Homeless Man Finds $3,300 Cash, Returns It

Dave Tally is a homeless recovering addict who has been thrust into national notoriety because he found a back pack that someone had left behind on a bench at an Arizona light rail station, which contained a laptop and over $3,000 cash in it.

Just imagine living in a shelter, having no job, having only a bike for transportation – which is in need of fixing – and all of a sudden $3,000 falls into your lap. What would YOU do?

Incredibly enough, Tally brought the bag to a shelter employee – even though he admittedly wrestled with his conscience for a bit to determine what was really the right thing to do. The shelter employee found a flash drive with the laptop which had a resume on it revealing the name and address of the back pack’s owner.

The 21-year old student, Bryan Belanger, had lost his car in an accident and had withdrawn the money to buy another one. He was humbled by Tally’s decision.

He reportedly shared, “It's a lesson in keeping your faith in people. You can have character, regardless of your circumstances.”

In the end, Mr. Tally was reported to have just been glad he could do the right thing.

As an addendum to that story, money began coming in to Tally following national news coverage. He’s been able to fix his bike so he can go on job interviews.

In an article entitled "OF WHAT AUTHORITY DO WE JUDGE ANOTHER" on her website, Grandmother Parisha wrote, “There is only love. Man is basically good.”

In an age where we are inundated with daily reports of violence and heinous crimes committed against innocent people, here is an example of one person who knew in his heart that the only course of action for him to take when all was said and done was “the right thing.” Tally shared that he knew he had to give the money back because it wasn’t his.

How often to we find ourselves in similar circumstances, with far less at stake – or so we think? What is the “price” of integrity? What self-deceptions might we use to justify when we take credit for a colleague’s idea or project; when we find something that we know doesn’t belong to us but we don’t make the effort to locate the true owner?

That back pack didn’t have any obvious identification in it. Many would have then said, “Oh well, finder’s keepers.” But Tally went the extra distance to find out who it belonged to. Oh sure, he’s received some “rewards" from the resulting notoriety gained by his actions, but his real reward happened when he faced his demons and said, No. I’m not going to give in to greed or selfishness. I’m going to give it back.

A powerful example from a man with “nothing.” Actually, when you have your integrity intact, noting else really matters.

for more information go to: http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/1119/california_laptop.html

©2010 Deborah Adler. All rights reserved.

Martin Luther King Jr. Remembered 2010

I found an interesting commentary about the Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. today while reading the book, Evolve Your Brain, by Dr. Joe Dispenza.

Dispenza, a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine, reveals how we can change our past - personal, family, and even our genetics through understanding the chemistry of the brain. He provides scientific information as to how our thoughts create chemical reactions that hold us to addictive patterns and feelings and how to reprogram our brains to break free of those cycles. He also demonstrates, as in the example of Dr. King, how holding to a vision can create a new future.


"For example, the Civil Rights movement would not have had its far-reaching effects if a true individual like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had not, despite all the evidence around him (Jim Crow laws, separate but equal acomodations, snarkling attack dogs, and powerful fire hoses), believed in the possibility of another reality.

"Although Dr. King phrased it in his famous speech as a "dream," what he was really promising (and living) was a better world where everyone was equal. How was he able to do that? He decided to place a new idea in his mind about freedom for himself and a nation, and that idea was more important to him than the conditions in his external world.

"He was uncompromising in holding fast to that vision. Dr. King was unwillling to alter his thoughts, his actions, his behavior, his speech, and his message in response to anything outside of him.

"He never changed his internal picture of a new environment in spite of his external environment, even if it meant insult to his body. It was the power of his vision that convinced millions of the justness of his cause.

"The world has changed because of him."

Taken from p. 14, Evolve Your Brain
copyright 2007 Joe Dispenza, D.C.
published by Health Communications, Inc.


Amen. -Deb Adler


(Other posts by Deb Adler honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
http://debadlersblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/remembering-rev-dr-martin-luther-king.html)

©2010 Deborah Adler. All rights reserved.

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Billie Jean King is a Personal Hero of Mine...

