Brandon's Book Club Entry #1

Be aware.
This book will shake you to your core.

If you don't already believe in an afterlife, where heaven is like a rainbow of colors, where everyone has wings and flies everywhere, and where our loved ones go to wait for us, after reading this book you will become a believer.

This is the story of a three year old boy who suffered from appendicitis, unbeknownst to his parents. He becomes extremely ill and is taken to hospital where he ended up having surgery. As you can imagine, his parents were extremely distraught. A few months after recovery, the young boy proceeds to tell stories, including details that only someone who had been there would be able to tell, including where his mom and dad were while he was in surgery. Descriptive details about prayers offered up, how God had answered those prayers, how Jesus sends down power to those who ask for it, how our loved ones wait for us and watch over us.
This book was wonderfully reaffirming and a blessing. I highly recommend it for those of you who continue to search for a higher message and inner peace from the struggles of life.

This young man is able to describe every detail in his very young focus. Is is truly quite extraordinary. It gives me an immense amount of faith knowing that those who have gone on before me are cheering me on, with their wings spread, sending me positive energy. I dream of the day when our paths will come back together no matter how much I miss them right now. Knowing that Jesus answers those prayers, no matter how angry they may be, no matter how selfish they may seem, he answers those prayers by sending us power and energy.

Truly a blessing... that came at the right moment in my life...at the right time and place...

MLK Jr. Said it best...

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives,
but I will not rejoice in the death of one,
not even an enemy.
Returning hate for hate multiplies hate,
Adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

Truly beautiful...
Thank you Johnnie for bringing words to my feelings of the day!

I am not sure how to feel...

I have mixed emotions...
The last few days have been a whirlwind of emotions.

But it all kind of came to a head last night. With news from President Obama late last night that Bin Laden was killed by US forces, I was relieved to know that the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks was in deed dead and on his way to hell. Feeling an overwhelming peace of mind that one is found and complete.

However, then all the images came flooding back from the days in the streets in the middle of the night, of walking through a barren Times Square. The screams from the top of the stairs as the Union Station subway gates are closed behidn us with nowhere to go but forward. The falling bodies. The makeshift memorials with candles and pictures of people needing to be found. The face of the crying young man in the sweats on the Subway...the one with the garbage bag between his legs, containing his whitepowdered business suit and dress shoes sobbing into the phone, saying "I know that fireman who pushed me into the van is gone. He went on into the Towers." There are times that these images creep back into my dreams. And I feel my heartbeat race and I wake up gasping.

Then I find myself waking this morning to find the images of Americans outside the White House screaming and cheering, images of firemen sitting on top of their firetruck in Times Square as the words scroll across the screens that "Bin Laden is dead". People cheering in the streets, waving American flags, and my thoughts go to 9 years ago and the streets of another foreign country cheering and waving flags at the deaths of 3,000 innocent people and my gut cannot help but think, "Where does the flag waving for DEATH stop? When does the cheering for REVENGE and SUCCESS cease?"

This world cries for VENGENCE. I cannot help but think that Jesus would be so disappointed in this. On all levels.

I know deep down that Bin Laden would not go alive. I cannot help now but have the deep down feeling that we have not seen the end of the bloodshed...that somehow the "Eye for an Eye" is coming and that scares the hell out of me.

VEGAN-ish

I have been taping the last remaining Oprah epsisodes. I have been hearing that her last season has been absolutely amazing with wonderful interviews with folks and topics that she WANTS to do before she leaves the air. I have not been let down, that's for sure. Really great thought-provoking interviews all across the board ranging from Marie Osmond to Hugh Jackman, from "Where are they now?" to a very interesting topic I have not been able to get off my mind since seeing it the other day. It was an intriguing episode on Veganism.

Now mind you, I have ALWAYS said that I love me some steak and a big slab of beef like the next guy. There is something to be said about that yummy burger. HOWEVER...Oprah's episode on Becoming Vegan was so eye-opening on alot of levels. She encouraged her staff to try being vegan for one week. She did not force them to do so, but many stepped up to the challenge. She had over 350 staffers join her and it seems they lost like 450 (ish) lbs, gained 83 lbs in one week and one gentleman even stated that he had lost 11 lbs and has never felt better. Oprah also included in the factual evidence that a young lady staffer actually felt that she had, two days in to trying the vegan experience, went through some sort of detox and withdrawal symptoms. This did not shock me very much.

It was so interesting. What scared me to the salad bar the most was the segment Lisa Ling did on visiting a cattle slaughtering house and how the process is performed. YIKES! For those of you who have yet ot experience the NOW network and see an episode of Ling's hour long newscast, you are missing out. WONDERFUL!!! They did not really go into full visual disclosure in the slaughter house of "THE" moment of death, however they did show Ling's eyes as the 4 inch bolt was shot into the cow's head and the cut was administered to begin the blood letting. Horrifying. And then they showed the cow's body strung up by its feet to drain and begin the removal of hide, etc. YOU ALL KNOW ME... I get queasy at the sight of a hangnail... This moment was very eye-opening...

Some interesting facts I found online concerning becoming vegan are :

• Eating a vegan diet has shown to prevent some diseases, including blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, can greatly reduce the possibilities of colon cancer and breast cancer and lowers cholesterol.


• Lengthens your life by three to six years.


• Provides healthy skin and helps you lose weight.


• Reduces body odor and bad breath.


• Increases your energy levels.


• Makes your hair and nails stronger and healthier. (and with my hair turning whiter and whiter and leaving the party on the top of my head...healthier and stronger is better RIGHT?)

Oprah's guests then went on to say that it would be difficult to give up something you are used to. In fact, they also stated that you have to do what is best for you. They suggested "No-Meat Mondays" or to become "Vegan-ish".

