Category Archives: Family

Emotional Health, Family, Goals and Dreams, Health and Long Life, Religion, The Petty Pace

Here’s to an Addiction Free New Year!

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 Information you need to know from Christian Counselor and Life Coach, Maryellen Stipe:

Caretaking can be an addiction, an addiction to other people’s problems.  When you fill your life and brain with obsessing on other people’s issues and fixing them you mood alter on that (worrying, catastrophising, planning to control the chaos, etc) and you do not feel your own pain, or take care of the issues in your own life.  You are so busy living someone else’s life that you don’t live your own life or dreams or purpose. This is why co-dependents are called “co” dependents—they are also dependent or hooked on the addiction of their significant person.  Taking on the role of savior in another person’s life is intoxicating because the co-dependent feels so powerful and comforts himself or herself with what a good person (s)he is to look after this loser in her life.  Caretaking is one of the legal addictions of Christians.  It can seem noble but it also steals one’s life away.  Instead of taking her (or his) cues from the Lord about how to live her life, the co-dependent takes her cues from the problem person.  The co-dependent’s life orbits around the problem person rather than around the Lord.  God’s Lordship in his / her life is diminished.  The co-dependent is not free to obey God’s bidding.  He / She lives life focused on the problem (s) of the significant other.  This kind of activity is modeled in many Christian homes and passed on to generations

Family, Home and Hearth, Music and Theatre, Uncategorized

Launch

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launch

Originally uploaded by ein feisty Berg

A Golden Birthday
My youngest just turned 17 on the 17th and therefore dubbed it a golden birthday. He even asked if he happened to be born at 1700 hours – I told him “yes, somewhere in the world, I am sure it was 1700 hours. 1743 to be more precise.”
In 17 short years he has accomplished many things that still remain only a dream for me: performing internationally, singing on TV, soloing on the stage of Boettcher Concert Hall with the Symphony, creating movies, playing bass, jamming, forming, and performing with a band…
He has also done many things I have never dreamed of doing and will probably never attempt: back-flips on a trampoline, wall flips in a school hall, snowboarding, skateboarding.
He is also very tech savvy. As we were downloading this picture from his cell phone camera, he ran into a snafu and called, “Dad, what do I do now?” Doug (who can figure out anything computer or mechanic when given time enough) said, “Here, let me see,” and reached for the mouse. We all groaned (given time enough is the key word here), and said, “No.” Doug exited the room and Philip figured out the problem and had the pictures downloaded and accessible in 15 seconds…..Sometimes you only have to offer unwanted help to a teenager to get results

Family, Home and Hearth, Music and Theatre, Uncategorized

Launch

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launch

Originally uploaded by ein feisty Berg

A Golden Birthday
My youngest just turned 17 on the 17th and therefore dubbed it a golden birthday. He even asked if he happened to be born at 1700 hours – I told him “yes, somewhere in the world, I am sure it was 1700 hours. 1743 to be more precise.”
In 17 short years he has accomplished many things that still remain only a dream for me: performing internationally, singing on TV, soloing on the stage of Boettcher Concert Hall with the Symphony, creating movies, playing bass, jamming, forming, and performing with a band…
He has also done many things I have never dreamed of doing and will probably never attempt: back-flips on a trampoline, wall flips in a school hall, snowboarding, skateboarding.
He is also very tech savvy. As we were downloading this picture from his cell phone camera, he ran into a snafu and called, “Dad, what do I do now?” Doug (who can figure out anything computer or mechanic when given time enough) said, “Here, let me see,” and reached for the mouse. We all groaned (given time enough is the key word here), and said, “No.” Doug exited the room and Philip figured out the problem and had the pictures downloaded and accessible in 15 seconds…..Sometimes you only have to offer unwanted help to a teenager to get results

Emotional Health, Family, Goals and Dreams, Music and Theatre

Marathon Week and Happy Holidays!

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My marathon week is finished so now I have time to stop and wish you a very Merry Christmas and holiday season! Last night’s most excellent performance of “Mystery of the Manger” (Celeste Clydesdale) by my children’s music and drama team at church wrapped up my Christmas performance season nicely. The night before I directed a Core Knowledge concert and Mythical Musical (script mine) at the academy at which I teach. Monday was Philip’s 17th birthday.  Sunday morning the church team did their first performance in the Gym of the church (last night was in the sanctuary which seats 2,000; state of the art sound, lights, and stage).  Sunday afternoon I spent 10 and a half hours with Philip and his band (UPC) for Battle of the Bands. Saturday was the dress rehearsal for the church music and drama team.  Saturday afternoon I treated myself to a ladies tea. This afternoon Andrea arrives from college.  The tree is up on the deck.  The snowmen are arranged on the dining room table.  Today I am off to school to give and receive my final Secret Santa gift. Let the holidays begin!

