We All Should Care

Accept the call for a deeper purpose.

I have just returned from the most awe inspiring, amazing weekend ever. It was definitely life altering, on a few levels, in fact.
I trekked from Charlotte, North Carolina to Auburn Hills, Michigan, for the Spencer Bell Legacy show, and it was so much more than I ever could have imagined.
It was very last minute when I found out I could go, I had to rearrange my entire life in a matter of 8 days, and had a death in the family to deal with on top of that, but somehow I managed. I have never been happier to say that. Nothing would have kept me away though.
I was blessed to have been able to converse with Spencer’s mom, she is the sweetest woman that I have ever had the fortune of meeting, I believe. I’m thrilled beyond words that I get to help keep Spencer’s memory alive, that I get to introduce him to people, and help show the world, how beautiful his soul was and is.
No, Spencer was not perfect, he was human, flawed, I’m sure he was extremely frustrating at times, irritating at others, but he was beautiful, and beyond any doubt, loved in his entirety. Yes, even when they wished to pinch his head off. *laugh*
I can’t say that I knew Spencer when he was alive, I got to know him through his art, his music, his words, so my connection to him is from one writer, to another, from one human being to another.
Myself, and two of my very best friends, Kasey and Jodie, shared the weekend experience together, and we all took away something different.
My intention was to go and honor Spencer, to enjoy some music, to just have a great time, in his honor. I did all of those things, and more. I reconnected with a part of ME that I had forgotten, I saw an outpouring of love, and support for Spencer and the Bell family, that was astounding and beautiful beyond compare. I got to hear Spencer stories, and connect with people that I never would have, had I not found him, courtesy of Jackson Rathbone.
Though Spencer wasn’t with us in his physical form, I know that he was with us in spirit, in soul, and he was partying his A** off, believe that! The bands that performed were AMAZING, and he had a hand or influence in each of them, at some point,in some way.*Smile*
The Stevedores, Tin Tin Can,Drew and the Medicinal Pen,100 Monkeys and we even got to hear first hand, roommate stories about Spencer, from Orson Brawl, it was an experience I’ll never forget. I’ll be talking about it for years to come.
Old friends reconnecting, music that made me dance non stop for two days, the musicians were incredible to hang out with,just talk to, making new friends that I know will last a lifetime, and most importantly, showing Spencer, and the world, that he hasn’t been forgotten, that he still matters, that he always will.
In my favorite words describing Spencer, courtesy of Jay “What a beautiful soul, that Spencer Bell”.
Spencer, wherever you are, we love you, and your legacy will live on, in the hearts, minds, and souls of everyone you have touched.

If you’d like to get to know more about Spencer, then please visit Legacy, if you’d like to donate to Research for Adrenal Cancer then please, go HERE.

I’d like to give a special shout out and thank you to my personal (and professional) photographer for the weekend Jodie Platz without her, I would have been forced to take the pictures, but she took on that job, allowing me to dance all weekend, so THANK YOU, Jo Jo. The photos are incredible, as your work always is. You should click on her name and check out her other work.

I chose Spencer’s “It Wouldn’t Be So Bad”, poem for the inspiration for this post today,for several reasons.
You can see it in it’s entirety here: It Wouldn’t Be So Bad
A huge part of it, is that it touched someone very close to me, and I absolutely love that I was able to introduce her to Spencer.
Jode Platz ia a musician herself, and she loves music to the point of distraction, so she really relates to this piece in a personal way.
I think another part of it, is that I adore music myself, there have been times, when I wasn’t hiding in a book, I was hiding in music. (Strictly on a listening level, unless you’re referring to my ability to dance around the house, singing into my hairbrush, or singing loudly along with the radio).
So, I too, can relate on a smaller scale. I tend to also apply the mentality to my passions, if I were to slip away while writing or reading, perhaps that would be a smooth transition for me, because it is such a big part of who I am.
If you’d like to know more about Spencer, please visit here: Spencer Bell Memorial, and/or, if you’d like to make a donation to the Adrenal Cancer Research fund, please go here: DONATE! Every contribution is deeply appreciated.

[[image courtesy of google.com/images]]

I’ve been writing about Spencer Bell daily, since I “met” him, and today is no exception.
Spencer has really caused a renewal of the spark that I had for writing.
He has been an amazing inspiration, and I hope that if he were with us, it would bring a smile to his face to know that.
So, in keeping with that spirit, I’ll post a piece of my prose, and dedicate it to Spencer;an incredible writer, and a very talented young man.

