I love this word!
- Toni Crowder
- Feb 13
- 4 min read
Shameflammation - A Great Reminder!
Word coined by leading functional medicine expert Dr. Will Cole.
Found this article last Saturday night, and it tied in beautifully with the talk I gave Sunday.
Science proves that shame causes a significant amount of inflammation.
As Dr. Cole states, “ Mental and emotional burdens are stored in our bodies just as much as environmental toxins.”
This Valentine’s Day 💘 , I hope can embrace some healthy self-love and release inflammation in your body that is caused by shame.
Thank you, Unity of Tulsa - Midtown, for your warm embrace and for joining my blog!
Inspiration from Drummer Sandy Sanders
Sandy’s Story:
A Long and Winding Road
Sandy is the drummer for our album.
He is a beautiful soul who has truly lived his life with authenticity!
He is a great writer, as well as a wonderful drummer.
Don’t let the paragraphs scare you, as it’s an inspirational quick read! 😃
I grew up in the Mississippi Delta of Southeast Arkansas and, therefore, felt the pull of Memphis and Muscle Shoals R&B from very early on. That’s still where my drumming heart resides—Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Dusty Springfield. . . . But to make a living at it, a drummer has tocover virtually every style, from Swing Era standards to all manner of Latin grooves. And one has to live where the demand is sufficient to provide steady work. For me that meant New York.
I suppose my biggest claim to fame is having played a tour with Blood, Sweat and & Tears in 1991 with David Clayton-Thomas fronting the band. Musically, that gig was deeply fulfilling, but it was never going to mesh well with my family life. Patti and I had added two human children to our menagerie of English cocker spaniels by that time, and for all of us, that meant Branson, Missouri, where Patti and I still reside.
We moved to Branson in the fall of 1992, and I played for Shoji until November of ’94 when I assumed the drum chair at the Lawrence Welk Show. By New Year’s Eve of 1996 I had had enough. Both Welk and Tabuchi played two l-o-n-g shows six days a week. I was spending no more time with my family in Branson than I had in New York. For me, this meant changing careers.
I became a high school English teacher. And, wonder of wonders, I loved doing it! Ten years later, though, I had seen both of our children graduate high school, and I grew restless. Itook an apartment in the heart of Columbia’s student ghetto and, in the spring of 2014, completed a Ph.D. in English Education at Mizzou. I taught English education and humanities at MU for eight years, by which time both of our children had long sincegraduated college. So I retired and Patti and I moved back into the house we’d never sold in Branson.
At this point I began teaching one or two courses each semester in English composition at the Branson campus of OTC . . . that is, until the dean asked if I’d like to teach music appreciation and world music. My jaw dropped: another bolt out of the blue! (Why hadn’t I ever thought of this?) But after two or three years in music pedagogy, I realized how deep my love of music stillran. The kids were off on their own and thriving, Patti, the love of my life was still putting up with me . . . there was nothing preventing me from returning to playing the drums full time.
After a 25-year hiatus, I started knocking off the rust. That was almost six years ago now, and I’m lovin’ it! And I especially loved working on Toni and Terry’s project. It’s good to be playing good music with good people again!
P.S. - See Sandy with the Conga 🪘’s We told Sandy we would love for him to play the Conga Drums on a couple of piece. He said, I haven’t touched them for decades, but I will give it a try. Oh my to watch his quick learning curve and reaquaingtance with the drums was beautiful and they added a great deal to the project! Grazie, Sandy!
Upcoming Gigs
March 22 - Tulsa, Oklahoma - Unity of Tulsa - Midtown - 10:30 am - Music and Message
March 29 - Little Rock, Arkansas - Unity of Little Rock - 11:00 am - Music and Message
May 20 - Fredericksburg Virginia - Concerts by Canoe - 6:00-8:00 pm - Mott’s Run Reservoir
P.S. - It’s a wrap!” Yesterday we finish four songs at StoneRidge Recording in Siloam Springs, AR - (15 sec. View of StoneRidge in next week’s blog.) Off to MO to wrap un some more at Atlantis Studio
Love and hugs,
toni
Happy Valtentine’s Day! I appreciate you reading my love letter. 💌
