Radio Show Restlessness

I am exhausted, but it is a happy exhausted.

Sleep has not come easy this week. Changes in vocational opportunities and the excitement of preparing for my first “solo” radio show.

I had been on the Jeff Crouere show Friday morning for about an hour to help get a better feel for the studio and how things work. It was much needed training.

My guide, board operator, producer in the studio who cues commercials and keeps me on track is Emmanuel Pepis. Thanks, man.

SO, in my invariable planning, I was going to take a few minutes to polish my material and topics Friday night. I did not leave myself enough time because I attended a banquet that ran over time.

SO, at midnight Friday, I am trying to review material and cram for the exam.

I am trying to imagine the first words out of my mouth when the mike goes live. Hoping it would not be something unforgettable like “DUH!”

I like to sleep in until 9 or 10 Saturday mornings. This will not be possible for the foreseeable future. I need to be t the studio for 6:30 to pre for a 7 am show. That means getting up at 5:30. That SHOULD mean getting to bed around ten. No way!

SO, I went to bed with my mind racing and doubts creeping like shadows across the lawn at end of day.

I finally passed out around 3, then got up at 5:30.

I will continue the first day broadcast diary tomorrow.

Just remember this, the best call of the day was the one that did not make it on the air.

By the way, you can hear podcast on www.wgso.com.

What a Weekend!

The Crawfish Cook Off was a huge success!

The final numbers are not in yet, but we went through over 35,000 lbs. of crawfish and sold out of tickets at 10,000. Children 12 and under got in free with an adult. We estimate that raised the total in attendance to nearly 12,000 people.

The Hospice Foundation of the South puts this event on every year. Our goals are to pay for needs of hospice patients that have limited means. Also, we want to build a residence. This weekend puts us a lot closer to both goals.

If you are not familiar with hospice care, let me encourage you to get informed. You might begin by checking on this website.

http://www.hospicenet.org/

Also, contact your local social services agency or a local hospital.

You will enrich your life by being better prepared when the end comes for yourself or family member.

Hospice can help.

Hot Crawfish and Hospice

Tomorrow is one of the biggest days of the year for my family and me. It is the 5^th Annual Crawfish Cook off contest sponsored by Hospice Foundation of the South. It is an event we have volunteered for from day one.

I have been a volunteer member of the Board for over 5 years with HFS and enjoy the things we’re able to do. Before the cook off, HFS used to do a golf tournament and had reasonable success with it. The cook off has taken us to a whole new level.

Every man in South Louisiana with a boiling pot and a portable burner believes he is the best crawfish cook in the South. We let them assemble a team and pay an entry fee for the chance to prove it.

We have 50 teams competing this year with a waiting list of another 20+ teams that wanted to cook, but we ran out of room.

We have live music all day, carnival games and great time in the Bayou Country.

We are anticipating 8-10,000 people in attendance. That means about 40,000 lbs of crawfish will be boiled, served and consumed!

Why?

Because we are raising money to do two things.

1 Fund hospice care for those who have need for financial help.

2 Eventually build a hospice residence for people to spend their last days in dignity, comfort and compassion before their long good bye.

It makes it worth the effort to know someday we will be able to provide this kind of care for families.

I will post later this weekend to let you know how we do.

Touched Forever

One Granny in particular, Miss Liz, was especially memorable. She was one of the most tenderhearted and gentle people I have ever met.

When you would talk to her about her family or the scrapbook, her eyes would immediately moisten, her bottom lip would quiver and her voice would start to crack.

The expression of thankfulness for not being forgotten would get lodged sideways in her throat to where it felt like something choking her with emotion. She knew the stories of her kids by heart. She had just about memorized them. Her devotion to her family was deep and heartfelt. She felt honored at the opportunity to be involved in the lives of these children. She prayed for them daily and prayed with them whenever she was on the phone with them or with them on family outings.

But, there was something Miss Liz hid from her family until it was too late.

She was dying.

The end came swiftly and shook the lives of her family forever.

This would be the first experience for all her adopted family to have someone they were close to pass away.

When we gathered at the funeral home to say goodbye the atmosphere was thick with emotion. Miss Liz’s kids were all there and dressed in their Sunday best. Some of the young asked their parents to take them to buy a coat and tie for the first time in their lives. They wanted to look their best for Miss Liz. Their own families were there to help them through this time for they too had been touched by this incredible widow.

What’s the most memorable thing about this experience?

The students having to grapple with death for the first time? No.

The way it drew other families together and to support their own 7^th graders in time of grief. Important, but not ultimate.

The most memorable thing was as students would arrive and walk tentatively to the coffin to view the body, they would almost all burst into tears at the same sight. Not the sight of this loving woman whom they would deeply miss.

No, it was the only thing she requested to be buried with her, the thing she was clutching to her heart…the family scrapbook!

