Dear Ms. O'Brien,
I hope you feel better!!!!!
If you are an old movie buff, like me, maybe you know who Rosemary Cloony is. She is an extremely talented singer/actress, from when dinosaurs lived, and was in one of my favorite movies "White Christmas," with Bing Crasby. I've just started reading her autobiography, "Girl Singer-an autobiography." She has such an amazing voice, for any kind of music (Jazz, bluesy, or Broadway), she could sing it.
Rosemary Clooney grew up poor-really poor in Maysville, Kentucky on the Ohio River; yet, she never felt poor. Both her parents had serious issues, shall we say. Growing up Rosemary's mom, Frances, hated their small town and wanted to be something more, like and actress, dancer- something, but instead got married to a really nice guy named Andrew Clooney. He was very charming and handsome but also an alcoholic. Frances and Andrew had 3 children together- Rosemary, Betty, and Nicky (her brother); yet, her parents came together and separated so many times that Rosemary can't recall a time when they were all living happily together. Eventually her mom became a traveling sales representative and left her children with whoever had room and money. Frances would send her children $5 a week(a lot at the time). The following part made me feel so bad for, as a small child Rosemary figured out what the people she was staying with wanted and expected. She learned what to say and do so that her and her siblings weren't separated. In the early 1930's (the Depression years) I guess it was a lot to expect other struggling relatives to take care or your kids.
Rosemary spent a lot of her time living with her grandparents and thought more of them as parents (especially her father's parents). Time was spent with other aunts and uncles as well. All parts of Rosemary's family were important to her. Even though her dad's parent's had money and her mom's didn't, she loved and appreciated them all just the same. Ms. Clooney remembers fun times singing with her family, her dad had a beautiful voice, and preformed her first song at 3 yrs old in the local movie theater.
I haven't gotten into this book to much yet, but I feel Rosemary had a huge strength within herself from a very young age. At 6 and 7yrs old, she was trying so hard to hold her family together. Her mom, when she was around, was always saying what a bad man her father was, and her father's mother (the grandma she lived with) was always saying what a rotten mother she had. Many of Rosemary Clooney's relatives, on both sides, had alcohol, drug, and depression problems. This was such a hard time to live through yet, she was destined to become a big star and I'm looking forward to reading her story.
My grandparents lived through the depression and my parents have told me about the experiences they had growing up during those years. It must have been a very interesting time- but I get the impression some people had their priorities more straight than now. It seems then just having family around and being together was more important than having a lot of stuff.
Until next time,
Devon
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Finished '9o Minutes in Heaven' by: Don Piper
Concurrently with 'Odd Girl Speaks Out', I was reading '90 Minutes in Heaven' by: Don Piper. This book was an amazing real story about a man that made a very small decision that ended up changing his entire life. Can you imagine that if tonight when you walk out of the school building you decided for a change to turn right instead of left because either way you can get home and that mindless decision so changed you- you were never the same person again. You just can't take any day for granted because you really never know what will happen in the next minute, yet don't we all.
Mr. Piper's decision to turn right put him in the way of an out of control truck, driven by an unlicensed inmate from a local prison. Imagine if for a moment you could zoom up and look down on all the events happening on Earth and see how when everyone starts out from their different starting points, their every action somehow join together into and event. Mr. Piper's small red car was crushed and run over and he was pronounced dead at the scene. His car was covered over and left while the EMS people checked out the others. I really would like to tell you absolutely everything that happened in this book. It made such an impact on me, its going to be hard to write it all into this blog!
Most important though, to me, was Mr. Piper' description of Heaven itself. He said that for him there was no tunnel he just arrived in Heaven and that immediately he felt so completely surrounded by love that he had no cares at all for anything he had here on Earth- not his wife or his children, his ministry, his belongings - nothing- because he knew he was in the presence of God's total love and that he absolutely did not want to leave. He describes relatives and friends that were so over joyed to see him like they had been waiting to be with him again. That all of these people were beautiful and perfect- even his grandmother who had no teeth in life, now had a most perfect and beautiful smile. He said the music was more incredible than anything you can imagine, and the colors were so deep, richer, and brighter. Then came a point after he was so lovingly welcomed when everyone started moving toward the gates of Heaven. Mr. Piper said the gates are huge and that the walls that extend out from either side continue on and on into the distance so far you can see no end. He said they are not made out of pearls but that they are luminescent like pearls.
