The Christianville Spirit: How PTLS Families became PTLS Family

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

May 30, 2012- TCS # 302

So, For This Week’s Newsletter, I want to share a story with you about how My 3rd Family, My PTLS Family and how they became my PTLS Family. So, I was diagnosed with dup. 17p11.2(now known as Potocki-Lupski Syndrome or PTLS) at age 4. There was not much known about it, so MY Mom did the best she could and I just enjoyed life being myself. At the time when I was diagnosed, I was 4th in The World and 1st in The United States; I didn’t know if there were people just like me around the world, and even in my own country. So, as I got older More kids were being diagnosed and I started meeting Families with “People like Me” but, for the longest time they were addressed as “Families with PTLS Kids.” After more adding of more families, I changed how they were addressed because I starting growing attached to them. Because the families themselves had someone, who in My View, was “Just like Me,” they felt more like Family to me not just friends or people. Then, came My 23rd Birthday, or what’s now known as the first PTLS Gathering. You See, My Mom had this idea that we should spend My Birthday with My Smith Family in Atlanta and we figured while we were there, We’d see if we could meet up with other PTLS Families. So, I told, who we’ll call PLTS Member, Samantha Pennington, about it because she lived in Nashville which was a couple hours drive from Atlanta. Not to mention also, we could meet up again with The wonderful Pulleys there too. So, Samantha (or now known as Aunt Samantha; more on that in a minute) spread the word on the little Facebook group that we had, I was going to be in Atlanta that weekend and she said she wanted to come down and meet me. So, before long, it turned from just another birthday party to a Mini-PTLS gathering so people could come and celebrate My Birthday, and we could all meet. It was surprising who wanted to come and meet me. people were coming from as far away as Wisconsin and I told My Mom, “These People feel like Family to Me” Well, near the same time that I was going to go to Atlanta, My Dad wanted to go on a cruise, long story short, the cruise was moved to be during the weekend with My Birthday/PTLS Gathering which people from across the country were coming to see me. So, I had a very tough decision to make, go with Dad on the cruise for 7 Days or The PTLS Gathering. Now, for the record, the decision was tough because I don’t like to disappoint people and not to mention, I hate confronting people. and, one of his comments, let’s just say made the passion of PTLS Family and having PTLS burn! He said, “You’d rather hang out with strangers who you haven’t even met instead doing this(the cruise) with your dad/family” and I responded, “I may not have met them(and, some I have). But, they are My Family.” So, to prove My Dad and anyone else who thinks we’re not a “Family” wrong. I gave the PTLS Family Members that I’m close to, official Family Names like Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Brothers/Sisters. Of Course, People may say, “How can you be Family, if your not Blood?” and My Answer is that Family isn’t always blood, it can also be People you love. So, I guess in a way, You can pick your Family and This PTLS Family is getting bigger, I LOVE a big Family! Now, as for the Aunt Samantha thing, I call her that because I’m close to her as well as many others, including Aunt Beth, Christina, Aimee, Joey and Shelly. On the Uncle Side, I have Uncle Chris, James, and Brent. And, I forget anyone, I’m sorry. But, here’s a shout out to everyone. I really appreciate these people as well as many others because they keep in tough with me and really care about me, which is important in a Family. Now, Because the PTLS Family has grown, I Love to get to know about people and they get to know me. All in All, As You can see Family is very important to me, wether they are blood or not.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish the Family you Have and Love the ones, you pick.

The Christianville Spirit: In Memory of Lynee Watson

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

May 23, 2012-TCS # 301

So, Yesterday was the 3rd year anniversary of My Awesome Friend, Lynee’s Death. So, I thought I would do a dedication to her. You See, in our lifetime, we meet people everyday that can be “Friends” to us and we have someone to talk with, that is the easy part of making friends. But, however, It’s the really great friends that you can tell anything to that really matter. Lynee was one of those friends but, remember that I was in Elementary School, so I wasn’t as social as I am now but, either way she still tried to understand me. Of Course, we know that sometimes we lose those Great Awesome Friends because they pass away or they disappear and you realize it too late, how great they were. Once we realize how great they actually are then it’s the greatest feeling in the world to realize that they were the friend that by the time, you become 70, they’ll be the one friend out of all the others you’ve been made that stood out, whether they are alive or dead. As for Lynee, I have comfort that I have her as My Guardian Angel, also I know that she can hear and see what I’m doing. If I’m doing the right or wrong thing, She sends me signs that tell me she’s around, stop doing what your doing or she’s just messing with me, as spirits do sometimes. Even though, I know that she’s around, I still miss her and I wish I knew that she had passed, so I could have paid my respects and tell her how I felt about her. I know now that she knows because like I said before, she watches over me. Now, I’m sure some of you are asking, “How do you know when she’s sending signs?” I know by feeling, things I see or hear, like the numbers 11 and 2. Back when I was obsessing about 11-11-11, I asked God to have me the Number 11 and 2 as confirmation that I’m doing the right thing or on the right path. Ever Since, I’ve been hearing and seeing the Number 11 when I’m on the right track. What I mean, by the way, about seeing the number 11 can be anything, in the time, something someone says, something on the news, and other times. All in All, Friends are easy to find, the Awesome True Friends are Priceless.   

