The Days are Growing Flowers Soon

Dear Blog Readers,

I am sitting in The Red Hen bakery.

It is a sunny end of winter day.

Oh, I had a nice invitation to blog for Disability Awareness Day at the Statehouse.  I told Ed Paquin (Director of the Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights) I couldn’t do it because I was too into my own problems and unable to address the issues of people with disabilities.

I am happy to say that I have a good friend who turned my thinking around on that. He helped me to see that my issues are connected to the issues of people with disabilities because I have things I need services for to move my life forward. I know that once again the Shumlin budget shaves more developmental services.

Please think about why this happened. I am, first, referring to my stuck thought that my friend dislodged.

Only having access to typing my thoughts in short snippets of time means I am bad at conversations. Love to say that I was good at it but I am not. So I have thoughts that get stuck and don’t benefit from the massage a friend’s good thinking can give. I think I can fix this by not making ultimatums, seeking to gather more info and not feeling I am a victim of my life.

As for the budget we just have to keep getting our successful efforts of adding meaning to life known to the people who make decisions about our lives.

Thank you to everyone who came out for Disability Awareness Day at the Vermont Statehouse. We are making history while making our own lives better and brighter.

Be well friends.

Fondly,

Mark

The Voice of Seeing Love Grow Us Up

P.S. Thanks for all the lovely words you sent me last week.

Waterfall of Dear Friend Moments

Dear Blog Readers,

I and Emily just had a wonderful visit with a friend. He is someone we met while in the process of raising money to make the movie “I am in here.” I hold him so dearly as a good friend of my heart. I think we truly are brothers in spirit and anticipate we will be brothers for the rest of our long lives.

Here are some good moments we shared:

He was buying a pack of fairies from Emily so she gave him a Fairy Consultation and it was an awesome reading.

We did easy chatting about how we are connected by each of us going through life on a unique path that has brought us together.

I also had a Fairy Card Reading which is assisting me in accepting the gifts I have today. I am so thankful that I have access to dear friend moments.  I am thankful for the fairies of Emily’s world and want her to succeed with her plans to share them with the world.  I am thankful that I have more access to daily typing and am totally into writing this blog.

I want to give you some great advice.

Read Jernigan Pontiac’s “Hackie” column in the Seven Days if you don’t already!

He’s my brother and fellow fan of Bluebird Fairies.

If you want a taste of Jernigan right now, here is something he wrote in response to my blog posting last week:

“I am not ‘super together’ either! Perhaps for both of us, the process of writing is a way to simultaneously healing (unifying) our split selves, and sharing the journey with others.  And that sharing is an expression of love.

So, as we are ‘two peas in a pod’ (or as you put it ‘The Guys Who Spread Love Through Written Words’), I’m glad we met, became friends, and are able to help out each other with confidence in our journey.  Everyone needs a boost now and then!”

Please take a moment to send me a hello today as I am very needing peer support.

I am so happy you read this.

Fondly,

Mark

The Easy Warrior of Friendship

Wandering and Wondering in the Big Apple

Hello Blog Readers,

I hope you are doing well.

As promised, I will give you a taste of the second trip that gave me a new lease on life. 

I returned to New York City last week to talk with Jonathan Berger’s art students.  Oh, we had a grand time. I joined in on a conversation about letters Jonathan asked us to write our parents telling them why we want to be an artist. I loved meeting the four students whose letters were reviewed by me ahead of time. I had formed opinions about them that altered after I met them and heard more of their stories. I hope and know the same happened for all of the students of the class when we had our talk with each other.

Mark with Brian Merrill at an Indian Restaurant on 1st Ave

I am really excited about the conversation we had after the break and want to share the words I presented them with.

“As I said before I am so glad to be here.  I really want to know what helps you when you feel a bit doubtful about who you are and how you keep connected to your confidence. I would love for each of you to respond to that question and then share something you found really funny in the last week. Here's an example- I laughed hearing the wild ways Jonathan loves to connect everyone to everyone and everything.”

I astutely listened and they warmed my soul and made me feel I was not alone in my poor self esteem and self pity.

The event continued with a lot more discussion about my way of being human and here are some of my responses:

“I am a bit behind in being super together because I had to live two lives.  I now know, though, that people often have this same experience to a lesser or greater degree.”

“Oh, I am not a big reader but I gather information and highly encourage reading Dickens, Melville and O’Connor, please.  The Bard too”

“I love words, want to play with them and meet other people with them including myself. The blog takes me into other people’s lives in a way I can, for the first time in my life, control.  Oh, I am so new at feeling who I am I don’t know where it will go.”

I had a great time taking in the city and eating interesting food. I am hopeful something will come from the meetings I had about my Board of Directors. I am looking forward to future warm days and hope we will find them soon.

As always, know you are beautiful.

Yours Truly,

Mark

The Prince of Astute Variations of Wondering What Life Will Bring

P.S.  If you want to see the letter I wrote please click here.