The Five W's of the Tambourines Project

The Tambourines Project Mission Statement:

You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be healthy. You deserve to be safe.You deserve to be whole. You deserve to be heard.

Who: You, me, all of us! I asked my mom what it was like when I told her of my abuse in 2008 and she described it as, “a thousand tambourines unearthing the dark.” We all are tambourines.

 

What:  The Tambourines Project is a one-time scholarship fund established by Elizabeth Lamar to provide education, assistance and training to facilitators of the Stewards of Children program. The program is created by Darkness to Light, a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower people to prevent child sexual abuse.  Funds raised through efforts of the Tambourines Project will be granted to an advocacy group serving the Atlanta, Georgia community.

 

When: July 31, 2014 – August 22, 2014

 

Where:  Online at

http://TambourinesProject.blogspot.com,or www.facebook.com/TambourinesProject

 

Why: As a survivor, I know abuse makes you feel alone. No one should feel that way. I want other survivors to know there are people and places out there to help us feel whole again. And I want adults to know they have the power to make their community safe for all children.  

 

How: Follow my blog by email at tambourinesproject.blogspot.com; if you have a publication/blog/website, host a spot for my blog tour or interview; download Thousand Tambourines eBook from my blog July 31-August 22; share my blog FB page with your contacts; contact me at tambourinesproject@gmail.com to become a part of the conversation.

I am a human being

I understand I am a survivor,

but when if I tell you my story, please don’t view me as less.

I am neither statistic, nor something interesting to "tell Mom when I get home."

If I do decide to tell you my story, and I get a little nervous while, don’t push. 

Trust me, I am not nervous for myself. I went through it. 

I am nervous for you. 

If I hesitate to tell you, it is because I’m not sure you’re ready.

Now,

Let’s begin. 

I Wish You Love

Me Holding The MYSO CD at the 2014 Symphony Gala. 

I am lucky to be apart of Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta, and I am also lucky to have been able to record with Joe Grandsen. He is an amazing trumpet player, and I had a wonderful time playing with him and his trio. The music was incredibly interesting and a little difficult, but it was so fun to play. The actual recording process was fun and not as scary as I had imagined it would be. Being with my friends and fellow musicians was the best part. Studio recording sessions are difficult and require precision. We were in the studio for four days for 5-6 hours per day. I am glad to be able to say that I have actually played violin on a CD. The opportunity was amazing and I am very grateful for it.

You can purchase a copy of the CD - I Wish You Love by Joe Gransden with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta on the symphony website here.

Enjoy some great photos from our week-long studio session. 

The best way to deal with a "C" on a test.

It hurts. When it first happens. You cry. You sob. It rips a hole in your body, leaving a large gap where you used to be.

Anger, that abyss takes over.

Then, it does nothing. It just sits there, lonely and wishing you had some left with which to rip and shred.
Don't worry, the anger, pain, sadness, will subside. All that will be left is nothing, scratch.

And, what better way to erase the past, than to start from scratch with the present?