Accidentally Deliberate

By Denison E. Gundy

This book is about a womans life who has experienced most everything but death and child birth. She survived an abusive marriage, several abusive relationships, mental abuse as a child in her home, and being mentally and physically worn down by show business, which constantly challenged her self-esteem.
It will tell you how she overcame disaster (several severe car accidents, being mugged on the street, and a 1976 sailboat trip through the middle of the Bermuda Triangle), what she learned from her experiences, and how she has put into practice the knowledge gained from those lessons; the biggest of which is having a sense of humor through it all. She has studied human behavior and abusive situations, and hopes that this book will allow her to help young girls deal with the misogyny of women that is ever-present in the world today.
There is also the intrinsic value of entertainment contained in these pages of her triumphs and tribulations. Have a look into the world of a woman whose uncanny fortune is displayed in every corner of her life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 30, 2008
• ISBN: 9781469114941

Denison E. Gundy

Jo Lynn Jamison This is Jo’s third book, which is a collaboration with her Cousins who prefer to call her “Aunt Jo.” It is a labor of Love for all of them. It is the second children’s book for Her that she hopes will have will have three in the series. Pleasant dreams everyone. DENISON E. GUNDY This is a first time collaboration on a book for Dennis. He came up with the concept for Aunt Jo to put into words. It is the true story of how He would prepare his daughters for sleep at night. The family lives in Pflugerville, Texas.

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Copyright © 2008 by Jo Lynn Jamison.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Book cover design and text: Jo Lynn Jamison

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Editing: David Van Gilder

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

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Contents

Dedication

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER X

CHAPTER XI

"Appendix

OF MUSICAL WORKS"

APPENDIX OF ARTWORK

SPONSORS

THIS COPY WAS SIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR:

Love and light,

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JO LYNN JAMISON

Dedication

To my grandmother, Bonnie Crownover (deceased); grandfather, Bill Crownover (deceased); and in loving memory of my mother, Mary Lea Jamison, who died on February 21, 2007.

To all my wonderful, loving friends. I do hope you know who you are.

I am grateful for the life I have had because I’ve learned a tremendous amount about living from it. It has taught me how to overcome obstacles, love more freely without conditions, and to laugh, laugh, laugh. Laughter is the best remedy for anything that happens.

Thank you for reading my book. My wish for all of you is love and light; and may you live life as I have, with childlike enthusiasm.

                                                                                    XOXOXOXOXO,

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                                                                                  JO LYNN JAMISON

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank the people who have supported me mentally, spiritually, and financially throughout the years:

My Broho—Brandon and Michael, Christina M., Diane H. and family, Jackie, Jenna and John D., Jan B., Kevin S., Laura and Ross M., Linda RP, Marsha VW, Nan R., Polita and Phil B., Randy J., Sherry M. and family, Skye P., and last but not least, vocal specialist Warren B.

I bow my head and give thanks for each and every one of you as often as I possibly can. Each person has given me something different at times in my life when I needed you. Without your help, I would not be alive. It comes straight from my heart; you have graced my life. Much of my fortune lies in knowing you. I praise and thank you for the friendship, knowledge, and courage that you possess. We have been connected for many lifetimes. In the overall scheme of things, it has only been moments in real space and time.

My sincere gratitude to the people who helped me put this book into form and matter. Claire Meitl, Carolyn Rice, David Van Gilder, Jane Heffelfinger, Pilar Ingargiola, Unison Goody, and Xlibris. I can’t say enough good things about you, nor can I begin to describe what it has meant to me to have your assistance on this project of almost fifteen years. I am truly blessed from above. All is exactly as it should be. I have lived an extraordinary life.

PREFACE

I have never been on my deathbed, had any life-threatening diseases, or lost any body parts. That, in fact, is exactly why this book was written. Grateful to be alive, yes. Lucky to be in one piece, indeed.

Happy it’s all behind me, obviously, I’m looking forward to the future with the enthusiasm of a child and the courage of a lion.

This is a true account of the life of Jo Lynn Jamison. I’m a woman whose name and face you probably wouldn’t recognize. However, I have lived an extraordinary life, coming out on top of more than my share of circumstances that would be as daunting as one person could withstand.

My triumphant spirit, with the assistance of several guardian angels pulling me through in times of need, is a heartwarming and an uplifting example of what humans can endure.

On the surface, my life appeared pretty normal, with obstacles like most of us face every day. I would venture to say that most people didn’t have as many crises throughout there lives as I did—aside from those with debilitating diseases.

My insights about myself have served me well. I am a much more compassionate, caring, and nonjudgmental individual than I was in my younger years. However, I am human, and am continually working to improve myself in every area.

