Here is a soft place to land; a place where we can exchange ideas about health, wealth and everything between. There will be ideas, products, encouragement and techniques to help people enhance their lives.
It is so wonderful to be able to brag about one's kids, especially when there's no objection! Here is an example:
My daughter teaches Tai Chi in Astoria, Oregon. The Daily Astorian Newspaper heard about her classes and came by with their video camera.
Tai Chi is a wonderful adjunct to any other healing modality, including The Healing Codes. No matter your age or ability level, you will find good things about Tai Chi. Should you be so fortunate as to live in the Astoria, Oregon locale you could choose Angela for your instructor. But you should know she has a waiting list for her classes! Tell her Mother Connie sent you, won't you please?
Any parent of children with special needs knows the management of their care can be challenging from the inside out.
If those needs are apparent at a child’s birth, there is shock and a tsunami wave of emotion ranging from fear and anger to guilt and sorrow. There is loneliness, worry, and confusion, too. When those abate-or diminish-there is the day to day routine which can be punctuated with medical appointments and crises; sleep deprivation and difficult decisions.
When special needs children reach adulthood, it most likely means their parents have reached Social Security status. What about the perpetuity of the care of precious, special offspring?
Let me share with you a story:
Our little fellow had an assortment of birth defects that meant his birth parents were unable to care for him. He was shuttled from hospital to hospital until he was three years old, at which time he became available for foster care.
As this little boy was enduring surgeries to correct his anomalies our own family was mourning the loss of four babies who, for various reasons, did not survive their births. Because we wanted to round out our family to 4, we applied to the State to be foster parents.
Little Michael Birdsong arrived at our home on a blistering June day, accompanied by a social worker and her aide. Michael wriggled a lot and it was a full time job to make sure he stayed inside the car!
SIDEBAR: This was in the era prior to child car seats and seat belts! END SIDEBAR.
Michael Birdsong had been described to us as a blond, blue eyed charmer who was in need of an emergency placement. We later learned that the woman who planned to foster him for the long term had a family emergency of her own and was unable to accept this placement. We also found out that our home was the THIRD home in 21 days; the FOURTH in a month!
There was magic in the moment. He reached his little arms out to all of us and directed his greeting to me: “HI, MOM!” We all fell in love with one another that day.
Life with Michael has never been dull. There were endless rounds of medical appointments and clinics; there were his strange behaviors and made-up language; we marveled at his will to do what all our kids were doing, despite the physical challenges and intellectual differences.
Along the way, The Bird was named Foster Child of the Year. He got to hug “his” Governor on TV the same day he ate lunch with him!
When he graduated high school and walked unassisted across the stage to accept his Special Ed diploma from the Governor of our state, another of “his” Governors, he got a standing O and it was quite the moment.
Along his journey from his arrival to our home and high school graduation he had endured many surgeries, three episodes of long term coma, in addition to many other ailments. He was a trooper who could laugh at himself. HE MADE US LAUGH, TOO!
Our nest began to empty but Michael stayed at home with Mom. There was Adult Day Care and he was a people person who knew everyone in our neighborhood.
When Mom remarried it created a blended family. Michael’s new step daddy had a special needs son, too. He lived in a Group Home and attended a workshop. Michael remained in the home we had shared and continued to attend Adult Day Care. We checked on him often to make sure he was eating well and managing successfully. When we found him unconscious, in need of an emergency shunt revision to correct spinal fluid, the decision was made to put him into a Group Home so he would never be alone.
He lived with his step brother and one other housemate. They all bonded and have remained close friends.
Michael’s health began to deteriorate, however. A surgery from which he did not recover well left him with memory issues, confusion, and lethargy. It was an exceedingly painful decision, but it needed to be made: Michael Birdsong needed to be placed in a nursing facility for 24 hour care. At the time of his arrival, the staff estimated he might linger for six months. He was weak, thin, depressed, in great pain, and was very confused. He was 29 years young.
It was about this time in his life that Michael's Services Coordinator, who had been a faithful partner in so many transitions in The Birdman’s life, transferred to a different office. He would be served by a new coordinator. I will always remember the young dark haired beauty who arrived, curls bouncing, carrying in the stack of folders pertinent to Michael’s case. We loved HER at first sight, too! She was a mighty advocate for as long as she worked with Guy.
Over a decade, Michael’s health improved significantly. Because of what Mom had learned about water, supplements, sleep systems, energy medicine and a plethora of information he was able to participate in another workshop setting. It was with great joy that he became able to live in a Group Home. He would miss his friends at the Nursing Home but a Group Home would mean more opportunity for learning and a more upbeat existence.
There came a point at which things with the agency sponsoring Michael's group home began to unravel. Meanwhile, we were at a place where, as aging parents, we needed to simplify our lives. We consulted our beloved services coordinators-past and present-for answers to our dilemma.
As we were pondering and debating our course of action we learned of a brand new agency with a fresh vision and hopeful philosophy. Could we trust this new agency? Would they let us down?
After a VERY rough and rocky start to the beginning of a chapter in life that put those step brothers back under the same roof, we have met the people who will be caring for both guys.
These people WANT our boys. They have a home that is laid out so as to accommodate them. They have children and relatives who will embrace them, with all their warts and foibles. They seem to be well qualified and well trained for the herculean job they have accepted. This amazing couple, and their family, came to the agency at THE PERFECT TIME. I am persuaded it is a ‘God thing’!
Nothing in life is certain. But we are feeling mighty elated! We have no control over things like our kids’ lives, so we must TRUST that Divine Providence is at work.