Soul Starvation

Dismal facts spun at me, quickly, yet I catch them all.
Filtering through the nonsense, I hear what they don’t want me to.
My entire being not created to have sunshine pumped through my veins.
Adapatable, they say, but merely physically I think, chuckling darkly.
A black hole,mind numbing void born from shallow, narrowmindedness, eating anything extraordinary in it’s path.
Leaving behind nothing of any consequence, or any sustenance. Fighting it may seem impossible, useless, some may say.
Why go against the grain?
To give us all a reason to breathe, to exist. So it isn’t all pointless.
If it must feed on something, bring to it sacrifices of bigotry, hate, indifference.
Don’t let it eat your passion, joy, bliss,or devour your creativity, your vigor your zest.
Hold fast to them, never relenquishing the reins.
Never back down from man, nor beast, nor endless nothingness. Change will only come, if we push on through the night, as one, to see the rising of the sun.
My eyes cannot wait for that day, and victory then, will have never tasted so sweet; Possibly for the sacrifices made, possibly because while waiting on the world to change we didn’t merely stand, but we moved it by sheer will, shoulder to shoulder. Refusing to back down.

By: Willow Raine

If you’d like to read about Spencer, see his work, see videos, listen to his music, please go here:The Music Lives On And just as importantly, if you’d like to make a donation to help fund the research about the disease that took him from this world, please visit here: DONATE Every contribution is sincerely appreciated.

Someone that I absolutely adore, knows how much I love Spencer Bell, and so she surprised me with something very touching.
It brought tears to my eyes, and melted my heart. Now, it resides on my desktop as my background, and my phone as well. (Replacing Jackson Rathbone, no less *laugh*)
You can see it below:

If you would like to have one just like it, either email me here, or go to her blog site JODIE PLATZ and comment her, letting her know.

Thank you again JoJo, it is amazing, and I love it.

If you’d like to know more about Spencer Bell, see his work, then please go here: THE MUSIC LIVES ON, and if you’d like to donate to the research of Adrenal Cancer, then please, go here: DONATE. Every contribution is appreciated, together, we CAN make a difference.

[[Image/Background provided, and created by: Jodie Platz]]

I decided, that today, I am going to let SPENCER’S words speak for themselves:

My name?
Not that it’s of any formidable consequence.
It is Spencer,
son of William.
Scholar of many crafts
and traveler of many lands.
A vagabond of sorts
with an affinity for poetry and lager
and many things carnal.
A Dreamer
and gazer of stars.
Both fire and earth by the zodiac

and dispositionally aerial.
A connoisseur of kisses
and chemicals
and philosophy.
though I claim none as my own.
A finger in most every pie
within my reach
and a hand in many
unknowing puppets.
A discusser of Shakespeare,
though a modest reader.
A Heretic by many rights
and a demon in the eyes of the law.

Content, but somehow so empty.
Missing so much
yet satisfied to watch the world
turn below my feet.
A critic of most everything.
Harsh in my judgments,
but gentle in my casting of them.

Aimlessly lost between thestatic and the history books.
Dabbling in the first
but always looking for a way to sneak into the latter.

Quite complicated for such a simple fellow,
or perhaps just very simply complex.
I walk with the step of a man who knows his mind,
but write with the blindness of a deeply lost spirit.

My soul, I know, is old.
Perhaps amongst the oldest.
But my naïveté never seems to flag.
I question what I know,
and often times don’t know what I question.
I listen for answers, but quickly lose attention
in them if they aren’t particularly compelling.
I’m potentially a waste of humanity
as I’ve wasted much of my human potential.

My fear of death is minute, though it makes itself
abundantly apparent.
I know not what to expect after this life,
though I am positive that there is something.

My eyes, I’ve heard are deeper than most,
though I see this world as being terribly shallow.
I am simultaneously hasty and lazy.
My aspirations are little,
so as not to disappoint myself when I don’t meet them.
I’m honestly not sure where this life is going
and I just as honestly do not care.
So long as I can love
and be loved.
So long as I can inspire
and be inspired.
So long as the sun keeps sliding through the sky,
and the rain still falls on occasion,
I’m sure that whatever supremely awaits me
shall come.
And when finality brings itself to me,
I will not run and vainly avoid the inevitable.
I will cast my arms out and blindly
embrace my end
Just as I have always embraced whatever
Has come with the wind.

Spencer Bell – September 2003 journal entry

There isn’t anything I can add to this,or say about it, without taking away from it and that is the last thing I would ever want.
Please go check out his other art at THE MUSIC LIVES ON or donate to research in his honor: ADRENAL CANCER RESEARCH Every donation is sincerely appreciated. Together, we can make a difference.

[[The original work is the creation of, copyrighted, and owned by Spencer Bell, courtesy of spencerbellmemorial.ning.com]]
[[Image courtesy of google.com/images]]

I have read Spencer’s words so many times, yet each time I do, I either happen upon a piece that I identify with, or that I finally just “get” if that makes sense.
The one I read today, that I want to post about is WHEN I PAINT (Click on the name to read it).
He talks about how he really doesn’t over think his pieces, but they make sense to HIM. I feel that way a lot, but also for me, when I’m writing, I tend to not think much at all. I let my soul do the writing, and basically what happens is a kind of beautiful magic.
Because the piece conceives and births itself.
After reading Spencer’s words, I get the odd sensation, that he felt the same way at times.
If you’d like to read more of his prose, please do! And tell a friend!
Go to THE MUSIC LIVES ON!
If you want to donate to help fund the research of the disease that took him away so young, please visit: ADRENAL CANCER RESEARCH. Any and all donations are appreciated.

