I love Sundays. Especially Sundays in spring. Nothing is better than stepping out into my garden with a cup of coffee in the morning, lounging on the canoped swing in my pajamas, and taking count of the flowers returning since I last saw them in the fall. My Clematis is going to be an explosion of purple on my back fence, and a small transplanted pink rose bush that hasn’t flowered in two years is covered with tiny buds.
The weeds are taller than usual too this year, so I slip on some flip flops and start pulling the dandilions before my daughter sees them and decides to blow wishes all over the yard. (She calls them wish fairy blossoms. Need I say more?) After pulling a few of the bigger weeds, I saunter back over to the swing and the shade for another pull of my coffee and an easy sigh at the beauty around me. “What a great day”, I think contently as I stick my toes out into a patch of warm sunlight and take in the green of the surrounding hills. It is a Sunday among nature in my small backyard, when all feels right in the world and you know, without a doubt, that it is good.

God, I love Sunday mornings in spring.

Dawn

April ended with a march on our local campus to raise awareness of Sexual Assault in our community. Everyone was encouraged to wear denim (jeans) as well, in protest of a 1999 Italian ruling where the judge claimed that because a rape victim was wearing denim, she must have aided her assailant! The women of the Italian Parliment wore denim in a unified protest of the ruling. The movement grew and every year since, during April (Sexual Assault Awareness Month), women are encouraged to wear denim in a similar act of protest against ignorant myths of violent acts.

Here I am hugging our local shelter’s volunteer coordinator in front of the sign we marched behind. “Not On Our Campus!” Afterwards, we listened to many department heads pledge their support as well as hear many victims stand up and speak out! An emotional day…..

Went to a funeral today. What a sad thing. A friend, a gentle soul, passed away last Thursday. The chapel was packed, and not a dry eye in the house when a guitar solo played “Tears in Heaven”, by Eric Clapton. A biker with the name “Deacon” sewn on his leather vest presided over the service, but only after his sister got up to read a letter she had written to the little brother she lost and tell him how heartbroken she was that he could never overcome his addiction. “Not a mean bone in his body”, people shared at the end of the service, and “He always told you he loved you, even if you didn’t feel like anyone cared”. A sweet, kind man in his forties who battled with drugs and alcohol…and lost.

Some came drunk or loaded, but most didn’t. They came clean and sober, taking in the full impact of where drugs and alcohol can lead them if they didn’t take it seriously. I couldn’t help thinking about John and the lives lost at the Wonderland house…not to mention a few others that were close to me and died after those years in LA. It is real, it is never pretty and it is always permanent.

I know my friend tried his best all the way up to the end. It was just too tough for him. I remember his eyes. Deep inside I always saw how hard he tried to stay clean. I hope he doesn’t have to struggle anymore. I hope he is at peace.

Blessings,
Dawn

AND…Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Hello to everyone!

I have recently returned from good old “HOLLYWOOD” and wow the weather was beautiful. Not like the winter-like snow/hail/wind that we have been getting in my town. Only one draw back really….the traffic! Yikes.

I wanted to quickly let you all know that I have been catching up with all your posts and really appreciate all your comments. I will have to take some time to back track and answer as many as I can. I am blown away with all of your posts and I apologize if I miss any.

Also, I want to remind you to wear a teal ribbon in support of Sexual Assault Awareness Month!

I will post more soon….promise.

Blessings,

Dawn

I have been brainstorming with the staff and volunteers at my local Domestic Violence – Sexual Assault Shelter for ideas to bring to the table for April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The ribbons will be teal, there will be a parade, there may even be t-shirts….but we want more.

So, I propose to you dear readers…to you who know the pain, know someone close in pain, or simply have compassion for the injustice and want to put your voice out there for those who have had theirs stolen…HELP! Post you ideas, thoughts, poems, expressions from the heart, whatever you think might help. Post them here, and I will pass them along. You never know. You might be on to something big!

Blessing,

Dawn

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know
peace.” Jimi Hendrix

Dear All,

This poem is among the inspirational writings I keep close to me at all times. I have been meaning to post it, but have been busy with other things. Thanks to Charlotte for reminding me about posting this beautiful poem.

Blessings,

Dawn

ANYWAY….by Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some genuine enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you;
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world your best anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

After major surgery, our Chihuahua, Tinkerbelle, recuperates at home. With stitches down her belly and a nearly toothless grin, my daughter can’t resist giving her the love she needs to heal by setting her up comfortably on her favorite quilt.

I have always had Chihuahuas. After Thor, (my first that John and Sharon Holmes gave me), there has been Spike and today, my eleven year old girl, Tinkerbelle. “I’m afraid her tongue will hang out on the side from now on,” the vet tells me. I don’t care. It makes her more endearing to me, which is almost impossible seeing I have unlimited love for her and these tiny-large creatures called Chihuahuas.

