It was on January 12, 2007 that keepers former therapist of 17 years was found guilty on five counts of abuse in his treatment of us while he remained our therapist of record.  Hearing that this man was found guilty brought great relief to keepers and gave us a new faith in how justice works here in the U.S. After the guilty verdict was handed down, we were told that the judge would hand down the disciplinary action against him by the end of March. We were told to expect to hear the judges decision by April 1 or shortly after.  Well, we are now approaching the end of May and keepers have heard nothing at all.  For the last six weeks, keepers have sunk further and further into depression because we had put so many years and so much effort into a case against an abusive therapist that–we were sure–was going to end up with him getting off with no consequences for what he did to keepers and our family.  It has been so painful to check our snail mail every day for the last 6 weeks and find nothing there from the State with the information we so badly needed to have.

This morning, keepers found out that it would be another month or 6 weeks until we receive our letter telling us the action taken against our former therapist by the state of Missouri.  It seems that after the judge hands down her decision in the case–the entire complaint and court records are sent to a commissioner who reviews everything and eventually puts his/her stamp of approval on the disciplinary action taken.  Unfortunately, this is a long process because our case is among thousands that this commissioner has to work with right now.  Besides which, there are many steps this commissioner and his/her office have to take on each case before the case is signed off on. So, it will be another 6 weeks of waiting before keepers know anything about the disciplinary action taken against our former therapist.  But we have been reassured that it is still being approached with the determination that this man should not be licensed in any way shape or form and that all is well in terms of how keepers have handled ourselves as this case unfolded–which means an awful lot to keepers since our insecurities had begun taking over for us in this experience.

Real relief came for keepers as we were told all of this today.  We are smart enough to know that anything dealing with government takes forever so the length of all this was not really the issue we were dealing with.  Keepers do not handle the unknown very well at all and we do cope well when we are being put in the situation of not understanding what is happening.  Both of these situations take keepers back to a time and place where nothing at all made sense in our lives.  That is a place we never want to be again.  But, now, that keepers know what is happening and all is well with our part in our case against this man–keepers are coming back into balance and feeling a sense of security that we thought had been taken away from us.  Keepers will do ok with waiting out the next month or six weeks simply because we know it is just part of the process and that keepers are still on track with all of this.  It is our knowing what is unfolding that has made all the difference.

Keepers can now put our case against our former therapist on the back burner and allow it to simmer until we receive that letter with the disciplinary action detailed inside.  Since we have been working on this complaint for the last 6 years, we have come to feel accepting of the time we spend just simply waiting.  But, now, we know that word will come after another wait–not as lengthy as some have been but longer than keepers would like.

So, keepers are can move other issues to the front burners now.  Thing like getting KEEPERSKORNER running well again and dealing with some family issues that keep on erupting in our lives.  As they say, I guess, it is onward and upward for keepers once again.

peace and blessings,

keepers

Keepers once listened to a talk that someone we know was giving. This man was saying that each human being is born onto this earth with a job to do and a lesson to learn and a gift to give. This man was claiming this concept to be his own when the words were actually written by a man named Ernest Holmes some years ago. Still, this premise that we are all born having these three things to accomplish in our lifetimes has been life altering for keepers because it something that just makes so much sense to the thinkers in our system.

However, keepers live in multiplicity and take things much differently than most in the world do so–as we pondered the concept of our being born with a job to do and a lesson to learn and a gift to give–we felt completely overwhelmed by the thought of taking these three goals and moving consistently along never straying from keepers singular job to do or from the one lesson we are meant to learn or from the solitary gift that we are meant to give on this earth. Eventually, keepers began to see that this concept is, indeed, a good one for keepers to follow but not necessarily one we can follow as it was originally laid out to us.

Keepers have found that each of these things set out before us is a very necessary part of our lives. But it does not follow one long path that never twists or turns. The job we are meant to do on one particular day is not the same task we are meant to accomplish on another day. We have discovered that the dawning of each new day brings with it the promise of a brand new lesson that has to get into our system and be learned on all levels. The gift that keepers are meant to give each day differs too. We do not give the same gifts here at KEEPERSKORNER as we gave when we were babysitting our Grandbabies and the gifts from a Grandmothers heart were not appropriate when we were sitting at Hospice as our dear friend Deana journeyed homeward. So, the only way for keepers to work successfully with our job to do and our lesson to learn and our gift to give is to adapt the AA Saying–One day at a time.