[[Image courtesy of spencerbellmemorial.ning.com]]

The piece of SPENCER’S that I want to talk about today is: ADDICTIONS you can read it by clicking the name.
It’s basically talking about how he must be addicted to writing, and believe me, I know how that feels, all too well. It’s a walk that I take several times daily.
Without my words, who would I be?
Would I even exist?
Sometimes I wonder if I do exist on the same plane as everyone else,because it seems as if I can’t reach people even when it feels as if I’m shouting.
I often wonder if Spencer felt that way. Perhaps he did.
If you want to know more about Spencer, or familiarize yourself with more of his art, (and you should it’s awe inspiring) then please visit The Music Lives On, and if you can find it within your heart, and your pockets, to donate to the cause, to support the research of the disease that took his life, please go to: Adrenal Cancer Research Every donation is extremely appreciated.

I love this. I think what initially pulled me to this piece of Spencer’s was the color. Purple is my favorite, of course. So understandably, I’d go “oooh purple!” *laugh* But what kept my attention was the words around the outside of the drawing itself.
There is not enough imagination, compassion, thoughtfulness, creating, inventing. We should strive to create something better, a more beautiful world. Something worth leaving behind for our children, grand children, great grandchildren. Don’t you want to leave them with something that they can be proud of? A legacy that they can look back on and know that they too can be influential, inspiring, make a difference?
I wish there were more Spencer Bell’s of this world. I know he was far from perfect, that he was merely human, but even with his flaws, his imperfections, he still stood out and made a difference.
That’s all we should all hope for, to make an impact.
You want to make an impact? Go here: DONATE and donate to help support research for Adrenal Cancer. Together, we CAN make a difference in the fight with this disease.

[[Image courtesy of spencerbellmemorial.ning.com]]

When I saw this piece of art, I kind of clicked with it. Like I have said many times, I’m sure I don’t take away exactly what the artist has in mind, when I look at art, but I love to hear the varying interpretations of my work,so I can hope that others feel the same way.
Spencer Bell was an amazing artist, is a beautiful soul, and this piece was something that like so many other things I’ve seen of his, may stem from something so few of us learn that young in life.
The key to peace, to acceptance, to unconditional love, to ending racism, or bigotry of any kind,the key to tolerance, starts before birth, essentially. It lies with your parents, the creators of your PHYSICAL form. That is not to say, that if you’re raised around bigots, or fighting, that you can’t make the decision for yourself to be different, I did just that. However, parents are very influential,and some people can’t bring themselves to fight against narrow-minded mentality,even if it’s their own. Hell,most especially if it’s their own.
This world is made up of diversity, none of us are exactly alike, and I find that beautiful. I don’t care what religion you are, what color your skin is, whether you’re tall or short, chunky or thin, everyone has the potential to be beautiful. Beauty for me, is about peace,love,understanding,empathy,compassion,tolerance,knowledge,intelligence, so many things rolled into one.
When will we,as a HUMAN race, understand that the Key to Peace is within reach, it is within ourselves?

If you want to see more of Spencer’s Art, click on his name above,and if you’d like to contribute to research about Adrenal Cancer, the disease that took his life, please, go here: RESEARCH All donations are greatly appreciated.

[[Image courtesy of spencerbellmemorial.ning.com]]

You know how I feel about Spencer Bell, so I’ll spare you the same tired spill, he deserves more than that. His spirit deserves far more than I could ever manage, but I did write something for him, and hope that somewhere he’s reading it and thinking “That doesn’t suck so bad.”

Beholder
Never ceasing to give a view of this world that only you could see, for
it was your canvas,to destroy or beautify, by your hand as you saw fit.
You chose the latter.
You were the sole creator.
You alone, were your pilot, but your destination was never as important as your journey.
Sketching the world in black and white with your words, painting it vibrant colors with your passion for life.
Signing your name to your masterpiece, in brilliant light, so that no matter where anyone went, they could always see that beacon. They could always know that home, is within the heart,the spirit, the soul, not within the confines of four walls, or even, ones physical body.

His being taken away so young, is very heart-wrenching, but it has made me very aware, of how many times we miss out on the beautiful souls of this world, take them for granted as if they’ll always be there. Those are the ones who leave us far too soon.
It also made me aware of Adrenal Cancer. A type of cancer that even I (as much as cancer has touched my family) knew nothing about.
If you want to show Spencer some support, go HERE and purchase his merchandise, read his poetry,lyrics, people’s blogs about him. Bask in the afterglow that his spirit has caused.
If you want to act on a larger scale, then by all means, go here: Adrenal Cancer Research and donate to the cause in his name. The more we research about this deadly disease, the closer we come to finding treatment.