Billie Jean Won for All Women
By Larry Schwartz
Special to ESPN.com

see: http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016060.html

(article follows:)

Billie Jean King won six Wimbledon singles championships and four U.S. Open titles. She was ranked No. 1 in the world five years. She defeated such magnificent players as Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Margaret Court.

It isn't a reach to say that Billie Jean King has done the most for women in their fight for equality in sports.

Yet of all her matches, the one that is remembered most is her victory against a 55-year-old man.

History has recorded all King accomplished in furthering the cause of women's struggle for equality in the 1970s. She was instrumental in making it acceptable for American women to exert themselves in pursuits other than childbirth. She was the lightning rod in starting a professional women's tour. She started a women's sports magazine and a women's sports foundation.

But what is remembered most about her is that she humbled Bobby Riggs.

Let's get that match out of the way. Riggs, a 1939 Wimbledon champion turned hustler, had already massacred Court on Mother's Day 1973. So King, who previously had rejected Riggs' advances for a match, accepted his latest challenge.

"I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match," she said. "It would ruin the women's tour and affect all women's self esteem."

The "Battle of the Sexes" captured the imagination of the country, not just tennis enthusiasts. On Sept. 20, 1973 in Houston, she was carried out on the Astrodome court like Cleopatra, in a gold litter held aloft by four muscular men dressed as ancient slaves. Riggs was wheeled in on a rickshaw pulled by sexy models in tight outfits, "Bobby's Bosom Buddies."

King, then 29, ran the con man ragged, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in a match the London Sunday Times called "the drop shot and volley heard around the world."

"Most important perhaps for women everywhere, she convinced skeptics that a female athlete can survive pressure-filled situations and that men are as susceptible to nerves as women," Neil Amdur wrote in The New York Times.

But King was much more than the woman who undressed the self-proclaimed "male chauvinist pig" before a worldwide television audience estimated at almost 50 million. Above all, even more significant than her winning 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed-doubles titles, she was a pioneer.

"She has prominently affected the way 50 percent of society thinks and feels about itself in the vast area of physical exercise," Frank Deford wrote in Sports Illustrated. "Moreover, like (Arnold) Palmer, she has made a whole sports boom because of the singular force of her presence."

Navratilova said, "She was a crusader fighting a battle for all of us. She was carrying the flag; it was all right to be a jock."

It was for King's crusading that Life magazine in 1990 named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century." Not sports figures, but Americans. She was the only female athlete on the list, and one of only four athletes (Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali were the others).

She was born Billie Jean Moffitt on Nov. 22, 1943 in Long Beach, Calif., the daughter of a firefighter father and homemaker mother. Her younger brother Randy would become a major-league pitcher.

She developed into a star softball shortstop before her parents decided that she should pursue a more "ladylike" sport and give up playing baseball and football. Her father suggested tennis, because it involved running and hitting a ball.

"I knew after my first lesson what I wanted to do with my life," she said.

Developing her game on the Long Beach public courts, the pudgy adolescent first gained international recognition as a 17-year-old in 1961 by winning with Karen Hantze the doubles championship at Wimbledon. It was the first of her 20 titles (10 doubles and four mixed to go with the six singles) on the hallowed English grass.

In 1966, King (by now she had married law-student Larry King) won her first singles Wimbledon title and was ranked No. 1, the first of three straight years at the top. The next year, the myopic pepper pot repeated at Wimbledon and won her first U.S. championship.

After having to get by on $100 a week as a playground instructor and student at Los Angeles State College while at the same time shining at Wimbledon, King became a significant force in opening tennis to professionalism. She carried a deep sense of injustice from her amateur days.

With the birth of the "Open" era in 1968, King turned pro. This time she received more than a trophy for winning Wimbledon. She was on her way to earning $1,966,487 in career prize money.

In those days, women players received much less money than men earned. King's voice was heard loudest in the quest for equality. When a new women's tour was started, with Philip Morris sponsoring a new brand of cigarette, King was perceived as a "radical" heading a breakaway group. The Virginia Slims Tour was marketed with the slogan "You've Come a Long Way, Baby."