Right now, keepers get up each morning consciously setting our goals for the day. We will do the job we are meant to do and we will learn a new lesson in that day and we will give a gift to someone somewhere on this earth. We vow not to come to rest at night until we feel like we have met each one of these goals. We start out each day knowing that the opportunity to meet each goal will present itself along the way. But we also have come to know that we can not sit there and determine what job we will do that day or what lesson we want to learn or even what gift we will give. We have found that, for us, it is much better to move along through the day and simply work with the opportunities that present themselves for us to meet our goals before we come to rest on any particular night.

Now that things are more difficult here at KEEPERSKORNER, a very interesting phenomenon is taking place in our lives. The job we are meant to do is somehow showing keepers the lesson we need to learn which, in turn, is opening new doors on what gifts we are meant to give on any particular day. For example, keepers may spend much of one day talking with someone who is feeling completely lost and alone. All we do in our conversation is try to let that person know that keepers really do care and that we have been exactly in the same place many times before. But as these conversations unfold, keepers are learning so much. On the outside, keepers are sitting with the phone to our ear talking about hobbies or movies or kitty cats or whatever else seems to be of light interest to the person on the other end of the line. But on the inside, keepers are learning so much more about aloneness and isolation. We are conversing well while realizing (in silence) what a tremendous problem the aloneness people feel really is on this earth. By the end of the day, keepers have come to see that all we can do is give our time and caring to those who call but by our being devoted to doing that–we are finding our gift to give on some days and under some circumstances.

Over the last few years, keepers have spoken with many people (who are far wiser than we) concerning our job to do and our lesson to learn and our gift to give. We have a dear friend who is an Aethiest. She tells us that being aware of these three goals each day has nothing to do with God but only with our internal structure and our internal needs to define each 24 hour period for ourselves. But then we sit and discuss it with a minister of one faith who says that accomplishing these goals each day is keepers doing God’s work on this earth. Yet a priest sits and tells keepers that we are so unworthy and meeting our goals each day is simply keepers making amends for not being good enough for God. Then, we speak with a therapist who tells us that the Catholic Way means following a treadmill God that keeps us constantly on that treadmill without keepers ever actually getting any where. So, in this one instance, looking outward for advice or understanding has only brought greater confusion and discord into our system of alters.

But, when keepers are sitting quietly in meditation, we know full well that we must meet our job to do head on each day. We must be open to learning whatever lesson we are meant to learn and we must be giving our gift to give with full loving hearts. On some very deep and personal level, this is what keepers know we must define our lives by. We have to wake each morning committed to meeting each of these three goals before we come to rest at night. For years now, this has been working for us and we have faith that it will continue to work for our system.

As many of you know, hard times have befallen KEEPERSKORNER lately. Again, we have indeed looked outward for answers and advice. From some sources we are being told that all the bad things are happening because keepers were stupid in believing we could help improve the quality of life for other multiples. Other sources say that KEEPERSKORNER has done some real good for people and that some evil force does not like that so is attacking in an effort to destroy what keepers have built. Still others have told us that everything that is happening is just coincidence and will pass with time and patience.

In many ways, the world and its philosophies make no sense at all to keepers right now. This wonderful statement made from the pulpit one day about having a job to do and a lesson to learn and a gift to give has become the foundation of keepers lives. Still, we are well aware that keepers had to take the statement about lifelong quests and break it down on a day to day basis. Sometimes, we wonder if this makes us fools or what since we could not follow the exactness of what was set before us. We listen to this friend and that friend and the other friend speak their views on God but each set of views seems to be little more than rules established by mankind. To keepers, this makes no sense because there are already too many rules governing us on this earth. One faith seems to pull keepers in one direction while another pulls us in a completely different direction. In essence, there seems to be absolutely no congruity or real agreement on the issue of God in any way. So, all keepers can do is follow what we see as true.

