Truth Be Told, part 3

As I mentioned in part 1, I fell in love with local nonprofit Truth Be Told when I attended a graduation of incarcerated women telling their stories in the Lockhart prison. In part 2, I wrote about how I volunteered and served on the board of directors for a couple of years and helped the organization gain stability and traction as a nonprofit.

Now I am listing several upcoming opportunities that Truth Be Told is offering--ways to witness the work, ask questions and learn more, and offer your support.

1. If you are interested in attending a graduation at the Lockhart prison, there are 4 openings left as of right now for the graduation on Friday, September 25. These 4 spots will go quickly. (I'll be there!) TDCJ limits attendance to 20 people. This is for graduates of Truth Be Told's entry-level classes.

If you are interested in attending, please email shannon_holtzendorf@yahoo.com or call 670-5354 ASAP!

If September 25 won't work, another graduation is scheduled for Friday, November 20. There are only 4 opportunities to attend a graduation per year. (Also, just letting you know, TDCJ requires your DL# and SS#. I haven't heard of any problems with sharing this data with TBT and TDCJ--it should be safe.)

2. An informational meeting, Behind and Beyond Bars, is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30. This is from 6-7 pm. You can meet founders, teachers, key players, including a graduate, and ask questions. I will post location info when I get it. Anyone can attend; RSVPs appreciated--email office@truth-be-told.org or call Shannon at 670-5354.

If you plan to go to the graduation or the fundraiser, attending this is recommended, because you may not have a chance at the more structured events to get to know the people involved and ask questions.

3. Truth Be Told's annual fundraiser luncheon, Light of a New Day, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, 12-1, at the Region XII Education Service Center, 5701 Springdale Road. This is definitely an RSVP event; if you are interested, please RSVP to me, and you can join me at my table!

This is a free luncheon. You will be asked to consider making a contribution, but it is not required and there's no minimum or maximum gift--Truth Be Told's job is to inspire you to want to give! You'll hear from the founders, graduates, board members, be entertained and moved, meet new people, watch a video from a graduation, and you WILL be inspired!

I'd love to see you there! You may bring friends and family, anyone you think would be interested--and we do need a head count, so RSVP for them too please.


I consider this one of the most worthwhile groups to which I am connected. It's local and therefore personal. TBT has a great and positive impact on the lives of incarcerated women behind and beyond bars, and that ripples out into the community and into the future, literally making the world a better place. I'd be honored to have you join me with you support in any way you are able.

Website: http://www.truth-be-told.org/

Truth Be Told, part 2

The ceremony made a deep impression because it seemed to me that what they were doing was REAL work, meaningful work, work that really mattered, that made a difference in the lives of the incarcerated women with whom they worked, giving them an opportunity and the social and emotional support to examine and change the direction of their lives. And THAT would then ripple out to their families, their communities, and the world.

Changing the world, one small group of incarcerated women at a time.

This was my understanding after I attended a graduation in the Lockhart prison of women who had completed Truth Be Told's beginning classes. It moved me so much, I was on fire to become part of Truth Be Told.

Continuing from part 1 of this post (on FB, go to my wall and view earlier notes to find it--I sent it Aug. 20).

I could relate to the imprisoned women. Who among us has not wondered how we got into some less-than-lovely circumstance? Who has not encountered a prison of their own making, even if it didn't have bars? Who has not yearned for the support and courage and guidance to really change their lives for the better? Who has not made mistakes?

So I volunteered. Since I worked days and the prison classes were on workdays, I found another way to participate. I was a liaison between Story Circle Network (women's writing circles) and the Truth Be Told students who wished to submit their stories to Story Circle Network's publications.

And while doing this, I noticed that organizationally, Truth Be Told was having growing pains. Started by three women who volunteered in the prison, the demand for their classes was surging. The warden had asked them to start another program for inmates who were nearing release, called Short-Timing. Many people who had attended a graduation or otherwise learned about their work wanted to help, and this up took a lot of their time.

Truth Be Told had gotten 501(3)c nonprofit status around the time I got connected, but it was mostly a piece of paper and a promise. Organizationally it was shaky. There was a board of directors, but no clear shared vision, just a consensus that it was a good thing.

I wanted to be on the board to help guide Truth Be Told to stability and success. And I was, for 2 years. It was demanding of me, and it's very satisfying in hindsight to look back at what I/we accomplished.

