Ann Took a Vow of Poverty

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We have a big problem in this country, and I will guess that it is not just this country but also many other countries.  

I asked my husband to research available data on suicide in America. Then I did online in-depth search engine research, and for the next two days, I could not get the data off my mind. As a result, I hesitate to share the data. I will not share the data.

I will tell you there are a lot of online searches related to how to exit this place.

I had a bad experience in the 1990s related to suicide.  A family member ended his life, and the person I was with when I found out ended his life two weeks later.  He sat with me as I talked myself through the tragedy.   

For the following two weeks, I traveled to the funeral and then the next week I had a business trip, so I wrote a letter, the letter arrived the day he ended his life.  

His father called me and asked me to come to his house to talk and told me every morning he woke up, he wondered if today would be the day.  I did not know suicide was on this mind.   

His favorite movie was Rocky. I remember watching him yell out the car window, ADRIAN!!!!!  He named his dog Adrian.  He was an exceptional person. 

More people need therapy than ever before. We could blame it on any number of things, real and perceived. And the more significant issue of Mental Health has been a problem since the 1970s, and no one has bothered to figure out the solution. Must be tied to money. 

My Great Aunt kept a newspaper from the day my father was born in 1935 – crazy articles. None of this is new. It is just on steroids.  

All our “leadership” can do is complain about the opposition and do nothing but take up space in D.C. and enjoy the good life on your dime, or we should say on your dollars.  

You will notice most of my stories have a song linked to them. This is because inspiration comes from music, a memory, a scent, a drive through your old neighbor, or maybe a visit with an old friend.  Or as in many of my stories, the people I have met along the way. 

There is a reason Music is considered “ministry.” 

In the 1970s, my Dad said, “Ann took a Vow of Poverty” I had no idea what he meant. We were not Catholic. I did not know what “a Vow” meant.

In the 70s, my jeans had holes in the knees and were worn out at the hem….so maybe that is what he meant. Funny, in many parts of the U.S., jeans were not accepted unless you were a farmer and needed more substantial fabric and stitching.  I never saw my Dad in a pair of jeans, ever. 

It was not until many years later that I realized how right he was. I would be prouder to sit with a drug addict or prostitute than in an evening gown.

Put me in the middle of a lot of acres and look at my smile.

What does A Vow of Poverty have to do with my story about my friend? He was not in Poverty. However, he needed help, and I was told he was getting help. 

But, he loved Rocky, I love Rocky.  Rocky lived in poverty and overcame a lot of obstacles.

Do you know how tenacious Sylvestor Stallone was in getting Rocky produced? I searched and this is the best story

My interests are about overcoming Poverty and how not to reside in Poverty. 

Poverty becomes a “state of mind” and can become generational.  It can lead to unhealthy choices, environments, anxiety, making it hard to see the sunshine, a rainbow, or anything positive. 

Writing your life story helps, and you will learn much about yourself. Even if you never share it with another person, the things that come out as you write and reread your stories can be the answer to your questions of the day.

Writing doesn’t fix everything, but it helps a lot. 

Oh, how I wish my grandparents would have left stories for me to read. 

What were they thinking, how did they overcome life’s obstacles? What funny stories could they have shared?  

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The Back Story

The majority of this story was written many years before the “pandemic.” We are such a “progressive” country.

Don’t you think someone would have figured this out with all the money in this country and so many educated people?  

Maybe it is politically incorrect to talk about solutions?  Or is it like many other diseases? It is more profitable not to have an answer.

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What to Write About? Writing Prompts

• What does it feel like to put yourself back to the age of 10? 
• What are the scents that help you to recall beautiful times in your life? 
• How did you turn a bad situation into good?  
• What songs have meaning to you? 
• What is your first memory of your favorite relative? 
• What are funny sayings they share with you? 
• The taste of cold water from a “good” well? 
• How it felt to walk down a path or a country road? 

Open an old Photo or two –  

• What happened the day the photo was taken? 
• What do you think was going on in the photo?  
• Can you recall the temperature that day? 
• Tell a story about the people in the photo

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In All Labor There is Profit

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