Things improved financially. King became the first woman athlete to earn $100,000 in prize money in a year (1971), and President Richard Nixon called to congratulate her.

She convinced her colleagues to form a players' union, and the Women's Tennis Association was born. King was its first president in 1973. King, who received $15,000 less than Ilie Nastase did for winning the U.S. Open in 1972, said if the prize money wasn't equal by the next year, she wouldn't play, and she didn't think the other women would either. In 1973, the U.S. Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money for men and women.

The next year, King founded WomenSports magazine, started the Women's Sports Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting and enhancing athletic opportunities for females, and with her husband, formed World Team Tennis.

In 1975, Seventeen magazine polled its readers and found that King was the most admired woman in the world. Golda Meir, who had been Israel's prime minister until the previous year, finished second.

Despite her promotions and activities away from the court, the 5-foot-4 King still played outstanding tennis. The same aggressive, hard-hitting net rusher she had been, she hated to lose. "Victory is fleeting," she said. "Losing is forever."

When she hit the perfect shot, she would become ecstatic. "My heart pounds, my eyes get damp, and my ears feel like they're wiggling, but it's also just totally peaceful," King said. "It's almost like having an orgasm -- it's exactly like that."

Unlike most athletes, King's sexual preference became a matter of public record. Two decades ago, having a lover of the same sex was viewed quite unkindly, and was sensational news. In 1981, King admitted her bisexuality amid a palimony suit brought by a former woman lover.

While King's former personal assistant lost the suit, King estimated the episode cost her and her husband millions in endorsements. Eventually, King and her husband were divorced.

After retiring from competitive tennis, she remained in the game -- as an announcer, coach and author. She gave clinics, became director of World Team Tennis, and played on a Legends tour. Her legs might have given out, but not her passion for the game.

King believes that she was born with a destiny to work for gender equity in sports and to continue until it's achieved.

"In the '70s we had to make it acceptable for people to accept girls and women as athletes," she said. "We had to make it OK for them to be active. Those were much scarier times for females in sports."


NPR MONDAY AUGUST 25 INTERVIEW with Billie Jean King
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93937984

"Morning Edition, August 25, 2008. As the 35th anniversary of Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs "Battle of the Sexes" match approaches, co-host Renee Montagne talks to tennis legend Billie Jean King about that famous match. King highlights the lessons that helped her win that match in a new book, Pressure is a Privilege - Lessons I've Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes."

Billy Jean King was interviewed by NPR Morning Edition's Renee Montagne this morning regarding the "Battle of the Sexes" match between Billie and Bobby Riggs, approaching its 35th anniversary.

When asked if she thought her victory over Riggs had an immediate impact on women's tennis, Billie Jean King replied, "It actually had an impact on tennis."

King cited the largest attendance ever for both the men's and women's professional tours in 1974, the year following her match with Riggs, and which has been attributed directly to it. In addition, the first network contracts for both men's and women's tennis were another direct result of the now historic event.

"It's funny how when a woman does something they always think we only affect half of the population," said King, commenting further on the "women's tennis" slant on Montagne's question. "I think people perceive women that way all the time and that's not good...If you effect one human being, I think its a domino effect. It changes the puzzle, the framing - everything."



I remember that wild and crazy tennis match. Never having watched a tennis match before in my life, I sat glued to the set with millions of others. We feminists had a personal stake in this match. "Male chauvinist pigs" stood on the brink of being silenced.

The principle of Equality, for which many of us were marching in the streets, was on the line.

Billie Jean King became a major hero to the feminist movement with her victory. The match was a media spectacle, admittedly, but the social, cultural and political impact of her victory is still being felt today.

"Also what came from this match is the first generation of men of the women's movement. Because I have men coming up to me today," King shared in the inteview, "that have daughters and they have tears in their eyes. And they tell me how that match.....they were ten years old, 12 years old 17 years old, and how that match changed their life and how they raised their daughters. They're the first generation of men that truly believe that their daughters and sons should have equal opportunity."

Actually, my Dad was totally a chauvinist, EXCEPT that he raised me to believe that I could be anything I wanted. Neither he nor my mother set limitations on my aspirations, which was cool, BUT not typical.

