Heart Strings captures the very essence of the individual: their dialect, mannerisms, and personality.
“Listening to stories also can be healing. A deep trust of life often emerges when you listen to other people’s stories. You realize you’re not alone; you’re traveling in wonderful company. Ordinary people living ordinary lives often are heroes.” Dean Ornish, MD
Enjoy these vignettes from some of the many Heart Strings.
Raymond K.
Life is a lot like a deck of cards. People will say you've got to play what you're dealt with. You can accept it, go on from there, and do what you can do with it. It's amazing to me that over the years that I have lived, all these pieces start to fit together. I got to know Jean Davidson, Frank Schwinn, Craig Vetter, and so many people that you look up to. And then you really learn about them. Don’t admire the big shots because you don’t know the whole story. Like the Indians say, “Never criticize a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins… So I mean, you feel for these people. You can't touch them but you look at them and admire them and yet not know their story.
I want people to remember to have a real strong relationship with God first and foremost. Because He'll get you through the tough times. You've gotta listen to what He says and do what He says. You know, I don’t make much of a preacher but you have to rely on somebody and when everyone else turns you down or you have a really hard time, whatever you’re going through, have friends and family to rely on. After you have God and family and friends, do some reading. But that’s not all. If you can, help kids along the way because as they are becoming an adult, they need your help. Impress on them to have good sportsmanship. One thing about BMX was that you never win an individual trophy or anything. It’s a team sport. You know, teams are made with individual efforts though.
Rose P.
My hardest moment when I was a nurse happened early in my career. One of my first really sick babies that I took care of was not going to make it and we knew it. It was born in the Joliet, Illinois area and was transported up to us. But it was back when cardiac surgeries and technology were just on the rise. The parents hadn't gotten to the hospital yet and there wasn't anything we could do. I decided that the little baby girl needed to be held at least. So, I dressed and wrapped her up and sat down in a rocking chair with her. She died in my arms.
Please tell everyone that I love them. Just saying it makes me sad. It's not that I'm afraid. I guess it’s the separation that makes me sad - saying goodbye. I love them so much!
May S.
Well, I was never told but I just assumed from the dates on the adoption papers that I was adopted as an infant. I actually have two birth certificates. One from the hospital with my birth mother's name and her signing off and then I have another one that's completely revised and my mother’s name is not mentioned but only William and Anna’s. That’s the one that's on record. My daughter, Jane, has the certificates somewhere. I never knew my real parents. At one time, after I got married, I had my real mother’s maiden name and wanted to find out who she was. Fred, my husband, would say, "Leave well enough alone." You know, either way, you really don't want to know.
I never imagined that I would live my entire life on a farm but you know, you adapt. Well, I guess you have to (laughs). To make a living after World War II, there were very few jobs for GIs because women took a lot of them during the war. Women took a lot of jobs that men ordinarily would have taken and they were already established in them. Employers did not want to lose their experience or skills to replace them with men. So, when the guys came back from war, there weren't any jobs for them. I can remember there were a lot of young men selling life insurance.
Kevin C.
I remember sitting on the porch with my grandma. She had been in the garden and she was shucking or cutting beans and the mailman would come. "Go get the paper" she would tell me. I wasn't in school yet. After I got the paper, I had to read the comics. Not the news, the comics. And if I had trouble with a word, I'd spell it out to her and she would help me pronounce it. I could read very well when I started school at five years old. My grandma didn't have a formal education of any kind, you know but she taught me how to read. She was also a great story teller and I think that passed onto me.
Well, like I said, when I went into the service I was very fortunate. In January 1943, I got sent to Europe during World War II not to the Pacific. And it was a big difference. I was in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. So I got to see the country. But before we got there, we were in basic training in Georgia and they were bringing in the equipment for us. It was radar and a huge machine that they mounted on a trailer. They had a prime mover, which is a big truck to pull them. Well, they were trying to unload them and park them, and they were jackknifing. I'm out on the parade ground, exercising, and I was laughing. The first sergeant says, "What are you laughing about?" I said, "Look at those guys. They ain’t getting those things six feet. They can't back ‘em up." He says, "Well, you think you could do better?" “Well,” I said, "It can't be much different than backing a manure spreader out on the farm." So he says, "Okay, get over there." I did and that's what I did for the rest of my time in the service. I drove trucks.
Daniel L.
I learned a lot after my son’s death. It changed my life. I was active in suicide prevention in Madison, Wisconsin for many years. At first, I was a volunteer at HOPES (Helping Others Prevent & Educate about Suicide). Then, the woman who started HOPES, was a facilitator at the survivors of suicide group and she left town and I took her seat. She trained me to take her seat to facilitate grief groups. I did that for about 20 years. It’s a pretty special accomplishment actually. I did good work and helped a lot of people. I got an award for it one time. It was called a Good Samaritan Award and this girl from the college came out and interviewed me for this Good Sam Award. I’m famous because then what happened was I got the award and gave a speech at the dinner. They wrote it up in the newspaper. I said and they quoted me as saying, “I found out the hard way that mental disease is something you can die from.”
I forgive everybody for what I’ve been doing. I’ve suffered through a lot of loss and it has made me a stronger person. Being tolerant is an important lesson I need everyone I love to learn. That’s my lesson to you. Just tolerance and forgiveness. They are good things. They are the main things. That’s my legacy and a really good legacy. And please, remember to hug. Be a world class hugger!