It was not a smooth road at all. Right after I came onto the board, one founder resigned. A wealthy donor had paid for six people to get expensive training in nonprofit fundraising, and all but one of those people left before we even had our first annual fundraiser! The turnover of board members was a churn. For a while, I was one of only three. Bobby, Keith, and me.

And I tell you, I am an unlikely member of anyone's board of directors. True, I do have a responsible job with the Legislative Budget Board, but when I retire in three years, I fully intend to become a free spirit--I'll be wearing yoga clothes every day, teaching yoga. I'll get some more tattoos, and I may even try dreadlocks with my long gray hair. And yet there I was, a board member with men in suits!

My vision was that Truth Be Told SHOULD be a nonprofit instead of a mission under the wing of a church. As a mission, the work would be labeled religious, whereas I saw it as more spiritual. Nonprofit status had more potential for expansion, and so I pushed for that.

My mission was to help Truth Be Told become a stable nonprofit. I saw what needed to happen: regular communication to supporters, a way to raise funds to support the work, and a clear vision.

I used the skills I had to develop and edit a quarterly newsletter, with columns by the founders, stories from the women, information about upcoming events, a wish list, and so on. This was a labor of love. If you can do something that's public on a regular basis over time, you create stability. The perception of stability is reassuring to prospective donors and volunteers. And Truth Be Told is now celebrating 5 years as a nonprofit, so I/we succeeded in that.

The other thing I did was develop a database of donors, supporters, and volunteers for Truth Be Told. I literally typed contact information from multiple Excel files into the database, so that we could do mass mailings and emailings, track donations, send out year-end IRS letters, and so on.

It was a lot of work, and I did it because it needed to be done. TBT couldn't afford to wait for the right person to come along and do these things, and so I became "the right person". And I eventually even had a volunteer to help with database entry work. Thanks, Judy Edwards!

After two years, I realized that my work as a board member was complete. We had had a successful fundraiser that allowed Truth Be Told to hire a much-needed part-time administrator (although truth be told, there is always a need for more financial support--the work demands more time than the admin gets paid for, and a paid volunteer coordinator would be awesome).

The database was and is continuing to grow, indicating new supporters are learning about it and wanting to help.

The founders and board had attended strategic planning meetings that resulted in clear directions for Truth Be Told to grow: to provide more support for the women after release and to be able to expand the programs and train others to take them into other prisons.

New board members came on board--young, energetic--and I was exhausted and needed to pull my resources back in and take care of myself, so I resigned.

Next: Truth Be Told part 3 (look for it tomorrow)!

Truth Be Told, part 1

Have you ever been part of something that made a difference in the lives of many? I have, and here's my story.

In 2002, my then-new friend Suzanne Armistead, whom I met through InterPlay, was talking about her volunteer work with women at the state prison in Lockhart. It sounded interesting, and when she invited me to come to the prison and witness a graduation ceremony, I signed up and went.

What I saw was probably one of the most heart-opening events I've ever had the grace to witness. Woman after woman, dressed in drab prison garb, came up and told her story to those of us who came to witness, about how she came to be in prison. Each one was so vulnerable, so authentic, and so brave, publicly coming to terms with their pasts to total strangers, pasts that were often full of a lack of resources, lack of good judgment, lack of support, lack of love. So much lack.

And yet, here they were, now part of a program that teaches public speaking, respectful listening, writing, movement, and creative skills to incarcerated women, a support that continues after their release from prison and back into society.

And the way they told their stories was as if they were not victims or perpetrators, but vulnerable AND strong! Strong, capable women who owned themselves and who were telling their pasts and claiming their own futures right in front of our eyes.

I don't believe there was a dry eye among the witnesses. The energy filling the prison gym was totally amazing and unexpected. We witnessed the human soul laid bare, struggling with pain and shame and suffering, and yet also present was hope for the future, amazing talent, beautiful smiles, shy giggles, rockin' hair styles, motivation, determination, and a very warm welcome for us visitors in one of the most sterile, unfriendly environments you can imagine.

remembering dreams

When you dream, your eyes move rapidly. REM sleep is when dreams occur.

When you wake up and know you've dreamed but don't have memories of the content, here's what to do to remember:

INTEND to remember as much as you can.