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Cherish the True Friends that You Love because You Never Know.  

The Christianville Spirit: My 300th Newsletter!

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

May 16, 2012-TCS # 300

Well, My Readers, Loyal Followers, and Subscribers, We have made it! This is the 300th Newsletter of The Christianville Spirit and I cannot believe I’ve written this many newsletters since I started in October 2006. I mean, who would have thought I would write a newsletter that started out as an Email to Friends and Family to become a weekly newsletter that I write every Wednesday. As for My Reader Base, since this newsletter started, it has grown, along with the adding of more PTLS Family Members, which I Love! Anyway, in honor of My 300th Newsletter, I’m giving you a treat and I think you’ll LOVE this one. So, There is this show on FOX on Thursdays called Touch, It’s a really interesting show about an 11 year old boy with Autism who doesn’t speak words, but he has a gift; of connecting people from all over the world, by using Numbers. It’s one of those shows though, that you have to follow from the Beginning and Concentrate on it all the way because if you miss something, you won’t figure out how the people on the show are connected. It’s a take on the 6 Degrees of Separation, only it’s more relatable to Life. Anyway, so one of the connections was about this girl named Celeste, who met this wonderful guy in Italy and after they met, she went off to Paris and The guy left a videotape telling Celeste to meet him at this place in New York, so this random girl, Natalie, finds the tape and spreads the word in her video blog to try and re-unite Celeste and the guy, Paulo. So, long story short, Paulo doesn’t meet with Celeste but, Natalie instead because they both “Believe in Love.” So, that inspired me to begin what I’ll call an “I Believe in Love Campaign.” Not only does this follow the inspiration of Touch but, also there’s a saying that most Romantics believe in that says, “As long you believe in Love, Love will always find it’s way in” So, I’m going with that also. Now, considering there are many different kinds of Love, I’ll be specific in what kind of Love I believe in. The first one is one that most people have, Self-Love and Unconditional Love (or the love, you get from Family), of course having 3 Families (Intermediate, Smith Family, and PTLS Family) it’s quite a bit of Unconditional Love. But, the kind of Love that I believe in is more Romantic like, Belief in Soulmates, Life Mates, Twin Souls, The Person of Your Dreams, and Love at First Sight. But, the best thing to believe in is that there is one person who is created just for you by God to find and be with forever. That’s where the terms, “The Right Person”, “The One”, and “The Person of Your Dreams” comes from. Now, for the record, Soulmates, Life Mates, and Twin Souls are mainly the same thing, although New Agers and Scholars will tell you the more complex version of it. Now, when it comes to falling in love with this person, the question always is “how do you know that the person is The One?” Well, from what I’ve heard, the answer isn’t explainable to everyone else outside you and that person but, the most simple answer is that, “You just Know” and you just have that feeling that it works. The next question, people ask is “how will you know when you’ve met the person of your dreams?” because you have this magical feeling that This is It, That person is The One, it goes by the term, Love at First Sight. So, with that, I have high hopes that I’ll meet My Soulmate, “The One”, The Girl of My Dreams. All in All, If you have been blessed to find your “Person of Your Dreams” hold on to them tight and never let go.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Thanks for Following and Reading My 300 Newsletters. I’ll make sure to keep them coming.           