“Listening to stories also can be healing. A deep trust of life often emerges when you listen to other people’s stories. You realize you’re not alone; you’re traveling in wonderful company. Ordinary people living ordinary lives often are heroes.” Dean Ornish, MD
Enjoy these vignettes from some of the many Heart Strings.
Raymond K.
Life is a lot like a deck of cards. People will say you've got to play what you're dealt with. You can accept it, go on from there, and do what you can do with it. It's amazing to me that over the years that I have lived, all these pieces start to fit together. I got to know Jean Davidson, Frank Schwinn, Craig Vetter, and so many people that you look up to. And then you really learn about them. Don’t admire the big shots because you don’t know the whole story. Like the Indians say, “Never criticize a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins… So I mean, you feel for these people. You can't touch them but you look at them and admire them and yet not know their story.
I want people to remember to have a real strong relationship with God first and foremost. Because He'll get you through the tough times. You've gotta listen to what He says and do what He says. You know, I don’t make much of a preacher but you have to rely on somebody and when everyone else turns you down or you have a really hard time, whatever you’re going through, have friends and family to rely on. After you have God and family and friends, do some reading. But that’s not all. If you can, help kids along the way because as they are becoming an adult, they need your help. Impress on them to have good sportsmanship. One thing about BMX was that you never win an individual trophy or anything. It’s a team sport. You know, teams are made with individual efforts though.
Rose P.
My hardest moment when I was a nurse happened early in my career. One of my first really sick babies that I took care of was not going to make it and we knew it. It was born in the Joliet, Illinois area and was transported up to us. But it was back when cardiac surgeries and technology were just on the rise. The parents hadn't gotten to the hospital yet and there wasn't anything we could do. I decided that the little baby girl needed to be held at least. So, I dressed and wrapped her up and sat down in a rocking chair with her. She died in my arms.
Please tell everyone that I love them. Just saying it makes me sad. It's not that I'm afraid. I guess it’s the separation that makes me sad - saying goodbye. I love them so much!
May S.
Well, I was never told but I just assumed from the dates on the adoption papers that I was adopted as an infant. I actually have two birth certificates. One from the hospital with my birth mother's name and her signing off and then I have another one that's completely revised and my mother’s name is not mentioned but only William and Anna’s. That’s the one that's on record. My daughter, Jane, has the certificates somewhere. I never knew my real parents. At one time, after I got married, I had my real mother’s maiden name and wanted to find out who she was. Fred, my husband, would say, "Leave well enough alone." You know, either way, you really don't want to know.
I never imagined that I would live my entire life on a farm but you know, you adapt. Well, I guess you have to (laughs). To make a living after World War II, there were very few jobs for GIs because women took a lot of them during the war. Women took a lot of jobs that men ordinarily would have taken and they were already established in them. Employers did not want to lose their experience or skills to replace them with men. So, when the guys came back from war, there weren't any jobs for them. I can remember there were a lot of young men selling life insurance.
Kevin C.
I remember sitting on the porch with my grandma. She had been in the garden and she was shucking or cutting beans and the mailman would come. "Go get the paper" she would tell me. I wasn't in school yet. After I got the paper, I had to read the comics. Not the news, the comics. And if I had trouble with a word, I'd spell it out to her and she would help me pronounce it. I could read very well when I started school at five years old. My grandma didn't have a formal education of any kind, you know but she taught me how to read. She was also a great story teller and I think that passed onto me.
Well, like I said, when I went into the service I was very fortunate. In January 1943, I got sent to Europe during World War II not to the Pacific. And it was a big difference. I was in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. So I got to see the country. But before we got there, we were in basic training in Georgia and they were bringing in the equipment for us. It was radar and a huge machine that they mounted on a trailer. They had a prime mover, which is a big truck to pull them. Well, they were trying to unload them and park them, and they were jackknifing. I'm out on the parade ground, exercising, and I was laughing. The first sergeant says, "What are you laughing about?" I said, "Look at those guys. They ain’t getting those things six feet. They can't back ‘em up." He says, "Well, you think you could do better?" “Well,” I said, "It can't be much different than backing a manure spreader out on the farm." So he says, "Okay, get over there." I did and that's what I did for the rest of my time in the service. I drove trucks.
Daniel L.
I learned a lot after my son’s death. It changed my life. I was active in suicide prevention in Madison, Wisconsin for many years. At first, I was a volunteer at HOPES (Helping Others Prevent & Educate about Suicide). Then, the woman who started HOPES, was a facilitator at the survivors of suicide group and she left town and I took her seat. She trained me to take her seat to facilitate grief groups. I did that for about 20 years. It’s a pretty special accomplishment actually. I did good work and helped a lot of people. I got an award for it one time. It was called a Good Samaritan Award and this girl from the college came out and interviewed me for this Good Sam Award. I’m famous because then what happened was I got the award and gave a speech at the dinner. They wrote it up in the newspaper. I said and they quoted me as saying, “I found out the hard way that mental disease is something you can die from.”
I forgive everybody for what I’ve been doing. I’ve suffered through a lot of loss and it has made me a stronger person. Being tolerant is an important lesson I need everyone I love to learn. That’s my lesson to you. Just tolerance and forgiveness. They are good things. They are the main things. That’s my legacy and a really good legacy. And please, remember to hug. Be a world class hugger!