MOVE YOUR EYES in all directions, as if you are searching for the dream memories and imagining where they could be. Up, down, left, right, center, diagonally, in random order. And move them fairly quickly, like 2 moves per second.

You are almost guaranteed to hit on something from the dream. It may be an image, a sound, words, a feeling, a movement. Keep doing it for a minute or two.

My hunch is that if you can gather enough fragments of the dream, the whole dream may suddenly bloom in your conscious mind!

If you experiment with this, please let me know your results.

waking up

I've been waking up in the mornings lately feeling really good. Not immediately jumping into monkey mind but lying in bed for a bit, savoring the experience of feeling good.

Not only does my body not hurt or feel stiff or tight anywhere most mornings, but I feel good emotionally as well. I feel well. I am a well being.

Come out from the shadow of your family tree!

Come out from the shadow of your family tree!

This Family Constellation Workshop cuts to the heart of generational issues,
shifting inner images from what is to what’s possible, transforming obstacles
into more health and well-being. Based on the work of Bert Hellinger, this workshop
offers a rare opportunity to uncover hidden patterns, healing past, present, and future generations.

Led by Judy Smith, who facilitates workshops and training in S. Africa and the U.S.
http://www.emotionalgenetics.com/index.html

Sat., July 18, 10-5 pm
Sun., July 19, 10-4 pm
NiaSpace
3212 S. Congress
Austin, TX

Cost: $325
$100 deposit
(or pay in full July 18)

Mail deposit to:
Mary Ann Reynolds
905 E. 2nd St.
Austin, TX 78702
512-507-4184
mareynolds@grandecom.net

CEUs available for MSWs, LPCs, and MFCs

Suggested preparation: Research your family going back three generations,
noting significant and traumatic events. Also you may read Berthold Ulsamer's
Healing Power of the Past, available on Amazon.com.

Questions? Call Judy at (903) 534-6263 or email her at info@emotionalgenetics.com.

repost of funny movies, people, and comedy sketches

I'm reposting this because it's summer and because I like to laugh. Also adding Hangover to the movie list--Lela says it's the funniest movie ever!

To avoid having to reinvent the wheel every time someone asks about funny movies, I'm putting this list on my blog. It has my own favorites and favorites from Lela, John, Pauline, Keith, Keith's friend Tony, Alec, Spike, Elizabeth, Nicky, Kathleen, Clarita, and Zoe, so it covers a variety of tastes as to just what is funny.

I'll update it as I hear from more people and if my memory about a funny film that I've forgotten gets jogged. And okay, okay, I know a few of these are TV shows, but you can rent them at the video store or online same as movies.

Here are 98 funny films and 26 funny people that will hopefully make you laugh, or at least cheer you up:

