This is going to be the hardest Mother’s Day. Already the ads are flooding in. I lost my Mom last year on October 26, 2020. She was a tough woman. She was a breast cancer survivor. She survived a few strokes. She was a fighter. We were fortunate to have someone set up the GrandPad app so we could visit her virtually.
My Mom always supported us. She cared about us. She had a big heart. We were the best pals after I got out of the Air Force and came home to help out. We would hop into Jezabel, my old Torino and drive all over the place. It didn’t matter if it was just out to drop her off at her friend Glady’s house, or hitting Grays Ice Cream. We would go out to eat together often.
I get a chuckle when I recall taking her out one Mother’s Day to the Fireside in Middleboro for brunch. She loved going there. The buffet was fantastic. She would often take an extra piece of something for me. What made me chuckle was remembering how one time, we were just finishing up and she let out a belch. Kudos to the chef.
Like most large families, my Mother would get upset with one of us and go through the litany of names. There were seven of us kids.
Mother’s Day is going to bring up some things for me. I may cry a bit. I miss her. I will keep the memories of all our adventures together. That is how I want to remember her. You will always be in my heart.
My heart to your heart, Mom, One heart, One Spirit.
I am so happy that Ginger and I have really bonded. She wakes me in the morning so we can go on a walk. She goes on many of my short walks that I have to do every hour since I had that bloody DVT. One of my friends said I should have a picture with Ginger and I together. I had to get on the floor for this pic. She gave me a kiss.
I love having my new companion. My life view has done a 180. My counselor loves my new view on life. I was really down there for a while. I had responded to my doctor that I didn’t care if I lived or died. She gave me an option, ER or back into counseling. I chose the counseling. In the meantime, my daughter and our friend Emily found Ginger. She has become my close friend and companion. Ginger now sleeps in my bed with me and brings me comfort.
She is a super friend and companion. I get so many people telling me how cute she is with the one floppy ear and one upright. She was a rescue from down south originally so she may have been abused, but she and I have really connected. Today we are over 27000 steps. We even challenged 7 Hills and beat it. She is such a character and has connected with the other dogs in the complex. She really connected with Cooper. I am glad she has a friend to play with.
I have a companion on my walks and love that we have connected so well.
I love that we are together and I am not so alone anymore. I know that some prefer cats, but for me I have always loved my dogs.
I miss Brandy and Harley. They were great dogs. I had them since they were pups.
Brandy and HaIrley
I miss these two. Unfortunately, we lost them both to cancer. I miss Jazzy too,
Dogs have been a special part of my life. It is interesting that that I had a dog named Ginger many years ago that I loved. Now I have another Ginger who brings me peace and love. I always seem to be a dog person. I did have a cat once, Sebastion. He was a good cat, despite shredding my album tops. I am a dog person. I will continue to give Ginger unconditional love and provide for her as best as I can. She has given me life. I will return that to her as well.
My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit. White Wolf
This is unconditional love. I have had many ups and downs in the past few months. One thing has been constant since Ginger came into my life is that there is hope. We go for walks. Every morning she wakes me and gets me out there walking.
I was diagnosed with a DVT end of last year. So I am supposed to walk at least once an hour during my waking times. I have kept to that, but now that I have a companion, it is not done alone. I still have a problem with my left foot but I bought some orthotic inserts for my shoes that has appeared to allay that.
I will get my second Pfizer shot on the 17th which hopefully will bring me one step closer to normalcy. It is hard enough being alone, but being isolated due to Covid has added even more to my depressive state. Ginger has helped to alleviate that. I cannot wait until I can just go to a restaurant as I wish. One thing I find with Ginger is that she brings unconditional love. It is great that she has a friend with Cooper, my neighbor’s dog, but she also gets along with all the others. It was great to see her even get closer to Grace. I may be isolated and alone but it is great when Cooper and Ginger can get together and play. I continue to try to focus on the positive and Ginger is really helping on that. I really have grown to love this dog with all my heart, She has shown me a reason to continue to live.
My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit. Unega Waya, (White Wolf)
I love to quote a Hindu teaching, “There are many paths up the mountain. The only one not getting to the top is the one who runs around and around telling everyone else they are on the wrong path.”
I saw this image on another site and it resonated with me. I was raised Roman Catholic, I was an altar person, a Youth Minister, and had considered even more. This was despite the RC Church not making me feel comfortable. I chose to be open to all paths and all journeys. This, I felt, would help me to understand and welcome others.
When I finally left the Church and decided to strike out to learn my own spiritual path, I felt drawn initially to the Druids. Being Irish, I felt that would be my first venture into a new spiritual path. I learned the many levels one could achieve.
