He Lived

"And, while Cinderella and her prince did live happily ever after, the point, gentlemen, is that they lived."

Living. That's the point, isn't it? We are all born, and we all will die. It's what we do with the living years that really matter.

I have reached a realization that with all I have shared with each of you about how Dale died, I have failed miserably in sharing with you how he lived.  And that's really the point, isn't it? Because how someone dies is only a small part of their story.

I'd like to introduce you now to a fine, sweet man whose name was Robert Dale Cameron. He was born on August 25, 1960, and he died on August 20, 2009. This is how he lived:

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Good Friday and Easter commemorate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so it's only natural that my thoughts wander to the many ways this is experienced in our lives. From the very hungry caterpillar resurrecting to a beautiful butterfly to the addict who finds new hope and life in sobriety, starting over is a concept we all both struggle to attain and struggle to deal with, simultaneously.

Follow Through

I have a follower who works at a community mental health organization and is a master's of social work candidate from Michigan State University.  This friend asked to share with me and each of you the importance of continuing therapy after an assault, trauma or in instances of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). My friend's hope, like mine, is that by sharing their experiences with you, maybe, just maybe, we can help at least ONE person because EVERY single person is worth helping.  This is what they shared with me and what I would like to pass on to each of you:

Very Inspirational Blogger Award

Who? Me?

Happily surprised, I was, to wake up this morning and see that I had been granted the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by The Misadventures of a Bipolar Girl and then again later in the day by Mrs. Nelson's Math Tutoring! It does the heart good to know that others find you "inspiring".

Now, to the rules. There are always rules. I must post 7 interesting things about myself.  Seven. Interesting. Well, here we go:

1.  I am not left handed.

2.  I played softball when I was a kid. I wasn't all that great at it, but I could run fast!

3.  I was a cheerleader for 3 years in high school, and it was the most rewarding experience I had in school. I can still do a cartwheel!! Ok, my wrists can hardly take it, but I can do it!

4.  I love Taco-flavored Doritos, Sons of Anarchy and iced tea. All three of them at the same time is like heaven on earth. On certain days, you can substitute Mad Men for Sons of Anarchy and it'd still be heaven.

5.  I can type almost 140 words per minute. Don't get into a chat battle with me. I'll win.

6.  I have naturally curly hair. And when I say "naturally curly hair", I mean a frizzball on the top of my head.

7.  I have awesome friends and family who support me and my desire to raise awareness about suicide and other mental health care issues.

Okay now that we have that out of the way, I must now nominate 15 other bloggers to receive this award.  I find inspiration in the blogging world over and over again, so this should be somewhat easy peasy.

1.  What I Really Meant to Say Was
2.  Sole Searching Mamma
3.  Razorblade Brain
4.  My Daily Jenn-ism
5.  Martha Stewart Doesn't Live Here
6.  I Want a Dumpster Baby
7.  Frugalista Blog
8.  Four Plus an Angel
9.  fireandrabbits
10.  Diary of a Mad Woman
11.  Curveballs - The Crumb Diaries
12.  ADD Music Mamma
13.  Scarred for Life
14.  My Children Think I'm Perfect
15.  Adventures of NinjaMama

Please go check out these fabulous bloggers!!

One More Day

It's coming. Every year, without fail, it shows up and the memories flood.

Who the hell are You?

A couple of weeks ago, my lovely Jenn tagged me in her blog Who the Hell am I? Pfffft ... Who the Hell are You?  At first, I was like woooaahh ... Jenn's good and ticked off about something. But then I quickly realized we were playing a little game. She had been tagged by Menopausal Mother to answer a list of questions and then there she goes and tags me, too. Now I'm IT. I always wanted to be IT. People always say, "ohhh yeah. you got IT." I'm always like, "yeaaahh, I'm IT. I'm the stuff." And then I laugh and laugh and wipe yesterday's mascara out from under my raccoon eyes. Anyway, I digress.

Ask and I Will Answer

Tara at You Know it Happens at Your House Too invited her readers this morning to ask her questions that she would answer in a blog entry. I wondered, "hmmm...what would MY readers ask?"  So, I asked you what you wanted to know, and these are the first 20 questions posed:

I'm sorry Wilson.

I watched the movie Cast Away, starring Tom Hanks, for about the 5th time.  You know how when you watch a movie over and over again, there are times you notice something you didn't notice in the earlier viewings?  That's what happened with me this time, only it wasn't an object or a mistake or an actor I'd seen before. It was like an "a-ha" moment.

Where is the Love?

I've been a bit quiet for a while on this here blog-o-sphere.  I know I'm not alone in the sense that I didn't have the right words to say after the Sandy Hook tragedy. Then the hub-bub of Christmas and the New Year came and went, and still, I had no words.  Everything else to write about just seemed frivolous or irrelevant.  My mind has swirled with thoughts, and yet I just haven't been able to find the right words and put them together coherently.  This is not a post about Sandy Hook, per se. This is not a post about gun control or even mental health care. It's a post about humanity. About decency. About respect for human life.