Holliday Heart Tugs

Things went great with our Adopt-a-Granny program. The Grannies were basking in the attention and the students were learning not to fear older folks. The kids were also experiencing unconditional love and someone who believed in them.

When late November approached, we began planning the Christmas party for our kids. We asked them if they wanted to go on hayride and go caroling and then ice skating. Their response was open revolt!. They weren’t doing anything without their Grannies!

So now I have 70 7^th graders wanting to bypass their own self centered holiday party and host a banquet at church for their Grannies!

The big day arrived, so we stayed after the morning services at church. Each Granny sat at the head of a table with her family all gathered. Every time a granny would rattle their glass of ice water, one student would jump up to get the cup, another would get more water and the other more ice. These women were not going to dehydrate on their watch!

It came time for gift giving and that’s when things got memorable.

Each Granny was handed a big package to unwrap. Each Granny received a custom made scrapbook that said ‘MY FAMILY” on the cover. Inside the first page was a group photo of her kids. Each following page was an individual page for each student, their picture and their handwritten life story. Also, each child wrote a personal note to their Granny.

I thought we were going to have to take the Grannies as a group to the optometrist. The eyestrain from trying to read 7^th grade penmanship with tears flowing was almost more than they could handle. Considering the tears, it is good we kept them hydrated.

The Grannies eyes sparkled, their faces glowed and their arms clutched their gifts to their heart. They each gathered their kids around them and talked about their pictures and writing.

How often in life does one get to see hearts being knit together?

The people who win Oscars and Emmys are mere shadows in their acceptance speeches compared to the gratitude of the Grannies on that day!

We heard from biological family members of the Grannies how those scrapbooks were the best gifts the Grannies got that year.

Our students learned a little about one simple truth- you realyl live when you start to give!

Read next blog to hear a final chapter in the scrapbook story.

Bridging the Generation Gap

Back in Houston over 20 years ago, I was the lead teacher for a group of 7th graders in a weekly Bible study class at a large suburban church. This group had around 60-70 students per week in attendance and they were divided into smaller groups for discussion. Each of these groups was called a share group.

I wanted to have something tangible that the students could do in service to others in the church. We decided to have an “Adopt-a-Granny” ministry. Each group would be assigned a widow in the church to care for. They were to each call or write their Granny each week and then once per month the whole share group, usually 10-12 students and their adult leaders, were to do something with Granny.

This worked better than I could have ever hoped for.

The kids loved talking on the phone to someone who would listen, affirm and encourage them in all their pursuits. They loved having a grown up who was interested in their story and interests. Most of the students were going through the turmoil of their teen years and needed someone to accept them and their feelings without judgment.

On the other hand, the Grannies loved getting an additional dozen phone calls per week from their new family members. When I too would call each Granny each week, they would fairly glow over the phone talking about their “kids”.

For the monthly outing, they might go to prepare a meal at their Granny’s home, but usually they picked her up and took her somewhere. The Grannies would mark their date on the calendar and look forward to it with much anticipation. They would get dressed to the nines, tell their friends about the outing before and afterwards.

Next blog will talk about an unforgettable Christmas.

David Cook Video

I just learned how to add video to blog so here goes. This is video mentioned in my previous post.

All the Lonely People

Ever get a song stuck in your head that just won’t quit?

Eleanor Rigby. Not the original version by the Beatles, but covered by David Cook on American Idol. Go to youtube.com and check it out.

It does have the haunting hopelessness of the original version but a new level of passion comes through. I think of this as I consider visits to many nursing homes. You see hall after hall of seniors in their wheelchairs just outside their doors. They are waiting.

Waiting for someone to notice. Waiting for someone to give a smile. Waiting for something to happen. Waiting for life to be over.

In their lives, many times waiting =wanting.

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?

How do we answer these questions? How do YOU answer these questions?

They come from US. They are our family, friends and former co-workers.

They belong in our hearts. Let us not be content to group them together in “homes” out of sight and out of mind.

Tomorrow I will talk about the incredible experience of teaching 7^th graders to forget selfishness when they all “adopted a granny”.

It’s the SIMPLE thoughts, gestures and words that can bring SOLUTIONS into the lives of seniors!

Paradigms

The e-mail responses just keep coming. I sent out 1,700 e-mails announcing the new radio show yesterday. The initial response was heartening and now it is picking up momentum.

People are starting to see the plight and get a glance at the pending problems. No family in America has been untouched by the Age Wave and its’ rising tide.

Van Mueller is a mentor of mine. He is a thoughtful and brilliant man not only in area of financial services, but in seeing things clearly and simply. I will adapt a great deal of his Three Paradigms discussion in each broadcast.

I will soon be scheduling public seminars to present the three paradigms and let people get personally involved in how they are going to work through events.