KEEPERSKORNER is now fully in the hands of our CEO–God, Himself. These are days when things are far beyond keepers control and where answers only seem to come in disjointed form that make things worse when we act upon them. So, for now, keepers have put our website and our charitable organization into the hands of God who–we believe–has been our guiding force all along. In truth, keepers have no way to make sense out of anything or to understand the path we are meant to take. But like they say WHEN KEEPERS CAN’T–GOD CAN. In essence, this is indeed a time of waiting to see what God wants keepers to do from here. Since our trust in God is complete and without question, we are fine with waiting to be given the next step we are meant to take.

But while we are waiting, keepers know that we must still wake up each morning fully committed to doing our job for that day and learning our lesson for that day and giving our gift for that day. These may be done in very small ways right now. We may have days when our only job to do is inhaling and exhaling while we wait. The only lesson we may learn is to be far more patient than ever before and the only gift we may give is a hug to our next door neighbor or a smile to someone who is worried about us. But, each night, we will go to sleep with a strong sense that we have done our job and learned our lesson and given our gift on that particular day.

Being a survivor of severe abuse, letting go of all control is an extremely frightening and difficult thing for keepers to do. But things are at a point where a power much higher than us in our human state needs to have control and determine our future. So, keepers lay at the feet of God all of our problems and broken dreams. Then we wait to see what comes next.

Thank you, God, for always being there for keepers and for taking over when there is little left that keepers can do.

peace and blessings,

keepers

One week ago tomorrow was Mother’s Day, 2007. Anyone who knows keepers at all was fully aware that this Mother’s Day was so incredibly difficult for us. We had realized the only thing we can do now is let go of our external children and wish them well in their lives without keepers. Our grief was overwhelming as keepers tears flowed throughout that day. Then, that evening–keepers were contacted by someone we had considered a dear friend for a long time now. She was well aware of the levity of Mother’s Day and still chose that very day to attack us on things she thought keepers were doing wrong. Keepers saw our friends words as harsh and cold and very untrue in many ways. However, had this friend waited until Monday morning to email us, she might have gotten a very different response than she got from keepers. It is true what they say–timing really is everything. Then, one day early this past week, keepers were contacted by this person who claims to be Munchkin. All I can say is that this was not a pleasant experience at all. Then, keepers sister called keepers out of nowhere looking for our alcoholic brother who has spent many years on a self-destructive downward spiral. As always, keepers hearing from our sister was not only unpleasant but destructive to our system as she exudes such a sense of superiority that it just beats keepers down. The fact that our brother had once again disappeared from the face of the earth in one of his alcoholic binges did not help either. Keepers know we have done all we can do for our family of origin but keepers still care about our brother very much. After that came a phone call from John’s mentor at work. He was calling to let us know that the wife of one of John’s coworkers passed away on Thursday morning. And lastly, keepers were faced with the emotional devastation of realizing that federal licensing is not the way for us to go in doing KEEPERSKORNER.

Needless to say this past week has been the week from hell around here. After Mother’s Day, keepers were feeling bad enough that we sunk–rather quickly–into our inner pool of self-pity and reverted back to our old ways of seeing everyone and everything as very cold and cruel. Our sense of hurt and despair was so great that keepers shut down in many ways for three of the last five days.

All of this came about at a time when keepers had already been struggling to keep the faith and to continue moving forward. We have spent eight long months waiting and hoping that things would get moving with our website. We have gotten to see this as just the way things are meant to be but, emotionally, it has still been very painful for keepers. Not one keepers has stood at our easel or worked at our drafting table in months which means our creative flow has been halted for some reason. Our yoga had been out of sync for several weeks. The deeper into depression keepers were sinking–the less energy we had to put into our workout. S0, when all of this hit this past week–keepers were far from being in physical of psychological condition to cope with it all.

Still, keepers woke up this morning knowing full well that we had felt sorry for ourselves long enough. We were only making things worse for everyone by not getting ourselves back on track and moving forward with all that needs to be done. Not only that but several people that we had spoken to this past week have told us that the people who hurt us so badly over the last few days were getting exactly what they wanted by keepers giving up and withdrawing from the world.

So, like I said, we got up this morning realizing that keepers have a job to do and we need to do it well because it matters to many people. Besides, keepers have a stubborn streak a mile long and that stubborn streak flatly refuses to give satisfaction to those who are out to hurt us.