The struggle for equal treatment continues today. An article from the AFL-CIO states:

"Equal pay has been the law since 1963. But today, nearly 45 years later, women are still paid less than men-even with similar education, skills and experience."

"In 2007, women were paid only 77 cents for every dollar a man is paid, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Economist Evelyn Murphy, president and founder of The WAGE Project, estimates the wage gap costs the average full-time U.S. woman worker between $700,000 and $2 million over the course of her work life." See: http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/women/equalpay/

So, as the song says, "the beat goes on..." But not without a leader who is still an inspiration to multiple generations today. Billie Jean King's victory over Bobby Riggs helped to change some attitudes that needed updating. She wasn't the entire women's liberation movement, but she definitely gave it a huge boost that day.

Here's to you Billie Jean King. Rock on! -Deb Adler



Note: Cited sources and reprinted stories are copyrighted. All rights revert to the original publishers.

©2008 Deborah Adler. All rights reserved.

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25th ANNIVERSARY FOR FIRST ALBUM RELEASE

ANNOUNCING A SPECIAL 25TH ANNIVERSARY RELEASE
COMMEMORATING "D.J. ADLER - HERE & NOW"....
!!!! 4 FREE MP3 DOWNLOADS !!!!
Including "Woman My Lovely Woman"!
!!! CLICK HERE NOW !!!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY SPECIAL!

Twenty-five years ago Deb Adler released a casette recording

of original songs through her own label, Ariana Productions.

Music Publisher: Silverstream Music Inc. BMI.

There were 500 copies made which were circulated

through women's bookstores around the country,

at Deb's performances and by Ladyslipper Catalog.

To celebrate this milestone, we're offering 4 of those songs, digitally enhanced, as Mp3 downloads...FREE!

Thanks for your continued support!


FREE download of "Woman My Lovely Woman"
(a love song for Valentines Day)
available at www.myspace.com/debadlersongbyrd


ADDITONAL FREE DOWNLOADS AT www.myspace.com/debadlersongbyrd

"Talking Gay Bar Blues"

"Politically Correct"

"The Times Are Indeed Changing"

D. J. ADLER/Here & Now
Produced by D.J. Adler (owner, Ariana Productions)
Vocals, instruments, arrangements by D. J. Adler
Recorded/Mixed at Presco Studios, Cleveland;
John Presby, Engineer
Mix and Master Engineered by D.J. Adler, John Presby
All songs ©1982 D. J. Adler, Silverstream Music BMI
© (P)1982 Ariana Productions ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Special thanks to Ann, Chris, Jane, Sarah, Leah, Sandra, Diane, Jane,
Sue, Regina, Mike, Isis ... and to mom and dad with love.
ARIANA Productions- STEREO

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Remembering Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Okay, so I’m a little late sometimes….

Yes, Monday was the day that Congress selected to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday. I remarked somewhere during the day to a friend of mine that I always used to take part in a memorial march on this day. It was almost a throw-away comment, because we were in the middle of preparing for the gifting of donated library materials to go to various centers in the community. My comment, if heard, I don’t really think was noted.

Perhaps we’ve grown past the day of marches…maybe they are part of the history to which the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. now belongs…a history that I am also a part of for having been there and participated…

My “wonder years,” as they have been described by a popular bread commercial of the 60’s and 70’s, included the assassinations of a U.S. President, a Spiritual and Civil Rights Leader, and a former U.S. Attorney General and Presidential Candidate; the birth of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War conflict that ripped our nation apart, as if it needed any further help in that department. Marches and Sit-ins were the modus operandi of the day for standing up and speaking out and demonstrating solidarity. Today we have blogs and YouTube and other forms of electronic audio-visual communications to reach the global audience with our causes and concerns. Back then, we had megaphones, and placards painted with our messages of defiance and hope. We sang songs and chanted slogans in unison. Yes, when Ms. Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus, it ushered in a whole new era – for all of us.

