Gaia: GLBTQ Healing and Transformation

Fans of Eckhart Tolle's "A NEW EARTH" ~ rare workshop in SF

http://lavendergoddess.gaia.com — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:11:04 GMT

Are you ready to move beyond the words and start experiencing the shift into conscious awareness?

This 12 week workshop is designed to do just that and is principled on the writings of Eckhart Tolle and Leeza Edwards.

We cover the entire book “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle and live out the principles of this teaching.

In this small group dynamic of 12, we’ll grow in compassion & Love as we hold space for each other on this new journey. Engaging in meditation, ritual, art expression and so on we truly get into the depths of our being and have a safe space in which to enliven the spirit!

It’s here that we get into the work of questioning the old conditioned thoughts that have dominated our life experience and with that we fundamentally shift away from the egoic mind.

What do we gain from this shift?

We gain spacious peace and equanimity that only a balanced mind can bring about!

It’s here that we learn to Love ourselves and in doing so we let go of expectations, let go of past & future and grow in spirit.

It’s here that we learn a new language and allow for the new language to inform our new world view.

It’s here that we embrace the stillness, the formless, the connection to ALL things. Where we break free of the pain-body and discover inner space on our way to creating a new Heaven and a new Earth.

It’s here that we learn...

the art of allowing

the art of letting go

the art of transformation!

We have workshops for women only and another for everyone!

All are located in beautiful San Francisco, California. Other locations maybe added as the demand dictates.

You can get started away by registering for the next workshop!

To register:

email Lavendergoddess@mac.com w/ subject “Workshop Registration” and indicate which workshop (women only or open enrollment) to attend.

Also now adding a transgender and allies only workshop!

Pay conveniently via PayPal at lavenderguidance.com with your credit card. To pay by cash, check or money order contact Leeza Edwards for payment arrangements.

To receive the “Early Registration” rate, payment in full is required at least 30 days in advance of the scheduled workshop.

Minimum deposit of 50% is required to register.

Need to make payments in installments? Contact Leeza for details.

For those who require financial aid to attend, please contact Leeza. She will Lovingly work with you so you can attend this most transformative event.

Trans-spiritual Gathering 1st Monday every month

http://lavendergoddess.gaia.com — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:03:33 GMT

An invitation is open to you all for attending this beautiful gathering every month!

Each time we meet we share our lives, meditate and listen in on a short lecture by myself.

Topics like...

~ quantum physics

~ ALL spiritual traditions

~ neuroplasticity, neuroanatomy, how the mind works

~ letting go

~ free will

~ Love, fear

~ egoic mind, limited thoughts

They are quite endless!

From time to time we have guest speakers, read from books that move us.

This is a transgender and allies community. We have many that are opening their hearts to the community and thus the community grows!

This is NOT a support group, this is a space for moving beyond that of self-limitation, shame, blame, doubt and the like.

Want to be a part of something wonderful and bigger than self?

Stop by the LGBT Center in San Francisco, visit their site sfcenter.orgor transgoddess.org for all the details!

Cost is $5 (at time of gathering)

email Lavendergoddess@mac.com for more info or clarifications!

Spread the Love, spread the word!

namaste,

Leeza

wrong fag to f#@# with... video

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 05:28:34 GMT

here is a video that i found on youtube that others may find thought provoking to watch and comment on... a sort of backlash from a few years ago to the eminem anti gay thing. a more vocal, angry approach to victimization outside the community in a comedic and creative way rather than through actual violence, but does it promote violence and retaliation? are such things the way to go? does fear of us create respect or further hatred? both at times perhaps?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3j8m8IyQ-s

embracing our purple...