The 40-Year-Old Virgin - Tony
48 Hours - John
A Fish Called Wanda - Mary
All of Me - Pauline
Always - John
And Now for Something Completely Different - Alec
Annie Hall - Mary
As You Like It - Pauline
Back to the Future 1 - John
Being There - Mary, Pauline
Best of Saturday Night Live - John
Beverly Hills Cop - John
The Big Lebowski - Mary
Blazing Saddles - Mary, John, Kathleen
The Blues Brothers - John
Brain Donors - Alec
Bruce Almighty - Alec
Bugs Bunny classics, especially What's Opera, Doc? - Mary
Caddyshack - John
City Lights - John
Chris Rock: Bigger and Blacker - Zoe
The Dish (Australian) - Tony
Down and Out in Beverly Hills - Pauline
Dr. Strangelove - Mary
Duck Soup - Mary
Ed Wood - Mary
Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill - Mary
Fargo - Mary
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - John
The Fifth Element - John
Forget Paris - John
Galaxy Quest - John
Ghostbusters - John
The Gods Must Be Crazy - Kathleen
Gold Rush - John
The Goodbye Girl - John
The Great Race (old one, not the remake) - John
Groundhog Day - John, Mary, Tony
Hangover - Lela
Happy Feet - Pauline
Honey I Shrunk the Kids - Pauline
Idiocracy - Mary
The Incredible Shrinking Woman - Pauline
It Happened One Night - Mary
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (old one, not the remake) - John
The Jerk - Pauline
LA Story - John
Lethal Weapon II - John
Liar, Liar - Alec, Pauline
Life of Brian - John, Alec
The Little Children - Nicky
Little Miss Sunshine - Mary, Tony
The Little Rascals/Our Gang - John
Love & Death - John
M.A.S.H. - Mary
MASH (old TV show) - John
The Mask - Pauline
Modern Times - John
Moonlighting (old TV show) - John
The Monster (Italian) - Clarita [stars Roberto Benigni, need I say more?]
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - John, Alec, Spike
Monty Python's Flying Circus (old tv show) - John
Moonstruck - Mary, Clarita
Napoleon Dynamite - Spike
Nurse Betty - Nicky
O Brother Where Art Thou? - Mary
Office Space - Mary
Old screwball comedies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screwball_comedy - John [It Happened One Night being the best]
Parenthood - John
Patch Adams - Alec
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure - John
Pee-Wee's Playhouse - John
The Pink Panther - Kathleen
Play It Again, Sam - John
The Princess Bride - Mary, Pauline
The Producers - Mary
Purple Rose of Cairo - John
Raising Arizona - Mary
Road Runner cartoons (pre-60s) - John
Roxanne - John
Saving Grace - Pauline
Shrek 1 - Mary, John, Pauline
Shrek 2 - Pauline
Singin' in the Rain - John
Sister Act - Mary
Sleeper - Mary
Some Like It Hot - Mary
South Park - Mary
Stalag 17 - John
The Sting - John
Stripes - John
The Tall Guy - Spike
There's Something About Mary - Mary, Tony
The Thin Man films - Mary
Tom & Jerry cartoons (pre-60s) - John
Tommy Boy - Tony
Trading Places - John, Pauline
True Lies - Pauline
Tootsie - Mary
Wedding Crashers - Clarita
What About Bob - Elizabeth
What Women Want - Mary, Pauline
What's Up Doc - John
When Harry Met Sally - Mary
Young Frankenstein - Mary
Zoolander - Spike

People who are funny:
Woody Allen - John
Lucille Ball - Pauline
Lewis Black - John
Victor Borge - Alec
Mel Brooks - Mary
Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig - Mary
Jim Carrey - Mary, Pauline
Charlie Chaplin - John
Ellen DeGeneres - John
Jackie Chan - Mary
Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean - Mary
Whoopi Goldberg - Mary
Cary Grant - Mary
Goldie Hawn - Pauline
Danny Kaye - Pauline
Larry the Cable Guy - John
Harold Lloyd - John
Steve Martin - Mary, Keith, John
The Marx Brothers - Mary
Larry Miller - John
Ninja Turtles - Pauline
Paula Poundstone - John
Chris Rock - Zoe
Jerry Seinfeld - John
Peter Sellers - Mary
Gene Wilder - Pauline
Robin Williams in concert - Alec

And last but certainly not least, I'm adding a link to the 50 greatest comedy sketches. Click the title of this post to view. Many of them have video clips. Thanks, John!

aahhh, juneteenth

i'm home today because it is an unusual state holiday, juneteeth, the anniversary of the slaves in texas finding out---THREE YEARS LATER---about lincoln's emancipation proclamation.

the 81st legislative session is over, ended june 1, and life is returning to normal, whatever that is. a special session is on the horizon so they can finish unfinished business, but right now i do not care one whig.

i am sooo grateful for this day off.

this past session, my third at the legislative budget board, was a hard one for people at my agency, and maybe people at other agencies, but especially at my agency, because two of my fellow employees DIED during the session.

in the 20-something years of institutional memory of my longer-tenured colleagues, this is the first time an active employee has died. and not just one active employee, but two.

was it a coincidence that these deaths came during the session? that is unanswerable unless you can read god's mind. but session are stressful, and that could have contributed...

one colleague died in april. he had a seizure and was in the hospital where a week later, on Easter Sunday, he had a fatal stroke. the medical professionals discovered after the fact that he had had a brain tumor.

i didn't know him well at all--we bumped into each other in the kitchen occasionally. i was told that in the period before the seizure, he complained about being tired. but who wasn't making that same complaint?

a month later, another colleague didn't come into work one day. no one answered when they called. a couple of people went to her home. they called the police, who entered and found her in bed, dead. she had had a heart attack in her sleep.