But in getting ourselves up and moving again, keepers know that we never ever want to feel as badly as we have this last week. We want to be happy and peaceful in doing KEEPERSKORNER. We want to take pride in what we do and always give our very best–even to those who see what we have to offer as never good enough for him or her. So, keepers have had to change some of the parameters we have been trying to work with. The changes are as follows.

First, keepers know that we make mistakes and fall short on many occasions. We understand that our friends and family often feel the need to approach us on our shortcomings. Keepers are more than willing to listen to whatever anyone has to say as long as it is said on a day other the Mother’s Day or Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. These days are already intensely painful for all keepers and we do not believe it is a friendly act to attack keepers on any of these days.

Also, how keepers are approached makes a huge difference in our willingness to listen and even take seriously what is being said. When we read the first few lines of an email and can literally hear the writer screaming and yelling us, we will delete the email instead of finishing reading it. That is to protect our own sanity. If anyone has anything to say to keepers, that person needs to remember that we are multiple also and extremely vulnerable to anger and accusations. Keepers do not need any more pain heaped upon us that we already carry so please respect the fact that keepers deserve to be addressed with caring and respect.

These last few days have been days of keepers asking ourselves why we are going on with KEEPERSKORNER even after all this week has held. We have thought out many of our issues and dealt with many emotions that we would rather not feel. But, here we are back at the computer and back to the work of KEEPERSKORNER with energetic hearts and ideas running amuck in our minds.

Keepers are here doing what we do simply because we know that this is where we are meant to be. Right now, we can not explain to anyone how things will move on from here because we have no idea. But we do know that they will move on and KEEPERSKORNER will continue to grow and thrive. We have to way to tell anyone how keepers will survive another week like this past one but we know we will survive and keep on keeping on simply because we know we have a very unique and worthwhile job to do.

In doing KEEPERSKORNER, all of us have come to fully understand one thing–IT IS NOT UP TO KEEPERS TO UNDERSTAND ALL THAT HAPPENS HERE. That wisdom and understanding is the responsibility of a power far higher than keepers. Our only jobs in doing KEEPERSKORNER is to give our very best–even when we are being told that our best will never be good enough. And we have the responsibility to look into our hearts at every turn and follow what keepers believe to be right for everyone concerned.

I am sure that some people will see my words here as being full of ourselves. I apologize in advance to those people but keepers still stand by these words because something inside of us knows that following our KEEPERSKORNER path is the right thing to do no matter what.

peace and blessings,

keepers

As most of you know, Keepers Korner is incorporated in Missouri as a not-for-profit corporation, and our next step was to file the necessary forms with the federal government to be recognized as a charitable organization with a tax exempt status which in turn would allow us to file for sales tax exemption in Missouri which would simply exempt us from paying sales tax on purchases for Keepers Korner. We were under the impression that upon receiving the forms, all 30 pages approximately it was just a matter of time before we received our 501( c )3 status, we were told we could file an amended tax return for 2006 because of it being retroactive and that even though people gave a donation in January before it was approved that after it was approved their deductions would be tax deductible if they followed IRS rules, i.e they were itemizing on their 1040.

The IRS had our application and our check since December 2006 and on May 11 2007 they sent us a questionnaire asking for more details before ruling on our 501( c )3 application. We are required to have it back on their desk by June 01 2007. In reality this gives us 10 days to answer their questions and create the documents they want.

Today I called the IRS agent who sent their response to get some answers to what they were requesting. I was in for a shock, even more than when I read the document they sent me! Here is a condensed list of what they want answers to, some of which were in the original submission to them but not to the detail level they wanted.

• what activity takes place at our address
• provide a copy of the deed, note and mortgage
• if this is a residence send a schematic of the house showing all rooms and the rooms used by the applicant (Keepers Korner)
• provide an executed lease and an appraisal of the fair market value of a partial house rental in the neighborhood surrounding the home

Per the agent we can avoid having to provide the 2nd-4th bullets above by simply submitting a statement that we will never deduct expenses on an allocated or prorated basis for our income taxes, signed by Keepers and myself.

