Maura's Blog

Breakfast in Austin

1/30/2012 10:00:00 AM

So I changed things up a bit this morning. Instead of my usual workout/green smoothie/blahblahblah, I "went" to Austin for breakfast, where I enjoyed a memorable bowl of oatmeal as I was entertained, inspired, and empowered for a day of writing new material by Bob Schneider, who performed live, just for me, courtesy of my iPod.
As a result of taking that little bit of time aside, I am beginning the day with the kind of energy that is created when the world is exploding into love all around me, 'cause love is everywhere.

I'm good now, in fact I'm getting better and better with every passing minute, and I'm ready to start looking at the people I'm going to be writing about. As I do, I'll be smiling about the caterpillar and laughing to myself about Batman-but-you-can-call-me-Bob.

But the best part about breakfast in Austin is that I have been reassured that somewhere in this crazy world, Romeo and Juliet are holding hands and strolling in a park where 40 rescued potential best friends frolic excitedly, looking up with expectant eyes and wagging their hopeful tails, one tail at a time, all the while praying fervent canine prayers ...

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Coca CrossFit, A Community

10/28/2011 4:09:57 PM

Last night, I attended the charter meeting of a new group. The Coca CrossFit Book Club is a pet project of Jessica M. Shultzaberger. Jessica says that the focus of our endeavors will be books that provide mind food for our fitness goals. The first book we discussed is Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. It's a book that translates statistically significant research arrived at by psychologists who study ways that personality traits can be revealed in tests.
I read it, not expecting to learn a whole lot since this is my area of expertise. But I was surprised. I learned a huge lesson from this slim volume, and the lesson didn't have anything to do with my fitness goals. It had everything to do with an issue that has troubled me for a very long time.

I've been a fitness bum for more than twenty years. I hired a personal trainer back in the day, back when moms with toddlers in tow hadn't even heard of such a thing. Though I'm not much of a runner, I enjoy strength training, spinning, yoga, pilates, and hiking. There was even a time when I joined the Swim-cap Set for water aerobics. ...

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Halloween: Through the Years from Costumes to Holy Ghosts

9/19/2011 11:32:37 AM

Who doesn't enjoy Halloween? I know I do. For me, Halloween evokes very special memories. As a child, even the spookiness of Trick or Treating in the dark was wrapped up in tenderness and love.

For starters, Halloween is the birth date of an older brother I absolutely adored. He was tall, dark, and handsome, and I loved him with all my heart. Paul Edward Poston, Jr., the second-born in our family of eight, was "my" big brother, the guy who looked over me, his chosen little sister, my surrogate father when Dad couldn't be around. I recall Paul walking me to my music lessons at Wagner's Music Store in downtown Elyria. The first instrument I played was an accordion, and I have vivid memories of Paul carrying my accordion in its case as I trotted at his side, trying to keep up with his long stride. I thrilled to Paul's escapades as a football player for Elyria High School and Marietta College. A formative experience was being a bridesmaid when he married the one and only love of his life, Cheryl Ann "Cheri" Pasky. They were crazy in love right up 'till the day in April 2000 that he ...

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Amos Lee: A Voice Toward Reason

7/17/2011 9:29:01 PM

My guess is that singer/songwriter Amos Lee is considered an old soul by those who have known him since birth. His lyrics reflect resolute preoccupation with august themes. Using the pickax of Aristotelian logic, he trains the granite eye of inquiry upon the particular. He then mines from his examination new perceptions of universal truths. His treatises are formulated in song verses wherein he wrestles the weighty to a philosophical ground zero, and he grapples with the issues until he can rise to the higher ground of greater insight.

He sings with soul, too. As a child of the 70s, I retain an appreciation for the nakedness, sincerity, and historicity of music that strips the protective veneer of pretension from us all, for I came of age when being soulful was the quintessential goal of social evolution. There is no more meaningful compliment one can lay in a musician's guitar case than to say He has soul. Somehow, Amos Lee sings with the heavy, hurting soul of the Old South. In his voice, we hear echoes of oppressed people too intelligent not to try to give voice to injustice. When he sings, we hear the desperate spirit of ...

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Kathy Wainwright and the Art of Transition

5/19/2011 5:47:59 PM

I've always been lousy at transitions. I was probably the only kid in Elyria who was sad each and every last day of school. As an adult, I didn't get any better at making transitions. I'm so terrible at transitions, I can't even handle them when they belong to someone else. Case in point: Kathy Wainwright's farewell concert.

