Laurie Baum
If you enjoy astrology, you will like this Spring Equinox update written by my good friend Laurie Baum, MSW, a psychological astrologer and psychotherapist in practice in Encinitas, California.
Laurie writes a free astrological newsletter about how planetary alignments affect our lives on earth. Click here to e-mail Laurie to subscribe at no cost, or visit Laurie’s website and click on “Free Email Newsletter.”
Laurie is a former newspaper (more…)
Tim Harris, owner of Tim’s Place in Albuquerque, New Mexico (photo courtesy of AOL)
Welcome to Tim’s Place, a full-service restaurant where every meal is served with a heaping portion of love and hugs.
I knew Tim was a special kind of guy when I read that he was elected homecoming king at his Albuquerque high school by the highest margin of votes in school history.
Here is a bio of Tim courtesy of his website:
The famous quote from Walt Disney, “If you can dream it, you can do it” has been the driving force behind the life of Tim Harris. Born in 1986 with Down Syndrome, Tim’s life has been defined by exceeding expectations.
As a 2004 graduate of Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tim was elected homecoming king by the highest margin of votes in school history. During graduation week, Tim was also voted Student of the Year by the administration, faculty, and staff.
In the fall of 2004, Tim moved to Roswell, New Mexico to attend Eastern New Mexico University. Tim lived in a college dorm and graduated in 2008 with certificates in Food Service, Office Skills and Restaurant Hosting. During college Tim worked at a variety of local restaurants including CiCi’s Pizza, Golden Corral, IHOP, and Peppers Bar and Grill.
After college, Tim worked as a host at Applebee’s restaurant in Albuquerque and spent time living aboard a sailboat with his parents and traveling throughout the Bahamas where he first earned his nickname (more…)
I love the way that Twin Cities Business magazine presented my article, Alter Ego: The Double Lives of Leading Local Executives. I had a lot of fun working on it. The awesome photos were taken by Travis Anderson.
In his navy blue suit, Scott Kadrlik looks like you’d expect a managing partner in a CPA firm to look. Tabatha Erck’s appearance is perfectly congruent with her role as CEO of a thriving chiropractic network. Small business owner Dave Wirig would blend in well at any business luncheon.
Looks can be deceiving. After shedding their business attire, one of these three executives dons a wig and Spandex and transforms into a head-banging rock star. Another grabs a microphone and hits Twin Cities stages as a stand-up comedian. The third guns a BMW and races around Brainerd International Raceway at 140 miles per hour.
Every day, you might bump into a handful of businesspeople whose after-hour activities may surprise you. In fact, you may be living such a double life yourself. In the pages that follow, you’ll meet 10 otherwise ordinary professionals with extraordinary private lives.
DAY JOB: Co-founder and CFO of Medical Solutions, Inc., a provider of new and reconditioned medical equipment.
DOUBLE LIFE: Plays guitar under the alias Davey Roxx for heavy metal band Hair Metal Mania.
When Dave Wirig, 44, and his lifelong friend, Dave Delgado, decided to start a business of their own in 1996, they had two criteria: it should have controllable outcomes and be in an industry that could withstand tough economic times. “Dave and I were trained in sales,” Wirig says. “We knew we would do well if the company was direct-sales oriented. We chose the medical field because it’s so interesting; there are always cutting-edge breakthroughs and new products coming out.”
The two Daves ended up founding Medical Solutions, Inc., a provider of new and reconditioned medical equipment. “One of our ideas had been a golf driving range,” Wirig says. “The problem with that was it’s very difficult to target the end user who’s going to come and hit balls at your driving range, whereas we know exactly where to go and who to call to find out if they need an EKG machine.”
Medical Solutions purchases new equipment directly from more than 50 manufacturers, but also buys used equipment from medical facilities throughout the country. The bulk of the company’s sales come from surgical tables, stress-testing systems, EKG machines and autoclaves, but they’re willing to buy whatever comes their way. “We may get a call to liquidate a metropolitan-area clinic,” Wirig says. “That equipment, which may be outdated for that particular owner, may be perfect for a rural clinic or hospital.”
