Lyrical Lavender Life

Though we have not been close for years, I love you and I will miss you. Though our paths ceased crossing, I thought of you and wished you well. For all our lives and childhood, You were close to me like a brother. Though I will not see you again, I will think of you and what could have been. I know your life had been difficult lately, and I know you did your best to just get through it. We all have sorrows, regrets and troubles, and no one can know what your pain feels like but you. I wish you peace now, Cody. As you sleep your untimely sleep. You were so young, so full of possibility But now you can set aside your pain and be. You can join your little one there For I'm sure that your son Will be happy to have you with him Though it means that we all will miss you We hope that you rest in peace in the end.

Today while I was out with some friends at a Pride celebration, I had a flash of anger and fear toward someone who rode his bike through our family friendly and gay friendly festival. He rode through slowly, yelling at the top of his lungs saying things like "all 'a yaw nee da pray fa mercy own ya soes". In his less than eloquent manner of speaking, he saw fit to instruct us (the entire park full of people around him) that we were "headed fa hell if yaw keep dis up". Sometimes, I get mad at myself for the way I react to such things. I get mad at people's stupidity, ignorance, insensitivity, and overall inappropriate words and actions~ especially toward people that are complete strangers to them. I get mad at myself for the sinking fear that punctures my gut; I get angry at the person for attempting to ruin a perfectly good day with friends; I get angry at myself for not speaking up or confronting the person; I get mad at the world. I get mad at society for h

Sometimes I spend my Friday afternoons catching up on world news. So much happens throughout the week that it is impossible to know everything important that is happening in every country on Earth. Today, as I search through the articles the issues that jump out at me are the same ones that always have been a sore spot for me: WAR and DESTRUCTION. "I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends." ~Abraham Lincoln "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." ~Abraham Lincoln < color="#000000">I don't know how to put what I feel into words sometime, surprisingly enough, so I am posting a painting that depicts how I feel about war, the effects on 'mother earth', with a nod to conservative politics who are pro-war and pro-God. In my mind, the two cannot exist together, yet 'we' fight in God's name, and waste prayers on requesting help to vict

I had decided not to get too political on this blog, but by neglecting to talk about issues that are very important to me I am neglecting to address what is really on my mind right now. (DISCLAIMER: Please note that my discussion of issues on this blog are my OWN opinions, beliefs, ideas, declarations and responsibility! Do NOT assume that others who know me are automatically in agreement.) So, I just wanted to say: H A P P Y P R I D E ! In honor of Pride during the entire month of June, I am posting my very own artwork. "L' amour des femmes" (upity? no... poking fun at myself) This in-your-face "pop-art" style painting was one of my favorites to paint, though it was controversial in my painting class (and I'm pretty sure did it's part to cost me an A in that class - along with a few other pieces.) Hope you enjoy! Have a great Pride and everyone be safe!

Thank God for Inspiring Gifts This morning I found a bunch of unmarked CDs mixed up with some software CDs I had in a binder. Upon inspection, I realized that they were all CDs of a singer I know personally. These CDs included a few recorded voice lessons, a couple of performance ready pieces on CDs made for distributing as part of auditioning requirements, and a CD of pictures from a few of her performances. Looking through the pics, I remembered each performance vividly (because I was there for almost all of them). I remembered how many people told her afterwards how amazing she sounded and how inspiring her voice is. Many people say her voice is a powerful gift from God that blesses them every time they hear her, no matter how many times or how often. Her voice brings a sudden chill, then the "warm tinglies" that you feel in those best moments of your life. This inspiring voice is a gift . A gift from God that she cherishes, protects and uses at every opportunity. Listeni

June 25, 1977 at 6:19pm , I came into this world. Looking back over the last 31 years, I can think of event that stands out from each year. These are a reflection of my life; they run a gamut of emotions, memories and sentiments. These are my life in 31 flavors: If you care to read on, great... If not, I hope you have as many wonderful experiences as I have had in my 31 years. Enjoy life! 1 - Spoiled by my Maw-Maw and a daddy's girl 2 - Sister, Kelly, born on my 2nd birthday! cute birthday present, but she didn't mind me and sometimes I wanted to exchange her ;) 3 - Started taking dancing... quickly grew to LOVE ballet (and still do) 4 - Loved ballet, won many pageants 5 -Bad year... bad things began 6 - Sister, Kayla, was born on my mom and dad's anniversary 7 - Played baseball with the boys team 8 - Mom sick while pregnant, first ballet solo 9 - Sister, Kora, was born two days before my daddy's birthday 10 -Sang in public for the first time at a festival 11 -Learned t

Over the last 31 years I have had an amazing, random, assorted, interesting, adventurous, scarey, surprising and incredible journey. Getting older is a part of life that none of us really looks forward to, but the wisdom that comes with living is well worth the pain. Just some of the things I have learned on my own. If you feel that the life can be more.... go chase your dream! If you feel knocked down and can't pick yourself up again.... make a new friend. If you think you may never be happy.... make a change. If you think that you need no improvement.... look again. If you take life for granted.... visit the dying. If you are healthy, fed, clothed, housed, and loved.... be grateful. Time passes quickly.... use it wisely. Life is the ultimate journey.... travel on.