what was particularly hard about this death was that this woman was still working at 68, putting in time to be eligible for a retirement pension, saving her pennies for retirement, and SHE DIDN'T EVEN GET TO ENJOY IT.

after my boss told me of her death, my second thought was "Way to go!" dying in yoru sleep is nice. and...you don't have to keep working under stressful conditions. reminds me of the humorous coffee mug with the statement, "I'm not calling in sick, I'm calling in dead".

don't get me wrong, there are perks, the main one being that i work in a pretty good office with a lot of really cool people, and we do get comp time for all that overtime we put in during sessions, so you get extra time off. if i use all my comp time and accrued vacation time this year, it adds up to about 7 paid weeks off from work. not bad.

the worst thing about the job is being at the mercy of the legislature's schedule, which is to meet from january through may in odd-numbered years and then do little in the interim. maybe have a special session or two, campaign for re-election, etc. that doesn't really affect me.

who came up with this crazy idea of meeting for 5 months every other year? my hunch is that way back when texas was first a state, the "founding fathers" decided that because it's such a big state, and there were no planes, trains, or automobiles, it would be efficient to condense legislation time so legislators could go back to their communities and farm, practice law, or do whatever else they did to make a living. (they still only get paid about $7 grand a year--yes, you do have to be rich to run the state government.)

so the schedule has been like that since 1845. and now we DO have planes, trains, and automobiles...

i ask you: people, does this make any sense? not to me it doesn't. count in deaths, stress, broken marriages, neglect of children, illness, exhaustion, nervous breakdowns, overtime and comp time, utilities from working late nights, etc., and it just doesn't seem very humane to me.

how do you change this? well. i asked. (you knew i would do that, right?)

this is what i learned. there would have to be a referendum, and the voters in texas would have to approve a change in the schedule. and that has been tried before, and the voters voted it down.

people, i'm asking you, if this ever comes up for a vote again, vote FOR change, not against it. i beg of you.

rivers

The session ended June 1, and I took a 4-day weekend this past weekend. Visited a friend in San Antonio for a couple of days, checking out the new extension of the Riverwalk (go check it out--not as crowded as downtown), the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the Texas Folklife Festival.

Then we went out to the countryside to connect with green vistas and clear waters and clean air. First stop, Guadalupe State Park in Boerne. My first time there. The river is low and slow, but wonderful for lazy floating.

I spent a long time in my float watching the ripples of light bouncing off the water onto the underside of a large driftwood branch arching out of the river. It was so alive! I felt the presence of spirit very strongly.

Realization: Dead things are really not dead, they are alive because they still exist.

We traveled on to our cabin near Vanderpool, which was comfortable and came with a hammock and a skinny hungry mama cat and three kittens. We drove into Leakey for cat food and saw the most gorgeous sunset on the way back, with large wide rays (God's fingers) against the sharp edge of the hills.

I don't know for sure, but it seems like the biggest hills in the Hill Country might be right out there in Real County. So many "Steep Grade Sharp Curve signs, it reminded us of the road to Hana on Maui. Breathtaking views, too.

We drove a scenic route from Leakey to Camp Wood, followed the Nueces north and the Frio south. Not much water access but spectacular views--and most unexpectedly, we saw a pasture full of kangaroos! They were curious but didn't come too close. Even saw a large "baby" in its mother's pouch!

We also saw buffalo and several types of exotic herd animals.

Then on to Garner State Park and the Frio. South of the dam, it's deep. I got a good snorkel/swim in, really working my arms and shoulders and feeling it, AND not being sore afterwards (must be the yoga).

Lovely brilliant green cypress trees and buff limestone rocks at both rivers.

The trip was fun, refreshing, inspiring, and a great way to spend the time. I'm already thinking, "How can I do more river swimming and floating this summer, and avoid the noisy drunken crowds?"

poem: Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman (excerpt)

Love the earth and sun and the animals,
despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
stand up for the stupid and crazy,
devote your income and labor to others,
hate tyrants, argue not concerning God,
have patience and indulgence toward the people,
take off your hat to nothing known or unknown,
or to any man or number of men,
go freely with powerful uneducated persons,
and with the young, and with the mothers or families,
re-examine all you have been told in school or church or in any book,
and dismiss whatever insults your own soul;
and your very flesh shall be a great poem....


~ Walt Whitman ~

(from the Preface to Leaves of Grass, 1855 edition)