Much has changed in the sixteen years since Wirig and Delgado opened up shop. Revenues have surpassed $2 million and, in 2007, the pair purchased a 12,000 sq. ft. commercial building in Maple Grove. One thing, however, hasn’t changed: the two of them are still the firm’s only employees, handling everything from sales to shipping. “We had some salespeople but they lacked incentive,” Wirig says. “We learned that bigger is not necessarily better.”
Medical Solutions is all that Wirig hoped it would be. Even so, he felt that something important in life was missing. “When we started the company, I put my guitar down,” he says. “I didn’t pick it up again for eight or nine years. One day, I finally sat down and listened to what my body and soul were telling me. I was missing playing the guitar and the way it helped me express my creative side. Once I started playing again and making music, it was so wonderful I didn’t want to stop.”
What Wirig also missed was the euphoria of performing for a live audience as he did in his college-age years. Feeling the itch to join a band, he turned to Craigslist and quickly connected with a group in need of a guitarist. For a couple of years, the band played soft rock and pop under the name Hard to Handle. Then, at Wirig’s urging, they morphed into an 80s rock tribute band called Hair Metal Mania with a setlist that includes greatest hits from Poison, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister and other rock legends.
Of course, the members had to look the part. Mix in a wig and Spandex, and balding, mild-mannered Dave Wirig was transformed into Davey Roxx, rock star. “When I put on that (more…)
I love this animated, seven-minute anti-bullying video by British Columbia poet and spoken-word artist Shane Koyczan. It’s an emotionally charged testament to the power of positive self-esteem and the indescribable beauty of every individual soul. The video relates Koyczan’s own experience of being bullied in school, and featuress the stories of two other victims: a girl with a birthmark on her face and a boy suffering from depression.
I was especially moved by the stunning poetry and visuals in this passage:
So we grew up believing that no one would ever fall in love with us, that we’d be lonely forever, that we’d never meet someone to make us feel like the sun was something they (more…)
Not long ago, I was reading a free weekly newspaper at Swami’s Cafe in Encinitas, California, when a photo jumped off the page and into my heart. The photo, which is at once both beautiful and heartbreaking, showed Michiko Lindsey cradling her cancer-stricken child, Kimiko. The accompanying story told of Kimiko’s battle with cancer and of Michiko’s battle to stay sane and strong in the midst of her fear and grief. Deeply touched by what I read, I contacted Michiko and asked her to tell me her story from the beginning. So here, in Michiko’s own words, interspersed with actual journal entries from her CaringBridge journal, is her love letter to her beloved daughter.
Michiko Lindsey and Kimiko Lindsey-Schroder
KIMIKO ANNA LINDSEY-SCHRODER: PROFILE IN COURAGE
I named my daughter Kimiko because in Japanese, “ki” means precious, “mi” means beautiful, and “ko” means child. She may be only one-quarter Japanese but she is a full-blooded precious, beautiful child. I’ve loved her ever since I first dreamed of her when I was fifteen years old, twenty-five years before she was born.
Kimi’s nurse practitioner had pronounced her perfectly healthy at her annual physical on July 29, 2010, a week after her fourth birthday. Six weeks later, on September 10, her daycare provider called me to say that Kimi was crying because her back hurt. I picked her up and took her to Urgent Care, where I was told that she probably had caught a flu bug. Since we were leaving for Japan later that month, I made an appointment with her pediatrician for September 17, just to make sure. On the 15th, I was thrilled when Kimi called from her dad’s to say that her back pain was gone. But later that day, after going to the movies with her Aunt Dee and Uncle Chris, her leg hurt so much that she couldn’t walk. When Chris called me, I said, “I’ll meet you at Urgent Care.”
