Background
Laurence was born on 9 January in 1949 in Spangler, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Helen McCom.
1991
One of the finest collaborations between the creator and one of the created
1991
Same tree - different view
1991
The End
2004
My house (home) in St Johnsbury for _+ 10 years
2005
Dominique Gustin took this Photo as part of her sole design of the art work on my CD 'Thatchers Pond'
2007
Ocean spray in January near the beach in York, Maine
2009
A very important person.
2017
Selfie - my left forearm
2017
Sheila Holtz at home in Maine (married in 1974 - divorced 1978) good friends still
2017
Outdoor art takes over a building on Langdon Street in Montpelier, VT
These great animals are harbingers of the fate of the world. They, as are we, are endangered. Save them, save the world.
The Bison is my spirit animal. The Caribou is his helper.
Mother and child reunion.
Game of Thrones. Dragon queen.
College years?
bull bison in rut
woman from Istanbul
dancing indians made out of paper
Albino bison with nursing calf
Indian head nickel ring with gold chasing
musician philosopher Photographer author artisan poet
Laurence was born on 9 January in 1949 in Spangler, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of Helen McCom.
I attended 5 elementary schools in 8 years and two high schools after that for a total of 12 years of parochial education. The family moved around a lot. It was the beginning of a life lesson in acceptance. I learned to adapt my speech to accommodate the patterns found in other states (Georgia) and other regions of my home state of Pennsylvania. I did not make friends easily. I was sought by bullies. My friends were also the victims of bullies. As I have no childhood friends in my elder years it may be that being victims was all we had in common. Escape and flee as opposed to organize and face the bullies down. Facing bullies down would almost guarantee broken bones, which I avoided.
Hand weaver, Hardwick, Vermont, since 1987. Contributor Vermont Arts Council Special Exhibition, Montpelier, Vermont, fall 2000.
Self taught musician playing for 50+ years. CD of original instrumental compositions for acoustic guitar, 2004.
Two years as acting SLP in Central Vermont schools
Author of "Tummly and Jumbles" a children's story involving my real life with my 2 cats while living in St Johnsbury, VT
Years of volunteerism for the VT DOC detailed elsewhere in this bio.
Life long photographer mostly of animals and nature. Very few portraits.
200,000 year old shamanism is believed to be man kinds original effort at explaining and relating to the divine.
Despite efforts , for example during the middle ages of Europe, and, modernity world wide, to exterminate archaic beliefs they prove to be extraordinarily resilient, especially among indigenous peoples everywhere. Humanity got it right the first time (200,000 years ago) and somehow we fell from our original state of grace and daily personal communication with the divine (which has and does live in us)
Liberal, but not so open-minded my brains fall out.
Capitalism = death. Trying to put a money value on anything (from values to material objects) inevitably ends in a kind of mental illness, whereby all is sacrificed for the acquisition of money and the egregious beliefs that include among them the belief that only the stupid are poor. Christ was not stupid. Gandhi was not stupid though both CHOSE poverty and relied on the generosity of others to make their way in the world. Virtually all traditional Buddhists carry a begging bowl. Modernity simply will not accept the truth that money is an evil invented so that there was room for profit. Interest on money lent used to be called usury, a heinous crime. The abandonment of traditional, humane, respecting of the God in man, values always have and always will bring about the destruction of persons as well as the destruction of societies. The inventor/developer of Microsoft is known today as a benevolent philanthropist and yet with his success and unconscionable sums of money, Bill Gates was known as the miser of the modern world. It was his money and he would NOT share. Fortunately for him there was a woman who saw something in Bill and eventually asked him what did he want his legacy to be?, Bill Gates the miser of the millennium or the philanthropist?
Quotations:
Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi - "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
John Neihardt - "Black Elk Speaks"
Buddhism - 'non attachment - mindfulness - acceptance'
Member Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission, Montpelier, 1982, Plainfield (Vermont) Planning Commission, 1982. Volunteer Vermont Department Corrections Northeast Regional Correctional Facility, St. Johnsbury, 1998-2002. Member Reparative Probation Board, Barre Office, 1998-2000.
Member New England Antiquities Research Associates, Vermont Weaver's Guild, Hardwick Area Writer's Group, Handweavers Guild American, Alliance for Prison Justice (workshop panelist 2002).
During the Viet Nam conflict I gave up my student deferment in my third year of college and was drafted as a Conscientious Objector, performing 22 months of civilian alternative service in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the "Home for Crippled Children" After satisfying my obligation to the Selective Service I resumed my college education and graduated with the class of 1974 with a double major in Religion/Philosophy. A healthy relationship with our creator (God) should consume most of our efforts in life.
Physical Characteristics: Tall, strong and basically healthy in my youth and middle years, at 69 now I find that the usual vagaries of aging afflict me.
Quotes from others about the person
Jim McMartn 'Truthful to a fault'.
Laurence married to Suzanne in May 1981 (divorced April 2005). they have a child: Samara.
Titles serve only to separate people one from another. We are not all interchangeable. We are not indistinguishable one from another. WE are children of god. Let us act accordingly and honor the divinity that is in the heart of everyone.
Be proud of and know who you are. You are an aspect of the divinity that is itself life. Freely but with a modicum of decorum express your individuality. Wear distinctive jewelry. Tasteful tattoos can aid in the expression of how you see yourself in the world. We all use the latrine, but not to live in. Clean the latrine daily, and some days clean it even if you have not had occasion yet to use it.
This. Now. 11 June 2018 and before, is modernity. Resist modernity. Learn to stop multi-tasking. Pay attention, now. One thing at a time. Slow down. Take a deep breath. Let people tell you what life was like before modernity. Put away your cell phones. Look at the beauty of the world when you are outside walking. Extend a helping hand. It was better before modernity. It can be better again.