My Mind Is Parked, But The Chocolate Is Kicking In

6/2/1977…I read this in my junior high school yearbook and smiled.

6/2/2019….When he was put in a critical thinking scenario, the whistling began as a coping mechanism. The subject was unpleasant so he was attempting to birdcall it off.

Gathering

The arts mean more to me in my 50’s than any other previous decade of my life thus far. It may have to do with the fact I did not have as much time to appreciate and embrace human creative skills and imagination.  I truly believe that the arts are meant to make us better people because of their beautiful and emotional power.

I Wish I had A Tractor

I wish I had a tractor 2 weeks ago when I decided to drag my family out to the old Jenkins Cemetery in Caldwell county,  Kentucky.  Many of you may not know, but my most popular post was on finding a haunted cemetery.  It has been a top 10 google search especially during halloween.  Go check it out: The Haunting .

However, if you want to come on this adventure just keep reading.

From My Blog To Yours

Occasionally I look at my stat page on Word Press and see what  I have written that has the most views (spoiler alert at end).  I wonder is it the writer that you come to visit or my subject matter?  Since I write a majority of the time about my experiences, I find that the writing and myself is one and the same.  You see it is in my words that I am finding myself.

I often question is it good to use my life as a subject matter on my blog.

When I Word Press my life story, I wonder out loud, “I hope this helps someone out there.” I figure what the heck. It is helping me to just write it. It also becomes apparent  that my world is colliding with someone else that it would never have had a chance to before.  Who would have ever thought I would have a conversation with another blogger who strips for a living. That was eye-opening!

How about the interaction I have had with Chris who amazes me everyday with his bike excursions around the globe.  He is raising money for cancer research.  I also have ran into the 15-year-old blogger who has more sense than half the grown ups I know!

Recently I read a blog from a lady right here in my home town Seattle.  She is a photographer and  inspires me.

I realize you are sitting at your own desk and recognize my blog because you have read me before.  You are the blogger  living in a small town in Canada, Australia, or perhaps somewhere in Japan.

We connect.

We inspire.

We found each other through invisible wires that absolutely make no sense to me, but here we are.

Today my stats were measured and this is what I learned.  Most of my views over the year were my archives.  I was amazed by this stat because it was close to 3500 views. It spoke to me because more than likely you went to my archives because you read something current I had written and you found me interesting enough to pull up my other stories. Thank you.

My second most popular stat showed you wanted to know who I am. You went to my “About Alesia” page  and viewed what I had to say.  I realized today that  I need to make it more current. I will get to working on that.

My third biggest stat views was from an adventure I took entitled, “The Haunting.”  Over a thousand views of that alone shocked me.  Gee.  All I did was go to one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States and report about my findings!  I guess there are a lot of morbid people out in the blogosphere.

My fourth largest viewed page was titled “MEN!”  Oh my God, that was scary.  I know nothing about men except they have a penis and typically can’t seem to see too far past it. (Just a little joke. Do not get your panties in a wad fellas).

My fifth most popular post(s) deal with my son with autism. This makes sense.  My son inspires me more than words can tell.

Luke has autism, but it does not define him. He is pure joy!

Other posts that came in close sixth place were my photography and inspirational posts. That made me smile.So there you have it. Do I really know you? That is totally a loaded question.  I know you might be sitting in your home looking at your I pad and reading my post in India.  Or you might be looking at your I phone on a break from your job in England. Quite possibly you are hiding from your abusive parent dreaming about a different life  and come across my blog. Maybe you are a 40-year-old woman  in rural Kentucky laughing at something I wrote.  And just maybe you needed that laugh because you sure are not getting enough of it in your own home.

Who ever you are, I am glad you are around and I do look forward to having you come back. Stats are fun to look at, but your comments are much more entertaining because it is there that I really get to know you. Please leave a comment. I want to know you.

Getting Inside Your Brain

My son was so proud of this new book he got. Are we as proud of our own blogs like he is of his book?

Good writing on my blog takes time. Actually the truth is sometimes it does not. Sharing of my own personal struggles with a brain tumor and having a son with autism typically make for interesting blogging. It has been easy to formulate my thoughts on these two subjects, and finding a niche in blogging and resonating with others has been a fascinating journey for me.

It has now been a year since Alesiablogs was created. Showing my various sides and moods has been prevalent throughout my writings. Thinking thoughtfully about a topic brings a richness to a subject. However, I have found my most popular posts ( if I judge it on likes and comments) can be the post that took me all of 20 minutes to write. Go Figure.

I am also keenly aware that my style of writing may be what draws someone in along with a subject that needs more light shined upon it. The crazy thing is that I am not an English teacher and have never done any formal writing.