• Provide a printout of all of your web content! When I mentioned the blogs he said we could send a representative sampling of the blogs and if he finds them sufficient we will not have to submit any more of them.
• Identify all of the links, provide the name Employer Identification Number and the exempt status of each linked site. I said most of our links are to personal sites where people can find more support and information and he said then they are not charitable organizations? No, I said, personal sites. If you are a charitable organization you should only have links to other 501c3 sites, he said. Do any of these people sell items on their sites? if so that would be a conflict of interest and raise red flags to us (IRS). We need to get either a 501c3 from the sites to prove they are that or a statement from them that they do not sell items nor will they ever sell items on their site!
• We also have to file a form 990 even though there are places in the IRS site that say if you expect revenue of less than $10,000 you do not have to.
• Our organization does not the minimum requirements they set forth for membership on a board of 3-5 people
• Our bylaws are not acceptable
• What are our activities, also in number 1, the first bullet!
• What is our criteria for choosing to offer grants (gifts, massagers, art, etc) According to the IRS we must receive something proving who we send it to is a multiple or a survivor, as we do it now it is a charitable act but not a charitable deduction
• List every foreign country we will be sending gifts to
• What safeguards have we put in place to assure that any gifts to foreign locations are not in turn used for activities against the United States!!
• List each item to be sold to the public. We sell nothing I said, except for on the Guest Gallery and then donations are made to Keepers Korner by the seller. No can do!! Not as a Charitable Org.
• List officers and directors, names, wages, compensation, etc
• for each officer, director, employee give us their resume, where their tax returns showing their business activity was filed
• provide a list of members and fees paid. We stated there are no members therefore no fees
• We did not show merchandise sales why? Because we do not sell items , we give them at no charge
• If your gross receipts will exceed $10,000 please submit a user fee of $750, next line if your gross receipts will exceed $10,000 please forward a check payable for $450, which is it $450 or $750??

For these reasons it seems quite likely that at this time at least Keepers Korner will not become a charitable organization, in the eyes of the IRS at least. We are a not for profit corporation in the eyes of the State of Missouri and as such anyone who would make a donation to Keepers Korner may not claim it as a charitable deduction according to the IRS.

If any of you who have sent in donations would like them refunded to you please contact us via email and we will arrange for your refund as soon as possible. To those of you who are still comfortable having made your donation we can only thank you and reemphasize that it went to helping some very good people who fell in love with a picture or a poem or needed a massager to receive those items they requested.

We at KEEPERSKORNER are going to continue with our work just as we always have. The only difference is that we see ourselves as a ministry where God provides for what we need instead of working through the U.S. Governement. Our dollars will go less far in helping others because we do not have our tax exempt status in hand. We will work solely out of the money John brings in from his day job because we do not feel right with donations under these circumstances. However, we will continue giving to those who reach out to us without ever asking anything from any of you.

Right now, John and keepers both have our prayers with KEEPERSKORNER and we are asking God to help us maintain what we have started here because we have seen what a difference it makes in the lives of other multiples.

Nothing has changed for those who visit us. We will still give our items away at no cost and we will maintain our toll free number for those who wish to call. By the grace of God, we will continue to grow and thrive in our endeavors to improve the quality of life for multiples all over the world

peace and blessings,

John and keepers

KEEPERSKORNER (plain and simple)

Just a little while ago, an email came in from our website.  This was no ordinary email at all.  It was from a woman in her very early twenties who has spent 6 years addicted to meth and in a relationship that was very harmful to her.  Now, usually, this email would have caught keepers attention and we would have done all we could to help because there was the possibility this young woman was a multiple who really needed someone to care.  But as keepers read the email we knew that we were being given a very special gift.  In fact, for us, this was one of those moments when a miracle was being sent our way.  You see, the young woman writing the email was none other that keepers only niece who lives thousands of miles away from us.  Keepers have only met her once and that was years ago but our caring about her has endured as the stories of her difficulties have unfolded.  Then, here at KEEPERSKORNER,  we found this young woman having the courage to reach out for her aunt to care about her and support her in her healing, which has only just begun.

One of keepers blog friends calls keepers “puffed up” for relating these kinds of stories to you.  But, right now, full of ourselves is the last thing we feel.  If anything, we feel brought to our knees with humility because this moment has been so richly blessed by God.  We know that because there was no other explanation for our niece finding her way to KEEPERSKORNER and realizing that her aunt was at the other end of the email.  I can not begin to put into words all that keepers feel right now so I won’t even try.