I think this is something I should look more into and see what other goodies I can find out about the topic. I am truly not sure that I can give it up fully...I love my eggs, milk and ice cream, and the occasional steak here and there....but maybe this could be a beginning of a little more healthier eating? I could definitely afford to remove the sugars and could definitely do a "No MEAT Monday" regime.

More to come.

Adoption update...

Arkansas Supreme Court, on Thursday, overturned a state law barring same-sex couple from adopting. In a statement released from the high court, they stated that the law violated an individual's right to privacy. Seems that voters, in 2008, passed a law, called Act 1, that stated that folks had to give up their rights to a relationship, co-habitating, and included both hetero and homosexual partners, regardless of time together in order to adopt a child in the state of Arkansas.

On Thursday, the state Supreme Court overturned that ruling in a unanimous decision stating that, "act 1 directly and substantially burdens the privacy rights of ' opposite sex and same sex individuals' who engage in private consensual, sexual conduct in the bedroom by foreclosing their eligibility to foster or adopt children, should they choose to cohabitate with their sexual partner. the pressure on such partners to live apart, should they wish to foster or adopt children, is clearly significant."

FINALLY! Thank you for doing something right for the children!

Trying to wrap my mind around this...

I had a wonderful conversation with a very special lady in my life the other day. I think as I grow older, I become more and more sentimental. There are only a few people that truly know me for who I am. There are few people who truly know how to ask the correct questions. How to maneuver their way through the landscape that is my life and offer support and console exactly when I need it. I find this in this special woman.

Yesterday, we had a wonderful discussion about many things. I can tell this woman anything and know that I will receive excellent advice and wonderful feedback. We talked for about a half an hour about various topics. One topic really got my mind racing and actually caused my heart rate to rise. I actually could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I am trying to find my way in this world.

Many of you know that I have set myself a "bucket-list" of sorts. There are things that I want dearly in my life. For those of you who know the book entitled "The Secret" know that if you throw something out into the universe, it will come back to you triple fold. I am beginning to believe this more and more as I experience the adventures in my life.

• I have found that I threw out the idea of being overseas for my 40th birthday. Then it became I want to be in Paris when I turned 40. I devoted a great deal of thoughts to this...and it is coming to fruition a year early!!!


• I also want within the next five years to have a child. I am opening this to the universe to make this happen, no matter how it needs to happen whether through surrogate or adoption.


• I am saddened and frustrated however, when I watch TV shows that portray young teens who decide to abort when they made a wrong decision and think that these actions are okay. I get agitated when state legislatures decide that anyone who is not a "husband and wife" household cannot adopt. I am also saddened to hear of folks who abuse children, both verbally, emotionally, and/or physically, by locking them in their bedrooms or living rooms so that they can go get drunk somewhere else in the house. Or become so addicted to Meth or Cocaine and are forced to give up their children because they have made the wrong choices. Or an irresponsible woman decides that she is going to give birth to 8 children on top of the 6 children she already has.

Our country's adoptions agencies are bursting at the seams. Our country and state leaders are making rules that, at times, do not seem to fit this burst. At times it seems that our leaders would much rather have their agencies bursting than to find a loving household for each child, regardless of the relationship setting. The push against gay, lesbian, and same-sex couple adoption is truthfully about gay discrimination than child welfare.Buying into the gay rhetoric that gay adoption poses an unsafe environment for the child or that a gay environment is some sort of a "recruitment" environment is absolutely ludicrous. Truth be told, here are some facts I found:

1. There are already thousands of children living in gay households across America. The 2000 census stated 33% of female same-sex couple household and 22% male same-sex couple households a;ready have at least one child living under their roof under the age of 18. Can you imagine what 11 years pose in these percentages?


2. According to the American Psychological Association Policy statement on Sexual Orientation, Parents & Children, "There is no reliable evidence that homosexual orientation perse impairs psychological functioning. Second, beliefs that lesbian and gay adults are not fit parents have no empirical foundation."


3. There is no conclusive evidence that homosexuality is linked to one's environment. In other words, growing up in a gay couple household will not "make" a child gay.


4. And on top of all of this, groups across the country fall into these misconceptions and false pretenses and seek to reduce the rights of fellow human beings to adopt, regardless of the fact that adoptions agencies continue to grow and overflow. This does not matter. They would rather let these levels continue to grow than to provide a home from a loving adult who yearns for a child. Seriously? How ridiculous does that sound to you?

I am not allowed to adopt a child in the state I currently reside in. So what are other avenues??Surrogacy is a HUGE investment that seems so daunting at times. $30,000? $40,000? Seriously? So yeah, when I hear of these stories about choices being made for me, not KNOWING me, or when I read of these stories of "parents" treating their children as pets, or self-absorbed parents thriving in their own addictions and not paying attention to their own kids??

Yeah I have a HUGE problem with that. I am done speaking and will step down from my soapbox...for now...

For my Ragtime Family...

There is not a day that goes by that I do not look back on our time together with the fondest of memories.

Ragtime, at the Omaha Community Playhouse, was one of those experiences, where from the minute the cast sat down for its first reading, we knew we had something special on our hands. And from the moment the first curtain rose and we all belted out this AMAZING sound and felt the gasp of the audience and heard the applause...I was hooked and was forever changed.

Under Susie, Boggess, and Roxanne's tutleage...

With Kevin at the helm...

With an AMAZING ensemble family...

From the Girl on the Swing to Playing Ball...

Every moment was glimmering with sparkle for me...

All Like A Wheel of a Dream...

There are only a few occasions in which I have said to myself, I could do this show forever and ever. Ragtime was one of those experiences.

Thank you for being part of such a fond, fond memory.