Yet, I feel my voice makes a difference. IT is what brings me to your blog. It is your voice. It just recently hit me that I need to stop worrying about how many followers I have or views of my page. What does it matter? I am not trying to be commercially successful. In fact I could care less.

What do I care about then? I care about a life changed. I care about the young woman who has started to follow me because my words are helping her get through an abusive relationship. I care about the young man inspired by my experiences that is going through something similar like I did and is looking for answers.

I care about people.

So there is no catchy writing here for you to view most of the time. Many times I share from just the top surface of an issue so as to not get too personal about my problems, but it is in the depth I find you all. So depth I try to pursue. It is in these deep blog posts, that your comments flow. Realizing this makes me want to write even better. It makes me realize I am getting in side your brain.

So as I start my second year of blogging, it is my hope my writing would be worthy of you reading. I know your comments and your likes are all I have to go by for now. I value these, but wish there was another way to get graded. I need to clue you in on a little secret. I “like” my own posts routinely. After all I better like what I am sharing.

My Forrest Gump Moment

Today I did not want to blog. My ongoing efforts to write seemed futile.

I grabbed my coffee though and came to the computer and thought about one of my favorite films Forrest Gump! What would Forrest do? Laughing out Loud–I thought-he would continue with the race and run until he was done.

I realized I am not quite done with blogging. I am purpose-driven and working on a goal. I have picked up a few new bloggers that have engaged with me about their lives and I am touched. The blogging is worth the effort I thought. It is helping in a way I did not know it could.

Today is a new day.

Ten years ago most commentary we would read would be one-sided. Your favorite news paper or magazine would run an article perhaps on some political subject that left you fuming. I mean you were pissed off. Today they are dying by the dozens.

Since then a little thing called a blog took over. It popularity soared. Blogging has perhaps become the watchdog for when other forms of media seem to be getting it wrong or missing alternative solutions.

This is what attracted me to it. If you’ve never realized that blogging has an extensive network of helpful links, you would be mistaken. The visibility of what we have is an experience like no other.

It is a wonder that so many that blog are actually writing about the very subject of blogging. I like that because it helps with perspective. So I continue my quest and wait for my Forrest Gump MOMENT. How about you? Can you explain to me what keeps you going on with your blogging?

Bloggers And Their Words

Writing Tip: Be comfortable blogger while you writing.

The blogging world is like going to the movies. Some blogs are masterpieces. Others are full of such intelligent writing they bring pure joy. Occasionally there may be the dud. However my heart can be so glad for the reading experience dud or not because I am alive and learning.
Bloggers and their words can be absorbing. What does it take to be such a great blogger? Blogger if you are serious the first step is to stay in the game. Allow yourself to be taken away in your writing to make your dreams of authorship become reality. Make your writing a part of you so it becomes a memory forever that you have.
Bloggers and their words are important. The audience should not be taken for granted. Never is it good for writing to be like nails on a chalkboard. Perhaps that means in the seclusion of your home while you are writing, a newness and a freshness must be envisioned. Do not be afraid to share your heart. Opening yourself and telling your experiences is cathartic and possibly may be exactly what your reader needs. Bloggers and their words are powerful.

Five Steps To Reading Blogs

Your blogger and her family thinking in the rain about my next blog post!

Information is the cornerstone of life. We sometimes take it for granted. The necessity of information flowing seamlessly is sometimes lost as we go about our lives organizing and processing all the data that comes our way.
For myself I enjoy original insights. I am into learning something new and unusual. I get tired of the same old thing. There is nothing so cool as the innovation of information as we discover a new book or a new way of doing something. In fact the element of surprise is always exciting as we are discovering fresh information. Perhaps that is why I gravitate to blogs. Blogging brings originality to a whole new level. Typically the blogger is alone ( in my case) pondering her information to share and then putting it out there for others to enjoy. No one is making the blogger change her words. She is writing with a hipness she can call all her own.
Blogging has brought me new friends. For that I am grateful. I usually take my Mondays to read new material from many of you and ponder your thought processes. It is cool to be in your life-like this. The computer lifts me up and takes me on a rocket ride into each and every one of your homes. Bring it on I say.
This friendship I know is different from normal ones I have. I am sad to say I do not know most of you in real life. Yet I am glad to call you my friend. Recently if you have followed my writings, you know I was sharing on the wonder of friendship ( https://alesiablogs.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/come-now-lets-settle-the-matter/ ) . I have been learning to revitalize and renew my close friendships. It is the same to a lesser degree in blogging friendships that I honor you by reading your blog. So I have thought about the steps of what it means to be a good friend to my close friends, but also our friends in cyberspace. Here are some steps to reconcile each of us to each other. These five steps to reading blogs will surely bring readers to your very own blog! I believe it. Here we go:
1. Think about ways I can reflect on my life through what I learn from you all. It may mean wrapping my mind around things I have never thought about before and even to the point of changing my point of view because I have learned something new.
2. Pay attention to what someone is saying. It is important to listen and show you are intentional. There is nothing worse than someone taking you for granted.
3. Affirm that person. This means with our friends show them grace and love. For my blogging buddies it is important as a blogger to show how important you all have been to my information intake now. I do not rely on just the news or media, but I am looking at the blogging world and saying, “We ROCK and we have good information to share with each other!”
4. Be at Peace and love what you are doing and read blogs that are good and what you want to read about. For your own writing–write what your passion is about. Life is too short to not. Take it from me. I have survived cancer and I am here to tell my story, but I am also hear to read yours. It is what drives me and motivates me to no end.
5. Last but not least is I PRAY for you guys as I PRAY for my close friends I know God has put in my life.