I was in junior high school when John Kennedy, our nation’s President, was shot. I remember being dismissed from school early after listening intently to the radio broadcast over the school’s public-address system from my math class room. When I got out to where our parents’ cars were already waiting, I remember getting in and the ominous ride home with my mother. I remember the fear I felt inside that we were without a leader and how vulnerable that might make us as a country. I asked her if the Communists were going to take over the country. “I don’t know,” she answered very quietly. “We have to get home.”

John Kennedy’s assassination stopped the world for 4 days, at least in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, where I lived. The nation stayed glued to the TV, hanging on every update that Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley could bring of the initially sketchy details through the capture and then assassination of suspect Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby, the President’s body lying in state in the Capital, and the seemingly endless funeral procession through the streets of Washington D.C. to the burial site at Arlington National Cemetery, where a little boy, John-John, said goodbye to his Father with a military salute that captured the hearts of people around the world in the now immortalized front page photograph.

It seems when Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, not all of the country stopped in quite the same way. Not everyone was touched in the same way, I suppose, because there were those who celebrated his death. People fed by the ignorance of hatred and bigotry claimed victory. The rest of us held our breath for the future of humanity, wondering would there ever be a time when there was true equality and peace.

These were heady questions for a young high school girl in the mid-1960’s. But they were what occupied my mind in the days following the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

Dr. King had become a hero to me. Even though I was not an Afro-American, I felt a personal identity with his vision. I was captivated by his eloquence, his passion, his courage, his leadership…his determination to win equality for all people through non-violent peaceful means.

Dr. King captured the heart of this idealistic young high school girl who personalized the racial strife in her country and hungered for a way to make a difference and be heard so that Afro-American people could know that not all White Americans hated those different from themselves. He provided a sure and steady power of example in those turbulent times. And Hope. He was a messenger for Faith and Hope.

So I found myself profoundly affected by the loss of this great leader, Dr. Martin Luther King. It was a loss I had to carry deeper inside myself than that of President Kennedy, because I did not find that it was shared by all of my friends – certainly not at the depth at which I felt it.

My respect and love for this man has grown through the years. I continue to be inspired by his vision and his powerful manner of delivery. May we dedicate our lives to unity and respect for all Beings, that all Humankind – black, white, red, yellow, straight, gay, young, old -- and all life on this planet, may know health, wealth and happiness and flourish. Above all, may we all know Dignity and Respect.

-Deb

©2008 Deborah Adler. All rights reserved.

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Discovering Myself in Other Blogs

One of my "rituals" I perform when I go online for the first time each day is to "google" my name. This is a little like staring at yourself in the mirror to make sure everything is in place and looks good. In my case, I use it to assess my success in search engine optimization and standing in the search engines for my websites, blogs, and various sites where my CD Songbyrd is available for sale and as Mp3 downloads.

Today, while performing this daily exercize, I discovered that one of my posts had been added to The Third Third site, (see www.thethirdthird.com),
a blog for women in the "third third" of their lives. It's managed by a delightful woman, Ann Sentilles, who is the Editor, and I was happy to have her be receptive to posting some of my articles when I first contacted her last fall.

I went to the posting that I found in my google search,
"Deb Adler's blog -- www.debadlersblog.blogspot.com -- deals with faith, music, gender, parents, and more. Here, her thoughts on losing her mother,... "

There, I discovered some paraphrasing and re-writing from my original post. Alas, we "bloggers" become accustomed to having our words published exactly as they are written because we publish them with the click of a mouse button! We forget that in the world of publishing, editors edit.

So once I got past the shock of seeing some "re-organization" of my words, I got over it. I did, however, feel compelled to write a comment because there had been an actual addition of a statement made that was contrary to the experience I was describing.

This is in reference to my November 1, 2007 post, Nov 1st: On the Anniversary of My Mother's Death.

Here's my comment as it appears at The Third Third

I am complimented to be part of The Third Third, however as I read over this post and realize that some of it has been paraphrased and re-written from the original post, I would invite the reader to view the actual post written on November 1, 2007.

This was actually written on the anniversary of my mother's death, not her birthday, as indicated here. It's that day (the day of her death) which has gone unnoticed to me in some years, but for some reason this year was very much prominent in my mind. Hence the blog post.