Kathleen Olear Wainwright is the most senior music educator in the Elyria City Schools. She is also Director of the Elyria High School Orchestra. A talented cellist who grew up in Parma, Kathy earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Bowling Green State University. She has been a member of numerous ensembles and community orchestras of distinction.

She once told me about the day she interviewed for a position in the music department at the Elyria City Schools. She and her mother, Helen, went to Friendly's Restaurant to discuss the opportunity. "I'm going to accept this offer," she decided, "because I really think I can make a difference here." I admire that kind of idealism.

It's hard to believe that more than 32 years have passed since that definitive conversation. In that period of time, Kathy has ...

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Make Way for Ducklings

4/29/2011 10:48:49 PM

Robert McCloskey's Mr. and Mrs. Mallard nested on the banks of the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. A kindly policeman named Michael stopped traffic so that the proud parents and their offspring could cross the highway in safety.

Earlier this week, I ran an errand at the University Mall in Mishawaka, Indiana, not too far from Notre Dame. It was 8:45 p.m. and hard to see, for dusk was nearly finished with the task of dousing the last rays of sunlight. I parked my car and then hustled toward the mall entrance. Suddenly, I saw a sight that made me stop in my tracks: Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, II.

When I paused to admire them, Mr. Mallard rose huffily from his perch beside his ladylove.

Puffing out his chest and clucking softly, he bravely acted as bait to draw me toward him and away from his family.

Protective and game, he remained as far from Mrs. Mallard as he could without actually stepping off the curb down to the asphalt.

I've been worried about these two ever since.

There should be, I thought, a flexible plastic temporary fence set up all around the perimeter to cordon off the area. Unseeing children ...

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Parenting At Its Best

4/22/2011 10:23:33 AM

I cannot resist posting this wonderful video clip - perfect for Easter weekend - captured by Brittany Morehouse, reporter for WUSA Channel 9 in Washington, D.C.

Family Unit through thick or thin --- traffic, that is.

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Dr. Aurora Miclat: Everything About Her Is A Love Song

4/18/2011 12:56:12 PM

This is a story, a long story, about Aurora Miclat, M.D., a woman I adore. It might also be considered a story about two unseen characters, the first an angelic influence and the second a sinister presence.

The first invisible character is Aurora's mother, a woman I never met and whose name I do not know. Her death marked the beginning of my friendship with Aurora. I believe that I would have loved this lady. Seeing her through the lens of her daughter, I know that she must have been extraordinary. Besides - I admire the inspired perfection of the name she chose for her child.

To the Romans, Aurora was the goddess of dawn. The name comes from the Latin aurum, meaning gold, as in brightness. In Metamorphoses, the Roman poet Ovid drew a word image of an energetic young woman who was always first to rise. He envisioned her tossing flowers as, tracing a pastel arc through the sky, she banished Night to another realm. A purple mantle streamed from her shoulders as she escorted Sun into the new day. Appropriately, on 13 April 2011, when seventy-seven friends, family members, and I arrived at The ...

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Donovan's Prayer

4/4/2011 5:04:07 PM

Animal enthusiasts understand that we may have many pets and we probably will love them all. But over a lifetime of sharing your home with animals, there will appear one particular furry or feathered friend who will capture your heart in a unique way. That creature will inhabit corners of your heart where unclaimed love has languished, unnoticed by all but him. The two of you share something that others do not understand. For me, this special pet is my dog, Donovan.

I'll never forget the moment I first met him. It was a dark and stormy night (it really was) in January 2007. My nineteen-year-old daughter, Julianne, had been visiting a friend in Columbus, Ohio. I noticed the headlights of her car pull into the driveway but when I realized that she was taking an unusually long time to come into the house, I went to investigate. Through a kitchen window, I could see her standing in the rain. I read an intriguing montage of expressions in her face. I saw mischievousness, secrecy, nervousness, anticipation, and delight. Thinking the door was locked I moved to open it for her. When she stepped into the house I understood ...

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Winter Storm Followed by Avalanche

2/2/2011 4:47:39 PM

I've been grateful that Miracles Every Day has sold as well as it has since its release on 15 June 2010. It has traveled via word of mouth from one enthusiastic reader to another. --Word of mouth, that is, plus the several hundred copies I have bought and given to my own contacts. I will not divulge the exact number in case my husband reads this Blog.