In the mean time at the accident scene, a friend that had been at the same convention was stuck in the traffic due to the accident and not knowing who was in the crushed car ahead felt drawn to pray for,"the guy in the red car," even though the police told him the guy inside was dead. On Earth Mr. Piper's friend crawled into the crushed car placed his hand on Don's lifeless shoulder and prayed and sang for Don as the people in Heaven progressed toward Heaven's gate. Mr. Piper said he knew if he went with them there would be no coming back and that he'd be in the presence of God and that's what he wanted. But, then suddenly he was whisked away back to his mangled body and the first thing he remembers is hearing himself singing,"What a friend we have in Jesus," along with his friend. Although Mr. Piper was alive he felt that all he wanted was to be back surrounded by the total love and beauty of Heaven and did not understand why he had to leave only to came back and face months of horrendous pain and suffering. Don Piper never told anyone his experience in Heaven until depressed he was talking to a close friend and told him everything. The friend asked him one simple question. He said, 'why do you think God sent you back if not to tell what happened to you?' The rest is in the book and for me it meant so much. I lost my cat Scrapper recently and although I knew he had gone to Heaven now I am so comforted that I 'know' exactly where he is and everyone else too. This book is a must read for people of faith, for those who are curious, for those who do not believe, but most especially for anyone who is either near the end of life or has lost someone very dear. It has made a great impact on me.
Quick Overview of 'A Skating Life-My Story' by: Dorthy Hamill with Deborah Amelon
The other book I read was an autobiography called, 'A Skating Life-My Story' by: Dorthy Hamill with Deborah Amelon.Its about Dorothy Hamill's journey to the Olympic gold. It was very interesting. The dedication, pain-physical and mental, time, and sacrifice it takes to get there is not just something the athlete must do. The entire family must sacrifice as well. Her parents fought a lot. Dad had to work very hard to pay for all the lessons and coaches. Mom had to practically let the other two kids, a brother and sister, both older, fend for themselves as she drove Dorothy all over to ice rinks to practice. Something that I thought was very interesting was that Dorothy Hamill could patiently practice her skating hour after hour, but she had no patients at all for school work. She said she had undiagnosed attention deficit disorder and that school was difficult and terrifying to her. It's interesting how her brain can be so attentive in one area and not in others. (Michael Phelps is the same way.)
She was very sheltered by her mother who demanded Dorothy's best but never told her if she thought Dorothy had done well. Yet, her mother drove her and stayed at practices year after year,rink after rink. Dorothy's mother was not even at the arena when Dorothy won her Olympic gold. She sat in their hotel room alone, with the T.V. off. Dorothy was closer to her father who was very talented musically and put together most of her music. As you read about this family you see that both parents felt frustrated and trapped and both suffered from depression. Dorothy got a very lucrative contract from the Ice Capaides and was so proud to be able to buy her family things that she knew they had to sacrifice for her endless lessons. She had started sending her parents weekly allowances that sadly turned into such a drain on Dorothy's income that she had to stop them. But, her parents got really angry because even though they had enough money they felt Dorothy 'owed' them for all the years of sacrifice they had given her. That was pretty ugly.
Dorothy didn't do so well in the husband department. She married Dean Martin's son Dean Paul, he was Dorothy's true love, but he broke her heart and left her. Then she married a sports doctor named Ken, who not only cheated on her, and everybody but her knew it, but took her for all her money. The only good thing out of that marriage was her daughter Alex.
I have to say though, the difference between these two books was immense. I feel almost bad to say that having read Dorothy Hamill's book after '90 Minutes in Heaven,' made her story seem quite trivial which is not fair. I did enjoy it. Skating fans will love it, but I don't think it needs to go on many must read lists.
Until next time,
Devon
Mr. Piper's decision to turn right put him in the way of an out of control truck, driven by an unlicensed inmate from a local prison. Imagine if for a moment you could zoom up and look down on all the events happening on Earth and see how when everyone starts out from their different starting points, their every action somehow join together into and event. Mr. Piper's small red car was crushed and run over and he was pronounced dead at the scene. His car was covered over and left while the EMS people checked out the others. I really would like to tell you absolutely everything that happened in this book. It made such an impact on me, its going to be hard to write it all into this blog!