If Munchkin is reading this, she is probably wondering why I would reach out to my niece with love and caring when I shut down the blog that I set up for Munchkin.  The reason is that our Munchkin (if it was her) approached contacting us with accusations and demands instead of establishing a relationship before overwhelming keepers.  Keepers had been put in a no win situation and we knew it all too well.  This niece just simply reached out and opened her heart to us in a way that asked nothing of us really except that we care about and respond to her.

I asked our niece to call us tonight.  There is so much that keepers want to say to her.  We want her to go into rehab tomorrow knowing that her Aunt Keepers are here for her as much as we would be our own external children.  We want her to know how very much we appreciate her reaching out with respect and honesty.  We want her to  know how much keepers empathize with her right now and how grateful we are that the door has been opened on our having a relationship.

One thing keepers have come to know is that we can never predict what will happen even 5 minutes from now.  We have no idea where our lives are going or what it will mean when someone reaches out to us.  But reading this email deeply touched keepers hearts.  Then, when we looked to see who it was from, our hearts filled with life and with hope like never ever before.  Somehow, our niece who has lived on the streets for a while now found her way home by discovering KEEPERSKORNER on the net.  What a miracle that is!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keepers are not so full of ourselves as to say the KEEPERSKORNER is of real value to anyone else.  But what is has done in keepers lives has truly been profound.  That is why we keep on keeping on.

NOTE–Keepers will respond with as much love and joy should either Beemer or Munchkin ever reach out to us in a way that shows caring and respect instead of control and manipulation.

peace and blessings,

keepers

We at KEEPERSKORNER want to thank Mini-mes (one of our dear blog friends) for the donation of a computer to our studio.  Also, for spending the time on the phone last night helping John to get the computer set up properly.  Mini-mes, your donation of this computer was not only very kind but extrememely helpful in making KKCO more effecient.  Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!

These last months, John and keepers have been sharing the one computer which worked for only the first month or so.  You see, John has his list of jobs to do on the computer for KKCO and keepers have ours.  Each one of us needs the time to do our jobs right but what has been happening is one of us is always waiting while the other one is hard at work on the computer.   This is a huge part of why KEEPERSKORNER has been so time-consuming lately because our work hours have been literally doubled since John and keepers could not work simultaneously.  But, thanks to Mini-mes, both of us can work at the same time and begin to enjoy some down time because our work will be so much faster and easier

John and keepers both really want to than Min-mes for spending time with us on the phone last night helping us get our computer system set up and actually running.  Since noone here at KEEPERSKORNER is very computer literate, having someone who knows the ropes was so very helpful.  Thanks to our cyber friend, we woke up this morning to a whole new era at KKCO.

John’s jobs here at KKCO are doing the financial work and tax work on the computer.  That is very time consuming for him.  He also does our letter writing and creating our publications like pamphlets or signs we put up in local coffee shops.  He does our business cards and prints things like our post cards.  He is, also, the one who works with the artists in our Guest Gallery–trying to get acceptable prints to work from by  using our printer.  All of this keeps John on the computer for many hours a day here.

Keepers also need to spend a good deal of time on the computer.  We write our own blogs and publish them.  We visit other blogs–usually on a daily basis.  We handle emails and comments on our blog.  We do a great deal of IM’ing with our cyber friends.  So, now keepers can be working on all of our projects while John is working on his, which is such a new and wonderful feeling for us.

Over the last several years, keepers have learned that we will still go through bad times when we forget to breathe appropriately or actually give up on having hope.  But our bad times are not nearly as long or as severe as they used to be.  And, when we step back into the light–breathing as we should and full of hope for the future–we always find that we not only learned an awful lot but also gained new strength as we went through the most recent new strength from having once again endured our own personal tortures of the damned.

In doing KKCO, parts of our endeavors are very personal because we express our multiplicity as best we can and we spend so much time communicating with other multiples.  Yes, this is very time consuming but it also a part of life that is filled with great happiness for all keepers.

