by Allison Moore | Aug 4, 2014 | Uncategorized |
If you haven’t visited the Be Alert For Bikers website already, I’d like to to re-invite you to check out their well-designed bumper stickers and t-shirts. After I wrote about this little business-with-a-message last month, Trevor (the Brainchild and Owner) decided to put everything on the website at 20% off, if you mention Vernon’s name at checkout. For the entire month of August! We don’t even know him personally, but he is graciously giving 10% of all sales to our fund.
I know many of you have donated to us already…and I can’t thank you enough. Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart! But this is a way for you got get something cool and spread an important message. I don’t know about every town, but San Clemente needs a few more reminders this summer. Be extra careful, drivers! (And bikers!)
This is Tanya, standing in front of the wall-in-progress at her house, showing off her new stickers that arrived today. She has a few beloved bikers in her life too!
We were both impressed that Trevor keeps business personal!
And back to Tanya. She and her husband commissioned a mural before Vernon’s accident. In fact, I bought the paint for the project the morning of. They were gracious enough to let me come in and work two months later…at my own pace, a few hours at a time, when I could make it. I’m so thankful for their flexibility and understanding.
I used to do murals a lot. In fact my busiest painting season was when Vernon and I were first together, doing a long-distance email/text/phone/skype relationship. I would talk to him after work and he was always curious and encouraging about what I’d done that day. He had a charming dream at the time that we would go into some kind of artistic restoring and decorating business together. We never did, but working on this now makes me think of those early days talking to Vernon. It does kind of feel like a long-distance relationship. I guess there is something romantic about that.
But to make the story of this particular gig even more profound for me, Tanya was diagnosed with breast cancer a week or so before the mural was supposed to start. I was so surprised and blown away by her positive attitude, and saw a reason to make that wall extra special—not realizing I would soon have some catastrophic news in our family as well.
Just lately, a little at a time, I have been working on Bob and Tanya’s wall, enjoying spending time with her while she is home recovering from surgery. She had a double mastectomy a few weeks ago and is only now coming out of house-boundedness. It is such a delight to chat with her while I’m painting (I do have to remember to actually work.) I’ve loved spending time with someone going through raw physical healing (besides Vernon.) She is an inspiring person to be around. Though she is weak in body, she is STRONG in Spirit. And we share the belief that though neither of our stories are out of the woods yet, there is always HOPE…and the journey.
And to leave this post on a humorous note, look what arrived in the mail today!
by Allison Moore | Aug 3, 2014 | Day by Day, Uncategorized |
For some reason, I wasn’t able to upload this the other day when it happened, but here is a video of some of Vernon’s ‘Latest Work.’
Grasping and Letting Go.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152214127536491&set=vb.535626490&type=2&theater
by Allison Moore | Aug 2, 2014 | Day by Day, Uncategorized |
There is so much to say about Vernon and the emotional roller-coaster of experiencing a loved-one’s illness/recovery. I run into widows and widowers who have had to learn to grieve fully and live a new singular life as often as I run into people who have miraculous stories, who have died and returned with a new lease on life. It’s so encouraging. I also have been running into people who can’t get over a wrong done/or something said to them years ago, and all I can see is the absurdity of attitudes that don’t want to move forward. It’s so annoying.
I’m presently processing a lot of thoughts like this, all due to this new perspective on life that Vernon’s story is allowing. But I’ll spare you my crazy mind and its workings-out and instead focus on a lovely story that happened the other day.
Two of Vernon’s friends (and mine!) came in the other day to play for him.
Gerry on the flute.
Joshua on the mandolin.
Here they are, sharing bluegrass stories with the respiratory therapist, who was doing all sorts of family name-dropping (none of which I’d ever heard before… but it was sweet to see the fascination-energy happening in passing.
We had a physical therapist come in for a bit and as the music was slightly loud (we loved it, but needed to focus for a bit) I asked if they would go play music to the man next door, who I’d just found was having dialysis done, but was very much awake.
How wonderful that there is so much love and joy to go around. People come to minister to their friend and it just spills over to strangers. I love that. Isn’t that the beauty of a full-life? The man next door, though he was in the hospital for only two days, had been having dialysis for 6 years and in his own words, “it sucks.” He told me later this was the best dialysis session he ever had.
The boys came back in later to us, by the way. This gives you an idea of what Vernon heard.
“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”
― Émile Zola
by Allison Moore | Aug 1, 2014 | Day by Day, Uncategorized |
“Art is not a part of life, it is not an addition to life, it is the essence of those pieces of us that make us fulfilled. That give us hope. That give us dreams and provide the world a view very different than what it would have been without us.” Hasan Davis
I am gushing a little on the concept of ART tonight as we got a special gift in the mail yesterday from a wonderfully talented photographer, Vicki Liantonio, a longtime Instagram-mate. These prints are too beautiful not to share. (Excuse my bad iphonography, it doesn’t do them justice.
You can buy some of her cool stuff on the cheap
here.
Anyway…it was such a touching gift from the heart for our whole family (and will grace Vernon’s wall, while we still have some space at the hospital.)
As Picasso said: “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” I feel refreshed just looking at these prints.
Vernon continues to make progress. Because of the infections, he is receiving new medication and is a little worn out. Today his breakthrough was all in the expression of his eyebrows. A lift here, a furrow there. No words necessary. If you know him, you will understand that this return to intriguing subtlety (a coma state is a little TOO subtle for us) is very encouraging. We are getting our one-of-a-kinder back, a movement, an expression at a time.
Today marks the end of week 10, Day 70.
by The Maki | Jul 30, 2014 | Uncategorized |
Iam having a great time however seeing everything move along makes e sad that i can’t be there. I am having a good time don’t worry about me I just wanted to tell someone.
ps. I accidentally posted without writing
by Allison Moore | Jul 30, 2014 | Day by Day, Uncategorized |
I just came across this quote now:
The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.
Hubert H. Humphrey, Jr.
Don’t know who Hubert H Humphrey, Jr. was but his name is impressive-looking enough to convince us that he knows what he is talking about. I could have said the same thing, as I truly believe it, but since I’m not ancient/famous/dead, it just wouldn’t carry the same weight. What is it about QUOTATION MARKS that just give a thought that extra je ne se quois?
(Ok…enough of my commentary on internet-quotes from impressive sounding strangers*, and on to our own living smart-guy, Vernon Adams, and his current world.)
The other day, Vernon and company were pleasantly surprised by a visit from one of his pals, Joe. Not only did Joe bring a ukulele and an original song, he brought this handmade link-toy, that Vernon can eventually move into different shapes, like this giraffe here. Joe calls it a “Zen Toy.”
The toy has already turned out to be quite a practical little gift as the last couple of days Vernon has been working hard to grasp and lift it. Here is a little video of his progress. He may not be Hubert Horatio Humphrey, but I couldn’t be more impressed with him if he was. (Note to self: soon he will be able to throw that thing at me…maybe I shouldn’t make him work with it TOO much.)
I also managed to capture Joe’s beautiful gift of song on video. Thanks for everything, Joe. Your gifts keep on giving.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152210374756491&set=vb.535626490&type=2&theater¬if_t=like
*Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. was an American politician who served as the 38th Vice President of the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson, from 1965 to 1969.(Wikipedia)
