This was shared by a friend & now I’m sharing it

The LeeVees’s photo.
The LeeVees with John Lazarus.Liked
Yesterday at 9:57am ·
Why did Louis Armstrong wear the Star Of David? …..
BIG CHEEKS
A grandson of slaves, a boy was born in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans known as the “Back of Town.” His father abandoned the family when the child was an infant. His mother became a prostitute and the boy and his sister had to live with their grandmother.

Early in life he proved to be gifted for music and with three other kids he sang in the streets of New Orleans. His first gains were coins that were thrown to them.

A Jewish family, Karnofsky, who had immigrated from Lithuania to the USA, had pity for the 7-year-old boy and brought him into their home. Initially giving ‘work’ in the house, to feed this hungry child.
There he remained and slept in this Jewish family’s home where, for the first time in his life, he was treated with kindness and tenderness.

When he went to bed, Mrs. Karnovsky sang him a Russian Lullaby that he would sing with her. Later, he learned to sing and play several Russian and Jewish songs. Over time, this boy became the adopted son of this family.

The Karnofskys gave him money to buy his first musical instrument; as was the custom in the Jewish families. They sincerely admired his musical talent.

Later, when he became a professional musician and composer, he used these Jewish melodies in compositions, such as St. James Infirmary and Go Down Moses.

The little black boy grew up and wrote a book about this Jewish family who had adopted him in 1907. In memory of this family and until the end of his life, he wore a star of David and said that in this family, he had learned “how to live real life and determination.”

You might recognize his name. This little boy was called: Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. Louis Armstrong proudly spoke fluent Yiddish! And “Satchmo” is Yiddish for “Big Cheeks”!!!

And I bet you did not know any of this.

Suicide & how to fight it

#Suicide, I’ve been there many times. I once had a doctor who had travelled  along the journey with me eventually say tell me  “that if i jumped off the CN  Tower I’d be the gal who’d sprain my ankle” that didn’t stop me. The pain of severe #PTSD along with other #MentalHealthDiagnosis was so intense I ached for relief. #Medication flew my way to no avail, yes I acknowledge for some it helps and that I wouldn’t discourage. I learned in #DBT to do what towards. So Ive come to realize that meds along with therapy can offer great #changes but for me. I opted to stay off meds, trust issues  and the feeling like someones guinea pig was causing me more #anxiety than I could cope with.  So do we wage war on suicide or do we look at the causes behind  it.  To some degree it feels  much like fitting the war on #drugs  as oppose to looking at the causes. I think folks  including myself that when i feel suicidal, it’s a result of not fitting in, it’s a result of living in a scary world, it’s a result of being called to sensitive with the option of being desensitized  which reminds me to much of my days of using, because i couldn’t handle being in my own skin. I couldn’t handle the world as it is and the truth is  the world will not change on my behalf, few will. The only thing left I found was to learn how to self care and maneuver thru this fuel world with a different perception  than the one I have. Not that I think the one  I do have it  is broken or inaccurate, its just that the only result of having it resulted in me feeling small and wanting to die. What choice did I  have. For years in fact for most of my life,  I was immersed in pain. When folks stated life is a gift, my first response was to ask where the return counter was.  I just wanted to stop feeling the way I did, I wanted triggers to stop, to side step them all was to achieve the impossible. Sometimes the wind  would hurt so badly as if slapping my raw exposed skin, my soul screamed for mercy.   I discovered that there was no catch phrase that would work. I often had no idea of what triggered my flashbacks or panics, it seem to me that some things that once worked now caused pain and vice versa.  There is no avoiding catalyst that send me into a tail spin, no simple answer. So my only recourse was to learn what to do when this happened so I wouldn’t drown. I remember a scent of mens cologne leaving me under the covers small and in fetal position, soaked in tears for days. The brand will not producing the scent nor will folks stop buying because of me and my pain.  Truth is I think we live in an incredibly incentive world and that insensitivity often pushes some including me over the edge. People lacks of empathy, lack of compassion & understanding  is like pouring salt on an open wound.  So  how do we change things, to lower the risk of suicide for ourselves and others. Our #MentalHealth System is in itself enough to push & re-traumatize the person in need. People don’t have to understand, they may not be able to relate (good for them but don’t allow your lack of understanding to cause another more pain) You do not need to understand the pain of others in order to acknowledge, be sensitive, caring & compassionate.We fall thru the cracks, there are lots of good workers  working within a broken system, that is the reality we live in. Maybe some can relate maybe I’m crazy and just my words blowing in the wind but whatever  or however this strikes you. I wish all good mental health. I pray for the human race our world who can reach sensitivity, compassion whether they understand or not because all to often in order to understand you must have gone, been or experienced a dark place. Let the Light shine on us, bringing love and tenderness.