Thank God that Chris had e-mailed me the night before. After doing some online research and talking to a doctor friend of his, he had recommended that I ask her pediatrician for a CBC (complete blood count) and MRI. He may have saved Kimi’s life because if (more…)
Heidi and Brad Stokes
Heidi and Brad Stokes are alive and well, and that in itself is a miracle given all they’ve been through. Heidi and Brad are friends of mine, and I interviewed Heidi about their epic journey from death’s door back to health and happiness. Here, in Heidi’s own words, interspersed with actual journal entries from their CaringBridge journal, is their incredible, inspiring story.
THE SAGA OF HEIDI AND BRAD STOKES
by Heidi Stokes
When I was seventeen, I was diagnosed with lupus and told I wouldn’t make it past twenty-one. At twenty-six, my husband, Brad, was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a fatal and untreatable liver disease. Doctors said there was no hope for either of us.
Brad and I are now fifty-two years old, with a son, Christian, who has an auto-immune disease of his own, type 1 diabetes. People often can’t get past the illnesses to see how rich and beautiful our lives are. Not long ago, when we were all very sick and lying around in our PJs, Brad mentioned how comforting and wonderful it was just to be home with each other. Our bodies are completely dysfunctional but our family isn’t.
The three of us have defied death more times than I care to remember, but we’re still here, loving life and each other. There’s just something about staring into the maw of death that makes you appreciate the miracle of life. And when it comes to our health, we don’t just believe in miracles, we depend on them.
Brad had his first liver transplant at thirty-five, soon after transplantation for his condition had become viable. At forty-three, his blood work told us that the PSC was reasserting itself; but it’s a slow-progressing disease and we didn’t panic. Four years later, he had surgery for kidney cancer, but it wasn’t virulent and didn’t require chemo. Still, it was a painful, difficult surgery. He lost a lot of weight and muscle tone, and never got any of it back because his weakened liver couldn’t process food well enough to nourish him.
Brad’s decline picked up speed over the next three years, most of which he has no memory of. He was perpetually fatigued, couldn’t keep any food down, and exhibited signs of dementia because of excess ammonia in his brain. Worst of all was the merciless nonstop itching over his entire body. Brad told me that his fantasy was to get run over by a street sweeper; he didn’t want to cure the disease, he just wanted to be scratched! So Christian and I went to the mall and got him a little Lego street sweeper, which he kept on the table by the side of his bed.
As the months flew by, Brad grew weaker, and Christian and I felt powerless to help. Mentally, emotionally, and physically, Brad was beyond the reach of comfort. His only hope was a second liver transplant, but he had deteriorated so much—he was six feet tall and 116 pounds—that I doubted he had the strength to withstand another surgery, much less a demanding and painful recovery process.
By August of 2009, Brad was barely alive. I sensed it was the beginning of the end when he started hemorrhaging in the middle of the night, throwing up blood. PSC can smolder for years, but when it hits a tipping point you can be in big trouble very quickly. I helped Brad into the car and headed for Abbott Northwestern Hospital in downtown Minneapolis. But Brad being Brad, he refused to throw up in the bucket I had brought for him. Instead, I kept on having to pull over on the side of the road. There’s a fine line between preserving your dignity and “Get your butt in the car, we’re going!”
The efforts to control Brad’s internal bleeding have so far been unsuccessful. He has been given numerous units of blood in order to raise his hemoglobin and to all around make him feel better. The doctors are prepping him for surgery to finally stop the bleeding. This procedure is quite risky, but the doctors are confident.
Heidi’s CaringBridge journal entry, 8/08/09
Surgery the next morning stopped the bleeding, but rerouting the blood away from Brad’s liver put his kidneys in duress, raised the ammonia levels in his blood, and caused him to spike a fever. All his doctors advised against transporting him to the Mayo Clinic ninety minutes away, but I (more…)
Laurie Baum
This comprehensive astrological forecast for 2013 was written by my good friend Laurie Baum, MSW, a psychological astrologer and psychotherapist in practice in Encinitas, California. As you can see from her article, Laurie integrates the wisdom of natural patterns in the heavens with spirituality and psychological insights.
