Post by cam83 on Oct 3, 2003 3:30:17 GMT -5
Chapter Fourteen
Karen had now decided to take a leave of absence, for an indefinate time. Her family did their best to support her, as they wanted her 100 percent better. She moved to Seattle, where Dr. Raymond Vath was located. Her treatments were once a week, as opposed to Steven Levenkron's once a day, 5 times a week.
July 3, 1986 Karen officially started her counselling, and it was hard. She liked Dr. Raymond Vath a lot, as their personalities matched, but it was difficult to trust another person. But she put her faith in him, after all he was endorsed by Cherry Boone O'Neill, and she was now well. That was what Karen wanted in the whole world, was to put this horrid illness behind her.
During the rest of the week, Karen would visit close friends, as well as Cherry and Dan O'Neill, who had welcomed her into their home. In addition to Brittany, they now had several more children. Karen loved children and lavished attention and love on them. They would have long conversations on life and such, sometimes lasting until the early hours of the morning.
Karen also began to start writing down her life story on paper, and wrote in detail, her career, her family, her relationship with Richard, her success, her illness and her failed marriage. It was no easy thing, but she had a good memory, and wanted a way to express her feelings, other than as a singer. She considered herself to be a multi-faceted person.
She wouldn't go home on weekends, and didn't call that often, but that was a part of her therapy. She knew that she would have a hard time healing if she constantly kept in contact with them. They didn't even have to say anything negative, but it might have been the way they said it, that threw Karen in an emotional tailspin.
She and Dr. Raymond Vath discussed a lot of the feelings that Karen had experienced over the years. Karen felt a sense of deja-vu, as she had discussed a lot of similar things with Steven Levenkron. It felt almost weird. But she noticed, that after a session, when she was at her own place, which was a hotel room, she really had time to think about it, as well as the whole week, until her next session. A lot of the thoughts and ideas that he gave her, made sense and she was able to reflect and put into action what it was that he wanted to know.
She kept herself as far back from her career as possible, but she still bought the latest Music magazines, to find out how well her singles were doing on the charts. Their newest single was LET ME BE ME and it was already in the Top 20 Charts at # 13, and on the Adult Contemporary Chart, it was # 6. It was getting good airplay so Karen was glad to know that they would still have more hit singles. She just loved making music.
The months passed, and Karen was making some progress in her biography, and in her counselling sessions. Both were hard, but she willed herself with all her might, that she could do both, and she did.
She spent some weekends with Cherry and Dan, and enjoyed their companionship. They were a committed, caring Christian-Catholic couple, who had lots of love to share with Karen.
She wanted so desperately to find someone as Cherry had found in Dan, and when she returned to her hotel, at the end of these weekends, she spent her time crying. She wanted someone to share her life with, but she also wanted a career. Why couldn't she have both? If it all fell down to her career, or her being able to have a family of her own, she would definitely in a heartbeat, choose the family. That was all she wanted ever since she was a little girl.
She took a break from her therapy, and headed back to L.A. for a few weeks. She was feeling much better, and had maintained her weight of 116 pounds. She was very proud of that fact, and also remained as stylish as ever. That showed that she was starting to raise her self esteem, and be proud of who she was a woman. She still disliked her hips, but realized that they were there to stay. There was really nothing that she could do about that.
Their last single LET ME BE ME had hit # 7, and on the A.C. chart, it hit # 2 for 2 weeks. While in L.A., they released their next single, a catchy little tune, reminiscent of SING, called ONE LITTLE SONG I SING.
Karen and Richard had a little mini concert, consisting of 3 Medleys, and 3 New songs from their last album. Their concert was attended by over 1,000 people, and there was no promotion, but a last minute affair. There was little stress involved, and it was fun. Other music acts were there as well, and all the profits from this fund-raising event went to Cancer Research. The Carpenters were one of the biggest acts in attendance.
Karen and her Mom went shopping all over Downey. Karen would bring home bags and boxes of clothes, and loved to spend her money. She and her Mom's relationship was much stronger, and Karen tried her best to accept her Mom, for who her Mom was. Karen understood the way that her Mom was raised, and that Agnes did the best with what she knew. There was a generation gap between them, but they acknowledged it, and let it be.
Richard was seeing Mary Rudolph, which was their cousin, and spent a lot of time with each other. Karen did not interfere with his personal relationships, as during her counselling, she had revealed to Raymond Vath why she meddled in his affairs. She knew that it had been wrong, but she felt that she knew what was best for Richard. She was so similar to her Mom, who was the same way. So she took a step away from his personal affairs, and tried her best to respect him. She knew now that respect was a two way street. In the last few months she had learned so much about herself, it amazed her.
Another Carpenters television special was going to be on the ABC network, so while in L.A. Karen and Richard began to record songs for it. Then the grueling and tiresome taping began. Karen and Richard disliked it immensely, but it had to be done. Filming was done at the Carpenter home, and basically the theme was a day in the life of the Carpenters, but in a musical version. A novel idea. The break for Karen was much needed, and so much more healthier than previous visits. She wasn't feeling so torn up inside.
