BY PAMELA JO BOWMAN - MESA ARIZONA — We spent most of the summer preparing for a legal hearing. To pacify my mind, I began working on a production reel to remind myself why we chose to do all we did for the Zambia project. The following is still a work in progress. It continues to be a driving force as we try to produce a work of art for others and ourselves.
The Zambian project was, for me, one of the most life altering experiences I have ever encountered. I believe the crew members were motivated by much, much more than what they might benefit personally. We worked together and accomplished more than if we had worked alone. That in itself was a life lesson. I hope you can hear the voices of the many people who made this project what it was in “Hallelujah”.
- Hallelujah (16 mb, large)
- Hallelujah (3 mb, small)
- Hallelujah (150 mb, v.large)
A couple of weeks ago, I asked her about her blog page and the songs she chose to put on it. There is a song I love on her welcoming page. It is such a sad song. It makes me cry but it touches me every time I hear it. I thought she was thinking of all of her old friends and was missing them. I asked her about it and she laughed at me. “Mom, that song was for you!” Made me cry again! The song on 
In spite of all that, what made us feel all grown up? Some little lines and numbers. This week we received our first ISBN numbers. We can officially sell our products through Baker & Taylor, Amazon, Border and almost anywhere else you can name in the world. Seems like a silly thing, but for us to have our own bar code is…well… pretty cool.
It was enhanced with the smell of damp pine. I headed into the forest and found a tree that had been cut down. Nice place to sit and allow time for the sap to be oozing into my jeans. I sat a long time and thought in the quiet of the morning. Yes, the sky was blue and dotted with white clouds. The birds were chirping and the breeze danced and vibrated through the leaves. I noticed it all and appreciated it all, but I was trying to connect with something or someone and I found that I was the only thing there to connect to. That thought was not too appealing. Not because I was alone. I cherish the solitude. It was that I felt like a stranger to myself. It was very odd.
Have I fed the beast? Does my behavior tell others that they are more important than me? No one is more important nor I might add is anyone less important. It is a matter of mutual respect and consideration. I am not a vengeful person. I will continue to meet my business associates promptly…that is who I am and will continue to be.
their smile, understand what their message was. I am such a dolt. My dreams are not about others, but about me and what I want to know and understand.
Four cars for a two car garage. But the items that have altered all of our lives are … the Wii and an aquarium. Now you are probably thinking of an aquarium like I always thought of an aquarium. A glass rectangle with a couple of fish and a fake green seaweed thing to float around. Nope, that would be too simple. I have an aquarium that covers one of my walls … a wall that used to be the home of my children’s portraits. Not anymore. Now we have barrels and buckets and water systems and a constant hum throughout our house. We also have a luminous glow that emanates from that room. On Saturday mornings, I have a hose that snakes through my back door down my stairs and into the aquarium. Sometimes it smells a tad fishy. I’m not too fond of fishy.
At night we sit around and watch the fish swim. And the fish watch us … play. Family unity has come to mean something entirely different than eating dinner at 5 p.m. In our family, we bowl, play tennis, golf and my personal favorite … we box. I kick butt! All this in the comfort of my family room! Turn down the air! All this exercise is making me sweat bullets! Or it could be a hot flash, I guess. Hmmm. Back to the aquarium for meditation. By the way, anyone interested in a player piano? Wii deliver.
My business partner was selected as the August candidate for Woman of the Year. She received a basket of goodies. In the basket, there was a gift certificate to a very, very, very nice spa. I received a body massage for an hour and a facial for another hour. Then I floated around in a pool of mineral water (imported from France!) to my heart’s content. I laid in the sun and drank iced water seasoned with ginger and mint leaves. La Dee Da! After editing this last year … well my neck needed the stress relief even if the rest of me didn’t! (Above: French Celtic Mineral Pool at Spa Avania, Hyatt Regency, Gainey Ranch where I floated peacefully in the midday sun.)
“You were like a wet noodle!” she exclaimed. I am a lot of things. Stupid isn’t one of them. I have the sense to relax if you put me on a warm, cozy table and start rubbing away! There was this relaxing music and scented candles. It was easy to forget that I was naked. Okay it wasn’t easy to forget but I was covered up for Pete’s sake and let’s face it … I am too old to care anymore about what I once looked like. What was important in this case was what it felt like. It just felt good. And frankly, for all the work I’ve done this last year and the stress I’ve been under with the hearing, I deserved it. As a matter of fact, I think everyone deserves at least one amazing wonderful massage in their lifetime. (Left: Massage Treatment Room at Spa Avania, Hyatt Regency, Gainey Ranch)