My next venture was into shamanism. I took a course with one of the notable American Shamans, Sandra Ingerman. I learned a lot in a short period of time. As with the Catholic Church, I struggled as I thought I just didn’t get it. Sandra and I would have coffee each morning together and she advised me that I had a natural ability to shift into the spirit world. It is interesting that when I was learning to be a Youth Minister, I also felt the same difficulty. I remember crying in my bunk and one of the other trainees came in. He asked why I was crying and I told him that I just didn’t get it. He started crying too and told me that they all looked to me because I was the one who seemed to get it and made it appear natural.
I continued to learn shamanism and read volume after volume trying to understand. I read one volume that spoke of weather shamanism and the ethical ramifications. If you work with weather you have to ensure that you aren’t pushing a severe storm to someone else.
There was so much to learn.
The next venture into spirituality was to learn Native American wisdom and teachings. This is when I met Bear Warrior and Little Wren. I was welcomed into their midst and learned a lot. They noted that I was going out and learning and then bringing back to the group and teaching. It was then that they gifted me my Tsalagi (Cherokee) name, Unega Waya, White Wolf. In the Cherokee belief the Wolf is seen as a pathfinder and healer. I was honored to be given such a great name and sought to be the best teacher I could be.
I continued to learn and grow. I came across a great book, Seven Masters, One Path.
It brought together teachings from many great teachers. These days, I still embrace my Native American teachings as well as my Shamanistic teachings, but I lean towards Buddhism. I thought Buddha Guatama had a great teaching, “
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” ― Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni
For me, spirituality is fluid. I do not settle on dogma but allow myself to be free to flow. There are many great teachings out there. When we get trapped into a specific dogma it stifles our spiritual growth. I guess that is why the Nicene Creed never agreed with me.
I studied the Aztec medicine way of Curanderismo for a little while. I learned that in that path I was a consejera. I remember a book by Elana Avila. She talked of learning curanderismo and introducing it into the hospital. It was called Woman Who Glows in the Dark.
I continue to learn and grow. I hope you are inspired to do the same. I came to be known as a wounded healer. I embrace that as it allows me to be empathetic to others who are in pain.
Ginger coming into my life has been a Godsend. I am not alone anymore. I have someone to go on walks with. She greets me with kisses in the morning and sleeps on the side of my bed. She hasn’t gotten on the bed as yet, but that may have been previous training. She doesn’t go on any of the furniture. I did get her a cozy bed to lie in when we are in the living room.
My mental health keeps improving. I still feel alienated at times, but that is more due to not being able to get out much. A had a chuckle when a neighbor saw one of my pictures and noted the Fitzgerald’s in the pic. She umps softball games and Nicole was one of the players. She even remembered Papa. I miss that man.
Last year was a hellish year. The virus, separation, isolation, not being able to just go to a restaurant when you want. It all wore on me. I am hoping that I have finally turned things around and will be able to hit positive strides. My doctor got me set up with appointments so I can get my mammogram, colonoscopy, and eyes checked. So I will get medical work up done. I am scheduled to get my Covid shot on Saturday.
Well, I hope everyone is also becoming more hopeful. Please, if you start going to dark places, reach out. Talk to your doctor, see a counselor. There is help out there, you are not alone.
Sometimes it is that external existence that gives you purpose. I owe my life to Ginger. I have struggled so much over the past few months. I came close to ending it, but now I have a companion and friend who I love and want her to thrive. She was a rescue, but then she was rehomed with me. She gives me purpose again to thrive and live so I can provide for her. I want her to be happy, to feel loved. I may no longer feel that, but I know that I have it in my heart to give it to her. So many are despairing these days but she gives me love and hope.
I love when she wakes me in the morning. I love when we go for our walks. She has the hots for our neighbor’s dog Cooper. She whines a lot hoping to go and play with him, but in the end, she is loving and in turn gives me reason to push forward.
Ginger I love you and will do what I can to make your life special.
I wrote my doctor to tell her that I had no will to live and just had no desire to continue life. That set in motion a lot of things. I was told that if I was that despondent to go to the ER. In the meantime, she noted that I should not be without a counselor and set me up with a referral for a new counselor. Everything started moving fast and I soon was meeting with my new counselor every week. Initially, we went through my history and she had a slew of questions to cover. She started to question me to see if I was bipolar but I knew that right away as one of my wives had been bipolar.
We covered a lot of ground the first two meetings. She was much better than my previous counselor who asked me on my second visit what I was coming to see her for. She asked many probing questions. I appreciated her thoroughness. I also had more appreciation for my doctor as she took action when she got my message.
What I learned from this are a couple of things. First, never try to go it alone. You may think you are strong, but sometimes the darkness can be too much. Second, it isn’t weak to ask for help. I should have long before I let it get too far gone.
I let it go too far and have to deal with the ramifications of it. I came close to ending it. I am fortunate not to have. My daughter and her friend found my a new best buddy.
Meet Ginger, she is an Australian Cattle Dog. We have really connected. She helps me to stay out of my head and out of darkness. She wakes me up in the morning with kisses and jumps up to give me a hug. Had I given up, I never would have met her.