Beyond that, there is the business part of KKCO.  Working on this part of our organization is much like starting up a new business.  The only difference is that we are not for profit which means we look at our bottom line differently than businesses.  But the hours that are put in are much the same as they are in starting a new business.  Each day there is so much to do and only limited hours to get it all done.  Any new business owner is eating and breathing his/her new business until it gets established and trusted employees are on board to help out.  Doing KKCo is no different.  John and keepers eat and breathe KKCO every waking moment in one way or another right now.  But that is because our organization is still in its infancy and there is so much we need to get done each and every day.  But we already have people who are offering their services in ways that are right for him/her which means KKCO will become slightly less time consuming for John and keepers.  Just like this donation from Mini-mes has nearly cut in half the time it will take each day for John and keepers to get our individual work done.

Both John and keepers are so very grateful to those who support KKCO in various ways.  It means an awful lot to feel like we have support both in our good times and our difficult times.  From Mini-mes to Andzrej to our John Michael, keepers truly thank each of you from the bottom of our hearts for helping to make our dream come a little more true with each passing day.

peace and blessings,

keepers

This afternoon, severe thunderstorms are moving across Missouri.  In fact, it looks very dark and dreary outside KEEPERSKORNER right now.  The wind has already blown branches down in our back yard.  Thunder and lightening are very active in this moment.  They weather man is saying things will get worse as the day progresses.

KEEPERSKORNER is in an area that loses power rather easily during storms.  Sometimes, we are back up and running in only a matter of minutes but other times it has taken days for our power to come back on.  So, if KEEPERSKORNER weblog is inactive for a few days–it is because we have lost our power and have no access to our computer.  If our toll free number is not being answered–it will be because our phone lines are down as well.

I give you a heads up on this because, in the last 18 months, our city has had massive outages at least 3 different times from various storms.  We have gotten to know the drill and learned to prepare in advance.  Hopefully, our power will remain on and things will move ahead normally but do not worry if that is not the case.  We have learned well to maneuver life without our electricity and will be fine until then.

Someone has mentioned to keepers that we should get a laptop so that we can continue with our work at KK even when our power is out.  We can take the laptop to Starbucks and work on KKCO while enjoying some of their coffee and perhaps a blueberry muffin.  Since we are in storm season here and know the chances of our spending time without any electricity, we are seriously beginning to think about coming up with a laptop for KEEPERSKORNER.  Right now, however, we can only make do until we get a little farther with our dreams.

Severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued for our area so we are batting down the hatches and burrowing in while waiting to see what happens.  Believe me, it is on these afternoons that keepers really wish that our John Michael had KEEPERSKORNER as his day job so that he could be here with our littles.

You see, keepers have several littles (under the age of 6) who are absolutely terrified of thunderstorms.  When they lived with their mom and dad, those littles would either be punished or made fun of for being so afraid of storms which only made their fears worse.  In today, those same littles do not feel overly safe when it is just big keepers who are here to take care of and protect them.  They want their John Michael to be here with them even though they understand he has to be at work during most storms.  So, bigs are doing our best to quiet our littles and hope that the storms pass us by without doing much damage.

If you live in the state of Missouri and storms are about to hit, please take care of yourselves and stay safe.  We will be thinking of you and praying that these storms are mild and not what the weather man is predicting.

peace and blessings,

keepers

Over the last month, keepers have written 6 different blogs that have been put up only to be taken down shortly after their publication.  We have been doing this because our own self esteem has been very badly shaken lately and our confidence in our own words really does leave something to be desired at this point.  Anyway, we tell ourselves that the fact that we continue to put new blogs up means we are not giving up on our blog at all.  We are simply trying to maintain things while we are working on our self esteem issues as best we can.

It was nearly a year ago when we first began to establish and work with KKCO.  We spoke with many people out there in the actual world before we took our fateful step and changed KEEPERSKORNER into what it is now.  We received several very sage pieces of advice.  We were warned that KKCO and keepers would go through many periods of time where we would believe that we had stopped doing anything right.  Everyone warned us that setting up KKCO and keeping it moving forward would not be easy at all.  But, the piece of advice that stands out for us is NO MATTER WHAT–KEEP ON GOING WITH KKCO.  That little tidbit of wisdom came from our dear friend Pastor Don Brown of Save Our World Ministries who has been through exactly what keepers are going through right now.

