The song I originally had on this page was "The Need to Be" and was
sung by Jim Weatherly.
It took so long to upload that I replaced it, but the
words to the song are so powerful, at least to me,
that I hope you take a few
seconds to click here for the lyrics to the
whole song. |
"We are not human beings having
a spiritual experience;
We are spiritual beings having a human
experience."
Special thanks to Mattwolf for getting
this page started for me by creating a rather simple page for me at the Utne
Cafe (which I'm sure has long since closed my membership since it's been so
long since I've been there.) Using that page, I taught myself the HTML that
allowed me to eventually build this page as you see it today. A very special
thanks to a very special Unicorn for finding some of the backgrounds and
graphics for me. And finally, an extra special thanks to Lochinvar for his
patient help with the music and the banner on my first page. That's one of the wonders of the internet: people I've never met and have since lost track of who helped me get started on the path I now find myself on. I doubt many of the people I've met online realize the impact they had on my life.
My name is Shelly Strauss Rollison and I live (and was born) in the Pittsburgh area. I'm a happily divorced mom of two boys who (on Dec. 30, 1998) married the most beautiful woman on earth. (I know it's not legal, but that didn't stop us.) You can see our wedding album if you want. We went to Canada in 2003 and on October 30 of that year were legally married in Toronto. You can view that wedding album if you'd like as well.
Although I received my bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Marquette University, I never used it. It took me many years to realize I never wanted to be an engineer. But it has come in handy since I now use part of that training in my work, structural steel detailing, a fancy name for drafting.
About a year after I graduated from college, I went out to Denver, CO. The Colorado Rockies are absolutely beautiful and they are my spiritual home. My wife and I talked about moving back there, but the cost of living is so high now. She would like to live by the ocean and I want to live in the mountains, so we're talking about Washington State since that's got both of them right beside each other. (Neither of us wants to live in California.) But we don't anticipate moving there until after the boys both graduate high school. It's too hard to be the "new kid" in any high school. We've got one out and one to go!
My boys were involved in the Cub Scouts where until February 17, 1998, I was not only the treasurer
and secretary but a trained adult leader as well. However, because of my orientation, I was kicked
out of the Boys Scouts of America. Legal action was under consideration
since my appeal fell on deaf ears and narrow minds. Then the US Supreme Court
made their ghastly decision that allowed the BSA to continue to discriminate, so
I'm taking my fight in another direction. I received nothing but support
from the pack, and I wish to publicly thank them for that. We had a great pack
due to the parent involvement, which is the key to any successful scouting
adventure. If you have a child, grandchild, niece or nephew in scouts, please
give serious consideration to getting involved in their pack or troop.
I used to volunteer at my kids' school manning what is called an absentee phone
in service. Parents/guardians called an answering machine to report their child's absence or tardy arrival. After teachers took attendance, I checked the list of absentees against the list of parents/guardians who called their child off. The parent/guradian of any child whose name appeared on the absentee list but did not call in received a call from me to make sure they knew where the child was. The purpose of the program is to ensure the safety of the child as well as prevent truancy. Children who may be abducted from a bus stop will be reported missing much sooner than the end of the day when they simply don't come home on the bus. If anyone would like more information on how to set up a similar program in their child's school, email me by clicking on the chalkboard above. Oh, and one more thing— this sort of program really is not an attempt by the school to keep tabs on you or your kids. It's not some government conspiracy thing. It really is aimed at keeping the kids safe, so if your school has a similar program and you're not a participant, please reconsider your choice.
I'm an amateur astrologer who offers
free birthcharts. I believe a birthchart shows us the tools we have brought with
us into this life and the things we need to fix with those tools. Anyone
intersted in receiving a chart, please email me (by clicking on the zodiac
above) and include your name, the date, time (as close to exact as possible) and
the city and state and country where you were born. Please don't expect fast
results....I'm swamped right now and it's taking a few months after I receive
the request to get the chart done.
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| (welcome) |
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| (this is braille) |
I'm also a certified Braille
transcriber by the Library of Congress. I have already completed
transcribing my first book for the Bower Hill Braillists Foundation of Mt.