Winding roads of Morgan County This morning on my way to work from Morgan County, I drove through a long section of very heavy fog. The roads that I have become accustomed to traveling in the day and even in the night, became scarey to me because of my lack of visibility. Imagine the roads in the pictures above covered with white blankets of fog so thick that you can only see pink where the red tail lights are less than fifty feet in front of you. Coming from Louisiana, the very flat south, I was not used to driving on roads that ran in between mountains and up and down curvy inclines. Sometimes all that separates you from the cliff's drop-off is a flemsy guard rail that looks like it has taken a beating several times before. Driving is typically quite therapeutic for me and I enjoy my time alone to think, sing, and be at peace. While I usually delve deep into my own personal world, I was forced to remain in the earthly realm and focus on the road. This morning, the depth of my c

J u n e 2 1 , 2008 I saw Melissa Etheridge in concert! How awesome is that? Not only did I get to be at the concert, but I was able to sneak down to the front and get 10 feet away from her when I went down for a song to take some pictures of her up close. We had really great seats and had a blast. She played a lot of the old great favorites and a great sampling of the songs off of her newer albums. I LOVED it. It was an awesome concert and I was so excited to see her LIVE! All I can say right now is "WOW!" She is incredible. Pics coming soon... I promise. (PICS ABOVE... as promised!) Talented Passionate Sincere Real Inspiring Creative Emotive Amazing!! I will write more later. I'm exhausted from an amazing weekend, and fear I may actually have to do some work today. :)

photo taken by J. Grimes I remember taking family trips as a child. Rather it was a weekend camping, water-skiing and roasting marshmellows, or a two week long vacation that covered six states and numerous famous national parks, monuments, or natural wonders, these were the best experiences of my childhood. Along with exposing me to many different kinds of people all throughout my childhood, I also developed a great love for traveling and learning about other cultures. Thanks to my father's vast knowledge, spiced with his line of bull that was always fascinatingly believable and creative, I was always enthralled to know what happened at each site we visited and what the people were like, or why they were "famous" or "infamous". This became the backbone of my interest in history, which begat an interest in anthropology, geology, geography, civics, sociology and psychology. Looking back on my travels with my family and the uninhibited ramblings, trivia and opinio

This morning I awoke at 6am, as I have been trying to do lately. I felt mostly rested and ready to start the day. I had a moment's peace as I stretched, got dressed to workout, and gathered my things. As I was brushing my teeth, unwisely using those moments to think about the things that completely frustrated me the day before, I began to get aggravated all over again. Walking to the gym, my thoughts were unintentionally focused on the problems with my newest commitment (summer volunteer project)and thinking about how unfair and unjust the world can be. As I began to workout, I began to hear this little voice repeat "things will get better". I passed it off as "jiminy cricket" (conscience) trying to motivate me. As I worked my way through my routine of machines and flexed muscles, I came to one of my favorite machines in the room. I like this machine the most, not because it makes me feel strong, or because of how hard it works my thighs, but because it is situa

Opera.... a new passion Developed through a special someone The voice... a magical instrument When it rings through the air, It pierces your heart And cuts to the very soul Music... a longtime love Brought about by my own longing for something in me to be heard Singing, dancing, playing music can affect mood and attitude It gets into your core And you crave its sounds With every milestone, A song is there To lift, excite, comfort, and share Connections to every emotion are made Love is one that is often conveyed Words can have limitations at times With music there doesn't need reason or rhyme. To the soul who relies on music to fill all the feelings of life that just don't seem real For expressing the things that you just cannot face The role of music can not be replaced.

Progress is being made. Can you feel it? Slowly, but surely this world is changing. One person, one state, or one country at a time... I see how possible it is for this world to know peace. Today, I am especially ecstatic about the goings on in the state of California. Though I live in Kentucky, and this new allowance does not directly effect me, it does greatly affect me. I am speaking of the occurrences regarding the official first day of legalized same-sex marriages that took place yesterday (Tues. June 17,2008) in California. For thousands of couples in that state, it was a time to finally have that moment they had dreamed of for years. It sounds very simple a thing to have- marriage. However, for many people in many places it is still but a distant dream. Picture it: Gathering your family and friends together in one place at a special time Announce your love to the world and solidify your commitment to your partner Become husbands or wives in the eyes of God, the government, and