Camille Cusumano

Family meeting November 27, 2009

Jim facilitated and he started out by asking each of us siblings to describe one of our best memories about growing up:

Tom: Noise, company, love, role models

Grace: Felt safe

Tina: Proud of my brothers and sisters

Terry: Mom gave me hope, Dad gave me affection

Camille: our togetherness, my fantasy-escape life

Lisa: Affection from Dad; never alone

Sal: bantering, discussions

Chuck: no need for outside world

Jim: Whenever people heard I was oldest of 10, felt proud, cool

What are our goals for today?

Tom: Finding the best path for Mom

Grace: Have everyone on the same page to know where Mom is mentally, physically, spiritually

Tina: Regain Mom’s happiness and confidence

Terry: Mom’s safety and maintain family unity

Camille: Shared awareness of Mom’s situation; address immediate needs

Lisa: Get Mom in a place where’s she’s safe and happy

Sal: Address immediate needs for Mom

Chuck: Ditto

Jim : ditto plus awareness

Rules for the meeting:

Tom: consensus not necessary; majority rules

Grace: Focus on goal (don’t go off on tangents)

Tina: non-conflict

Terry: non-violent communication

Camille: no crosstalk (no immediate rebuttal)

Lisa: Allow person to speak their mind

Sal: ditto #5 (Camille)

Chuck: listen to understand

Jim: Total integrity

Immediate needs for Mom (situation):

—Has aged considerably – will not resume vibrancy

—Needs someone to shop, be there when she showers, other assistance around home/community

—Can’t drive

—social interaction

—one in 20 chance of falling (statistic)

Solutions considered (before we voted on priorities):

—Call Tina

—Assess home for falls

—Hire someone to come in

—HomeInstead (a biz that charges $18/hour, minimum $150/week, two days/8 hours)

—Community outreach [Father Bozzelli, Marge (Avon lady’s mom), Kathy & Joe the neighbors, Jennifer, Bible group person, George (Camille’s bike buddy), cleaning women (Corinne, Debbie), others]

—Assessment of Mom

—Temporary stay in assisted living

—mobile wheelchair

—Ask Mom? (I forget what this was)

—Live with one of us

—1/10 of year live with each of us

—Hire someone to live with Mom

—Hire taxi service for Mom

—Put word out to grand kids (to take a “vacation” with Gram)

We then each marked our three preferred solutions, numbering them in order of preference. A CPA among us tallied the votes and the winning top three solutions were:

Assess home for falls

Hire someone to come in

Hire a taxi service

Some discussion ensued with and it was agreed that these three measures did not exclude others. Sal and I agreed on something, for the second or third time during the meeting: community outreach should be kept on the list.

Implementation of solutions was discussed:

—community outreach – Camille volunteered to undertake over a period of 3-4 weeks. This entails calling/emailing the people (mentioned above) and asking them to actively reach out – and specify what Mom needs. Etc, stay tuned for more on this.

—Call mom (more frequently, if/when possible) all of us

—Hire someone to come in. (Jim will spearhead)

—Assess home for falls (Grace)

—Look into assisted living (Terry)

—Hire a taxi service (Lisa)

We addressed the fact that there is a long-term concern, namely Mom’s housing, possible need for assisted living, that the expense would be shared by all, should it come to that. We did not attempt to come to conclusions on this issue, only get it on the table. (Send your comments on this – I don’t recall the whole discussion).

Lisa (and Vadj) who’s been Mom’s “first line of defense” for many years asked for some support – suggesting that NJ/PA family visit Mom every four weeks as this cuts down to some extent on Mom’s intense focus on her for every little thing. Our brothers also offered to try to get to Mom’s for a visit to alleviate the stress on Lisa and Vadj. If they can come three times a year to visit that would come out to once a month for a son to visit as well. Having a family calendar will assist on the weekends that we will offer to visit.

Camille will attempt to throw up a Web page – ideally with a calenda

Did I leave out any important details?

Another long term goal would be to go to Tuscany, rent a villa, for Mom’s 90 th birthday. Tom can trade one visit to Mom by running the organization of the trip.