Most of the poetic license that has been taken here is just a matter of re-organizing my original writing, I guess. That's what editors do. However, there is a statement made here that in the final month of my mother's life, while she was in the hospital, "We talked of everything."

Actually, we talked very little. She was weak and in and out of consciousness. The most important element of our communication during that time was in what was not said. It came with being there. It came from rubbing white gardenia lotion on her hands when she was awake so she could appreciate how nice it smelled and that it made her feel better.

"We talked of everything" is a Hollywood depiction of the end of life, as far as I am concerned. Resolution of conflict and healing of the past doesn't come through words. It comes through action. It comes in a silent presence, it comes in the "unspoken."

This was what my mother and I shared in her final days.

So if you find yourself facing the opportunity to be with a loved one in their time of passing from this life to the next, don't worry about what to say. Just be there. That will say volumes. And whatever you feel is unresolved between you will pass in the silence and be resolved.

I appreciate this exposure to an audience that I might not necessarily otherwise reach. I hope to be featured here again, and I invite you to read this original post and others at my blog, http://debadlersblog.blogspot.com/

Thanks!
Deb Adler

PEACE!

©2008 Deborah Adler. All rights reserved.

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Diversifying into "Subject Blogs"

Ok, it's official. I'm going to be organizing myself into 4 blogs covering different interests and subject matter. That way I can optimize them and make sure the most people know how to find the information I'm offering!

So I've been busy learning about search engine optimization and search engine marketing, as well as then putting that to use for the Learning Center for Human Development, and other non-profit organiztions and for-profit businesses I'm involved in.

Love the learning process - especially with a coach present to guide you through!

Speaking of coaching and business, you can take part in an interactive Business Success Coaching and Financial Literacy Call every Thursday at 4:30 Eastern Standard Time:
1-212-461-5860, pin number: 8734#
This call is conducted by Pa'Ris'Ha and members of the Learning Center for Human Development Speakers Team.

Looking for scientific discourse of spiritual principles? Try our Writer's Academy Book Review Call on Tuesdays at 4:30 pm Eastern Standard Time. This call is hosted by the Writer's Academy Team and Pa'Ris'Ha. We are currently studying and discussing Dr. Fred Alan Wolf's book "Matter Into Feeling." Venture into the realm of quantum physics and creating your own reality. This is practical every-day work anyone can - must do - to improve their lives. No pie-in-the-sky or "woo-woo" here .. so check it out!

More later. Got links to put in and 3 more blogs to develop!

Later
Deb

©2008 Deborah Adler. All rights reserved.

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Gratitude Month and Thanksgiving

It’s “Gratitude Month” in the recovery rooms of one of the Twelve Step Programs. Nice correlation to Thanksgiving. I like it because it’s the same month as my sobriety anniversary (see Nov 16, 2007 post).

When I first got to recovery, one of my first sponsors instructed me to introduce myself as a “grateful recovering alcoholic.” That sort of pissed me off. I wasn’t grateful to be an alcoholic. I wasn’t grateful about much of anything in the beginning. I had lost my best friend (alcohol). Maybe I was going to live – but I didn’t see how I was ever going to enjoy it!

Today, I have experienced the joys of sobriety and the bountiful gifts that have come to me not only from not drinking, but as the result of working on my spiritual growth to free myself of the bonds of addictive behaviors and patterns.

Yes, today I can honestly say I am grateful to be a recovered alcoholic, because without having gone through addiction, I would not have come to a program of recovery. First of all, I would have been dead a long time ago. Today I am alive and enjoying life – not because I’m living on some sort of pink cloud, but because I have tools for coping with life as it comes. And let’s face it, life comes in many different forms. Some days it's pretty and some days it's ugly. Some days it makes sense and some days it defies reason or logic. But no matter what “face” life wears today I don’t have to anesthetize myself to get through it. I don’t have to run today because I don’t want to feel, or because I’m afraid, or angry, or just don’t care. Today I can take what comes and deal with it head on. That’s freedom!

