Category: Grateful Heart Monday

Welcome to another Grateful Heart Monday, where gratitude remains the main focus of my writing at the start of every week, which for today is for two people, Chuck and Lynn Sords, who were really there for me just after my father took his life and remained a loving part of my life ever since.

It’s hard to believe that it has been over two and half decades since my father took his life. As tragic as his passing was all those years ago, there indeed was a very strong blessing that came just after it and that was the entrance into my life of a couple who attended the church I was attending at the time, who surrounded me with love when I felt it wasn’t worth being loved or loving anyone anymore.

Those initial weeks after my father’s passing were a total blur, even to this day, but if there is one thing I remember quite vividly during that period of time, it was Chuck and Lynn approaching me on one of the Sunday’s I attended service after my Dad’s death at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington D.C. There, in their hands, was a small teddy bear that on its shirt said, “Prayer Bear”. They told me that the bear would comfort me through that difficult time and that the love of them both was in that bear. I most assuredly felt that when I took the bear into my hands. That day the service was taken from the book of “Philip” and I subsequently named the bear that solely for that reason. Philip has remained a close part of my life and either slept in my bed or nearby my bed ever since, always reminding me that there is someone in this world who truly loves me, even when I sometimes don’t feel worthy of being loved or loving at all.

I truly have been grateful for Philip, but I’m more grateful for Chuck and Lynn remaining a part of my life ever since that day I received the teddy bear. Chuck and Lynn became surrogate parents of sorts after that, given all the turmoil I went through. They truly surrounded me with unconditional love, opening up their home countless times to me, for meals, game nights, conversation, and connection, something I never really had much of in my own biological family.

While over the years the proximity to where Chuck and Lynn live to where I live has grown quite distant, all it takes to see how close I still am to either is to pick up the phone and call them, or to suddenly receive a call from either, like I did recently from Chuck. I tend to generally feel much better after talking to them and often wish I did live much closer to them.

How many times Chuck and Lynn have consoled me when I needed it, embraced with me warmth, and surrounded me with love over the years is countless by this point in time, and although I have not seen either in person in well over a decade by now, I still continue to feel their presence in my heart and soul and probably always will.

Philip will forever be a wonderful reminder of their love, but Chuck and Lynn’s love for me and vice versa most definitely transcends far beyond the physical construct of the teddy bear. I know God put Chuck and Lynn in my life exactly when I needed it, by moving their hearts to connect with mine through the gift of Philip, and I will eternally be thankful for that and for them continuing to remain a part of my life ever since that day.

That’s why today’s Grateful Heart Monday is dedicated to two individuals in this world who have consistently shared their hearts and love openly with me, embracing me with something I never had much of growing up. Thank you, Chuck and Lynn Sords for all you’ve done for me, you both mean the world to me and always will…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Welcome to another Grateful Heart Monday, where gratitude becomes my only focus in my writing, which for today is for a privilege I’ve often taken for granted, and that’s my ability to drive and having a valid driver’s license.

How many of you who have a valid driver’s license and regularly drive yourself to all the places you do have ever expressed gratitude for it? Up until today’s posting, I’m not sure if I ever have myself. The fact is, I drive a lot. In fact, the Toyota Camry I drive that has been mine since I bought it off a lot in late 2006 has almost 280,000 miles on it if that gives you any idea of how much I tend to be behind the wheel. Of course, to be able to drive that much, I have to have a valid driver’s license, something I got way back in 1989 in New York and have never been without since. How many places I’ve personally driven myself to since then is countless at this point in my life. Jobs, interviews, 12 Step meetings, day trips, vacations, romantic dates, friend outings, game nights, movie ventures, coffee get togethers, speaking engagements, volunteer gigs, and so much more, each having been so much easier getting to because I’ve had a valid driver’s license and ability to drive myself wherever I needed to.

