I KID

All my life, I have been around a certain type of people with a special calling. These special people are clowns.Clowning has been around for thousands of years.

I know deep in my heart, that clowning is my calling. I haven't been clowning very long and I am still learning as I go. My alter ego is a happy hobo named, Steamboat Joe. Besides bringing joy and laughter to kids and adults; I also want to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and perform for people that are sick or may be dying.

I know a child hospitalized due to some form of illness can relate to me. I am on a ventilator and I am in wheelchair too. Plus, I am eye level with them. I am not standing over them.

Yes, clowns can be scary to some people. I know how to handle myself in that type of situation. I am not going out without any preparation, but so far, knock on my wooden head, that situation has not happened.

Once I dressed up and visited some of the residents at Rockcastle Regional. I knew it would be good practice and fun for everyone. Most residents knew me, for I had lived there with them for so many years ad I still do. However, some of the newer residents did not know me, and I did not know them either. I went with God in my heart and a smile on my face. Everyone I saw glowed with big smiles on their faces. It felt so good, it felt so right. It was truly amazing and to me, it was even spiritual.

One of the residents that I saw that day, was a friend I met many years ago at Rockcastle Regional. She looked at me with the biggest grin I ever saw and then she laughed.

Then she said, "Look at you, Joe."

Then she laughed a little with her big grin.

"I think you're crazy", she said." But you look beautiful."

To me, she looked beautiful with her smile. I could not help but think to myself, the way she lays in her hospital bed full of pain and sickness, yet by the glory of God; seeing a little clown, maybe for just a second she was relieved of her symptoms! Then I understood the real healing power of God and how laughter is the best medicine. A few weeks later, my friend, Connie passed away. I believe no matter how big a clown smiles, sometimes he is weeping under his smile.

In the words of a personal hero of mine and a fellow clown, Red Skelton, "Good night and may God bless."















Sha Vanorsdale with Steamboat Joe

FORGIVE & FORGET

There are too many people in life that hold a grudge towards other people. Holding a grudge is pointless, trust me, I had held a few. A grudge is like a cancer, it may start out small, but then it begins to fester and grow. It will continue to grow until it is too late. It can't be treated and soon it consumes your entire life.

I catch myself sometimes holding a grudge. but I know it is a cancer, so I let go. I think it takes someone humble to admit when they are wrong. It takes someone wise to admit when they are wrong, even if they are not wrong. They are the peacemakers and may God bless them for that. To forgive someone can be difficult and forgetting can be even harder. Although I don't think you can forgive without forgetting. You have to take one with the other. If you don't forget, there will be that cancer deep inside you and it will grow.

With me, family and friends are actually one. My family are my friends and vice versa. I really believe love between family and friends is so strong, that saying sorry and is sometimes unnecessary, but still should be practiced. Usually family and friends say sorry by other acts or deeds, such as a hug or kiss. If the person truly cares for their family or friend, they probably forgiven the offender even before they received an apology.

The Holy Bible, King James Version reads, Colossians 3:13- "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye". In other words, be patient with one another, and forgive one another, if you have a fight with someone, you must forgive them as Christ forgave you. So before I end this entry, I would like to apologies to everybody that I have, hurt, argued with or wronged in any form, that I am unaware, that I may have done and I ask you to forgive and forget.

-or as a New Yorker would say," FUH=GIT-A-BOUT-IT"!!!

THE BEGINING OF RIDING THE SHORT BUS

Okay, I really rode the short bus, no friggen joke. It was not always that way. I started out riding the big bus with my big brother, Timmy. I loved the big bus it was fun!! I met kids my age and some older than me. I loved going to Brookside Elementary School, especially with Timmy. There is a five year gap so we only went a year or two before he had to transfer to our middle school.

Before I went Brookside, I had to ride there, and then transfer on to another bus. The other bus would transfer me to my kindergarten school.It doesn't seem too hard right? Wrong, I could not climb those bus stairs at all. It was not so much Muscular Dystrophy. I could walk till I was ten, and if I had a rail to help pull myself up with, I could, probably climb the stairs. Mostly it was my height, I was and still am, a little guy. Most my peers were a couple inches taller than me. So someone one had to carry me on and off the bus. At home it was mostly Mom that put me on and took me off. When we got to Brookside to transfer buses, the Principal help me get off and on the buses.

One day, I arrived at the school and there was Brookside's principal. He always wore glasses and he slicked his hair back. He looked like the king of nerds. Anyways, He was carrying me up the stairs to my kindergarten bus. Then the next thing I recall is my body smacking against the stairs. My forhead slamming into the edge of the upper stair. My left knee hitting the edge of a bottom stair. That's not all my friends, the principal, Carl, falls on top of my body. Remind you, I was very tiny, in weight and height. Then, there is the principal on top of me, and he was not skinny either.
He started yelling about his back and everybody seemed to be more concern over him than me. I thought to myself, his back my whole body. After that incident, the janitors took over helping me.