Click here to read Laurie’s 2013 predictions for each individual zodiac sign.
Personally, I never had much of an appreciation for astrology and just didn’t care enough about the subject to investigate it further. Then two things happened.
First, I happened to read a chapter in a life-changing book that burned off the fog of ignorance and answered every question I had about astrology. It was written with clarity, precision, wit and wisdom, and I felt the subject come brilliantly alive for me as I read it. Click here to read that excerpt on astrology.
Second, I had an hour-long astrological reading with Laurie Baum. We discussed every area I could think of: health, relationships, finances, lessons in need of learning, major life changes to come. Not only did she nail everything—and I mean everything—about me, but she provided very helpful insights that will help me navigate the years ahead with more confidence and authority. It was uncanny: everything she told me aligned perfectly with what my intuition had long been telling me; but she also went far beyond that point and gave me much to think about. This reading with Laurie gave me a much deeper appreciation of the value of astrology and a more profound respect for its power. Thank you, Laurie!
NOTE: After this post appeared, Alan, a very spiritually minded friend of mine, e-mailed me: “Given your glowing recommendations I just sent Laurie an email requesting a reading.” Three days later, Alan sent me this note: “I had a wonderful astrology reading experience with Laurie. She was able to deliver insightful information in a comprehensive and compassionate manner. I found it timely and useful on many levels so I thank you for introducing me to her.”
You, too, can benefit from Laurie’s wisdom. She writes a free astrological newsletter about how planetary alignments affect our lives on earth. Click here to e-mail Laurie to subscribe at no cost, or visit Laurie’s website and click on “Free Email Newsletter.”
Laurie is a former newspaper and news magazine reporter who is profiled in the books Psychic New York and The 100 Top Psychics in America. She is the author of five books:
A to Z Acrophonology: Discover the Power of the Letters in Your Name
Everything You Need to Know About Your Astrology Sign
Astrological Secrets for the New Millennium
Laurie also offers counseling appointments by phone. She will answer your questions about major life decisions and talk with you about the reasons you have incarnated, the lessons you are here to learn, where you are on the wheel of karma, and the psychological developmental cycles you have been through and are going through. She will look at current influences on your health, finances, relationships, career, and any relocation plans that may be necessary. She also will look ahead with you at the next seven years of your life. A reading with Laurie can help you take the next step in your life. Sessions, which are available via landline phone or Skype (audio or video), are digitally recorded.
To make an appointment with Laurie, click here to e-mail Laurie or call her at (760) 753-7676. Click here to visit Laurie’s website for more information.
2013 ASTROLOGICAL FORECAST
by LAURIE BAUM
I considered waiting until after December 21, 2012 (Winter Solstice), to write the 2013 astrological forecast— to make sure time hadn’t “ended” as foretold by the Mayan calendar. But in the spirit of optimism, I would like to share my usual new year forecast with you prior to the potential “end of time,” given that astrological indicators point toward a new year of positive growth in consciousness and an end of time as we have known it only. The Mayans actually predicted that a wave of spiritual energy would enter the magnetic field of the Earth on December 21, 2012. This wave of higher consciousness will benefit those who are ready to receive, even though it potentially will be resisted by those who are not ready to receive.