Perhaps we should define paradigm. Dictionary.com gives this definition. “One that serves as a pattern or model.” It is the way one comes to view the world and its’ arrangements. However, if we are not alert and prepared, as the paradigm changes we will be caught in a mess.

For example, when people planned retirement for this time and they were making their plans 30 years ago, which ones anticipate, CATV with 500 channels, internet and Google, cell phones replacing land lines and other technological innovations? They make our lives “better’ but also bring additional costs many were not ready to include in their budget.

Another paradigm shift is how people view and adjust to religious or spiritual matters. Dan Sullivan says it well when he talks about many of the institutions we have come to rely upon are going through revolutionary changes. Along with the family, churches today are being up heaved in constant turmoil. Young adults and teens today do not have the “brand loyalty” to faith and denominations their parents grew up observing.

In New Orleans, near our town, thousands of good, loyal Catholics have had their world rocked by the closing and consolidation of dozens of parishes. There is over $100 million in uninsured property damage and 20% of the Catholic population has not returned.

Another big factor is that it is getting harder each year to recruit young men to the priesthood. Their numbers are dwindling and the ones in place are being affected by the Age Wave- they are getting older and living longer.

Among Protestants, where seem to be two trends in the future. Heading toward the “seeker friendly congregation” like the ones pioneered by Bill Hybels and Rick Warren. Many of these have hi tech but not high touch. They can entertain and give one a jolt of encouragement, but there seems to be missing the call to self sacrifice and seeking first the Kingdom.

Another is smaller, home based groups. These are people who are growing tired or do not find the “organized church” attractive or satisfying. There is more in the way of personal encouragement and accountability in these groups.

As someone who has been in “organized” church for my entire lifetime, I see a group that is on the verge of being ignored. Seniors.

In the Baptist churches in which I have belonged, after the church grows big enough o add staff to the pastor they usually look for some combination of music/youth minister. Very rarely do you find addition of a Senior Adult Pastor in many congregations. However, they are the fastest growing segment of our society and the most loyal members and best givers.

More about this later.

Web Site Wonders & 80% Solution

Dan Sullivan , the Strategic Coach, talks about the 80% solution. He ways when we take on a new task or skill set that we just jump into and not spend too much time “getting ready”.

He correctly says that it does not matter if you jump right in, spend months preparing or years trying to get things perfect, you will feel about 80% satisfied with how your effort turns out. However, those outside of you life will see you effort as 98% successful!

I owe much to my website host, www.1and1.com. They have a great little program called Website Builder. It takes people with limited PC skills like myself and steps you through designing and editing your own web site. IT WORKS!

Check out www.balinas.net.

Not bad for about 5-6 hours on the learning curve. Now I know how to keep it current and add a little to it at a time.

I sent an email blast with another program I love- www.constantcontact.com. It is an amazing program that you can use like I did in 15 minutes this morning to compose and send an email about the new radio show to 1700 people. I have had 40+ responses so far. It is going to be a great voyage with the Senior Solutions ship leaves the dock, April 26^th at 7 a.m.

One of the emails was from the publisher of a local magazine who gave me 20 additional ideas of how to help seniors. I have obviously hit upon an emotional underground river of lava hot feelings that are boiling to the surface now that the topic is out in the open.

Remember, “the gray hairs are coming, the gray hairs are coming!”

See you soon.

Old Dog, New Tricks

We never know what we are capable of doing until we try. I have a great internet hosting service with 1and1.com. They offer a simple little program called Website Builder. After struggling for awhile, I finally figured out how to construct my new website for the radio show to kick off.

It took one call to tech support and a little patience and it will be ready to post on web in three days.

It will move away from the old www.balinas.net which had to hop through compliance hoops regarding financial products. It will be more about coaching and counseling. I have come to better realization of how to fulfill my life pursue and passion by doing more with communicating with a larger audience about the Age Wave and the effects it is going to have.

I love being a resource person. To get to know people’s sotires and discern their needs anthen help them connect with people and resources that will help them in particular ways.

One tool that has helped me discover this is www.kolbe.com. It is a valuable tool to help people discover what their instincts and natural gifts are. It also make recommendations as to specific career cluster one should consider.

The things it suggests I would be good at include:

Advertising

Public relations

Comedian

Therapist

Radio interviewer

Copy Writer

Fundraiser Crisis Center Director

I can see parts of all these blending as I get the radio show up and going. I am also considering some part time marketing for a company that has been doing in home care giving for over 40 years in Greater New Orleans area.

Be sure to mark the launch date, APRIL 26^TH, 7 a.m. on your calendars and be prepared to call in. In greater New Orleans, you can hear it on 990 AM, WGSO. Or go to www.wgso.com to catch on the internet..

Graduation Gifts that Keep on Giving

The postal service will soon be choked with graduation invitations for high schools and colleges. We have a senior departing our home this year.

