Give me rain.
So I may drink.
Give me sunshine
And stars at night.
I try to remember
To always think.
One of these days,
Life will be right.
Most of my days
I have had no hope.
It was easy to drink
And to use the dope.
Everything seemed
So sad and so wrong.
The future was bleak;
The days were long.
I saw a Beast
And suffered in hell.
I screamed,
But no one could hear.
I want to go back
Into my shell.
There,
I will have nothing to fear.
I will grow,
With others like me.
The rain will fall;
The sunshine will shine.
The Beast
I will no longer see.
And when I fall,
From the living vine,
There will be comfort
And songs to sing.
Like the birds,
I will be able to fly,
For others like me,
love they bring.
In that way,
We don’t have to die.
The Beast is still there -
Don’t get me wrong,
But he is weak,
And we are strong.

April, 2011

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,900 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 48 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

A quiet room suddenly packed with people. Every chair filled; no standing room available. Everyone talking, nobody listening, when suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, entered the speaker, the author, one of us from Tucson – Chris O’Dell.

O’Dell wrote a collection of memories of living and working backstage in the Time of Rock and Roll. My Long Days and Hard Nights told it as it was. The work was truly hard and enlightening. The long nights of partying took a toll. At the time, no one knew of the possible and likely consequences.

The people of the 1960’s were truly creative. We owe them much for opening the conversation about drugs and abuse, things never talked about in the open before.

O’Dell left home in Tucson to find adventure. And indeed adventure she found. It was a good idea to follow a dream. It proved hard and yet rewarding.

There was a sadness in the drug culture. Drugs were not seen as a bad thing then. Not one of the rock and roll groups ever thought of the consequences. Each learned too late the true cost and pain of alcohol and drugs. Some paid the ultimate price. Some entered AA and stayed with the program.

It is a difficult program and very few truly understand. It takes a long time to recover. It takes every day forever.

The 60s taught those who would truly listen that you do not control your children. You can encourage them to dream and to do their best always. Then you must let go and let them live and learn. It’s hard and sometimes hurts. But let go one must.

The book discussion went on over an hour of the scheduled hour O’Dell talked. So many questions, so many opinions, so many ideas. As the meeting came to an end there were smiles, thanks, book signings, photos, addressed exchanged. No one seemed to want to leave.

If one has an open mind, if one can truly wonder how to dream and how to do the best, if one can dare to try to accept and understand, then this book is for you. You’ll never be the same.

And the music had a message. Read it and listen.

June 15, 2011

The five senses are an amazing part of our lives. Our bodies can step in and substitute or increase an injured sense when needed.

The sense of smell tells us so much of our surroundings that we don’t even have to look to see the reason for the odor. And don’t you feel like shouting when someone comes along with a can of air spray to take away the smell and interfere with your imagination of distinguishing its source.

Our eyes are so valuable in our life. The way to compensate for them is our sense of smell, or feel, or hearing.

So many aspects of our body tell us when things are wrong.

When we step into an area and feel the air, we can sense either a negative or positive condition.

Some people say, “I can feel the “___?___” in this place. Can you?” As much as you try, often you cannot adjust yourself to what that person is talking about, and with a feeling of dismay, you walk away.

September, 2011

My dad used to say, “What has happened to this world?” or “The world has gone to hell in a handbasket.” I never knew what he meant, but I do now.

Last week I went to the bank to cash a check so I’d have cash for the month. I have been going to this bank for about 30 years and to this branch for at least 10 years.

The first thing the teller did was ask for ID. I gave them a card issued by that bank. She said, “We can’t use that because it doesn’t have a picture.”

“Well, I have a driver’s license, but it has expired.”

“Nope, can’t use it!”

I told the teller about the picture and the address. She was looking at the computer and said, “I know it’s you, but I can’t take this as ID.”

I asked to see the manager. He came out. I told him the problem and that I had a driver waiting. He said, “Ha, ha,” put his hands in the air, and walked into his office.

So I asked the teller, “I can’t get money from a bank?”

She said, “No,” and voided my check.

Next she said, “You could go to a grocery store and get cash back when you use your debit card. Or you could use an ATM machine.”

I jumped in at this point and said, “I can get money from a grocery store or out of a machine, but not out of a bank?”

“That’s right,” she said.

And Dad was right – the world HAS gone to hell in a handbasket

August, 2011

First of all, I want you to know
Thank you for nurturing me, so I could grow.

We’ve cried tears, had years of strife.
You tenderly remind me that, “That’s Life.”

The good Lord carries us, as does He His sheep
Where ‘er the mountains get too steep.

You and I laugh through our sorrows,
And rainbows brighten our tomorrows.

And every cloud has a silver lining
With your blue eyes brightly shining.

I can still hear you softly say,
“Phyllis, Honey, this is how to pray!”

September, 2011

Yoga

Not for me.
Stop and listen.
You may be missing something really god.

Mediation

Find a quiet place in your mind. Just enjoy the quiet, no problems to solve, no duties to finish. Just you and the quiet. No stress, no bills to pay, just you and the quiet. It does work.

Deep Breathing

Everyone breathes. Try taking a really deep breath and holding it. Let it go slowly. Take a deep breath and think of it traveling place to place in your body. It works. Amazing how it works.

Exercises

Follow a leader – watch the person in front of you. Try what you can – quit if it hurts. Everyone has a way, and you’ll be surprised to find you like it. An exercise for everyone, and a person for every exercise.

Philosophies

Much has been written. Many philosophies there are. Many beliefs and much history. Choose your own, or even better still, make your own.

Yoga

If you don’t try it, you’ll never know what you are missing. And that will be a shame.

Look it over, listen to the teacher, give it and yourself a chance. There’s something in yoga for everyone. You just may be surprised.