Most important though, to me, was Mr. Piper' description of Heaven itself. He said that for him there was no tunnel he just arrived in Heaven and that immediately he felt so completely surrounded by love that he had no cares at all for anything he had here on Earth- not his wife or his children, his ministry, his belongings - nothing- because he knew he was in the presence of God's total love and that he absolutely did not want to leave. He describes relatives and friends that were so over joyed to see him like they had been waiting to be with him again. That all of these people were beautiful and perfect- even his grandmother who had no teeth in life, now had a most perfect and beautiful smile. He said the music was more incredible than anything you can imagine, and the colors were so deep, richer, and brighter. Then came a point after he was so lovingly welcomed when everyone started moving toward the gates of Heaven. Mr. Piper said the gates are huge and that the walls that extend out from either side continue on and on into the distance so far you can see no end. He said they are not made out of pearls but that they are luminescent like pearls.
In the mean time at the accident scene, a friend that had been at the same convention was stuck in the traffic due to the accident and not knowing who was in the crushed car ahead felt drawn to pray for,"the guy in the red car," even though the police told him the guy inside was dead. On Earth Mr. Piper's friend crawled into the crushed car placed his hand on Don's lifeless shoulder and prayed and sang for Don as the people in Heaven progressed toward Heaven's gate. Mr. Piper said he knew if he went with them there would be no coming back and that he'd be in the presence of God and that's what he wanted. But, then suddenly he was whisked away back to his mangled body and the first thing he remembers is hearing himself singing,"What a friend we have in Jesus," along with his friend. Although Mr. Piper was alive he felt that all he wanted was to be back surrounded by the total love and beauty of Heaven and did not understand why he had to leave only to came back and face months of horrendous pain and suffering. Don Piper never told anyone his experience in Heaven until depressed he was talking to a close friend and told him everything. The friend asked him one simple question. He said, 'why do you think God sent you back if not to tell what happened to you?' The rest is in the book and for me it meant so much. I lost my cat Scrapper recently and although I knew he had gone to Heaven now I am so comforted that I 'know' exactly where he is and everyone else too. This book is a must read for people of faith, for those who are curious, for those who do not believe, but most especially for anyone who is either near the end of life or has lost someone very dear. It has made a great impact on me.
Quick Overview of 'A Skating Life-My Story' by: Dorthy Hamill with Deborah Amelon
The other book I read was an autobiography called, 'A Skating Life-My Story' by: Dorthy Hamill with Deborah Amelon.Its about Dorothy Hamill's journey to the Olympic gold. It was very interesting. The dedication, pain-physical and mental, time, and sacrifice it takes to get there is not just something the athlete must do. The entire family must sacrifice as well. Her parents fought a lot. Dad had to work very hard to pay for all the lessons and coaches. Mom had to practically let the other two kids, a brother and sister, both older, fend for themselves as she drove Dorothy all over to ice rinks to practice. Something that I thought was very interesting was that Dorothy Hamill could patiently practice her skating hour after hour, but she had no patients at all for school work. She said she had undiagnosed attention deficit disorder and that school was difficult and terrifying to her. It's interesting how her brain can be so attentive in one area and not in others. (Michael Phelps is the same way.)
She was very sheltered by her mother who demanded Dorothy's best but never told her if she thought Dorothy had done well. Yet, her mother drove her and stayed at practices year after year,rink after rink. Dorothy's mother was not even at the arena when Dorothy won her Olympic gold. She sat in their hotel room alone, with the T.V. off. Dorothy was closer to her father who was very talented musically and put together most of her music. As you read about this family you see that both parents felt frustrated and trapped and both suffered from depression. Dorothy got a very lucrative contract from the Ice Capaides and was so proud to be able to buy her family things that she knew they had to sacrifice for her endless lessons. She had started sending her parents weekly allowances that sadly turned into such a drain on Dorothy's income that she had to stop them. But, her parents got really angry because even though they had enough money they felt Dorothy 'owed' them for all the years of sacrifice they had given her. That was pretty ugly.
Dorothy didn't do so well in the husband department. She married Dean Martin's son Dean Paul, he was Dorothy's true love, but he broke her heart and left her. Then she married a sports doctor named Ken, who not only cheated on her, and everybody but her knew it, but took her for all her money. The only good thing out of that marriage was her daughter Alex.
I have to say though, the difference between these two books was immense. I feel almost bad to say that having read Dorothy Hamill's book after '90 Minutes in Heaven,' made her story seem quite trivial which is not fair. I did enjoy it. Skating fans will love it, but I don't think it needs to go on many must read lists.
Until next time,
Devon
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