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:58:57 GMT

at a gay retreat i was at last weekend, there was a guy who talked about how he was told in interior design class not to use so much purple or people might think he was 'you know, that way'. we giggled, and then he said, 'while it sounds funny. what is sad is that i listened. i stopped using purple in my design and i stopped wearing it.' he cried and we cried along with him. he had brought a large purple candle, ironically the only purple candle he could find, to place on our altar for the retreat as a symbol of him embracing his purple once again.

the facilitator commented on how that is the theme that seems to come up over and over in gay healing circles is the denial of our color. the shaming of our joyful expression and vibrancy. gay people themselves berate the flamers at times and/or are disturbed by them. is this in fact our nature at our core? how many of us had to learn different acts or ways of controlling our expressions to have them be less wild? less disturbing to others? how much as individuals and collectively do we rain ourselves in? what is the cost to ourselves and our communities for such things?

following is a link for a soccer ref who seems to have all his color in tact. consider that as you watch. notice if you yourself may cringe at his expression. why do so many cringe at such bold expressions or such boldly 'gay' expressions?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OyXxq353QA4

gay men's gathering - september 21-23rd in PA

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:56:18 GMT

link for more information

youtube video of the property for those interested is here

gay folk music?

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:52:58 GMT

folk music is the music of storytellers or at least a common music of the storytellers. known for examining social issues and political issues.

i looked recently for gay folk singers on google and only came up with lesbian singers. a couple links seemed to lead nowhere truly.

antony and the johnsons - were one possible link. not bad music, but not the sound i was looking for and didn't speak to me like it does to others.

rupert wainright is someone who speaks to many, but i don't find the depth of soul to his music that i like. much of his music is more detached.

david massengill as far as i know is a heterosexual singer, but has a few songs relevant to gay people. he has a nice southern accent and sings in a folk style, but that is fairly accessible i think.

one is: 'what is wrong with the man upstairs?' and references a man whose boyfriend died and his mourning process. he also has two songs where he sings from a woman to a man. i forget the titles, but will post them if i discover them and remember for those interested. also has a song where he sings from one tree to another. a song about faeries.

the following i wrote about david's music on my blog, for those who are interested in further info about him...

I discovered the folk singer David Massengill last year and have got every album of his, which is saying a lot since i don't care to have much music these days. his music sings to the heart and also to the mind.

some of his songs are more sweet. others more provokative. a few examples…

my name joe - explores illegal immigrants working in the workplace

number one in america - explores racism through the years

my home must be a special place - wonderfully soft, sweet, speaks to the yearnings of the soul

jesus the fugitive prince - a song about a guy in an insane asylum who thinks he is jesus

sightseer - about a tourist obsessed with seeing famous landmarks

the return - about noah building a rocket ship instead of an ark to leave earth as it is destroyed

plenty of other songs. i enjoy almost every song on all 5 of his albums. of course music is subjective, but this music for me is definitely 'home' for my soul which i tend to not find easily. krishna das would be the only other singer who immediately comes to mind whose cd collection i would enjoy having all of.

to hear a few samples of his songs click on the links below.

My Home Must Be A Special Place

My Name Joe

Rider on an Orphan Train

Re: what is a healthy view on sex and sexuality in our community?

http://omni-flux.gaia.com — Tue, 29 May 2007 03:56:23 GMT

I think we have a fundamental difference in how we interpret relevant factors of this discussion. The question to me is loaded since it can be approached in many ways as well as hopefully stirs the contreversial topics that are present... which would be more likely if more than you and I were having a conversation. As for how there is a difference on what we find important to the topic here you link in spirituality I feel i am sticking with the fundamentals of sex itself. I do feel spirituality can be linked but i think that it really isnt a community issue. Most gay males take sex on nothing more than face value. Your views and ideas are quite more evolved than most.

So I wonder if anyone else might read this... heh...

Re: what is a healthy view on sex and sexuality in our community?

