Shoals Bliss

Giving Tuesday Caringplace of the Shoals

I meant to post this yesterday but I typed.. and deleted... typed.. got busy.. typed.. got distracted. It was a never ended cycle. Anyway!

🩵 HAPPY DYSAUTONOMIA AWARENESS MONTH🩵 Happy I have it? Negative... Happy to advocate for myself and others.. ABSOLUTELY!!! HAPPY it is FINALLY getting the awareness that it needs and deserves to help others be able to get an earlier diagnosis (hopefully).. 1000 percent!!!

** I haven't seen a dysautonomia monthly challenge for this year like I have in the past. So, I have thought about just making my own up. The good, the bad and the ugly of dysautonomia. Still debating I've been open about a lot of my health, but there are still a lot people don't see..

Pic below from the gym yesterday...
Side note... tell me you have EDS without saying you have EDS..
Dysautonomia International
Love to all!!

An empty studio, a final canvas, and a heart full of gratitude…

The last canvas leaves — Zebra by Kendall Stansell,
strength and tenderness caught in stripes,
a reminder that even rare things
stand tall in beauty.

Now the walls are bare,
the music silent,
yet the echoes remain —
laughter, peace,
the countless hearts that passed through.

A beloved voice once told me:
“Goodbye is final — it ends a relationship.”
So I will not say goodbye.

I will say thank you.
For art, for music,
for healing,
for connection.
For you — every soul who brought their light to these walls,
artists, dreamers, and seekers of the Shoals.

Shoals Bliss closes its doors,
but its spirit walks on
in every life it touched. 🩵💚

—Randy
Pax Christi

This painting of a flower was created by Mrs. Mary, whom I met at CaringPlace of the Shoals. For a time, it graced the walls of Shoals Bliss, bringing peace and beauty to all who saw it. Now, I return it to her family, where it will continue to carry her gentle spirit and the gift of beauty she shared with us.

Requiescat in pace.

—Randy

🩵💚 As the final days of Shoals Bliss draw near, I’ve been thinking about what truly matters in the journey we’ve shared together.

This zebra painting by Kendall Stansell was created for Dysautonomia Awareness Month in October. The zebra has long been a symbol for rare diseases—an image that reminds us of the hidden struggles many carry, and the strength it takes to live with them each day.

Sharing this piece feels like the right way to close the art chapter of Shoals Bliss. It reflects not only awareness, but also the beautiful, creative spirit of the Shoals community—a spirit that has always inspired me.

Thank you for walking with me, for supporting this little dream, and for being part of something bigger than any one person.

🩵💚

Pax Christi,
Randy

The Last Massage

Today, the last touch was given.
A quiet room, a steady breath,
and the rhythm of hands meeting soul—
a journey years in the making,
ending in silence,
yet echoing in my heart.

Each session was more than work—
fire and tenderness entwined,
healing poured through touch and presence.
Some moments burned bright and pure,
others lingered with a sweetness edged in ache.
But all of them, every one,
left their mark upon me.

Now passion folds into memory,
and memory into gratitude.
The table is empty tonight,
yet my spirit is full.
This chapter ends not with goodbye,
but with the quiet echo of a final note—
still playing in me.

🩵💚
—Randy