Yesterday, Dr. Mehmet Oz introduced the subject of my book, Issam Nemeh, M.D., to viewers of his nationally syndicated Dr. Oz Show. One way of categorizing the effect upon Miracles Every Day is to say that things got quite a bit mouthier. Another way is to say that it caused an avalanche.

The taped program was originally scheduled to air on 1/11/11. That seemed like a lucky date, and I was pleased. However, the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords caused the show to be bumped. Kathy Nemeh's reaction was characteristically cool. "All in God's time," she said with equanimity. "Everything works out exactly as it is meant to. Besides, great things have always happened to us in the month of February."

She's right. For example, in 2007, Cleveland's WKYC-TV 3 aired a week ...

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Wake-up Whistle

1/25/2011 5:00:00 PM

It is tempting to allow life to charge forward as if our moments are like boxcars clamped together into one great, endless train. We slip into routines that distance us from the felt experience of life, as if we are not really inside our own train but are watching as its tiny image chug-chugs on some distant horizon. The rote performance of our customary tasks is a gentle rhythm that lulls us from feeling the immediacy of new moments. Distracted from an awareness of the joys of the here and now, our inattentiveness has the effect of pulling us from feelings of attachment to our personal destinies, as if we have delegated to some invisible conductor the privilege of steering our course.

Once in a while, however, seemingly unrelated events happen synchronously, and the very contemporaneousness is itself a dazzling explosion that shakes us from our complacency.

Today, for example, is a day that my dear friend and fellow souljourner, Dawn Neely-Randall, marks with emotions so wide and inexpressible, the sky itself is a space that crowds them, for today is the first anniversary of the death of her husband, the love of her life, John Randall.

John was something. ...

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Connecting with Amy Miller on WSNO 1450 AM in Vermont

1/8/2011 9:00:00 PM

Connecting with Amy Miller, Podcast

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2/1/11: The Dr. Oz Show Features Dr. Nemeh

1/4/2011 10:54:23 AM

Tuesday, 1 February 2011, Dr. Mehmet Oz will introduce to the nation Dr. Issam Nemeh, who is the subject of my book Miracles Every Day. You will not want to miss this episode of Dr. Oz's television show, for you will be finally able to see and hear from a man whose faith has connected thousands and thousands of individuals with miracles and healings that defy medical explanation. It is an important story because it is an authentic one. I could not be more pleased that Dr. Oz is breaking this story to a national audience.

The broadcast will show scenes from Dr. Nemeh's daily routine. A crew of five cameramen and a producer came to Ohio to capture video footage of Dr. Nemeh at home, in his office treating patients, and at a healing service.

Dr. Nemeh also joined Dr. Oz in his television studios at the Rockefeller Center in New York City. The two physicians chatted as the cameras rolled. Dr. Oz also interviewed a couple of Dr. Nemeh's patients and their physicians, who testified that medicine alone cannot account for their miracles.

Set up your recording system. You'll want to have this one on tape.

After you ...

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New Year's Eve 2010

12/31/2010 6:29:53 PM

Though I'm not one to regret, I am a little sorry to see 2010 go. I can think of no other year in my life that is more fairytale-esque than 2010. A dreamlike montage of memories rolls from January through tonight complete with special effects fog and an orchestral sound track. It all seems too good, and too beautiful, to be true.

Up until now, I've been more or less quietly creating who I am. The subterranean me has been forming and fermenting while my primary tasks in life have been about performing roles that are created by who I am in relation to others. The view by which I've been seeing the world has been more behind-the-lens than it has been in-front-of-the-camera. Even I defined myself more by my relationships than by my own identity! I am a daughter; a sister; a student; a friend; a wife; a mother.

This year, however, was a virtual cocoon from which the person I am all by myself has emerged. I am feeling amazed because 2010 represents a kind of an unveiling, or a coming-out ball, as if the interior me has only now been presented to the outside world. What has ...