Mon, 28 May 2007 03:49:54 GMT

joseph... why would i ask a loaded question? not sure what you are asking about specifically, but i don't see the questions as 'loaded' so much as relevant and challenging and worth asking. i don't feel like my views are particularly formulated at this stage. i have watched some interesting things over the years in my own life and the lives of friends. i have not been in a relationship for about a year and a half now. i haven't had sex outside a relationship in recent years, so that means i haven't had sex since then. i am not sure i believe that is healthy or unhealthy so much as it just is. i don't feel called towards sex at this point in my life. conceptually i would like it if i were more called to be sexual, but i am not at the moment. it seems like a lot of work and i mainly enjoy it in a relationship. otherwise i miss people. i think for me, maybe i am getting beyond an ideal of healthy or unhealthy. i have seen most people not seem to find happiness or fulfillment from random sexual encounters over time. i think it may be more subjective than objective. i remember a talk on ted.com by the guy who wrote the book 'blink' and also 'the tipping point'. he talked about how people think that there may be one pepsi that is the best flavor and maybe it is in fact pepsis (plural) that people want. maybe there are 3 base sodas. perhaps sexuality is like that. what is healthy may not be objective in a standard way. self actualization around sex may have 2-3 different basic formations that people may fall into. i know my own astrology chart seems to indicate more or less the attitudes i would have towards sex. others astrology indicates other things. maybe it is sorta like that. maybe what would be my own 'right' would be someone else's 'wrong'. also considering ideas around spiral dynamics and the ideas of levels of consciousness. maybe at prior levels of consciousness things were fine at that phase that i was doing. maybe it is healthy to explore sexuality to some degree, and also healthy later to not be sexual and/or go through periods of celibacy while focusing on other areas of our lives. maybe also there are phases. like a tree that at times blossoms, but it would not be healthy for it to blossom in winter as the cold would kill it. that would be my thoughts for now on the subject. why would i ask the questions? well, i think asking hard questions is often how we come to the answers we seek. something like that.

Re: what is a healthy view on sex and sexuality in our community?

http://omni-flux.gaia.com — Sun, 20 May 2007 05:54:36 GMT

Well what i think is harmful is when someone displaces themselves from what they are doing. even if someone is having a one night stand there is a connection of physical attraction. If there is no basis of connection i think that relfects an innate problem within the person that lacks the connective ability. In essence that even takes away from the whole point of it. My basis for this is my personal belief that harm can be done by not doing somehting just as much as it can be from conciously taking an action.

I think it is harmful in some ways. There are many people that i have talked to that have describe sex most often thier first times as traumatic, not because it was forced or preverse but since it was psychologically difficult to go through.   I think my perspective comes from the idea that people are now alot more evolved. The physical pleasure from sex is fleeting and repeatable the psychological impacts are forever and compounding.

And of course adding on the ideas of stds makes it even more scary. I know people that dont ahve alot of sex that get checked every 3 months, while there are poeple that fail to keep track and wont care until they caught something.

I dont care for the bible and a book should never be the basis on why something is right or wrong. a book should only be allowed to one come to a conclusion that is self acquired as to what is right or wrong.

As for the social bonds issue. I dont think casual sex destorys the ability to sustain social bonds. I think the effects of not dealing with what is created from sex stops social progression. Many times it does seem like no one gets along becuase someone slept with someone who was with this guy and who cheated on that guy. but in the end it is all petty. but communication done properly can solve all that. But again this assumes an intellect as well an evolved state.

Objectification is a part of sex. If one cannont handle that during sex objectification takes place then that will lead to issues outside of the sex. If a person cant handle it then they should stick with a partner that viods the issue or the acts that make it seem like objectification occur.

I think in the end "wrong" simply means not treating the situation as though two PEOPLE are involved. Sex is easy if it is the almighty " I " and then the "other." If there is no understanding in what is goin to happen then someone will be impacted negatively, if it is their own fault or the fault of the person they chose i dont really think it matters...  What bothers me the most is no one is trying to create a healthy view of sex and sexuality, there are just lables that just make it easier to not have to understand others.

I guess that is enough ranting...

So, David, what about you?  Why would you ask a loaded question and how do you feel when dealing in the areas that you have presented?

Re: what is a healthy view on sex and sexuality in our community?

Fri, 18 May 2007 23:07:47 GMT

josef...

welcome to the pod. thanks for your thoughtful and articulate reply there. i would enjoy hearing further about what you feel is 'wrong' about sex without a connection. wrong from what perspective? is it harmful on some level? morally wrong? based on what basis is it wrong? is it wrong because it is risky as far as std's? wrong because the bible says it is wrong? wrong because it doesn't create solid social bonds? wrong because it is objectifying of people and objectifying is wrong? what makes it wrong?

what would have it feel wrong for you personally? do actions like this affect more than those performing the acts? do they bring happiness? do they bring something else? are they wrong because people are not finding happiness in them? what does the word wrong mean to you?

curious to hear your reply and anyone else who would like to discuss the basis of their value judgments and perspectives in this specific instance.