We must always remember there is help out there. Reach out to your doctor, reach out to your friends. Never try to go it alone. If need be, reach out to the Suicide Prevention lines.
I have been trying to get an emotional support dog for a while now. I have had to deal with a rescue that rarely responds. I have been seeing a counselor who told me that I needed to get a dog, but when it came down to it, she was told by her supervisor that she could not write the letter for an ESA. That was after I quit another psych because on our second meeting she asked me what we were meeting for. It appears that she never took notes.
My PCP was told by his legal department that he couldn’t write a letter for me because of liability. Lawyers have made it so much more difficult to do anything.
So I refuse to give up. I advised the Property Manager what was going on and how I have been refused by my counselor and my PCP. She offered for me to pay over time. I am going to do that. Once approval comes back then I will begin in earnest searching every rescue for that dog that will be my partner in crime. If I didn’t have to pay the additional fee I might have been able to afford a cavapoo. Instead, I will have to stick to rescues and hope.
The thing is, we always have to depend on ourselves. We have to be strong and fight for what we want. Never give in, never give up. One foot in front of the other. If you meet a challenge, find a way around it. Become a warrior for your own cause. In the end, we can’t depend on others for help. We have to take charge and fight for everything.
This has been an extremely tough year for me. Many days I have danced with the darkness but press on. At this moment I am trying to get my Property Manager to agree to allow me to have an emotional support dog. I have not heard anything yet, but trying to be patient as they have to check with my counselor. If one thing my journey taught me is to be patient.
I continue to push forward. I walk every day, most days putting in over my 10,000 steps. Today I am at over 14,000 and still have to walk at 2, 3, 4, and 5p. It just seems that is my whole life is working and walking. Not much of an existence. I do try to do what I can. Today I am making myself Duck L’Orange. As I have in the past, I will use leftover duck for Duck Alfredo. I bought some rice as I have a rice cooker I have not used, so maybe some duck fried rice. I used to get that at Gourmet Garden in Wareham but the locals here don’t offer it.
While I sometimes suffer depression due to being alone and isolated, especially during this Covid pandemic, I try to press on. I walk. I have come to know some of the local vendors. I get my Italian Grinder sans lettuce and a Highland Special Pizza from my local pizza shop. I was getting tarts, oh so good, from Confectioners on New Boston Rd. I got my hair finally washed and cut with Connie at Euphoria. I am ready to step up to colour. I started getting electrolysis from Elite. I even bought some yarn and needles from Karen at the craft shop. Got some new kitchen towels from there to replace the ones I bought at Christmas. I bought some new Irish themed towels. Perfect!
I started with a new counselor that I really like. I didn’t much care for the prior one. At least this one is being thorough. She even asked me questions to see if I was bipolar. I picked that out quick enough. I explained to her that while I am not bipolar I was once married to a bipolar person and when they went off lithium, wow.
I hate that I can’t just go to a restaurant these days. The Governor has restricted to 25% capacity so sometimes it is hard to get a table. I have wanted to try a few places but mostly I maintain my distance. I am in that older crowd that they say have to be especially cautious.
The isolation and loneliness gets to me a lot but I have my campfire friends.
I saw these at Shaws and started collecting them. I arranged them around the candle to make it like a campfire. Anything you can do to get through Covid. I am hoping by the Fall we are normalized. I miss being able to just go somewhere. I worry with these new strains coming out that we may have new outbreaks. Until then, I will just keep walking. Whatever it takes to get through, day by day, step by step.
I haven’t posted to this series in a bit. I have been dealing with the isolation due to Covid but I felt I needed to come back to this.
One of the things that gets to a lot of transgender folk is that they feel they don’t measure up. I have spoken of this in the past. I wrote one of my blog series addressing this. I called it Just Own It. I later created a workshop at First Event based on that blog. I spoke about how we continue to compare ourselves to others. We are constantly trying to measure up. This is a detriment to our becoming ourselves. I have seen many in the community who belittle themselves because they feel they don’t measure up.
We really need to look into ourselves and become who we were meant to be. One of the things I used to tell them was to venture into Walmart or Target and take note of all the varieties of women. Big women, short women, women kind of plump. Some dressed to the nines and some in sweats. Why are cisgender women allowed so much variety but transgender women have such a narrower space to conform to. The thing is, it is they who hold themselves to that strict window. It isn’t others, it is them. I continue to press that they need to own who they are.
Life is too short. We need to embrace who we are. We need to celebrate who we are. Stop comparing yourself to unattainable images. The advertising community has done a disservice to ciswomen for so long. They show these models in size 0 dresses. Be you. Be happy. Stop buying into the false ideal. What is truly ideal is someone with a good heart and able to show love and caring. That is true beauty. Forget about comparing yourself but choose to be you, the best you that you can be. You are special. You are unique. You are loved.