SPIRITUAL ALIGNMENT—SUMMER 2013—GRAND TRINE IN WATER SIGNS OF CANCER, SCORPIO AND PISCES
Indeed, a spiritual awakening is strongly indicated by astrological alignments in 2013, including a mid-summer celestial line-up of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune in the flowing water signs of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Water signs revolve around feelings, which often serve as a bridge between our material aspirations and our spiritual yearnings—the sign of Cancer arouses spiritual feelings through home and family, Scorpio stirs spiritual connection through deep psychological exploration, and Pisces awakens our desire to transcend and be reunited with the Divine. Jupiter, which is oriented toward philosophy and spiritual teachings, brings us luck and expansion. Saturn, which is geared toward hard work, discipline, and the working out of karma, teaches important spiritual lessons. And Neptune mediates the energy of (more…)
In church today, the minister told of a motivational speaker who appeared to be the epitome of vibrant health. She told her audience that she hadn’t always been so fit. In fact, she had lost upwards of one hundred twenty-five pounds through diet and exercise. When a member of the audience asked her if she still had cravings for “bad” food, she acknowledged that she did. However, she resisted those cravings thanks to what she called the Fifteen Minute rule.
Whenever she wanted to eat something she knew she shouldn’t, she told herself she could (more…)
Laurie Baum
If you enjoy astrology, you will like this Autumn Equinox update written by my good friend Laurie Baum, MSW, a psychological astrologer and psychotherapist in practice in Encinitas, California.
Laurie writes a free astrological newsletter about how planetary alignments affect our lives on earth. Click here to e-mail Laurie to subscribe at no cost, or visit Laurie’s website and click on “Free Email Newsletter.”
Laurie is a former newspaper (more…)
Michelle Stimpson, a walking, talking ray of sunshine!
My new friend, Michelle Stimpson, is a writer, positive change expert and founder of LifeShine, which offers professional coaching for women. I’ve been reading and enjoying her many posts about how she and her husband, Bill, score front-row tickets to major rock concerts. Click here to contact Michelle about her coaching services.
WIth Michelle’s permission, I’m presenting her interview with Joseph Wooten, keyboardist and vocalist for the Steve Miller Band. Joseph wrote a song called I Matter that he hopes will inspire people to believe in their own worth and capabilities. You can listen to the song by clicking on the audio player below.
Many of Michelle’s posts are all about the beauty of synchronicity. So we appreciated the “coincidence” that she had interviewed Joseph for her blog, Following Your Joy, and I had interviewed his brother, Victor Wooten, bassist extraordinaire, for my book, Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything. Thank you, Victor and Joseph, for your passion and your generous spirits!
I am pleased to present Michelle’s post:
JOSEPH WOOTEN: KEYBOARDIST AND VOCALIST SPREADING JOY
So I got a guy who knows a guy. A friend of mine said, “You’ve got to meet Joseph Wooten. He brings me so much joy!” He went on to say that “Joseph breaks the mold, and he’s living proof that our nation is on its course to righteousness and equality.”
Naturally, I couldn’t wait to meet Joseph!
Joseph Wooten
He’s keyboardist and vocalist for the Steve Miller Band and one of the Wooten Brothers from Nashville. He calls himself ‘Hands of Soul,’ and he’s got his own amazing music to boot. When we did meet, Joseph and I really connected on his song called “I Matter.” It’s a song connecting people and addressing the deep need that we each, in our own right, matter.
Throughout my years of coaching, one of many consistent threads I see in my work with clients is (more…)
Lori Anne Yang
I love the analogy my friend, Lori Anne Yang, expresses so beautifully in this brief post from her blog, Mammaste. it is a good visual and visceral reminder to make the most of every moment you have been blessed with.
SKIMMING AND SKIPPING ACORSS THE SURFACE OF OUR DAYS
Many mornings it feels like I put on my water skis, pick up the tow rope behind the speed boat that is my mind, the motor revs and (more…)
Jacques Lusseyran
I was deeply affected by And There Was Light, the astonishing autobiography of Jacques Lusseyran, who, though blinded at age eight, was a leader of the French Resistance in World War II.
A turning point in Lusseyran’s life was his miraculous return from the dead in Buchenwald, a notorious German concentration camp. It was his sickness that rescued him and bestowed the grace of continuous joy. His experience is so profound that it is difficult to fully appreciate the transformation he underwent—from fear and certain death to the very embodiment of happiness and hope.
