August 8th, 2010
Over time, our mind attempts to protect us from harm based on our memories and past experiences. Trauma, rejection, betrayal try to over-ride love. Some of these memories go very deep.
I personally am no stranger to this. I am the only person I know of whose adoptive father, mother, and brother died at young ages in different accidents at different times. The last when I was 33, the mother of a three-year-old, a medically fragile 11-month-old, and the wife in a crumbling marriage. I sunk into a deep depression. Then divorce. Then debt. Then a glorious time of wiping the blackboard clean, rebuilding my life using the best of my giftings, resources, and experiences.
Somehow “you will live a long life” “your fate is not an accidental death” did not sink in until my son and I were in a car accident earlier this summer. It was surreal. We were safe and cared for. I get it.
Sometimes these memories are collective. Sometimes they are carried by a people. In an interview today Dr Eddy Delaleu urged the Haitian diaspora to overcome their fears and return to Haiti. The fact that I do not carry the Haitian pain body is part of why I knew it was ok for me to say yes when he asked me to support him during a March 2010 trip to Haiti. In many ways it was easier than letting my children claim their purpose as enthusiastic swimmers. Or for me to join a master’s swim team last year. The coach talked me through my childhood misunderstanding of what had happened when my father drowned. Water is powerful, safe, one of the elements of consciousness on Gaia, a large part of our personal earth bodies.
In no way do I put my personal American story out there in an attempt to minimize the suffering of a people who have fled rivers of blood, the Tonton Macoutes, fled on rafts, barely getting out alive with the shirt on their back, much less their loved ones. I heard the stories when I worked at a public school in Brooklyn, in college, friends made in Haiti, through social media. I am so sorry that happened to you. Can I teach, extend a helping hand, a bridge to the future?
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
April 22nd, 2010
Sara Hickman Palin\’ By Comparision
One of the things I most love about living in Austin is our collaborative, creative community. So many of us are raising our children while simultaneously sharing our gifts with the world.
It was my families pleasure to be part of Sara Hickman’s Palin’ by Comparision music video. Sara supports so many causes we care about (including the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas), is a talented performer, and has shared a spiritual conversation group with me. Her Infant and Toddler CDs have nurtured my children and I. Her Motherload CD gives a realistic view of the challenges of Motherhood. We live in very challenging times and we are collectively called to step up our game by living our greatest lives.
My children are natural performers. My son however can be very distracted by new settings and will compensate by finding places to comfort himself. The delights of playing video games in a honky-tonk. The delights of playing with camera equiptment. During a shoot for a local PBS show at the Austin City Limits Stage he discovered the joy of the production room. This results in less screen time for him and mom which is just fine (and a bit of grace on behalf of the crew).
The timing of this video release is really interesting because a DVD my son was paid to be in was also released this week. The state department of health called his day-care seeking an active child with a disability to add diversity to their wellness video. We signed release forms, dropped my son off, received a good report, and scheduled a family screening of the DVD. To our surprise he was not in it at all.
Posted in Down Syndrome, Live Austin Music, Social Media, Spiritual Coaching | No Comments »
April 19th, 2010
This weekend I attended a women’s conference in Austin at a church where I volunteer. This type of gathering of people with a convenient venue, dynamic speaker, fabulous facility, and transformative music are popular among those deepening their spirituality.
Kim Walker \”How He Loves Me\”
Mention was made of how Kim Walker, speaker and worship leader at the conference, realized she was doing something really big when one of her siblings told her a video of her on youtube had more than 2,000,000 views. She is delighted to have reached so many people this way and after viewing it a few times, I agree there is something very powerful and supernatural at work.
The internet is such a powerful medium in this day and age. It is astounding how events both significant and mundane can be captured and quickly shared with a global audience. I find it very intriguing how some things are captured, some things like a local plane crash are not. Viewing video again and again can make an imprint on our collective conscious.
Tags: Austin, church, Jesus Culture, Kim Smith, live music, redemption, Social Media, spirituality, you tube
Posted in Live Austin Music, Social Media, Spiritual Coaching | No Comments »
April 6th, 2010
My guest blog for Girl Scouts of Central Texas
http://gsctx.blogspot.com/2010/01/what-does-girl-scout-brownie-do.html
Tags: mother, parenting, pride, sales
Posted in Spiritual Coaching | No Comments »
April 6th, 2010
I’m quoted in a Tehran Times article.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=213310
Tags: confidence, parenting, Spiritual Coaching, Teacher
Posted in Bilingual Special Education, Spiritual Coaching | No Comments »
April 6th, 2010
An article I’m quoted in.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=22281
Tags: birth, Down Syndrome, mother, parenting, wounds
Posted in Down Syndrome, Spiritual Coaching | No Comments »
April 6th, 2010
Link to my post on the Bank Street Alumni Blog
http://bankstreetcollege.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/museums-public-spaces-and-life-long-learning/
Tags: Austin, Bank Street College of Education, joy, life-long learning, mother, parenting, Spiritual Coaching
Posted in Bilingual Special Education, Spiritual Coaching | No Comments »
April 6th, 2010
Link to an article I’m quoted in.
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Building-Confidence-and-Participation-Skills/
Tags: confidence, parenting, Spiritual Coaching
Posted in Bilingual Special Education, Spiritual Coaching | No Comments »
April 6th, 2010
I interviewed singer-songwriter Tyrone Wells after his set at my home church. His music has been featured on Grey’s Anatomy and a lot of other really cool places during the last year . His song “More” is my favorite and the inspiration for this blog’s title.
Claire: This is Claire Milam interviewing Tyrone Wells about the clear, straight, path. Tell us a little bit about yourself..
Tyrone: My name is Tyrone is Tyrone Wells. I’m a singer/songwriter and I live in Los Angeles right now. I’m here in Austin.
Julio: Hi!
Claire: That’s great. We’re glad to have you here. That’s my son. Tell us about your clear, straight path to your musical success.
Tyrone: The path that I’ve taken has been always something I’ve felt. I always try to just connect with my gifting and let that help determine my path. So I think just knowing I was given this gift to sing. I’ve always stayed on the path and believed even when maybe it was hard to believe. Just continue. And I’ve never had a head massage while I’m talking about my path and this is awesome.
Claire: Yeah, you’re being very composed. That’s part of my life too, I have kids, I do this work, and it brings a lot of love and joy into the world. Laughs. Thank you and I wish you well. You’re playing at Momo’s on Thursday?
Tyrone: Yes, come out to the show Thursday night!
PS And come to my RISE Austin session entitled “The Clear, Straight Path.”More
Tags: Austin, Down Syndrome, mother, music, Spiritual Coaching
Posted in Down Syndrome, Spiritual Coaching, Tyrone Wells | 2 Comments »
April 6th, 2010
Easter, with it’s promise of Christ’s resurrection, is one of the most sacred days of the year for me. This year, I felt led to visit the cemetery where my family is laid to rest. As I walked among the tombstones I was struck how fortunate I am to have family members laid to rest in marked graves.
For many in Haiti and other parts of the world, this is not the case. After the January 12, 2010, earthquake untold bodies were quickly buried in unmarked graves. This has happened in other modern countries after natural disasters or worse, wars and secret police activity.
My father drowned in 1985 while fishing a nearby lake a stormy Monday before Thanksgiving. We were contacted within hours. His body was recovered. We held a funeral. He is buried near his parents. My mother joined him a few years later.
My brother crashed in 2003. He had traveled nearly 10,000 miles on US Interstates without a motorcycle helmet. The small Arizona town where he went off a bridge mourned him. It took the authorities nearly a week to discovery his identity and contact his next of kin. I was shocked but also relived at the opportunity for closure. No news can be good news. I arranged for the transport of his remains and burial near our parents and grandparents sinking into a deep depression along the way.
Time heals. I am fortunate that my family are all laid to rest in the same cemetery. In the town where I live so I can easily visit if I wish. This is not something I have felt grateful for in the past. In fact, it is something I have deeply resented. Why was I the surviving member of my family of origin at age 32? Isn’t this unusual for an American? Don’t I deserve pity? I see now that in many ways in the greater schema of humanity it is blessing in disguise. A U2 song floods my head
Window in the Skies
The shackles are undone
The bullet’s quit the gun
The heat that’s in the sun
Will keep us when there’s none
The rule has been disproved
The stone it has been moved
The grain is now a groove
All debts are removed
Oh can’t you see what our love has done
Oh can’t you see what our love has done
Oh can’t you see what our love has done
What it’s doing to me
As Christians we remember how Christ was laid to rest in a borrowed tomb after the crucifiction. We remember the empty tomb spoke to his resurrection. The stone removed, our loved one alive again. Eternally. This promise holds true for all.
Tags: Austin, birth, death, dreams, Easter, Jesus, mother, redemption, spirit, Spiritual Coaching, spirituality
Posted in Haiti, Spiritual Coaching | 1 Comment »