There is always a debate about what makes a good graduation gift. Let me give you several suggestions that will last a lifetime.

1 The book The Richest Man in Babylon This simple story is a treasure of economic and personal finance advice that has stood the test of time. I have been giving it to all graduates for the last 5 years. (Hint- parents should read it as well. In fact it is a great book for anyone 12 and over).

2 Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill This is a classic as well. Mr. Hill took 20 years of his life studying the greatest success stories of his day and wrote this book about the common principles that saw them through. There are some parts that are slightly weird, but they can be ignored.

3 The Success Principles. If I had to suggest just ONE volume, this would be it. Over 60 short, practical chapters and a great blueprint for success in every area of life. Canfield is the very successful author/editor of Chicken Soup for the Soul books and products.

4 Ten Laws of Lifetime Growth by Dan Sullivan. Dan Sullivan is The Strategic Coach. Some of his more well known clients include Jack Canfield, David Bach and Bruce Wilkinson. Dan will stretch your thinking and increase your vision of ow to set a course for your life.

5 Shut Up, Stop Whining and Get a LIfe by Larry Winget. Not meant for the timid or easily offended. Larry is the Pitbull of Personal Development and a tremendous author and no nonsense speaker who rightly stresses PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!

6 The Jim Rohn One Year Success Course. Found at Jimrohn.com and it is a huge investment of time, about hour weekly to do exercises and $20 per month to complete. However, its' value is incalculable.

Momentum is Building

We have made a few more contacts for potential sponsors for the radio show and they are enthusiastic. One group that is fired up is a mortgage company that has a lot of experience in the reverse mortgage business.

Reverse mortgages can be a tremendous source of tax free revenue or cash for seniors. They can turn an illiquid asset into either a lump sum or series of payments.

Want to read a modern day, true horror story? Read the front print on your next Social Security benefits estimate you get in the mail each year. Read about what is NOT going to be there when you retire.

The coming age wave is going to lead to intergenerational conflict. The seniors are going to vote to protect their government promised benefits at the cost to future generations of increased taxes or reduced benefits.

When the full economic impact of the age wave begins to wash over us, there will be no USA to bail us out. Our economy and especially our indecisive and timid national leaders will NOT make the hard choices to get us back on stable financial ground.

Oh, by the way-costs of future Social Security benefits is dwarfed in comparison to Medicare adn Medicaid projections.

Better find a financial adviser/coach who will tell you the truth and who understands economics nd not just charts and graphs with % rate returns.

Great resources for Senior Issues

There are several great places to learn about the coming Age Wave or keep up with its' effects.

I recommend the books by Ken Dychtwald Age Wave and Age Power. Ken has been heralding the coming changes for years and he is a voice to be regarded with seriousness. Both his books should be required reading for anyone in public office, social services or just about any area of society. The Age Wave is going to reach and change everyone of us.

I also reading USA Today constantly. It has article relating to economics or aging issues every week. They usually give an overview and are not in depth articles. They are enough to get you informed and spurred on to do your own research.

I also suggest the magazine The Economist. It is better at predicting financial futures than Money or other popular fare. By the time some periodicals come out with their "Best Stock " for the future predictions, the picks are several months old. If you want an interesting study, go find the top 10 picks from some of these magazines the last ten years and see how their picks have done.

More good news about pending radio show that begins April 26th. We have so many people wanting to be sponsors we have expanded our time from 60 to 90 minutes. This will allow more guests and longer times to have callers call to the show.

The countdown has begun. In less than three weeks, I begin my first ever radio show. It all begins April 26th at 7 a.m.

I finally have found an opportunity to share my passion and personal knowledge to help the most people at one time. I am going to spread the news to the generations.

I will begin a radio talk show highlighting the coming AGE WAVE and how it will affect all of us individually and as families.

The show will be on 990 am WGSO out of Slidell, LA. It can be heard at www.wgso.com.

The response when I discuss the show's concept had been overwhelmingly positive and lots of "it's about time!"

People have been silent about issues concerning the graying of American too long and I am going to be the Paul Revere and shout the warning- "the gray hairs are coming, the gray hairs are coming".

My own extended family is partial inspiration and motivation.

We experienced he challenges of long distance care giving with my Mom in her last years. We swam through the sea of red tape regarding Medicaid and nursing home selection. We developed he needed documents such as will and advanced medical directives.

Now, we are beginning to see ominous signs of deterioration in other branches of the family-loss of motivation, loss of income, confusing and conflicting stories when we call home and over medication is a real possibility.

I have outlined 80+ potential themes for upcoming show-Alzheimer, dementia, end of life planning, affect of attitude, goal setting for golden years, health an nutrition, how to keep mind sharp and many others.

I had phone calls from Social Security office on the local and state level wanting to know when they can come on and handle calls.


Keep reading here for further details about the show.