Now I've gon' & Dunnit~ Hot Dog!

Photography JHM©09 All rights reserved

I've gone & done it...

Well it has happen 2 weeks and 4 days ago I took the leap and went home to New Orleans. I have had this pull since the storm o return but circumstances as well as my own deflection delayed, though not denied, what has now happened.

After awhile of doing things long distance, it wasn't enough. Because of an extraordinary circumstance and a few exceptional persons, I tossed, discarded and gave away what I had in Oregon and not only came home, but ironically ended up 2 blocks from where my parents as a young married couple brought me home from the hospital.

I have proof the address is on my birth certificate.

The house is gone after Katrina but I track down the owners. My parents just a few months after my birth bought our house in the Lower Ninth Ward which is where I spent my childhood. And I discovered by one of local artist fiercely working it in the Lower Nines, that the last vestiges of my childhood, the elementary school I attended has now been demolished.

Too long with too much mold, asbestos & time caused its demise.

Within 3 days I was attending the Imagining America national conference http://www.imaginingamerica.org/ held at the New Orleans Villa Treme African American Museum that set the tone. ..

I will also be volunteering with Mos Chukma Institute http://www.moschukmainstitute.org/ housed at the MLK Charter School for Science & Technology , the only operating school in the Lower Ninth Ward where our 44th POTUS Obama stopped in to visit today.

The director of Mos Chukma ,which is a Houma Indian word meaning "perfect child", Amelie Parker, a vital 60-something artist residing in Bywater community in the Ninth Ward, gave up her retirement monies packed up came home to create this innovative , unique program assisting the young children in coping with bereavement, grief & loss following the storm. It is the only component in the city using the arts with mental health with young people some of with are now entering middle/ high school and now able to articulate their feelings.

http://www.moschukmainstitute.org/projects.html

Ms. Parker who has a degree in psychology & a talented artist had previously worked on a reservation in Northern California, but without hesitation came home to New Orleans to help.

Four years later with her entire retirement now spent, she is still diligently plugging in. Her son who is an English teacher came to New Orleans to volunteer for a few weeks last year and has decided to return ended up teaching literature in one of the schools on the West Bank.

Now I've come also to lend a hand... As I should.

I know Ms. Parker's vision is to broaden the scope of what she is doing in training others so this excellent program can be implemented in other schools in the parish. In my personal opinion I can easily see it being a national one too.

Her fierce devotion to these young people is being done on air as most of us can appreciate from some point of our lives. I am planning on not only giving of time, but a percentage of the sale of my art over the next year to help. Understand, Ms. Parker could have lived the last third of her life in comfort, but like many others in faith & courage came.

We could do no less...

In the last year I've come to discover that I was not the only one who had hear the pull and the song to come. I knew of 11 others who have. I can say this for a fact, the vibe is different and people are working hard.

Neither I nor any of these other people see ourselves as Moses. None of this is done out of arrogance.. It is our home too and this is what we should do. We run the gamut of occupations & professions from the visionaries, artists, business people and even an mathematician.

This 1st year I will start blogging on my first year home, as an observer & a native daughter , called Burnt Toast, Sweet Tea & Thyme.

I want to, as I renew my relationship with my home as it is being renewed, is to highlight those as one I met today and how they are in the small and the lagniappe, are doing their part, pulling their weight.

And I will also have a group by the same name meeting in my home on a monthly basis after the 1st of the year as I raise the question a the conference in who will care for the caretakers? These are the first line of people who came home who are tired, need cheering and respite to refuel and refresh.

So here we are...

I love these two quotes:

"If we truly love, we must deal with a person where that person is. Not as if all that their life can mean is wrapped up in what we are seeing and experiencing with them at that moment in time. We must deal with them in the light of what they are plus what seems to be the possibility & potential of their lives. To meet people where they are & deal with them there as if they were where they should be, this is love". ~George Frasier,Success Net http://www.frasiernet.com/ http://www.10truths2click.com/

When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly."~Patrick Overton

Your Best Shot is yours to Do

There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either IN or you're OUT. There's no such thing as life in-between.
~ Pat Riley, basketball coach

Are You Giving Your Goals Your Best Effort?

Your dreams deserve better than a half-hearted effort. Meet your goals with a weak handshake and they'll soon be waving you goodbye. Since you probably don't want to look back on a life full of "almost made it" memories, it's time for total commitment. Leave it all on the field, don't hold anything back. Is there anything more satisfying than pouring out your entire being, straddling the cliff, reaching your total limit, then looking up and realizing that oh-my-gosh-I-can't-believe-I-really-did-it? And is there anything more tragic than failing and realizing you could have done more? If you feel "tuned out" of your current life, that's okay. Make your first goal to build a life that you can get "in"-to. Then don't look back. Make every day count and live purposefully, live energetically, live completely.

Un Pensee Ecrite~ a written thought

Suffering is the tuition one pays for a character degree.
- Richard M. Rayner, M.D.

What you really learn from hardships

"Perhaps you think this isn't very ‘positive' sounding, but I find it helps people (patients and friends) put hardship, which is inevitable, to good use," says Richard. "People can use their suffering either to gain character or become bitter. The ones who choose bitterness live a long, slow death. The ones who choose character truly live." Richard is right on the money. Happiness and sadness don't happen to us--they come from within. The story of your life will be written with or without your help. The next chapter is happening while you read this. Will you wait to see what it says later, or will you help write it?

Its the Little Things...

When eating a fruit, think of the person who planted the tree.
- Vietnamese saying

Expressing everyday gratitude

How often do you remember the people that have made little things possible for you? It's easy to take our privileges for granted. Today, be more aware of your surroundings--everything from your shirt, house, food, and car--and who has made them possible for you. Who has made it possible for you to experience such wonderful things? One way to let someone know that you truly appreciate their efforts is to send them a quick note or return the kindness in your own way.

I get a kick out of my own surprises

Cypress Trees-Lake Ponchatrain ©09JHM

Who I am really keeps surprising me.~ Poet Nikki Giovanni

What we can learn from our path to the present

Often in moments of discouragement or depression, it's easy to feel that your life is going nowhere or that change is impossible. But it's simply not true! Take a minute to think back over your life. Chances are, you'll see a lot of growth in all of your formative areas. From childish playing, to youthful impulsiveness and adult reasoning, life sure has taken you on a rollercoaster hasn't it? When you were young, someone probably asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up. If someone posed that same question to you now, what would you say? Let this reflection be an indicator of your dreams.

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.~ Unknown

Taking the more difficult road to success

www,sparkspeople.com

Cheating to get ahead might get you the grade or promotion, but in the long run it really sets you back. Intelligence, creativity, hard work, and solid character--the things that propel you forward--are not fostered by taking the easy way out. You don't earn anything by short-cutting your work. You're only cutting your potential short. Sure you might feel relieved that a stressful task has passed, but an undeserving sense of relief doesn't compare to the gratification of knowing that you completed your own work. If something in your life is difficult, meet it head on and earn the satisfaction of earning a job well done--with honesty and integrity.

The End of a Road;Begin Anew...

In 6 days I will be boarding the train heading home to New Orleans & am I excited! I had to reflect to day that I am also coming to the end of another road with few regrets and with some appreciation.



In my "sabbatical" as I call it this last year I've learned a lot of things about myself. And despite some of the trials, it was indeed a good thing so I have few regrets.

In 6 days I will be boarding the train heading home to New Orleans & am I ready to rock & roll getting the creative juices to flow!

I've learn not to take myself or others so seriously and to be serious about what is necessary.

One thing I learned is to be still.

Another is the world will not fall apart if I am not rushing pell mell . I can indeed (and did) take some of the stress off myself.

I had lots and lots of time to think, renew & enjoy my own company.

I created a garden; took up photography...

I created a new paradigm.

I got to see my grandchild born, spend time, albeit very little, with my son & saw pine trees w daisies at the ocean.

And while unfortunately I watch my health deteriorate some, I also have gain some skills and tools to renew that too. We need health care so badly for all.

I relinquished a few friendships that were not quite as friendly & gain a few new allies.

I watch deer in my yard, had a yellow tabby & a grey Himalayan cats visit me on a regular basis.

I saw lovely butterflies, humming birds and wild turkeys.

I learn not to take myself or others so seriously and to be serious about what is necessary.
And I embrace two people who had faith in my ability to renew & fly!

So I say I have few regrets, many struggles but I made it. I might not have known all of this if I had not taken that leap of faith and moved across country.

As a friend said to me "One thing is for sure: when you leap off a cliff you will do one or two things; You will hit something solid or you will learn to fly"

Well guess what Karen, I managed to do both!

How cool is that!