See, serenity isn’t about being “zoned out” on some chant or mantra or Pollyanna view of things that ignores what’s going on all around you. Serenity is about being the eye of the hurricane. It’s about maintaining one’s balance and being in harmony with the grander scheme of things, while all around you on the local scene chaos reigns.

“Grounded.” “Centered.” Those are good descriptors.

The key is “Tuned In” to a Truth that moves, breathes, lives and has its Being in and through us. It’s knowing that we do not live apart from the All That Is, but as a part of it. It’s knowing that we are not separate from anything nor anyone around us. They are reflections to us, of us, through which we can measure our growth and our relationship with our Self.

Yes, today I’m grateful to be a recovered alcoholic, because I could not have written that last passage without having made the passage from killing myself to “living myself.”

I am who I am because of what I have come through. All of it. There is no part of what I have experienced in my journey towards today that if one minute piece of it were left out or altered, I would be the same person I am.

Today, who I am still needs polishing – but damn I’ve cleaned up nice! I’ve come a long way. It’s absolutely essential that we credit ourselves with our progress. Alcoholic or not.

So in this “season” of Thanksgiving, yes I have much to be grateful for. So much that I hope that I practice gratitude every day of the year, not just on “holidays” or “special months.”

©2008 Deborah Adler. All rights reserved.

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I Want My Mommy! - Postscript

Update to "I Want My Mommy" Post..

I was sitting in the wifi cafe today and the grandfather, little boy and a young woman walked in and sat down at the table near me.

The little boy looked very happy. The Grandfather was orienting the young woman to what the little boy usually orders. I looked over to the Grandfather and said, "Did he get his Mommy back?" He didn't hear me, but the young woman looked back at me and nodded.

I asked, "Are you his mother?" She answered "Yes."

I got up and explained that I had been there the day he found out she was coming home and how he wanted to go to the airport "Right now."

She laughed and nodded.

I extended my hand to her and said "Congratulations. Welcome Home." Then, instead of shaking hands, I hugged her. She leaned right into it, welcoming the "welcoming."

I asked if she was home for good. She said, "well, until the next time."

So she'll probably go back, and once more the little boy will have to be without his mother. Maybe by then, we will no longer be sending mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, children or friends "over there."

Let's pray so.

-D

©2008 Deborah Adler. All rights reserved.

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I Want My Mommy!

I'm watching a little boy who has just found out earlier in the day that his mother is returning from Iraq. He is almost inconsolable in the arms of his grandfather. I have seen them together often here, at a local restaurant-wifi spot, where I am sitting as I write this. In fact, I’m usually at the same table and they sit nearby at two stuffed chairs by the fireplace in the center of the eating area.

He’s pretty rambunctious, tends to hang from door handles and tries to climb up the walls, over the furniture, etc. I‘ve felt, with some sympathy towards the grandfather, and then again not, that the boy often gets out of hand. It seems Grandpa just keeps talking to him in this almost monotone, very soothing, but not too effective. Today it all came into perspective.

She (his mom) has been away for 2 ½ years. The little boy wants to go to the airport now and wait for her. Apparently she won’t be in for another few days.

I guessed that he looked as though he might be 3 or 4 years old. “Yes,” the Grandfather confirmed when I asked, “He’ll be four on Oct 20th.”

Seems every time the little boy sees a plane since the news that his mother is coming returning, he breaks into tears. He wants to go to the airport and wait for mommy - NOW! He wants to be there when she arrives. He really doesn't understand why they can't go now. I'm sure he doesn't want to miss her. There is no comfort at this point.

Some people try. A server brings out a cookie. Another woman, a customer, has gone to her car and brought back a coloring book for the boy - having no idea whatsoever what's wrong, but still wanting to help.

“I want my mommy!!!” Through tears and screams.

He was less than 2 years old when she left, I calculated in my head. Then I thought of all the ones who were on their way home and didn’t make it back in those last few precious days of duty. I said a prayer for both of them.

I wonder. How many other children have been traumatized? How many will never see their mommies or daddies again?

For what?

-D

©2008 Deborah Adler. All rights reserved.

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