Recycling gifts & peoples thoughts on it

I have been recycling for years. Some as gifts,  clothes & things. I love the idea of second hand, especially when you get to hear some of the stories that accompany the items at hand. When its run its cycle here with me, I pass it on and share my own story, if i can recall. I remember the first time the idea struck me. I bought a dress off this elderly gal, she must have been about 80 years old. She proceeded to tell me how some odd 60 plus years ago making her about 15-20 years old  and me not having even yet been born. She was excited to wear her new dress to the County fair. The smell of foods and the sound of laughter in the air. It was there she crossed paths with what turned out to be her forever love. She shared how her heart skipped a beat, how she found herself melting in his deep blue eyes and how flirtation back then was as is today though at a slower pace, they relished and savoured each and every moment.

She told me she wore the same dress the day they had their first kiss. The sentiments of emotions that came with the experience, she shared with me, she bought her story to life. I sat silently glued to my seat, hanging on her every word listening to the women share a part of her life with me.

That experience for me was incredibly wild. It had a profound impact and that little dress I was then buying took on a different theme. As I reflect back I remember how I took special care of that dress, yes I treated it very differently.

Some folks bock at the thought of second gifts, they turn up their nose. Words like cheap and especially as a Jew the rampage takes on a more vigorous flow. Some folks base the value of their friendship to the dollar amount spent on a gift. Personally I think they missed the boat. But the world is made of all kinds of folks.

There is a beautiful women, I barely know.  Whose birthday approaches with trepidation.

I have this book that was given to me years ago “Believing in Ourselves, Celebration the Beauty Within” and now its time to let it go, to pass it on just as it was passed onto me, from the numerous hands of amazing women into mine and now I pass it on to hers. In hopes that when its ran its course with her, she will then pass it on to another beautiful soul.

So for you that shake your fingers or spit out your opinions regarding recycled gifts towards me. You are entitled to think whatever, it’s really none of your business until you start imposing your opinion on me.

and thats my story, heart felt soul of the true meaning for me of recycled gifts

Teaching our children well means what?

#Parenting, no manual they told me. Well, I say  BULLSHIT. I found many #books on parenting narrowed it down to those who resonated and I read reread practiced and even went as far as emailing #BarbaraColoroso for advice, thats not to say I am prefect though I do believe I have made some perfect mistakes and had to accept my own humanesss. Step up to the plate and own mine to my little girl, how #humbling but I wanted to set an example of ownership and that mistakes are a part of life, its how we learn, no biggy. Of course done in sync to age appropriate bottom line I wanted to be a conscious parent. I wanted to choose the kind of parent I wanted to be, so ya there are ample #manuals on parenting.

I think we all start off with please & thank you. Funny as I write I reminisce of teaching my daughter the same initial lesson. Now you say “thank you”  and she reply with “your welcome” cracked me up as I contorted searching for alternative ways to meet one of my first basic task, basic manners. I got a whole bunch of your welcomes for a while there.

I think part of our job as parents is not only to provide a #loving #encouraging and #supportive #environment but its also to teach our children to be independent, think for themselves and be self sufficient which brings me to this:

I’ve started noticing how many young adults, teens have no idea of budgeting, filling in apartment applications and all that jazz. Sometimes I wonder if we just do to damn much for kids today, rendering them crippled and dependant. A tad mind blowing, sad and scary. The down fall of this approach is that their anxiety levels rise as they are not prepared to cope with the day to day stuff, like finding an apartment, the lease and how to shop local & wisely.

This is a #loaded topic, please fell free to follow and/or just post you comments on my blog  or you can also find me on Twitter @BorderLineMe

and now I’m gonna wrap it up cause I’m off the #StaircaseTheatre to read/participate in #DearestDiary. Wishing you all a great day. Hey one more thing all this #parenting also can apply to self if you don’t happen to have one of these little people. #InnerChild rocks on-happy growth y’all

 

BorderLineMe, Goes West

Coming next Friday, March 18th ONE NIGHT ONLY to the Intrepid Theatre Club in Victoria, BC,  Robin Zilberg in BorderLineMe.

Robin will also be receiving an award for being in the Top 40 Fabulous Women over 40 this Saturday too. Come to the show, my fellow Westerners, and see what all of the fuss is about. Link to tickets is below!

http://www.ticketrocket.co/event/details/87391/borderline-me

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My 2 cents

 I hear & read all these catch phrases. Sometimes when in the thick of it, the most important thing is to try to be #gentle with oneself  after all we are not switches that can turn off and on simply by tossing out a cliche phrase. It’s ok to feel and important to honour our feelings. Today I feel small & the grown up in me reached out for #support personal & professional. It’s ok for me to withdraw for another day