Thor saved my life…many times over. The horrors that surrounded me back in the days of “John” were magnified 100 fold in his little eyes, yet he stood brave and resilient, ever faithful and ever protective of me. This may sound trite or silly to some, but in the world of hopelessness that I was in, Thor, a tiny Chihuahua, was responsible for giving me that one reason, that one connection to love that gave me the strength to get up again. Forever in my heart as an angel in disguise, I continue to honor Thor by taking care of our Tinkerbelle. Who, by the way, has the AKC registered name of “Thor’s Fairy Princess – Tinkerbelle”

Just finished my first all-nighter with the hotline phone from the Shelter and I didn’t sleep a wink. No the phone didn’t ring, which is a good thing, but just the thought that it might kept me from dropping off into blissful rest. Although it is normal, I didn’t think I would act this way. Answering the phone at the Shelter is completely different than having it next to your bed. I asked my husband to come get me should it ring while I was in the shower and he quickly responded, “take in there with you!” I had to laugh cause he was feeling the same way I was, nervous that it should ring and be an emergency. Now don’t get me wrong, I have all the training, know all the rules, have all the contact numbers and reference materials in a big back pack that comes with the phone, but I just couldn’t help the feeling of its presence, looming over my shoulder, ready to jump. I actually found myself chanting to it, “please don’t ring…please don’t ring,” and felt like a wimp for doing so.

Thankfully, the Soup Supper fund raiser was this evening and I was able to bring it along, hidden safely in my coat pocket. A great sense of comfort came over me being surrounded by all the volunteers, staff and board of directors who were working the event and I finally relaxed. Our volunteer coordinator approached me immediately to ask if I was alright, knowing it was my first overnighter, and I gushed out all of my fears even though there had been no calls. What a great system, I thought, that everyone listens and cares so attentively…and no one thought I was a wimp! I learned alot about my community and felt I belonged.

Peace and blessings to all… And go volunteer. Cause even if the phone doesn’t ring, and you weren’t able to place someone in a safe house or offer some kind of help, you’ll be surprised at what YOU get out of it.

Dawn

Bogged down for the past two weeks with taxes, contracts and lawyers, I haven’t really had the time or the energy to sit and write anything that would make much sense, nor did I want to mention more of the worrying health issues that my little Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, was suffering. (Yes, she was named Tinkerbell many years before Paris Hilton named her Chihuahua Tinkerbell, thank you.) Ten days ago she had a very serious surgery and her heart murmur was much worse, but today she is recovering wonderfully I am more than happy to report.

My friend Linda who has just recieved a clean bill of health after a terrible series of chemotheraphy treatments is well enough to call me again in the mornings making sure I have worked on my book the night before. Today she anounced she’s throwing a “kicking cancer’s ass” party in May when the weather warms up. “We are having a Mariachi (sp) band in the yard and a bar-b-que”, she tells me then asks if I mind if there is alchohol there. “Good greif, no!” I tell her, thinking she should do as she damn well pleases and feeling glad that it truly doesn’t bother me to be around people who drink. Hell, I’ll probably do more dancing sober, I’m so happy for her.

My agent and I are on track and working hard again. I know some of you have been wondering about the status of the book and well, I can tell you that I have a great team together and the editing is going full force. I can’t thank you all enough for your patience. Just thought I’d mention that.

So Valentine’s Day is here and almost gone. I had a pretty nice one. Flowers and candy were delivered to my office by my husband. (He snuck in when I wasn’t there.) My daughter drew me over ten pictures with her new colored markers after she and her class sang Valentine’s songs to the residents at the local Retirement Center. The kids were so great to watch. My husband and I bought her the pink and yellow Power Ranger (the girls) for her gift and we had a blast watching her tear into the package.

You know, life still has me facing some pretty big curve balls right now, meaning that I have some scary situations going on that I prefer not to mention at the moment. But today was a good day and I want to wish you all the same and let you know that I am doing my very best to get my book written, written well and from my heart. It is what I think is worth telling.

Blessings,

Dawn

An unusual wave of warm weather has washed over my town and although the trees are still bare, the sun is shining and the promise of spring seems near. But this has just been the beginning of some great news. On a post I made back in October, a dear friend of mine, Linda, was going through a terrible time with chemotherapy. Six treatments, so torturous, that I couldn’t bring myself to post more about them or her fight in early December to come out of a coma. We were all very, very scared, stepping on every moment carefully as if it would shatter into our last together. Linda is a writer, and a good one at that. She is also a huge giver and has shared so freely her support and motivation in my writing. Before she got sick, we spoke daily and passionately about all aspects of writing, life and friendship, but when her treatments began the focus had to be on her health and I have missed her.

I call her Lioness, as it is a name she gave herself years ago when she began writing. (Also songbird and rooster, but I don’t like them as well). It is a name of strength and courage and if ever the character of a name should fit a person, it is now. Linda called me. After treatments of chemo, blood poisoning, hair loss and struggling back from a coma, she called to tell me her cat scan came back CANCER FREE! I danced on the other end of the phone as she laughed. “Whooo Whooooo!” I cheered. “Now all we have to do is have a hair growing party!”

“Oh, you”, she giggled, knowing I liked to tease. “It will come back. It will, it will.”

‘I know it will’, I thought with certainty, and I felt the triumphant pride of a true lioness having won a terrible winter battle stretch across the long telephone line, and I was glad to have my friend back.