Breakthrough

Valentine’s Day Brings A Nice Surprise for me. I took this photo of two lovebirds in Victoria, Canada.

Recently I began thinking of how much information should I share on my blogging? This blog began as a way of pouring out my story for family. As I learned how to share on WordPress, I than realized my life was resonating with others. Yesterday I shared about my disability from my brain tumor. In December I also wrote this blog post: (https://alesiablogs.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/are-you-homeless/). It is a poignant description of a visit to the Veteran’s Administration in Seattle, WA. To sum things up, my sister had helped me apply for disability through the military almost two years. I had all about given up on all this until today.
It is interesting how life takes twists and turns. We never know what may come our way. If you asked me 25 years ago that my life would have turned out the way it has, I would have said you are nuts. I was very self-sufficient and taught to be extremely independent. Yet, now I need help.
Today’s mail came dated on Valentine’s Day from the Department of Veteran’s Affair. I thought to myself could this be my “love” letter from them that began two years ago? Indeed it was. After serving in the military as active duty in Desert Storm overseas and then staying “available” for 15 years for call back, the military finally wrote me a “love” letter.
Here are the HIGHLIGHTS:
Dear Mrs. Alesiablogs (changed for you who know me by this name),
We made a decision (in my favor) on your claim for service connected compensation….This letter tells you about your entitlement amount and payment start date…Your Award Amount and Payment Start Date is shown below…………….
As you can see it was a good letter for me to receive. I do not feel happier from this though to be honest with you. Please do not take this in the wrong way. I am happy for the decision, but my life is so different due to my illness that it is a catch 22. I am learning a new way though. In fact as I received this letter I was on my way to a volunteer effort. Giving back and providing my time for a needed purpose is becoming part of my legacy. What is yours going to be? Did you know there are over 50,000 nonprofit organizations across the country? By volunteering, I am learning a new kind of happy.

When You Think You Have Heard It All…..

1940 CENSUS brings together cousins. Roy (my step-dad) and Melda met for the first time after extensive research was done to find relatives from the past.

Recently I shared a heartwarming story about my WWII VET step-dad Roy and his celebration of his 90th birthday ( http://wp.me/p2rYD1-o8 ). Roy grew up very poor and his parents divorced while he was a boy. Roy never knew when his real dad had passed away. One day he asked me if I could find this information out because of the release of the 1940 census. I was able to give Roy his father’s death date and burial location, but the biggest surprise was that we found out he had a half-brother, and a half-sister he did not know about. When you think you have heard it all life throws you a few new curve balls! We were fortunate to contact them both. In fact a reunion is planned for them to meet. I hope they hurry. No one is getting any younger!
I had recently flown home from Montgomery, Alabama 3000 miles to Seattle after witnessing a tender-hearted visit between my step-dad Roy and his cousin Melda. She was also researching her family tree that included Roy. She decided to drive to Montgomery, Alabama for a delightful visit while I was in town. Melda and I found each other through our mutual research.

Roy and Melda discuss their family roots with photo albums as their respective spouses look on. Genealogy work has confirmed their family lines all the way back to Germany.

Melda reminded me in an email of how special this experience was for her. Upon returning home Melda spoke with her elderly mother about meeting Roy: ” I couldn’t help but stare at Roy’s striking ice blue eyes. When I mentioned it to my mother, she said my grandfather had eyes like that.”
While Melda and Roy are second cousins, Melda’s father who has passed away as well as Roy led interesting work lives in the history of Alabama. Melda’s father was a Superintendent of Education during the changing times in Alabama Public Schools serving the children in Alabama. During that same time period, Roy was working as the Director of Veteran Affairs serving our Veterans. Today I give tribute to both men in their work and their lives.

Roy meeting with Governor George Wallace while he served the Veterans of the Military.