-d

Re: what is a healthy view on sex and sexuality in our community?

http://omni-flux.gaia.com — Fri, 18 May 2007 05:19:00 GMT

(please excuse excessive spelling errors)

I think that question is one of the most important when getting people to understand what it means for someone to be gay. I think that a homosexual male or female is not even educated on what it means for them to have sex or define thier sexuality.

What is the role of sex?
Well outsiders, even if they 'support' gay rights dont see homosexual acts as the same as heterosexual acts . the role of sex is thought to be purely for enjoyment without reguards to consequences. However, i would hope that most homosexuals dont feel that way. Sex without the idea of some form of bond, even a miniscle one, i feel is wrong.   If homosexuals ever want tobe seen as regulare people then how we represent ourselves needs to reflect that. There has to be a voice.

How are people using it?
well I have worked with younger gay and lesbians and while most times lesbians dont enter into the realm of sex as hastily i think both see sex as more avialable and that that availbility is the what being a homosexual is about. This in turn is used by oppenents of gay rights to discredit the entire community.

What is a healthy use of sexual energy?
I dont think that there is any one way. Just that one must never misuse sex.

How much is sex a part of our life by nature?
Sex is part of our essential nature i believe. The reptilian part of brain wants it, the heart uses it to express itself, and it can even be spiritual. to deny our sexual nature could only lead to negativity. For instance priest that werent allowed to married were more likely to molest people. I think sexuality played little in that but the lack of being allowed to express and fullfil sexual desire lead them to be twisted in what they disired and distorted their judgement.

How much is it a part of our life based on current cultural norms?
Well i can only speak for where i live and unfortunately if you are gay and not having alot of sex with many poeple then your arent accepted, unless you fill some other category that is acceptable. Homosexuals are feircely clique oriented here. And the norm is to be into sex and do it alot with alot of people.

What do healthy views of ourselves and others look like?
To me it would be the opposite of what i see the norm to be.   everyone thinks that young looking smoothe hairless guys are the only gay ones. Every shape size and color can be gay. even in the community at times there is steroetyping that i feel is completely barracading a true community from forming.

Well I really just think that people that really feel it is important to help create a healthy view of sex within the community take the time to do so.   I unfortunately live in a area that either wants to be party or be far to into politics. Both sides miss the real idea. We need to better ourselves and people, together, and then with that unity make a difference for the community.

Hope this was coherent. it is late. lol.

what is a healthy view on sex and sexuality in our community?

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:09:58 GMT

what is the role of sex?

how are people using it?

what is healthy use of sexual energy?

how much is sex a part of our life by nature?

how much is it a part of our life based on current cultural norms?

what do healthy views of ourselves and others look like?

any ideas? comments? personal views?

art and gay healing...

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:07:25 GMT

steve walker art has been around a bit and a friend has some of his stuff in his home.

others may want to check it out. some of it i vibe to. others of it not as much, but i like that he has a range of art.

here is the link to his site. you can look at the thumbnails here.

Re: music and storytelling as part of healing...

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 19:59:15 GMT

somebody i think is also interesting for gay people as an icon is pete burns from dead or alive and boy george. i think as far as a phase of rebellion from gay people that they as well as people like sylvester and divine made sense and in a world that was going through that fifties to seventies phase of things. then of course we had the 80's and 90's. i think our own evolution as a gay community should be factored into the evolution as to what is going on in the world now.

this is an age of oprah and 'o' magazine. this is the age of 'the secret' and 'what the bleep' mixed with the age of more and more influence from bollywood and india. china has a middle class, the war with the middle east over things. to just factor in our issues without looking at ourselves in relationship to the globe is not to see the full picture. there are a lot of social movements occurring. holistic studies are getting more and more mainstream acceptance. enron and other business scandals are pushing people to look at other ways of running businesses and the motivating factors involved with such scandals.

buddhism has been on the cover of time magazine. india has been as well. we are definitely in interesting times and this is the climate that much of these issues are being worked out in. christianity in this country is getting an influx of other influences as well. we have the web, cable tv, satellite tv, all relevant.

-d

music and storytelling as part of healing...

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 19:49:50 GMT

jason, i am going to start a new thread for this general subject matter just so others can easily find it if they are interested. the initial thread for those who may be interested is in the 'issues' thread that was started prior.

regarding what you shared about cris... you said 'you asked' and i say 'i did ask and i am glad i did share so much of how you were shaped by her work.' thank you for sharing. well worth the time to read your journey with her as a musician.

i think storytelling is a wonderful part of folk music and there is a lot of potential in that genre.

i went to a utah storytelling festival last year and found it to be quite incredible. black people telling stories, a native american woman, irish woman. in one pod we talked about having gay storytelling festivals. one of my favorite guys was a guy named david massengill who sang songs that touched me and also was very into creativity with kids.

a lot of what he reflected on was stuff from his youth and various experiences he had that touched him or shaped him in some way or stories he had heard in one form or other that touched him. he performed them with music, which added that different dynamic. the way music can stick in our head and come to us at different times is interesting. also he played a dulcimer which was a unique instrument which added another dimension to things as well.

for me, so much soul exists in folk music that doesn't exist in the same way in other kinds of music. not that it cannot exist and does not, but it just feels to me like it gets to the heart differently. country music can have soul to it as well. a different depth. and gospel music. it all seems to go more to the authentic and the caring vs. the glossy and precision of some of that sort of thing. the difference between honest and considered vs. so glossy and precise that it lacks something in the midst of all the perfect technique.

a lot of gay artists seem to be about the fronting of an image and being funky. freddy of course was interesting and i think erasure has a lot of heart and has clearly touched a lot of people.

Re: What are the issues?

http://mclay.gaia.com — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 03:23:20 GMT

I forgot I do know a male artist with Pride, Power, Heart, and Talent. James Roy, friend of mine in Denver. He is more electronica/ dance but still puts his messages out there.

Check him out, James Roy Music

Jason

Re: What are the issues?

http://mclay.gaia.com — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 03:16:49 GMT

I checked out you-tube as well. I was not impressed by what they captured of Cris Wiliamson. Here is a link to one of her older albums. http://cdbaby.com/cd/cris1 She has written many, some are better than others. I do like this one. Waterfall, wild things, sweet woman, and one of the light, are some of my favorites, remember this came out in the 70's. lol. The one of her at Carnegie Hall is very good too.

The thing is, in concert, you find out the meaning of the songs and she is very magical the way she will bring an audience together. At the end of a concert you are so sure that the world is better, your happy, connected at peace. It's like a workshop that just sort of happens to you.

How did it heal me? Well, I was living in North Idaho at the time. It just was not a good place to be gay or black or anything other than white with blue eyes. I heard she was going to be in concert in Spokane WA. I made the long journey with my mother (YES, my mother drove me, I was 17 :-) ) It was amazing. There were about 3,000 lesbians...and maybe 15 men. lol. I'm sure it was not all lesbian. My mother does not play for that team. Anyway, It was my first feeling of "community" and the first time that I was sooooo very very proud to be a gay person. Cris sang and spoke of the good in the gay community and the struggles and you could feel that everyone just GOT IT. We were in it together. My mother had tears from the love she felt in that concert hall. When you see something that well done and full of kindness you don't feel so different but really special. I think at that moment mom saw the gay world very different too. She thought I was headed for a lot of hardship but now she saw were I was headed for could be wonderful. It sealed our relationship in a whole new viewpoint. The healing for me was enormous. I was with "family" Cris is a STRONG woman and a big heart and vision.

Now I have seen her 5 times. The audiences are smaller now but the feeling is the same. By the concerts end you will feel like you are sitting with family and it's truly a gift she has. At the end of the last concert I was able to walk up to her and get a signature on some CD's. I quickly mentioned how touched I was and the tears welled up a little (now 35 yo). She stood up and gave me a great hug and said, "how beautiful to have a man at my concert come up to me at tell me that with such an open heart, bless your heart. I'm so glad you've been touched by my music"

Ok you asked. :-) She is not for everyone. It was just where I was in my life and her being there has forever changed me.

Re: What are the issues?

