. Listen to Dr. King talk quote from the U.S. Constitution. Pay attention to the way our government leaders squash the 1st Amendment rights of Catholics.
Pay attention; agree or disagree. Just think for yourself.

What's the Difference?

What is the difference between a train of thought and a stream of consciousness? A stream of consciousness is a succession of ideas generated out of a person's head. The ideas don't have to make sense, and a person may go back through the ideas and pick out a few good ones to develop further. A train of thought starts with a question and moves through a succession of answers and questions that link together in a logical way.

Here's an example of a train of thought: I was watching the Dave Matthews Live DVD that came with the "Away From the World" CD, and I noticed that Dave's not playing a Taylor in the video. Also, the guitars in the CD photos all have a flat headstock, so I wondered what kind of guitar he's playing. I googled "dave matthews guitars" and found a link to Dave's gear. I know what the guitar isn't: A Taylor, Martin, Fender, etc., but I see the last one on the list is Rockbridge, and it says that Dave has five of these guitars.

So I look up Rockbridge Guitars, and there's Dave, right on the home page. It's a custom shop, and I can see why he'd want to play the guitars. They don't require artists to sign an exclusive contract with the company. On the artist section of the site, there's this video of "Bartender," and I wonder who's in the video with Dave. It looks for all the world like Jane Goodall. It takes a quick google search to find out that Dave joined Thomas D. Mangelsen and Dr. Jane Goodall in April 2011 on their annual trip to Nebraska to watch the sandhill crane migration. So it is Dr. Goodall, and it is an incredibly awesome video that I would have never found if I hadn't wondered about that guitar.

Also, it looks like a pretty easy song to learn, so I can go down that road another day. Or, maybe I'll just pick up my guitar now, but it's not a Rockbridge.

New Year, New Job, New Idea

I recently resigned my position as a middle school assistant principal and have returned being a math tutor. So, I have mornings free and the opportunity to restructure my routine. Every day I play some music, exercise, clean one area of the house, and try to learn something new.

My mind is still a black hole waiting to be filled with knowledge. I get curious, and I really want to learn. I am an educator and also want to share the cool things I find. So, I decided to restructure this blog so that I can express my train of thought in case others are interested in following it.

I recently got a twitter account, mostly because my son said that I could keep up with the news that way. He's right! I also found a great website, Healthy Place, which is a forum for all kinds of mental health issues. There are videos, blogs, articles and forums. Yesterday I watched several videos of an interview with Julie Fast. She's an author and expert on bipolar disorder (because she has it). She writes a column for bp magazine, so I had heard of her. Anyway, here's my train of thought:

Here's Julie's introductory video, in which she tells the story of her diagnosis and the realization that she needed a "comprehensive health plan." One of my pet peeves is that some people think taking medication solves the problem or even act as if medication is some kind of crutch. Believe me, Julie is absolutely right to say that each person has to work every day to manage the illness. She talks about health cards, and I don't know what they are, so I go to look them up.

So, I found a website about the health cards, and here's a description from the site:
"What has made the Health Cards System so popular and so effective is that it treats all the various symptoms and mood swings of bipolar disorder, not just depression and mania. Symptoms like anxiety, irritation, anger, relationship problems, attention problems, mixed episodes, psychosis, paranoia, obsessive behavior, suicidal thoughts, etc., are all uniquely addressed in the system."

Now, I'm off to order some for myself because it's very difficult to describe how I feel each day, yet it's exceedingly important to be aware those feelings.

I've learned something new and shared it, so this is a good day.

Blessings!
Kathy

St. Nicholas' Day

Happy St. Nicholas' Day! Wow, there's a huge temptation. Several bags of candy on the dining room table, a holiday to excuse eating the candy. I have to stay out of that room until the candy is gone. Once I start, I won't be able to stop, and there will be no candy left for anyone else.

There's something about December 6th that keeps coming into my mind, like today will be significant somehow. I have my suspicions but won't report until later. When I came downstairs today and checked my phone, there was a text from a friend. She said that in her devotion this morning, I was heavy on her heart, and she asked God for a verse for me. The verse is Philippians 4:6-7: Do not worry about anything, but instead pray for everything. In prayer and supplication, make your needs known to God. Then the peace which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." I didn't even have to look it up. What a blessing to have a friend like that.

On to the day, a day that feels heavy to me and has felt so for over a week. An odd intuition, perhaps? We'll see.

No Gifts This Year

We have decided not to give each other gifts again, my husband and I. Last year I thought it was a suggestion and made the mistake of buying him a jacket that he really needed. It upset him because he hadn't gotten me anything. This year we will have clear guidelines.

We've already spoken with the kids about adopting a needy family, the same one we helped last year. They aren't poor. Mom has a job. Since last year, Dad has left the home, and so their one-income situation continues. The overwhelming majority of my students qualify for aid and will land on one Christmas list or another, but these folks won't. So, we'll help them. I've known Mom and all three kids for nearly 3 years, and we have to help them have a Christmas. It's a joy to bless others and to think about blessing them. This is a great way to prepare my heart for the arrival of Jesus.

When I give a gift this year, I want it to be worthy of the Christ Child.

My Beautiful Gamma

This photo was taken in March 2004, several months after I found my birth family. Here you see my birth mother and grandparents in North Carolina. The first words my Gamma said to me on the phone were, "Your birthday is March 2nd, right?" I said, "Yes, ma'am." Gamma said, "I love you, and I have always prayed for you on your birthday." It was no surprise because I knew all those 39+ years that someone had been praying for me. It was Gamma.

Four years ago, my Gamma had a massive stroke that left her paralyzed on the left side. She has been declining ever since. I took the kids to NC for a visit in 2008, and I said, "I love you, Gamma." She said, "I love you, too." Those are the last words she said to me. We went for a visit in October, and she couldn't speak or respond. Now her time has come to go to Heaven, and we are waiting and praying for her peaceful passage. Once there, we know that she will speak directly with Christ on our behalf. Gamma's kinda bossy. I'm so glad to have had my beautiful Gamma in my life these last 8 years.