More Mother-In-Law Trouble

It was only a few months ago that my Mother-In-Law's mental issues caused a strain on the family. If you read back to August, you'll see how it got and what I wrote probably only covered half of the total events surrounding what happened. However, things got better and the house was starting to get back to normal.

Until a few days before Christmas.

As I was finalizing the previous post, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," things happened back home that caused turmoil right before the holiday, a time when the positive energy in my home was at an apogee. What a joy to get home from work and feel the family energy and have it pick me up even higher place. I am grateful that my work life and my home life had reached this state of positivity. I felt like I could manifest whatever we needed, such was my gratitude and the support of the positive energy around me.

Within that tableau, my Mother-In-Law took all of her medication at once in an attempt at suicide.

When I got the call at work, my first action was to use all my knowledge of the Law of Attraction to manifest her survival. I stated it and believed it and she survived, though she was obviously hospitalized. At that point, the details started coming out.

I had known that my wife and her mother had some disputes, but it seemed like the normal stuff that happens when different people live under the same roof. Then her group therapist called the house, wondering why my Mother-In-Law hadn't been to group for a while. In fact, her attendance had been sporadic for a little while. My Mother-In-Law told us she didn't feel like it. We reminded her that that was a condition of her returning from her most recent issues, which she didn't seem to register.

The next day, the therapist told us that she had admitted to experimenting with her medication, saying that she felt better and didn't think she needed it. Doctor after doctor have stated that the medicine was to be taken, as prescribed, for maintenance. As you might imagine, that didn't sit well with my wife or me.

Then, a few days before the holiday, my wife called and snapped at me, saying that I needed to pick up when she called, even though I was at "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" in which I had switched my cell phone off, as asked, to watch the movie. Her negativity was caused by yet another blow up with her mother. I called the house to speak with my Mother-In-Law telling her that, for the good of the household, it was time she moved out, which was already a condition of her original return.

That evening was tense, unfortunately erasing the majority of positivity gains of the last few weeks. She stayed in her room and I didn't speak to her at all, figuring that, by lowering that boom, she wouldn't be in the mood to speak with me.

The following day, I get a harrowing call from my wife. She said that her eldest, my stepson, had called because my Mother-In-Law came out of her room saying that she needed to call 911 because she had just taken all of her pills. After the call, my stepson called my wife and told her what happened. She, in turn, called me. That's when I vibed for my Mother-In-Law's survival.

But the story takes another left turn, which I will write about next time.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

I got myself excused from work for a couple of hours today so I could go to my sons school to spend some time with him, watching "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." If you've never seen the television special, it's about a church reenacting the birth of Jesus story, but that year, the tough kids from the other side of the tracks ended up in the roles of the Three Wise Men, Joseph and Mary. I remember seeing it as a kid, more out of obligation than anything else. My school showed it every year and it was a chance to get out of lessons, which, as a kid, was already something we were thankful for.

The movie ran for about an hour and the kids were restless because they were all third graders, they had snacks and everyone wanted to introduce their parents to their friends. Even on the most challenging of days, when my sons face lights up like that, I get the big goofy grin that won't go away. When I looked around and saw a couple of other fathers in attendance, I was both saddened and cheered up. Jovial because other fathers took the time out of their day to support something their children were doing. Sad because I only see a very few fathers when I do something like this.

That's probably why I am happy to take on the role of de facto dad at those times. I'm grateful that I can be a small part of showing kids growing up without a father that this is what that interaction is like. Will it make a difference? For those of us who follow the teachings of the Law of Attraction, I think so. Remember the basic law that says like attracts like. If those kids see a father and son behaving well, perhaps they can behave well, too. I wish there was also a father there to strengthen the attraction and perhaps that will happen, too. I'm sending my grateful vibes in that direction.

I've actually been spending lots of time doing things like this. As my children and stepchildren wind up the academic semester, I've spent time chaperoning a field trip with my 17 year old daughter and several days later attended a music performance she was playing in. I also got the chance to see my 11 year old stepdaughter singing in the choir and playing her viola at a recital. This is the sort of thing I didn't see in my future when I was younger. My projection of what I would be like in my 30's and 40's was more like picturing myself being the greatest sports columnist ever. The guy who also wrote the "Great American Novel."

What did I actually attract to myself? Well, I'm still a sports nut and will sit and watch championship 3-legged racing as easily as NFL football. And about the Great American Novel? Perhaps it's more of a non-fiction book. A self-improvement tome with a title of, I don't know, "The Prophet Within."

Interesting that I would make this blog a long term writing project, as I would have any other book. When I think about it, what a cool long-term product my younger-self attracted.