July, 2011

Going from Tucson to New Mexico should be a reasonable trip of approximately 6-8 hours. Starting out to Roswell to visit my dad, I packed my 1968 Buick with plenty of water, food and my dog.

It was a hot day as it almost always is in these parts, but everything was going very well. Then the car started to jerk a little bit. I thought there must have been some dirt in the gas tank and kept on going. Soon the car started to slow down and I pulled over to let it cool off. “It must be vapor lock,” I thought.

While sitting there a car pulled up in front of me and two men got out, and walked to my car. I quickly rolled up my window leaving about ½ inch open. One of the men came to my window and said, “You having trouble?” “Oh, no,” I said. “I’m just sitting here resting.” The man replied, “No, I think you have trouble.” At that he walked to the front of the car, opened the hood, and stared at the engine. The men said something to each other (I didn’t understand their language), and they started pulling wires and putting them back, talking and pointing. They closed the hood and walked to my window and said, “You’ll be all right now.” They walked away, got into their car and drove off.

Sitting there in wonderment, I thought, “What did they do to my car?! Is it safe to start? Will it run OK?” So I waited a few more minutes and decided to start the engine. The car started immediately, and once again I was on my way.

Coming upon a store (it looked more like a trading post) with Indians standing all around, I decided to go in and call my dad (they actually had a telephone!). My dad said, “It sounds like vapor lock,” and told me to buy some clothespins and clip them along the fuel line in the engine. I started to laugh and thought my dad was joking. “No, it really works.” One of his friends had told him. So I bought a bag of clothespins, and opened the hood of my car (which was a job in itself as a ’68 Buick is all steel). I looked at the engine, and sighing I said, “Oh well, let’s try it.” I placed the clothespins along the gas line like I was told. I started the car and went on my way.

The car started to jerk again and I once again pulled over. I took a rag, wet it down with water, and wrapped it around the fuel pump, closed the hood and waited a few moments, and started again, only to be stopped again along the road. A car pulled up behind me and a man walked up and asked if he could help. I told him the car was having vapor lock trouble and I was waiting for it to cool. He said, “I have a chain. I could pull you to the next town which is only a few miles from here. They might have a mechanic there that could help.” I agreed and he pulled me into a small town – a motel, a gas station and a small restaurant.

Checking in at the motel, I called my dad and told him where I was and that I would be there the next day. Then he told me of another thing I could do for vapor lock. “Get a grapefruit and squash it over the fuel pump,” he said. “Come on Dad,” I said. “What is that going to do?” “I don’t know for sure, but I heard it works.” “OK Dad.”

After ending my call I asked the motel clerk if she had something for some water for my dog. She was very kind, and brought a pan of water.

The next morning I went over to the restaurant for – yes – a grapefruit. I asked the waitress for some grapefruit and she said they were all out. “Do you have an old one?” I asked. She looked at me kind of strangely and said, “There might be one in the trash.” “That would be fine,” I said. So she walked into the kitchen and brought me a half of grapefruit wrapped in foil.

Returning to the motel across the street, I opened the hood of my car. Looking at the clothespins clipped along my fuel line, and the rag wrapped around the fuel pump, I hesitated to add the grapefruit to my collection. “But,” I said to myself, “Oh well, what can it hurt?” And I squashed the grapefruit over the fuel pump, closed the hood and went inside. A knock came at the door. It was the lady from the motel. She had brought a can of dog food for my dog and a piece of toast for me. That was so thoughtful of her!

Ready to leave town, I decided to get some gas and pulled into the station. (When the gas attendant filled your car, he washed your windows and checked your oil for free, and with a smile!) The gas attendant asked if I wanted the oil checked and I said yes (forgetting for a moment about my engine additions). He opened the hood, stood in amazement as he looked at the clothespins, rag and grapefruit, stood back with his hands on his hips, shook his head, and closed the hood.

Upon arriving at my dads, I told him of my adventures. Thanks to the modernization of cars, I believe vapor lock has been eliminated and there will no longer be cars running on clothespins, wet rags and squashed grapefruit!

September, 2011

Where did three years go?

Only yesterday a little black dog with a wagging tail met us at the door and said, “Come in.” He showed us the way and went on to business helping maintain the church.

Do you remember a time when we shared everything we wrote at home?

Do you remember taking tours about Tucson? – To the art museum, the downtown library, the photo gallery?

Do you remember:

• Aunt Sadie’s farm?
• Two beautiful people?
• Traveling in Europe?
• A Story novel?
• Thoughtful Poetry?
• Sharing Life’s Journey?

Do you remember the third year – meeting every Wednesday at Laura’s home, greeted by friendly Kelly, tasty snacks on the table, books to borrow, read and return? Squirrels and rabbits to watch in the back yard?

What will the new year – our fourth year – bring? New members, new friends, new ideas, a new agenda?

Just you wait and see. You all wait and see!

September, 2011

Wow what a wild ride! The Lend a Hand writing group started three years ago.

We started at the church, then we went to Sherri’s house, and then to Laura’s house. A few stops in between. Guess What? We are back at the church.

Lesley was our first teacher, but she left to teach in Japan. She was gone about two years. Sherri took over for a while. Then Jim tried to keep the group together for a year. Guess who came back? Lesley.

Now for the Good Part
Our Great Writers

Who by the way have over 200 stories on the internet.

The original group was Betty, Ruth and Jim. As time went by, Ginni (aka Elvira), Mike, Liz, Mary and Vivian joined the group. Little by little they dropped out, all of them very good writers. Vivian and Mary just went away. Mike and Liz left for health reasons. So we got the original three, plus Ginni.

We have some new people to help us out, so we might as well go for another three years.

September, 2011