After going to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) here in Toledo recently and sitting amongst many trying to get back on the road or possibly for the first time, I came to really appreciate a luxury many don’t have in this world, many of whom I’ve personally met through the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous who lost their licenses long ago and don’t have the ability to drive anymore due to driving under the influence. It’s something I think about regularly each time I attend a meeting and hear about someone who got a DUI. Truthfully, I drank and drove illegally many times over back in the day during my active addict years and should have lost my license each time I did. Thank God I never hurt anyone back then, including myself, and thank God I never lost my license either. That’s why I was so grateful at the BMV, as renewing my license was a rather painless process. I showed up, filled out some paperwork, answered some questions, retook an eye test, and a short while later, was walking out with documents showing my approval for the new federal driver’s license.

Many of us who have this privilege to drive never realize how difficult it is for others who don’t have this privilege, who have to rely on public transportation to carry on their lives. I’ve met some who have to get up an extra hour and a half early just to get to their jobs on time using public transportation. And what about those who don’t have licenses who have to do grocery shopping? I simply go to the store and load all those bags into my car and then unload them right at my front door. Others who don’t have the ability to drive have to carry all of theirs onto buses and walk blocks and blocks just to get them home. If I had to rely upon public transportation to do any of this, there is a single bus that leaves a few streets over from my home only twice a day and doesn’t really go to any of the places I regularly go to. In fact, many of the places I drive to in this area don’t even have public transportation going there.

It’s for these reasons and many more, that I most assuredly am thankful for still having my ability to drive. Having my ability to drive and having this license in my wallet after all these years since I first got it, is absolutely something I want to celebrate for today’s Grateful Heart Monday and something I don’t ever want to take for granted again.

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Welcome to another round of gratitude for this week’s Grateful Heart Monday, which for today is for Chadwick Boseman, an actor who I came to admire his talent and perseverance no matter what circumstances he faced in life.

As most know by now, Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020 due to a very painful 4-year-long battle with colon cancer. But, throughout his painful circumstances, most would have never known the struggles he was facing, as he continued to act and star in a number of impressive films including Marshall, Avengers Infinity War and Endgame, 21 Bridges, Da 5 Bloods, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. What I came to appreciate the most about Boseman in watching all those movies was that he never gave up, or in, to his illness and throughout it all, he showed the world how incredible an actor he was.

While Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was not necessarily my cup of tea for the type of movie I like to watch, his performance within it was electrifying and incredibly believable, so much so, that it earned him many acting awards for the role. I was so excited that one of them was an Academy Award nomination for playing the character Levee in the movie and had really hoped he’d take home the trophy on Oscar night posthumously. Sadly, he didn’t, but he most assuredly left his impressive mark upon Hollywood in his too-young-to-die 43-year-old life.

The first time I saw how dynamic of an actor Boseman was came in the film “42” where he played the role of baseball legend Jackie Robinson. It was such a memorable one for me that I, even 8 years later, remember vividly the story of Robinson and even bought the film for home viewing because of how well Boseman played him.

I always tell people the mark of a great actor or actress is when you no longer see the person playing the role they are playing and instead you feel like you are actually watching the person they are embodying in the film. Said in another way, it’s when a gifted actor or actress is able to lose themselves completely in the role they are playing. There are a number of great actors and actresses throughout movie history that come to mind who have done this quite well and have often been nominated for many acting awards because of it. Two modern day individuals who come to mind the quickest for me are Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis. Both built their resume up from one film to the next, getting better and better with each performance and I believe that Boseman would have eventually joined their ranks and been amongst the greats in acting history if he had remained alive.

That’s why I’m so sad that Boseman passed away tragically from a disease he wrestled with painfully for far too long. I am grateful though that even through it all he showed the world and especially me, just how amazing he was, both as an actor and as a human being with an incredible ability to persevere no matter what his circumstances were in life. You will be missed Chadwick and I dedicate today’s Grateful Heart Monday to your life and how much it touched mine.

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson