Close eyes, mentally say “one”
Bi-Monthly: 1st and 15th
September 1, 2016
BLACKBURN NEWSLETTER Joe’s Corner Life is not what it’s supposed to be. It’s what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes Staying Connected
the difference. Virginia Satir
Joe Blackburn: “Sitting up in my bunk I relaxed in segments from my toes up. In the end, I relaxed my tongue and all thought went out of my head. Miraculous! Focused on my breathing and “one”. There was a lot of noise, yet, after some period of time my mind came back. I slid down in the bunk and went to sleep. Meditation worked very well.”
This page(s) is reserved for Joe’s future thoughts and writings.
Alena’s “Her Man” Granola Recipe: Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups oats; 1 cup coconut; 1 to 2 cup chopped almonds; 1 cup sunflower seed; 1 cup wheat germ; 1/2 cup sesame seed; 1/2 cup oil; 1/2 cup honey Mix all; Bake 350 on cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes; mix half way through. Note these dates: On the 25th and 10th of each month we need to be thinking about what we want to share in the next Blackburn NewsLetter. It will take all off us sharing our recipes, adventures, thoughts, etc. to pull this off.
Love is only in the present.
1
Close eyes, mentally say “one”
Bi-Monthly: 1st and 15th
September 1, 2016
Upcoming Events Lexi Holdbrooks and Bob Blackburn will wed September 10 in Cashiers, North Carolina.
Peter Lee Pitman’s birthday is September 10th.
Bob and Lexi's fiesta themed engagement party this past weekend at Beverly and Johnny McNeil's
Love is only in the present.
2
Close eyes, mentally say “one”
Bi-Monthly: 1st and 15th
September 1, 2016
When I think of Joe and Alena, I think of this passage from Khaill Gibran:
“But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.” Khalil Gibran
Love is only in the present.
Barbara Mulligan: Here is a photo of Lexi, Bob, Patrick and me at the Alabama Theater for a Fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis. The fundraiser is a wine tasting "competition" where you have the opportunity to win multiple bottles of wine. The four of us were on a team and brought 3 identical bottles of red wine. Two of them were set out for tasting, and guests tried the wine and then voted on their favorite. If the wine your team brought received the most votes, you won everyone's third bottle of wine. We didn't win but had a great time!! Bob Blackburn added: This event also marks the one year anniversary for Lexi and I. After our first date, we actually went and picked up Barbara and Patrick. from this same event.
3
Close eyes, mentally say “one”
Bi-Monthly: 1st and 15th
The weak can never forgive.
September 1, 2016
Doug Meadows - Hunter St. Baptist Men’s Bible Study: We are continuing our men’s Bible study in the book of Ecclesiastes. Chapter 5 discusses how we need to approach God with care.
Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Mahatma Gandhi
Rose Blackburn: Remembering the creation of Tom and Rose’s 16th Anniversary Garden at their home.
Joe, Tom, and Dan put their minds together and created the garden, which was designed to have blooms throughout the blooming season and to expand into a single bouquet of color in a few years. Joe, every time we all look at it, we think of you.
Love is only in the present.
Two important verses are Ecc 5:4 “When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools thus keep all the promises you make to him.” And verse 7 “Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead..” both good reminders…. Note: Doug will be a regular contributor to the newsletter to keep us up to date on reading selections in the Men’s Bible Study - Thank you Doug.
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” Friedrich Nietzsche
4
Close eyes, mentally say “one”
Bi-Monthly: 1st and 15th
September 1, 2016
Dan Kesterson: I am rereading two books on topics that Joe and I had many conversations about over the past three years. The books are Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and Ken Wiber’s The Simple Feeling of Being. The first topic in our discussions was how attitude can help us rise above circumstances, and the second topic is how to stop the rumination of bringing the past to the future and thereby missing the NOW, the present, “what is”
Ann Kesterson: Dan and I have just been to the 3-day Autism World Conference. The research and programs were cutting edge and we found it to be very valuable. Have already started to put ideas in to action. The most interesting idea: Young children and especially children with autism live in an inner world and when their language communication and social interaction skills begin to blossom, they begin to see the outside world as something separate from themselves. This is essential for developing abstractions, generalizations, and empathy. The latest research is finding that to stimulate that for faster and deeper transition, which is so important for emotional growth, developing empathy, communication, and social interaction, a primary focus should not be on modifying behavior or bringing them into our world, but rather on entering their world. Nothing is learned until the child is showing signs of interacting with us and are not only in their own world. This also has implication for adult interaction.
Love is only in the present.
. Joe, Rose, Ann, and I are supporting one another by all collaboratively meditating daily as a practical approach to engage the topics above. Rumination is automatic (a default mode) unless the mind gets trained. to be able to step back and “observe thoughts and emotions with cool detachment”.
5
Close eyes, mentally say “one”
Bi-Monthly: 1st and 15th
Newsletter Editor: As I watched photos and shared experiences come in for the Newsletter, what I begin to understand was that what is unique among Joe’s family and friends is that he has built a reflection of social capital. Social capital is a form of economic and cultural capital in which social networks are central, transactions are marked by reciprocity, trust, and cooperation, and market agents produce goods and services not mainly for themselves, but for a common good. cont.
September 1, 2016
Newsletter Editor cont. Now, I don’t know if Joe translated economic and social capital culture into his own life and his family’s life, but I do know that Joe has a circle of family and friends in which the feelings of reciprocity, trust, and cooperation abound. Social capital does not just happen, it is lived and incubated and fed. Notice that in social capital that agents look to the common good and not mainly to themselves. I have to conclude that Joe is a central catalyst for building social capital by being an example for those around him of reciprocity, trust, and cooperation with the common good in mind. The Blackburn NewsLetter
The purpose of the Blackburn Newsletter is to keep family members and friends connected, informed about upcoming events, important milestones and family news. "Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family. We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us. We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth." Virginia Satir
Love is only in the present.
6