Special needs have become special blessings on so many levels!
This morning we are marveling at the synchronicity of how our boys are enjoying a quality of life we dared to hope might be possible. If it is not synchronicity; if not a God thing, then, pray tell, what IS it?
Connie Baum The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post. Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated. Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline. Always do business with those you trust implicitly.
PS/My good friend, Rainy, has a blog devoted to the issues of Special Needs. It's calledGrowing Up Special and I'd love for you to cruise over there and check it out. ***Rainy loves comments as much as Mother Connie does, hint/hint!
Breaking the ice might be easy or difficult but it's always interesting!
You may recall that one of Mother Connie's passions is the Toastmasters, International Club that meets weekly at the local state prison. Seeing the growth and development of speaking and leadership skills emerging in LibOrators 986233 is thrilling and gratifying. Our most recent meeting was no exception.
Several of our members have been hand selected to participate in a Criminal Justice class for college credit and they were happy to share an ice-breaker activity with their fellow Toastmasters that helped everyone to understand what they are doing in their classwork. We volunteers were delighted to participate in this group activity.
The tables were arranged to one side of the room and the chairs were set up in a circle. The leader gave us all a topic to consider and we took turns responding to his subjects. Some were humorous and light hearted; others were designed to make a person think. Every single subject peeled away any extraneous "masks" we may have worn and allowed us to see one another-and ourselves-as we really ARE. It was a beautiful and revealing exercise. Besides that, it was great fun!
The very first item that was tossed to us had to do with our choice of Super Powers. They ranged from wanting to understand every language spoken to knowing what animals think. One member even wanted to be able to ZAP everyone so they would feel instant joy! That's a Super Power, all right!
We were invited to choose whatever animal we'd be. This was interesting because every choice made by one of the incarcerated fellows indicated their desire for freedom: birds, animals high on the food chain, ocean creatures... FYI, Mother Connie chose the elephant, where size would not matter! grin
The gales of laughter that got the attention of the officer on duty were from the question of favorite movies and quotes from them. These guys have spent considerable time watching movies and have seen the same ones repeatedly. They cracked one another up with their comical impressions of the actors and loudly rehashing the story lines. Okay, I admit it: we were a rowdy crowd.
After all the laughter had diminished we got very serious over what motto we choose for living our lives. The serious tone indicated this was not something the guys took lightly. Every member in that circle, it seemed to me, is making a concerted effort to live his best life and be his best self. They all seem to understand that they would not be behind bars if they had paid close attention to those kinds of details earlier in their life's journey.
These men are sons and brothers; fathers and husbands; uncles and nephews - even neighbors who made terrible and foolish choices, resulting in dire tragedies. Now they are paying their debts to society and doing all in their power to rise above their circumstances and learn from their mistakes. In that circle, they were spiritual beings living human lives.
Here is my challenge to YOU, dear reader: What is the motto YOU choose to live by? What animal would YOU be if you could? And what is YOUR favorite movie? Why? Can you quote something from it? And finally, Would YOU be interested in joining Toastmasters International?
Love is a great healer; which reminds me that Valentine's Day will be here soon. Are you living on a dime and wondering how to make the day special for people you love? Here is a NO COST IDEA for you: JUST CLICK ON THESE WORDS---> Living On a Dime.
The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post. Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated. Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline. Always do business with those you trust implicitly.
Einstein was a great thinker who made many discoveries...
Have you discovered anything exciting recently? What have you been thinking?
WHAT you think is important to your well being, according to Dr. Bruce Lipton. Dr. Lipton is a leader in quantum physics and cellular biology. He was taught that just as Darwin believed, we all are programmed by our DNA and that programming cannot be changed. He believed it was set in stone, as it were. It seemed as if we all were "victimized" by our very own biology!
Dr. Lipton was as surprised as anyone when he discovered that there are genes attached to our cells called 'epigenes'. These little wonders seem to change how our genes are expressed, which, in turn, changes our cells. The good doctor discovered that our DNA responds to signals outside our cells. These signals are produced by our very own emotions, beliefs, thoughts, and even our senses! We are literally products of our own environment! This discovery makes for very good news!
SIDEBAR: This explains how both my parents had glaucoma and I have no sign of any such thing. My epigenes got that memo, thank goodness and my body's ability to be healthy! END SIDEBAR.
This would also explain the "spontaneous remission" of disease referred to by medical people whenever a patient presents with symptoms that are no longer present. For my own part, I find it amusing that some in the medical field may not accept that this could be the result of prayer, but that's another whole blog post.
It is estimated that some 70% of peoples' thoughts are negative. Oh, dear. That can't be good for sending memos to epigenes. What's a person to DO?
You know what Mother Connie will recommend, don't you? You see it coming, right? Yes. Of course. By using The Healing Codesyou can help your body switch on its own healing mechanisms! Energy Healing is the alternative health care that is sweeping the world by storm with wonderful results! With love and truth and healing energy YOUR body's epigenes will GET the memo which can eradicate pesky symptoms and allow you to live the life you deserve and desire!
The Energy Medicine of The Healing Codes have been proven to work wonders. Dr. Bruce Lipton found the science of it to be true. Dr. Ben Johnson experienced it when his health made a dramatic and yes, we dare to say it-miraculous-recovery!
The FTC wants you to know there are links in this post. Should they be clicked, resulting in sales, your humble blogger would be fairly compensated. Please do your due diligence when conducting affairs online or offline. Always do business with those you trust implicitly.