The Christianville Spirit: About The Girl of My Dreams

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

May 9, 2012- TCS # 299

So, back when I was working at the Frisco Roughriders, back in the “Madison Days” I told Madison one night that I kind of liked one of these girls that I worked with and one day she blurted out to a girl with the same name but, the wrong girl that I liked her and while we were walking to our working position at the ballpark called the “Center Field Entrance” as we’re walking, it’s pretty awkward between us, not knowing each other and Madison blurted that out. Then, she says, “What do you want in a Girl?” and at that time, all I could say was “I want her to be Nice.” Anyway, so that brings me to today, lately I’ve been talking a lot about the so-called “Girl of My Dreams,” the lets just say Mystery Girl that I’m going to fall in love with and be with the rest of My Life. By The Way, I am quite a romantic so the idea of Soulmates and The Girl of My Dreams is quite normal. So, years ago as you remember, I wrote things that were specific about a girl I named Carol Holiday. Well, the Carol Holiday thing actually came true but, she was married, had 2 kids, and was “Younger” than me. So, apparently, I wasn’t that specific in who I wanted and what she was going to be like. Now, although I tried again to come with a name and a story, I’m going to go the route of describing what she’ll be like. For the sake of The Law of Attraction, we’ll call her Bridgett and yes, that is what I’m led to believe is her name; Of Course, if it is or not, it is left to God. Anyway, I’ll start with what Patti Stanger of The Millionaire Matchmaker calls “The Non-Negotiable’s” or the things you can deal without and according to Patti’s Rules, there should be no more than five. So, here they are, She Must Believe in God, have a great relationship with God, or at least be Spiritual; She Can’t Drink or Smoke because I don’t like Alcohol myself but, Social Drinkers if anything is OK and I do not want a smoker; She has to be Smart, know’s what she’s talking, and we can have good discussions about things like News, Politics, and Geography and how they all relate; and, two things about Family, the first is that Family is Very Important to Me and I want it to be important to her too, and this one for the average person is a deal-killer, that they have to come from a Classy Family. Why?, Because My Family is very Classy and we’re one of those families that have “Family Dinners” to introduce new romantic interests and with that comes with, passing the “Grandma Honey Test” and they don’t pass, good luck. Only the best for us Smiths. Anyway, that covers the NG’s (My acronym for Nonnegotiable.) And, now for The rest the description, I believe that she’ll be down-to-earth, she likes Romantic Comedies, General Comedy Movies, and that after My Mom and I teach her about all the things of PLTS that she’ll be able to understand me, will help spread the word about PTLS, and get involved with My 3rd Family, My PTLS Family. I’m led to believe that in Bridgett’s Family, they do not swear or nor allow it in the their house, but I think the Classy Family thing I mentioned above explains that. Anyway, The best summery of what person that a Classy Family guy like me should have is something that again is referencing Patti Stanger, “Beauty, Brains, and Class.” Now, as a note, the Beauty thing, she can be Beautiful but, looks don’t matter to Me. And, the big question, does she or will she have Special Needs, well in Bridgett’s Case I don’t think so but, like Beauty, it doesn’t matter wether or not she has Special Needs and, finally, she’ll be what I call “My Life Path,” meaning she doesn’t just live in the direction that I want to go, she lives in the city that I want to go. All in All, Having Special Needs doesn’t mean that I don’t dream of finding My Soulmate, I know she’s out there and it just matter of time.

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. Stay Tuned for Next Week’s 300th Christianville Spirit!

     

The Christianville Spirit: The Meaning of MMMBop

The Christianville Spirit

The Spirit that Opens Your Eyes

May 2, 2012- TCS # 298

You Know Something that people don’t notice or care about anymore?, the Lyrics to the songs that we hear everyday on the radio and in TV Commercials.  Over the years, the “Lyrics” to songs have gotten less clean and have less meaning now then ever. You See, back in the old days, before my generation and during my generation, The word “Lyrics” meant more of a poem about something that happened in your life, someone that you really loved, or dedicated songs to someone. Now-a-days, not necessarily, Now, Of course it depends on the artist whether it’s dedicated to someone like family or a person you’ve always loved, a few songs of Lady Gaga’s are dedicated ones to Family and for the person you’ve always loved there’s “You Belong with Me” from Taylor Swift. But, never mind that. I mean those songs like (With all due Respect to the artists) “I’m Sexy and I know it”, a song called “Hot Problems” about the fact that pretty girls have the same issues as we do (they say it’s worse than Rebecca Black), and of course Rihanna’s recent songs. By The Way, people thought that Rebecca Black’s “Friday” was bad and it turns out to be good; I’d think of it as one of the songs to play on our way to work and home singing “It’s Friday!.”  But, anyway, what about those good meaning songs or songs that have a meaning that no one notices until you listen to it real carefully, songs like Hanson’s Legendary song “MMMBop.” Now, for those readers of mine outside The US, Hanson was a good boy band that was as good as The UK’s “Spice Girls” and for those here in The Us, this song is about get into your head again, after you tried so hard to get it out. Anyway, this song “MMMBop” isn’t just about what sounds like messed up lyrics but, the words in between that matter. So, it starts like this, “You have too many relationships in life, Only one or two will last, you go though all this pain and strife, and life is gone too fast” they continue “and, it’s gone so fast,  yea” and now, here’s the important part, “So, hold on to the ones who really care, in the end they’ll be the ones who will there, when you get old and start losing hair, can you tell me, Who will still care?” and then comes the funny lyrics, “MMMBop pa-du-pa-dop...” and finally sing “In an MMBop, their gone. In an MMBop, their not there” and “but, you don’t care.” Anyway, I would have to copy and paste all the lyrics so you know the whole song, but I’m pulling the important lyrics that I know by heart. So, What do the lyrics mean? Well, like most art as My Brother will tell you is subject to one’s own interpretation but, I believe it means, stick by the friends who really care about you and you care about them, no matter what they say or do and stick with them. Because even though you maybe going different directions in your life, you should still care for them. And, the weird thing is that you care for them but, they don’t for you that much, they will realize that they do care and they’ll be standing there next to you in the end. All in all, that’s the true meaning of being “Friends” with someone. 

Thanks for Reading The Christianville Spirit. MMMBop through Life.