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Seeking the Light, Part 3

12/13/2010 5:00:00 PM

When Ruset and Valentina Patrascu arrived home from Toledo, Valentina booted up the computer to search the Internet for information on Dr. Nemeh. There was plenty to be found: articles published in Northeastern Ohio newspapers; blogs; testimonials; and video footage of television coverage of Dr. Nemeh's most dramatic public appearances. Most important, Valentina read on the doctor's own Web site (www.drnemeh.com and www.pathtofaith.com) that there would be a public healing service on May 13, Mother's Day, at St. Bernadette's Church in Westlake, Ohio. She and Ruset decided that they would do whatever it took to attend that healing service.

The following day, Ruset and Valentina were taking a walk in Linden Park, a playground not far from their home. A certain look crossed over Valentina's face; Ruset had seen that look many times, and it always meant that she was up to something.

"Let's go see his office," Valentina said with a sparkle in her eyes. There was no question whose office she was referring to. Ruset smiled. She was up to something!

They turned North and walked four-tenths of a mile to Center Ridge Road. Here, they turned West and walked five-tenths of a mile to the Executive Club ...

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Seeking the Light, Part 2

12/13/2010 5:00:00 PM

Ruset Patrascu was hurting. In fact, he had been hurting for a very long time. His wife, Valentina, devoted herself to finding a solution to the severe, crippling, painful arthritis he had in both of his hips. She searched all over the world for a treatment that would cure the condition of alleviate his pain. Frightening side effects made pain medication an unacceptable option for pain management. The medications wreaked havoc on his stomach and caused problems with his vision. Ruset so detested the side effects, he refused to resort to the pain alleviating medications.

The couple consulted physicians in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Brazil as well as in America in their search for an alternative to extensive surgical procedures - the replacement of both his hips - doctors said were his only option.

So concerned was Valentina with Ruset's precarious condition, she almost did not notice that her own health was becoming compromised. Eventually, she would be diagnosed with hypothyroidism, anemia that left her with very low energy and made her experience daily dizzy spells, insomnia, weight gain, heart palpitations, hot flashes, and kyphosis, a condition in which the curvature of the upper back causes arthritic pain, degeneration to ...

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Seeking the Light

12/13/2010 1:38:51 PM

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
"Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."
And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them."
-Mark 10: 14-16

Seeking the Light,
With the Heart of a Child

In 1982, Romania was a place from which Valentina and Ruset Patrascu escaped none too soon. It had become a hot spot of abuse, a place where civilians chafed under political repressions. In a word, Romania was all about control. Religious freedom was unknown, as was creative expression.

For a little girl named Valentina Luminita, this cultural cauldron bubbled over with long lasting trauma. Years later, she would feel emotional and spiritual torment from the circumstances surrounding her father's birth. He had been abandoned on the steps of a church. Unanswered questions about the identity of his parents ...

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Holy Ghosts, by Gary Jansen

12/7/2010 10:03:36 PM

Some books have such an engrossing tale to tell and are just so darned much fun to read, the marvelous hours spent immersed in the story provide you a merciful reprieve from all the junk in your life. Gary Jansen’s Holy Ghosts is just such a book.
The story itself is amazing. A young family coexisting with ghosts is an intriguing plot for a novel. What blows your mind about this book is that every word is true to life. It’s fascinating to learn how ghosts behave when they are stuck in no-man’s land. We learn that it is not easy on the ghosts to be between one’s physical life and the after life. Nor is it easy on the host family. I supposed it’s a little like having the foreign exchange student from hell under your roof, an uncooperative, ungrateful kid who tests the patience of everyone and yet maintains the attitude, What’s your problem?
What makes this book special is what Jansen does with his real-life experience as a Ghost Host. He does two things extraordinarily well. First, he packs his book with history and knowledge about his subject matter--and about how it relates to religion and, specifically, ...

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One Special Thanksgiving Prayer

11/24/2010 7:22:55 PM

John 2:1-5 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her,"Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants,"Whatever He says to you, do it."

Hiyam was in her forties, married, with two sons and one daughter. She fought breast cancer with everything the medical model had to offer and the cancer slunk away. She was a survivor for seven wonderful years.
But the dragon once again reared its fiery head, breathing devastating ruin on that sweet spell of remission. This time, cancer invaded the spine, liver, and bone. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and total disruption of the normal order of family life became the new norm. Hiyam fought to continue the daily privileges healthy women complain about: driving kids to school, attending school meetings and teacher conferences, buying ...

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For Book Clubbers . . .

10/21/2010 1:08:28 PM

Check this out:

http://www.bookclubs.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307735447&view=audiobform

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