Lebanon, PA. I have also received permission to transcribe JRR Tolkien's books,
The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, into Braille. That project
should take me through the year 2010 or so. If anyone is interested in learning
how to transcribe Braille, please contact theNational Library Service for the Blind
and Physically Handicapped or click on the braille example above to register
for an online course. Computers are now able to do Braille transcription using
special software. Please check into it. Should you know someone who needs a
book transcribed, please email me. But due
to the high demand and low number of active transcribers, it may take a while
to meet your request.
I have worked and volunteered in a shelter for women and children
who are victims of domestic
violence. I plan on returning to a volunteer status as soon as I complete
the additional rape crisis training I need to volunteer at the local shelter.
Domestic violence is the most prevalent social disease in today's society and
we must find a way to stop this horrible crime. Many times, the woman does not
realize what resources
are available to her. If you know someone (and men can be victims of domestic
violence) who needs help, please
listen and BELIEVE her/him. For more information, please check out "Until All
Are Safe" in the library.
One of my greatest passions is my writing. I have completed 26 novels/short
stories and have several more in the works. I have one already published as an
ebook and have several more that are
in the works for publication as ebooks. My books are what most would consider a
bit "unconventional". If there is a common thread to them, it is that there are
no limits to the power of Love. The stories I write focus on the relationship
between the main characters and usually includes a spiritual (NOT religious)
aspect or overtone. Until I get them published (either as ebooks or on paper)
my books are all on disc and can be sent via email or ICQ file. If you have any
interest in seeing one of my books, click on the book above for the list of book
and a short synopsis of the stories.
I'm a firm believer in living my life according to my beliefs. I make every
effort to live my life by the Golden Rule and strive for honesty and openness in
all my dealings with others. I have walked a long winding path on my spiritual
quest and I know the end is still a long way in the distance. I look forward to
the rest of my journey with great anticipation. In my humble opinion one of the
biggest problems in today's society is a lack of tolerance for other ways of
thinking and other belief systems. We all the the right to think or believe what
we will AS LONG AS WE DO NOT HURT OTHERS in exercising that right. Like the
prisms above, what appears to be one color light can be broken down into its
many components. All are necessary to insure that the whole remains complete.
And like the ying-yang, we must strive to achieve a balance in our lives,
constantly keeping in mind that the life we have to balance is OURS, not our
neighbor's.
Part of my spiritual journey led me into correspondence with prison inmates.
While I have heard the horror stories, I have not had any problems with the men
and women with whom I write. Most of these people are simply looking for some
human contact, a sense that they are not animals warehoused in cages and treated
as the scum of the earth. They have made mistakes and most are the first to
admit it. Please click on the prison bars above if you would like to write to
someone in prison.
And finally, I used to be a chataholic and spent a lot of time in a chatroom
called Women's Wire, which has since gone defunct and is no more. But while I
chatted there, I met some wonderful people...way too numerous to mention here.
(And besides, if I tried and forgot someone, I'd hurt someone's feelings...)
For those who have not chatted, it is difficult to understand the bonds that
form between people who chat every day. But the bonds are there and some of them
are amazingly strong. I was lucky enough to host a CBQ
(a barbecue for a lot of my chat friends) and we gathered from all over the
country. The meeting was not awkward, as one would expect of people who had
never laid eyes on each other before. Rather it was like a meeting of old, dear
and much loved friends. I had the honor of cohosting the 2nd Annual CBQ last
year 1998 with a lady who had attended the first CBQ and ended up moving here.
We were gonna try to make it a yearly thing, but this year's was cancelled due to
lack of people who could make it. If you have never experienced chatting before,
find a chatroom and check it out. But please be courteous and avoid the use of
foul language...if you don't, you will be placed on ignore and no one will talk
to you. Oh, and one more thing, the use of ALL CAPS in chat is the equivalent to
screaming, so don't use ALL CAPS unless you have something really
important to say.
It has been a pleasure sharing a part of myself with you. I hope you enjoyed
your visit. Please take a moment to sign my guest book so I know who dropped by
to say "Hi!" I wish you happiness and joy in your life.
With Love and Light to all!
Click on the wand
if you'd like to see
a
picture of my family!
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| The price of silence
is the loss of freedom. |
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