Emotional Health, Family

Thanksgiving Vacation

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Over Thanksgiving break, I had a real vacation. My brother and SIL rented the Ranch House at Pack Creek and we met them there along with our parents. Andrea drove to Western Colorado, so I got to relax a bit (I hate driving).  We car-pooled with my parents on to Pack Creek (outside Moab).  We had a wonderful time of long walks, talks, setting by a fireplace, playing games, eating, and living in the lap of rustic luxury.  The trip back was rather harried because we did it all in one day: dropping Andrea off at college meant I had to drive the final three hour leg home over sometimes snowy roads; always on the lookout for wildlife; and the last hour after sunset. None-the-less: I had a vacation!

Emotional Health, Family, Goals and Dreams, Health and Long Life, Home and Hearth, The Cabin, The Petty Pace

Life Right Now

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Life right now is:Teaching K through Sixth Grade Music

Teaching private piano lessons at home

Rehearsing the children’s music and drama team at church for a Christmas production

Rewriting the Mythical Musical for the 6th grade at school so that everyone who wants to speak can have a part

Encouraging and challenging a talented 16, almost 17, year old

Getting the Cabin ready to show and sell

Feeling hopelessly weighed down with debt, bills, and splintered relationships

Knowing that I have changed and that some around me may never

Loving the fact that another young adult has launched and is a successful college freshman

Struggling to light a woodstove after 6 years of practice and success

Searching for kindling in the snow

Sweeping up the mess of sawdust and chips after lighting a fire

Trying to keep sinks clean when the men are working dirty jobs

Going outside and down stairs to the composting toilet because the septic holding tank is full

Putting my boots on and lacing them just to walk to the car or the downstairs

Actively trying to find and build relationships with other women while knowing I may move soon

Wanting to give my best to those close to me and knowing I am empty emotionally, and bankrupt financially.

Remembering to make my walk and sunshine time a priority as a spiritual, emotional, and physical health prescription

Why do the essential things always get crowded out in the clamor of the urgent?

Emotional Health, Family, Goals and Dreams, Health and Long Life, Music and Theatre

Dancing the Night Away

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We did it!  After 53 years of living with a great sense of toe tapping rhythm, but not knowing which foot to put where.  After years of childhood in which I felt condemned if I danced and knew I would pop if I didn’t get the rhythm out somewhere.  After learning the drills for marching band and the choreography for stage productions; after sending my kids to Cotillion to learn social grace and ballroom etiquette and joyfully experiencing Colorado Children’s Chorale performances where-in my son eclipsed my wildest dreams by singing and dancing internationally; we finally did it. 

Doug and I took ballroom dance lessons for three months and then, early in November, we bought tickets to the Jazz Dinner Dance at the high school.  Sure, it was a fund –raiser for the instrumental music department where our kids have enjoyed a combined five years of music experience, and just as sure that we could have enjoyed hearing the music for free by signing up to set up, serve, and clean-up.  I have done that a couple of times before and each time I got very itchy feet, had no partner, and surely didn’t know which foot came first. This year was my year.  We dressed up.  We went to the dinner.  We ate.  We danced to all the Jazz band standards.  We were uninhibited enough to cut up the dance floor; laugh at our faux pass, hazard some turns and twirls and work up a healthy glow. 

Done.  One more thing crossed off my “to do before I die,” list.  

By the way; I highly recommend ballroom dance lessons for married couples!  It can be a great “reframe” at the end of a tense day.  It is good to learn something together.  It is great exercise.

Family, Home and Hearth, Uncategorized

Thanksgiving (Monday Before)

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Oh the joy of having the house ALL to myself, ALL day; to cook, and clean, and sing, and organize and create and write at the computer without interruption.  I am off for Thanksgiving already and “they” are not. 

Oh the secure thankfulness of knowing “they” will all be home again tonight and I will be a more gracious member of the family for having luxuriated in solitude in my own way in their absence. 

Young mothers, I do not record this to make you envious; but to give you hope.  Your day of solitude will come, so go ahead and roll with the chaos for the present (smile). Nor do I feel guilty about expressing my joy and thankfulness at the solitude.

When one wishes to be alone; one does not want to be alone forever; just for a little space of time, to enjoy a bit of tranquility and soul nourishment.   Let us enjoy and be thankful for all the simple things in life:  sunshine, rain, warm fires, watching children grow, and……having a few hours to oneself! 

Family, The Petty Pace

Not as Old as I Used to Be

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Well, I thought I would hike down to the mailbox today before Doug and I left for ballroom dance lessons at the community center.  Philip slid down the hill with me on his BMX bike (on the pine needles which are so slippery I nearly upended on my converse tennies),  When I got to the bottom of the hill I realized I had come without the mailbox key so Philip walked his bike back up to get it while I made like a gargoyle on the side of the hill.  He came back on the go-cart and gave me a lift to the bottom of the hill; then all the way back to the cabin.  Not bad for a woman half a century old.  I stood on the back rail and wrapped my body over the roll bars.