Midnight Ocean Aura

Today I spent a good part of the day skimming over all of my past blog posts. Three and a half year’s worth. About 180 blogs. Almost sounds like I am thinking about how best to organize my material to make it into a book.

I am feeling renewed energy after my caregiver’s retreat. It wasn’t just about being outdoors. It was about the people. And their encouraging words. People that are close to me tell me that I should write this book. It’s kind of like when I tell Travis how strong he is and he says, “You’re my mom, you’re supposed to say that”. My friends and family are supposed to say, “This will make a great book”.

One of my new friends from the retreat just published a book. We talked a bit about my dream of publishing a book and I described the types of things I wrote about in my blog. She thought I had an interesting story to tell and that I definitely had enough material to move forward with the book publishing process. Having a fellow writer say that made me feel better about the idea.

While skimming over my blogs I was taking notes. Not just for a possible book outline. Travis has an intake appointment coming up with a new psychiatrist. I decided it would be a good idea to highlight his life, in a nutshell, for her. An hour intake appointment is not going to be enough time to get her up to speed.

Especially with him there.

It is his appointment. I want him to be able to tell her whatever he thinks he should. It will be the best way for her to truly see “him”.

If she can read a bit about him before the appointment it will help her to gain some perspective. My plan is to drop off a typed copy of my notes along with his 33-page genetic report about pharmaceuticals tomorrow.

So today my blog will be short and sweet. I wanted to give kudos to Travis’s therapist. He has been working with Travis weekly for about six months now. He has gone above and beyond to make Travis’s therapy sessions as comfortable as he can. I feel that is a big part of the reason that Travis continues to attend without complaint every week.

Travis feels like a caged animal in the therapist’s office. They did have a session or two outside but got in the habit of having Travis’s sessions in his car because of the colder weather. Yes, it is a smaller space than the office! But it is Travis’s space. A space where he is comfortable

Let me just say that there is likely to be a layer of fast-food trash on the floor. And some stickiness throughout. It is a space where Travis can vape. Not every therapist would be open to all of this.

How do I know this is happening? Because now and again Travis will FaceTime me from his therapy for input about a situation. Last week he FaceTimed because he was excited to show me a poem that he had been working on during therapy. His therapist scribed it, and then typed and printed it. They even found and added a picture to the print.

Travis held it to the screen for me to read. He held it so close that I could only see a few words in the middle. Then he held it so far away I couldn’t see any of the words. Travis’s therapist said, “Let me read it to her”. Here is Travis’s poem. I was amazed at how beautifully it was written. I hope you are too!

Midnight Ocean Aura

Walk along the beaches rocky shore. Find a place to sit that overlooks the ocean floor. Near the sea, over the edge to be, a great place to see, meditate to be, one with the galaxy. Look up at the night sky and hear calm waves of the ocean at night. Everything sounds peaceful on this night. Now aren't you at peace within?

By: Travis Kastle

Poetry is defined as words with a soul; a clear expression of mixed emotions; an offering of hope; beauty on paper.

I think he nailed it.

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” - William Wadsworth

“Maybe that is my superpower - I can inhale pain and breathe out poetry.” - John Mark Green

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” - Robert Frost