UPDATE, February 19, 2010:

The workshops are going great. Note that I had originally called them “Travel Writing 101″—but I’ve changed the title to just “writing,” because the level of talent is above that of  “101″ and I’ve been tailoring the classes to the individuals’ various desires.

Learn more about my teaching here.

“Camille Cusumano’s 2-day writing workshop infused my writing practice with a much needed boost. In the workshop, I generated new material and breathed life into old work. Camille created and held the space for me to clarify and focus my writing for two days, allowing me to take a big step closer to my writing goals. And the one-on-one coaching sessions alone were priceless. I walked away from the workshop with a targeted list of targeted resources, valuable insights from a seasoned author and editor, a polished story, the best query letter I’ve ever written and a fistful of additional tools and tips for use in my writing practice. Camille’s teaching method is compassionate, supportive and focused. No matter where you are on your path as a writer, you will benefit greatly from taking Camille Cusumano’s writing workshop!” Katherina Audley, Portland, Oregon, January, 2010:

“Camille is an inspiring teacher, coach and cheerleader. I walked home after her 2-day writing workshop convinced that not only I can, but must write my story—maybe more than one.”
Peter Esser, Ph.D., Buenos Aires, January 2010

I have done my share of writing classes and workshops over the years and, most recently, started one-on-one consultations with Camille which have proven to be HUGELY beneficial. Camille treads tenderly on my art-side of writing, always encouraging and highlighting the good; then she fearlessly takes a surgeon’s scalpel to the craft-side of the writing and demonstrates and explains in great detail how to make the piece stronger and more compelling. At the end of the session, I am left with a polished piece of writing that is true to my story, but one that I also love reading again Life circumstance now puts us in different parts of the world, but thanks to internet and Skype, our consultations continue! I recommend Camille’s coaching/editing services highly.

Oga Cho, world citizen, March 2010

Camille’s 2-day workshop was exactly what I needed! I’ve been writing alone and in writing groups for years but have never felt any of my work was finished and ready to submit. Camille helped me get there. Her knowledge of the market, guidance in approaching editors and getting published, and her patient and focused editing of my work helped me rewrite with a clearer focus and feel confident that it’s ready. I’ve written my first query letter, and I’m excited about working on my many other pieces with the same vigor. I came away with a much better understanding of how publishing works, and a much greater confidence in my ability. Thank you, Camille!

Angela McCallum, Buenos Aires, http://santelmoloft.com

If you can write, there’s a reader waiting to read what you have to say. Why not start publishing your prose? The time has never been more auspicious—and I’ll tell you why. If you are coming to Buenos Aires for your first time, be prepared to find inspiration daily in this lively Latin city and its culture, full of surprises.

If you’ve already been here, you know there is so much to write home about.

In these two-day workshops we’ll work on one-two-three simple goals:

1. Crafting and streamlining a creative, publishable travel story.

2. Listing the many outlets and publications, both hard copy and online, where you can send your work for serious consideration.

3. Getting your work sent out now.

• The workshops will be given in the beautiful Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, near easy public transportation, hotels, restaurants, and great shopping. (It’s a $30 taxi ride from Ezeiza Int’l Airport.)

• These workshops will be fun, no-pressure, and full of inspiration. Each one is limited to no more than eight participants.

• Each workshop lasts two full (eight-hour) days, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A typical Argentine lunch (for omnivores and herbivores) is included in the price, along with free beverages throughout the day.

• The workshops are given by me, Camille Cusumano, journalist, book author, and editor with 30 years in publishing.

February is summer’s end in Argentina and the living is easy and exciting. March is like September in the eastern United States – still warm and pleasant.

10 percent discount for members of  Bay Area Travel Writers

Price per workshop:

$195 (for two eight-hour days of instruction)

Choose from any of three sessions:

February 11–12, 2010

March 9–10, 2010

March 17–18, 2010

Extra, at no further charge: Each participant is entitled to a private follow-up consultation on your progress, in person, by phone, or email.

Reserve below, with a $50 deposit, refundable up to a week before workshop starts. Balance due a week before workshop starts. Email me with any questions and tell me a little about yourself: ocaramia@earthlink.net or ocaramia@mac.com.

Workshops by Dates

February 11-12 $195.00 March 9-10 $195.00 March 17-18 $195.00