Today, we have a ton of work to get done for KEEPERSKORNER.  We would not have so much to do had we been maintaining our TO DO LISTS like we should.  But, the truth is that we did not do that so now we pay the price by starting at the top of our list and working our way down through each chore on the paper.  Nothing major has to be done right now but the letters that need to be written and the files that need to be updated and the phone calls that need to be made will take up most of the time today.  In all honesty, it feels good to know that we are trying to get back on track and bring our TO DO LIST up to date.

As I begin to look at the work I have to do today, Max and Owen are in the studio with me.  They are watching out the window at all of the squirrels and birds playing in the back yard.  When they do this, I am always amazed at the funny sounds that come out of these two cats.  But being aware of them has made me stop and notice that the sun is shining and the air is cool as we begin this day after Mother’s Day.  Stopping to be aware of this morning has reminded keepers how important it is for us to move at nature’s pace instead of mankind’s pace.  A concept we have lost touch with for a while.

This morning, my own inner spirit is telling me that we are hitting smoother times today and that KEEPERSKORNER will be more on track than it has been in a while.  I just wish that keepers could trust my inner spirit as it speaks today.  But what we see is how many attacks on who and what we are we have endured lately. So many that keepers have grown very tired and much weaker within our system than we used to be.

But those words from our dear Pastor Brown are repeating themselves over and over in our mind.  NO MATTER WHAT–KEEP GOING WITH KKCO.  The fact that these words have been given to us by someone who knows how difficult it is to keep going at times has helped us an awful lot.  We keep reminding ourselves that if he can keep going–so can we–even when that is soooooooo not easy.

We have presented KEEPERSKORNER to the world as a charitable organization but in our hearts and minds, we still see it as a ministry.  By ministry, I mean we function out of our own trust that what we need will be provided at  the right time.  Every day for the last year, keepers have known that to be true–without question.  Even during the bad times (like those lately) keepers have known that God is at work within all that is happening at KKCO.  All keepers have to do is get back to trusting God to take care of things and to simply doing what is on our TO DO LIST to the very best of our abilities.

To be honest, keepers have no idea at all where KKCO is going or when we will really begin moving ahead again.  But that inner spirit keeps on telling me that we will be gaining ground with KKCO again very soon.  Again, that inner spirit that keepers are finding so hard to trust right now.  So, slowly but surely, we make our way to our TO DO LIST which has been hanging on our easel for a week now and we begin to get done all those things we have been neglecting for the last several weeks.

Hopefully, today really will be the beginning of better times here at KKCO.

peace and blessings,

keepers

Keepers want to take this opportunity to apologize (from the bottom of our hearts) to anyone who may have been offended by anything on our blog.  We do this because it has come to our attention that someone has seen our statements lately as being full of ourselves and short-tempered and impatient.  Keepers were unaware that we were coming across this way and feel that it was very wrong for us to make any statements that emitted that frame of mind from us.  We have no excuse or explanation for having been so unfair.  For that reason we simply leave this blog as a heartfelt apology from all keepers.

Sincerely,

keepers

This was written by Polly for Keepers quite a few years ago and we wanted to share it again with our friends today.

A Lesson

By Polly, for Keepers

Walking down the road one day

I met a man so old and weary.

I questioned what gave him the strength to go on?

As he spoke to me, I felt this man was satisfied with life in every way.

I asked him how it came to be

That life suited him so well,

When his life had filled with ninety two years of memory?

He smiled a smile that said to me many of his memories were very sad.

But also, that the good far outweighed the bad.

He took my hand and held it tight as he quietly shared with me the secret that made him such a happy man.

“Faith, my child,” he said to me.

“Faith that sunlight will peak through the clouds.”

“Faith that apple blossoms will come again when snow has made all land barren.”

“Faith in courage when fear has overtaken our land.”

“Faith in truth when you discover you’ve been had.”

“Faith in what is good when all the world seems bad.”

“Faith in yourself when your heart has want to fill with doubt.”

“Faith, my child, is where it’s at.”

He looked at me and turned to walk away

For he had said all he had to say.

As I saw his figure fade into the distance,

I felt, somewhere inside of me

                                                   A faith I never knew existed

Peace and blessings

Keepers