Here is an excerpt from And There Was Light:
Towards the end of the month all of a sudden it became too much for me and I grew sick, very sick. I think it was pleurisy. They said several doctors, prisoners like me and friends of mine, came to listen to my chest. It seems they gave me up. What else could they do? There was no medicine at all at Buchenwald, not even aspirin.
Very soon dysentery was added to pleurisy, then an infection in both ears which made me completely deaf for two weeks, then erysipelas, turning my face into a swollen pulp, with complications which threatened to bring on blood poisoning. More than fifty fellow prisoners told me all this later. I don’t remember any of it myself. I had taken advantage of the first days of sickness to leave Buchenwald.
Two young boys I was very fond of, a Frenchman with one leg, and a Russian with one arm, told me that one morning in April they carried me to the hospital on a stretcher. The hospital was not a place where they took care of people, but simply a place to lay them down until they died or got (more…)
In church this last Sunday, the minister told two stories about a senior monk he knew who modeled a wonderful approach to engaging with angry people.
When the minister was a young monk himself, he was doing yard work at the ashram under the watchful eye of the senior monk when a truck driver pulled up. The driver was extremely upset and spewing foul language because he had been driving around the winding roads in the area for an hour trying to find the ashram. The senior monk sympathized with the truck driver and said, “l can see why you’re so upset. You must be worried about staying on schedule. Here, let (more…)
In church this last Sunday, the minister used a colorful analogy. He noted that you wouldn’t dream of riding a roller-coaster without the safety bar in place. Then, no matter how high or how fast you travel, you will be secure and you won’t fall out.
He then explained that that safety bar is (more…)
This story by John Cassidy of Centereach, New York, is a perfect example of an unexplainable glitch suddenly making sense. I’ve experienced a number of similar technical mishaps that made no sense whatsoever . . . until suddenly they did. My experiences may not have been life and death, but the reasons were just as stark and obvious. This story appeared in the July 2012 issue of Guideposts.
A DRIVE-THROUGH MIRACLE
A seemingly uncooperative bank machine turns out to be an angelic ATM
The bank I frequent has a drive-through ATM, which is convenient because it saves me from having to get out and wait in a long teller line inside.
For years, I’ve followed the same routine: I pull up to the machine, make my deposits or withdrawals, then drive over and park in a spot about 50 feet away, underneath a big old stately shade tree, while I tuck my money in my wallet and put away my receipts. Quick and easy.
One windy summer morning I had a lot of errands to run and was low on cash. So I drove over to my bank, waited patiently behind another car, then pulled up to the ATM. I put the car in park and slipped my card into the slot as usual. But the machine immediately spat it back out. “Cannot (more…)
Vernon Pick (photo courtesy of Pick’s nephew, Jim Hanson of Maple Plain, Minnesota)
The more I read of this brief biography of Vernon Pick, the more and more awestruck I became. How could one man know so much and do so much? I guess some people are just born to wield power over the material world. I am not one of them. The day I build my own dam and power plant is the day I fly to Saturn on a gasoline-powered broomstick.
Pick truly is the definition of the rugged American hero. Although his story reads like science fiction to me, I am grateful that people like him exist. Stories like his inspire me to do the best I can and be the best I can.
The following story was written by Bill Morgan of the St. Cloud Times in my home state of Minnesota.
VERNON PICK: A LIFE WELL LIVED
by Bill Morgan
People knew Vernon J. Pick was in town when they saw his red Ford pickup, long hair, battered hat and torn leather jacket.
In 1942, Pick, a self-educated electrical engineer, bought a 25-acre plot three miles west of Royalton in Morrison County’s Two Rivers Township. A four-story flourmill, built in 1875, and three-frame buildings stood beside the picturesque stream that still flows through the site today.
Pick, who dreamed someday of finding a place to erect a hydro-electrical plant, spent the next decade building a dam and a concrete structure to accommodate a power plant. Pick also used the old (more…)