Counting Birthdays and Blessings

Today is my birthday.

This time last year, I marked it in a different way. It was a celebration of all that was me and how the world was much better because I was in it. That's the way I was taught. People take the day off from work and expect presents while also anticipating that people will wait on them to fulfill their whims for the day. People sing your praises and sing the one song we all know by heart. You feel good about you.

But all those things play into pleasing your ego. Are we trying to fill the ego with pleasantries or should we be more about finding the deep, fulfilling things that please your real being? That's the step I'm taking on this birthday and each subsequent birthday. By doing that, I continue to live my life according to the tenants of the Law of Attraction and the Power of Now.

To feel the deep gratitude, it's better to remind myself of those things that give me the greatest positive feelings. I'm grateful for:

• My kids. My daughter has grown into an incredible young lady, a high academic achiever and a musical virtuoso. My son is a mirror image of me, but he's also exhibiting his own personality, which I hopefully can hone to serve him in the best possible fashion for his upcoming life. My step-children have their own father and I have never tried to usurp his authority, but it's cool that I'm good with all of them.

• My wife. For all the complaints that I have brought up in this blog, she is a partner on my journey through life. We don't necessarily see eye to eye on things, but we've never denied the love we have for each other.

• My photography. One of the things my wife don't see at the same level, it gives me achance to express myself artistically.

• My blogs. I write this one about my spiritual journey and another one called Take Back The Beat which is a music review blog. I have plans to add a photo blog after the new year.

• My C-PAP machine. That seems like an odd thing to be grateful for - a machine. But I suffer from sleep apnea and this machine allows to me breathe through the night without the danger of never waking up again.

• My day job. The job has been a target of this blog as well, but I love what I do and always have. I've been doing it all of my adult life and am blessed enough to continue to do so.

• My fellow writers in the blogosphere. Writers like Jeannette Maw at Good Vibe Blog, Sarah Biermann's blog, James Ure at The Buddhist Blog and more have helped me more than I can ever say. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the bloggers that I read and for the ones as yet undiscovered.
  

Are those all the things I'm grateful for? Now, it's just the tip of a very large and deep iceberg. However, I try to limit my writings to 500 words and I'm already over that.

Besides, I have a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and chocolate ice cream waiting for me. Mmmmmm.

I Am Potential

I had the good fortune to meet a remarkable young man today. The story of Patrick Henry Hughes has been documented on television on shows like Oprah and Extreme Home Makeover. Because of his athletic connection, he's also been on ESPN. However he's not an athlete. In fact, when you know about him, you'll see that he never could be. But in talking to him, you realize he has lived his young life not by what he can't do. He lives by what he can do.

To catch you up, Patrick was born without eyes. He does not have the ability to full straighten his limbs, meaning he can't walk. He has steel rods surgically inserted into his back to correct scoliosis. But when you talk to him, don't speak about disabilities. He considers what he has and what he can do as abilities. His blindness he sees as a gift because he doesn't care about body type or skin color. He can't because he's never been exposed to them. He was born with the ability to know a person beyond the surface.

He is also musically gifted, playing piano at 9 months of age. As a trumpeter, he is a member of the University of Louisville School of Music Marching and Pep Bands. At the Louisville program, to be in the pep band, you must also be a member of the marching band so his father wheels him along in formation with his 220 bandmates and he contributes to University of Louisville Cardinal spirit. So, you might imagine, he's majoring in music at school. However, since Patrick is full of surprises, he adds another one here. He's a Spanish major who entered college at junior level in the language. That's not surprising when you look at his academics: straight A's with only 5 B's since middle school.

After speaking with him, I had to make sure I purchased his book "I Am Potential: Eight Lessons in Living, Loving and Reaching Your Dreams." In it, I am struck by the similarities to what Patrick is speaking of and the Law of Attraction. The title of chapter one is: "When Life Gives You Lemons, Accept Them and Be Grateful." I followed Jeannette Maw with a post about that same topic recently. Acceptance of what is, and being grateful for it, helps you achieve your wishes and dreams. I won't spoil the rest of the book for you, but it's a good read and you'll see how to easily adapt it's lessons into your life.

By realizing what Patrick has gone through and his positive outlook on life, it's easy to bring yourself back into positivity. As readers of this blog know, I have battled feelings of negativity over the past few months and have allowed it to stifle my output somewhat, but after meeting Patrick and reading his book, it is easier to realign myself with the grateful and optimistic being I strive to be.

Thank you Patrick.

Here is an ESPN piece on Patrick