When I started attending Brookside, usually one of the big kids helped me on and off the bus, except when I left and returned home, then it was Mom. Riding next to Timmy was awesome. He might have been as helpless as me, though he never seemed to fear a certain bully on the big bus. This bully sat behind us. When he would lean in behind us to do his deeds. Timmy simply would elbow him or tell him off. I had plenty of school friends and since I walked funny, I was targeted by bullies, not so much as Tmmy though.

I would get tired walking all day, so I started using a walker at school. Because of the walker, I had to ride the short bus. I remember seeing the short bus for the first time. I hated it and did not want to ride it at all. Unlike the big bus it parked in our drive-way. The bus did not look like a typical short bus except it did have tinted windows. It was white with stripes, if I remember correctly. However, in the future we did (Timmy and I)did end up riding the stereotypical short bus.

SHORT AND SWEET

We all have talents in life. One of my talents is art. Below is one of my cartoons. I will post more artwork in the future.

Family facts, but it sounds like fiction PART 1

Wednesday, July 7th, my Grandma Williams came from Ohio to visit me. I adore her so much. Unlike most kids, I grew up with three sets of grandparents. Okay, I guess I need to back up and start at the beginning.

At the tender age of two, my mother, Betty and my father, Tim, divorced. My mom remarried two years later to my stepfather, Glenn Williams. Besides having three sets of grandparents,ever since 1979, I also have 2 dads. I hope you are taking notes, I may quiz you one day!!!

So, as I mentioned, I have three sets of grandparents. There's Grandma and Grandpa Kirby, my mom's parents. Grandma and Grandpa Adams, ,my father, Tim's parents, and last but not least, Grandma and Grandpa Williams, my dad, Glenn's parents. All my Grandparents have passed away except my dear Grandma Williams and I pray that she lives forever.

The last blog I posted was about my brother, Timmy. I left out a little fact that he shares with Grandma Williams, they both are born on July 2nd. However, since she was down here on the 7th, we had cake and presents for her. I bought her a vase of yellow roses and pink carnations and a card. Happy birthday Grandma, I love you very very much!




















My nephew, Colton, Dad ( Glenn) & Grandma Williams

YESTERDAY

Yesterday, July 2nd, would have been my brother, Timmy's 40th birthday, if he had lived. I have lost many friends because of Muscular Dystrophy. Most of them died at young ages;the majority of these brave souls was just kids. Timmy lived to be the age of 19, he died August, 12 1989.

He was the quiet type. He was very artistic, he could draw, paint, and sculpt. He would use his talent on various projects. Some of his artwork was so detailed, that it could only take a hand as steady, as a surgeons to accomplish such intricate art. I believe he was an artistic genius. He was a perfectionist and his biggest critic.

He suffered and endured more than anyone I ever known. The last months of his life was the worst. Mother tried her best to care for him. He was bedridden before his death and Mom prevented him from getting bedsores. I think about him every day. They say that, time heals all wounds. I say damn the fool that would even suggest that. I grieve as much today for him, as I did 21 years ago, if not more. If you have a brother that is healthy then rejoice.

INTRODUCTION....

My name is, Joseph Adams and this is my first blog. Most of my friends and family call me Jody, Jo Jo or Joe.I must admit, I think it is narcissistic of me to base my blog about me. However, narcissism is totally not one of my traits. My life has some uniqueness to it. I have a lot of advice and experience in life. For a man that is so young, I can offer so much, yet I am running out of time. Please, if you notice any bad grammar, punctuation, or spelling, I beg your forgiveness.

As the title says, "I rode the short bus" is so very indeed true. I rode it with my older brother,Timmy. We never attended any special education classes. There was nothing wrong with our minds. We both shared an extremely rare unknown form of Muscular Dystrophy. It was so rare, that doctors worldwide never seen anything like it. It never even had a name. I call it my curse and it has been with me since birth.

I was born in Lexington, Kentucky on September 9th, 1975. After I was born, unlike my brother, I showed no signs of having Muscular Dystrophy. My parents did not think I had the disease three months later they had me tested.( It was hospital procedure to wait three months before testing.) I tested positive for Muscular Dystrophy, so this blog is my life, both the past and the present.

Presently, I am 34 and I have lived almost 13 years at Rockcastle Regional in Mount Vernon, Kentucky. Due to health issues I require a ventilator to sustain life and Rockcastle Regional has a full term respiratory care facility. There are only two full term respiratory care facilities in the United States and both are located in Kentucky. Rockcastle Regional was the the first to practice this concept.



















Me around the age of 7, notice my Nikes.


















Me at present day. The glasses are not sunglasses. I have very sensitive eyes, so my lenses are tinted for comfort. The hat is kinda my signature look. I believe you got a fair introduction of me. I will post again real soon with more for you to follow. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them on my blog. Thank you for reading and God bless you all.