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:26:11 GMT

in regards to the state of the world, for gay people it can surely be better now than other times. for me it isn't about better or worse so much as where we are and what the issues are and what we can do. the fact that we can communicate with people from around the country and around the world i think is a step in the right direction. i don't think it is a matter of better or worse so much as a mixed experience and rather intricate given the sheer volume of media we are faced with and our increasing awareness of our interconnection with each other and just our increasing interdependence and the relevance of our national and international relations. i think to own that we are in challenging times in the world as well as in magical times where we are not burned at the stake for talking about what some would surely have considered 'witchcraft' years ago or been called heretics for not pledging our allegiance to christ. so i certainly think life is not horrible, not to mention we have food, shelter, etc... in ways that are surely more pleasant than were easily accessible at times generations ago.

thanks for the mention of cris williamson. i do in fact like folk music and would love to see more gay folk singers and out gay singers in different genres. checked her out on youtube. would you elaborate on how her music was healing for you? curious about that given that i am curious about the healing process in general and the healing process for gay men specifically as well.

-d

Re: What are the issues?

http://mclay.gaia.com — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 03:22:40 GMT

Hi David,

Wow, I can not even begin to answer all those questions. ;-) They are great ones and well worth looking into ourselves to see how we can contribute to the healing of those like us.

"Layers of healing" was something you brought up, that is definitely how I see it too. The media is helping a few of those layers come off. Not just those layers of the gay community but of the world that used to say "we don't speak of such things". The ice has been broken and the conversation can begin. The non gay world must pull back some layers too. This will make more clear the unique and beautiful differences between us as well as all the common threads that tie us together.

Depending on how we look at things we are either in the worst time in history, with war, a president that often seems to make a bad thing worse, global warming, etc. OR we are at the most amazing point in history. We have a black candidate for President, A woman candidate for president, an ex-vise president raising the attention that we are at a planetary turning point with global warming. Since the second one feels better I am sticking with that one :-) but I am aware of what is playing in the background.

I am excited that gay issues are in the media. Marriage for example, weather it is winning or loosing at this point , its being talked about PUBLICLY. That is amazing! The veil (no pun intended) is being lifted and yes, it is but a layer but it is one more layer to the inner beauty of the gay community.

I would like to see more coverage on gay life that shows two men or women in a "normal" view. But it seems "too normal" to the news groups. Whenever there is a gay pride parade who gets the greatest coverage? -Drag Queens, feminine boys and women with short hair on motorcycles. That is great I love those people and I think that what ever "turns your crank" is fine as long as it's not hurting anyone but it limits how some see the gay community. If all you ever see in the sitcoms and news is tough women and men who act like women then naturally you can't see beyond that.

I would enjoy to see more love stories that did not circle into the drama of a violent gay bashing, death from aids, a cheating partner, a group of drags queen on a road trip. Those stories are fine and they represent a part of our community. But there are success stories in our community of lifetimes of love, faithful partners, men who are masculine and women who are feminine. When these types of movies and stories make it to the media the thought of "they are everywhere...and perhaps even a bit like me" will perhaps, begin another layer of healing. We are drag queens and construction workers, we are tough women on bikes and women in dresses that model for magazines. I'm not sure that our "whole image" has been portrayed yet. But it is coming.

I tell you this Imus event was a bad thing that is shaking to life the right thing. That one little comment, rude and thoughtless, has re-awakened the issue of standing up for morals. There have been a large number of women who are tired of the comments on TV and in some of the rap music that is terribly degrading. Now those voices are being joined by more voices and it is a wake-up call for everyone. I don't like the word faggot. It is not lessoned when someone who is gay says it to another person it is still a word that has been used for pain not love. Imus, I'm sure with out any intention, has caused a great deal of momentum in the world of respect. Another layer for healing. I know I try to be mindful of my words but if we are purchasing music or not gently correcting other when they slip from time to time we might as well say it ourself.

Ok one last thing (I'm writing as long as David :-) ) I know there are surely great "out" gay male singers but "one" out female singer that I truly respect for her beautiful words is Cris Williamson. She is more or less folk music I guess. If you don't like folk...it may not be to your liking. Anyway, she puts on a concert that is so heart centered, I am moved every time buy the kindness she radiates. She writes music with consciousness. She has been a big contributer to the womens gay community for many years. She contributed to my healing however, even as a gay man.

Jason

Re: Learning from the black community and their issues

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 01:47:13 GMT

beautiful! thanks for sharing jason! absolute magic. how wonderful to hear a story of a black man reaching out like that to share/inspire from his own experiences. absolutely heartwarming. thanks for sharing.

:-)
d