My travels have taken me places I never thought I’d go. The recurring disasters in my life have given me character and stamina. The people in my life were all put there for a reason. To teach me, repeatedly, that I must be aware at all times and never give up.

Don’t miss this recount of a life lived to the fullest, filled with encounters that would mold who I am today. A person with an extraordinary capacity to laugh (at myself mostly), and live life with determination and pure faith in God and the universe. All is as it should be. The poems in my book are used by permission of the author, Diane Farmer-Hoeb, and remain her property to publish at a later date in her own works of poetry.

All the names in my book have been changed to protect the innocent.

CHAPTER I

THE MAGIC IS IN THE LEARNING

In my life, I’ve experienced about everything a person could go through, but death and childbirth. It has rung me out emotionally and brought me to heights of emotional and physical ecstasy I never thought possible. It is said that a cat has nine lives. I believe that I have been given that right of passage. More than once I have been tossed out on a limb, only to land upright to live another day. That’s why I feel, even though this is my story, it also belongs to every one of you reading it. Maybe you will see some similarities in your own life, or the life of someone you know. Whatever you may relate to, it is my hope that you know there is one other person on the earth who has been through it that can empathize. Here are two of the major realities I’ve learned: (1) we are all connected to each other, and (2) putting into practice what I have learned is an integral part of life. I believe it is what makes us well-rounded and whole. It is what gives us purpose and fulfillment. I am speaking aside from being loved, having a family or a successful career.

I was asked, years ago, by someone in the psychic field, if I was grateful every time I got to live another day. Then, I couldn’t say yes; today, I can say I have that attitude and a major amount of gratitude with me every day. It isn’t always the first thing I do when I wake up, or the last thing I do before going to bed at night; but at some point during the day I thank the universe and whatever energy is out there I call God, for all the gifts I have received.

This is coming from one who is relearning old concepts that keep confronting me and presenting themselves as new. The syndrome of; you would think I would have learned that by now. These are several things which seem to continually reoccur in my life: (1) It is difficult for me to keep business discussions strictly business without throwing personal information into the mix; (2) I tend to get the cart before the horse much of the time. I get carried away by enthusiasm when I am excited by an idea or project; (3) Change is the most constant part of life; (4) What I know for sure is that I don’t know anything for sure; (5) At times, I still let everyday things get me into negative thinking; (6) When I have no direction, no passion in my life, I want to throw in the towel. I may have wanted to throw in the towel many, many times, but somehow I’ve kept going, having faith in the unknown.

I have had many opportunities to learn these concepts, and yet, they creep up on me when I’m not paying attention. I have discovered that my natural way of doing things is to fly by the seat of my pants, and I know I will get through whatever it is I’m experiencing at the time. I have something inside me that trusts the universe to see me through. You could call it faith, or just plain old tenacity. I really don’t know what it is, but if there is something I want that has all my intent behind it, I will end up getting it. There have been many times those wants and desires have taken me years to attain, but in the end, I have generally gotten what I wanted, although it has to have the intent coupled with passion. Several times what I have wanted, and ended up receiving, hasn’t always been good for me either. But the force and focus of the intent was enough to manifest my desire.

One of my major desires has never come to fruition. I always wanted to have a family, not in the sense of having children, but to feel a real part of a close-knit unit. For me, it was to a fault; I tried too hard to make relationships work that weren’t right for me. Probably weren’t right for the other person either, now that I think about it. I seemed to get involved with alcoholics or drug addicts. My addictions of choice, for too long, were pain, anger, and rage. Finally, sixteen years ago I figured my picker was broken, and I decided to remain single. I oftentimes thought I should write a country Western song to that effect. Something like, My Picker’s Broke and I Ain’t Lookin’ No More. That would be the chorus of the song. The verse might go something like, Why am I alone? I don’t want it to be so, but every time I find someone, who isn’t good for me, I just can’t seem to let go. I think you get the picture. One of these days, I will complete that song. Maybe even start over again and write a new one.

As you will see, I made some decisions that could very well have ended my life quite a number of times. I was always one to leap before looking. I still do that on occasion. It’s one of those lingering lessons that keep returning. It smacks me in the face all the time. Another trait I have yet to conquer is patience. It continues to be a work in progress.

Years ago, I would let situations rule my life and put me in a state of depression. I had a hard time learning coping skills for some reason. I put myself in several different therapy sessions throughout my lifetime. I did, however, audition the therapists I went to. I would go to four or five therapists during a period of a week, then pick the one I thought would do me the most good. I ended up being correct on most of those