So when she headed back to Seattle, she was ready to continue her therapy, and was looking forward to it. It was still very tough to have to change her mind frame, and all the ideas that had been put in her head, as a child. It wasn't very easy to give all that up, and accept a new set of rules. Karen was a very stubborn woman, who wouldn't settle for anything less than perfection in whatever she decided to do.
ONE LITTLE SONG I SING, their latest single didn't make the Top 5, but peaked at # 8. On the Adult Contemporary Chart, it hit # 1 for 4 weeks. It was a disappointment in a way on the pop charts, and yet not really, because they had dozens of top ten hit singles, and not every single could be # 1.
By this time, the WINGS album was certified by the RIAA as being 3x Platinum in the U.S. and every album up to this time, by the Carpenters was certified Platinum from 1969's OFFERING to 1986's WINGS album: 16 consecutive Carpenters albums all platinum, and many multi-platinum. The television special THE CARPENTERS AT NEWVILLE AVENUE was another solid hit, at # 3. Guests included Evelyn Wallace, Mom and Dad Carpenter, and a few surprise celebrity guests. It aired on October 17th, 1986.
Karen had now decided to take a leave of absence, for an indefinate time. Her family did their best to support her, as they wanted her 100 percent better. She moved to Seattle, where Dr. Raymond Vath was located. Her treatments were once a week, as opposed to Steven Levenkron's once a day, 5 times a week.
July 3, 1986 Karen officially started her counselling, and it was hard. She liked Dr. Raymond Vath a lot, as their personalities matched, but it was difficult to trust another person. But she put her faith in him, after all he was endorsed by Cherry Boone O'Neill, and she was now well. That was what Karen wanted in the whole world, was to put this horrid illness behind her.
During the rest of the week, Karen would visit close friends, as well as Cherry and Dan O'Neill, who had welcomed her into their home. In addition to Brittany, they now had several more children. Karen loved children and lavished attention and love on them. They would have long conversations on life and such, sometimes lasting until the early hours of the morning.
Karen also began to start writing down her life story on paper, and wrote in detail, her career, her family, her relationship with Richard, her success, her illness and her failed marriage. It was no easy thing, but she had a good memory, and wanted a way to express her feelings, other than as a singer. She considered herself to be a multi-faceted person.
She wouldn't go home on weekends, and didn't call that often, but that was a part of her therapy. She knew that she would have a hard time healing if she constantly kept in contact with them. They didn't even have to say anything negative, but it might have been the way they said it, that threw Karen in an emotional tailspin.
She and Dr. Raymond Vath discussed a lot of the feelings that Karen had experienced over the years. Karen felt a sense of deja-vu, as she had discussed a lot of similar things with Steven Levenkron. It felt almost weird. But she noticed, that after a session, when she was at her own place, which was a hotel room, she really had time to think about it, as well as the whole week, until her next session. A lot of the thoughts and ideas that he gave her, made sense and she was able to reflect and put into action what it was that he wanted to know.
She kept herself as far back from her career as possible, but she still bought the latest Music magazines, to find out how well her singles were doing on the charts. Their newest single was LET ME BE ME and it was already in the Top 20 Charts at # 13, and on the Adult Contemporary Chart, it was # 6. It was getting good airplay so Karen was glad to know that they would still have more hit singles. She just loved making music.
The months passed, and Karen was making some progress in her biography, and in her counselling sessions. Both were hard, but she willed herself with all her might, that she could do both, and she did.
She spent some weekends with Cherry and Dan, and enjoyed their companionship. They were a committed, caring Christian-Catholic couple, who had lots of love to share with Karen.
She wanted so desperately to find someone as Cherry had found in Dan, and when she returned to her hotel, at the end of these weekends, she spent her time crying. She wanted someone to share her life with, but she also wanted a career. Why couldn't she have both? If it all fell down to her career, or her being able to have a family of her own, she would definitely in a heartbeat, choose the family. That was all she wanted ever since she was a little girl.
She took a break from her therapy, and headed back to L.A. for a few weeks. She was feeling much better, and had maintained her weight of 116 pounds. She was very proud of that fact, and also remained as stylish as ever. That showed that she was starting to raise her self esteem, and be proud of who she was a woman. She still disliked her hips, but realized that they were there to stay. There was really nothing that she could do about that.
Their last single LET ME BE ME had hit # 7, and on the A.C. chart, it hit # 2 for 2 weeks. While in L.A., they released their next single, a catchy little tune, reminiscent of SING, called ONE LITTLE SONG I SING.
Karen and Richard had a little mini concert, consisting of 3 Medleys, and 3 New songs from their last album. Their concert was attended by over 1,000 people, and there was no promotion, but a last minute affair. There was little stress involved, and it was fun. Other music acts were there as well, and all the profits from this fund-raising event went to Cancer Research. The Carpenters were one of the biggest acts in attendance.
Karen and her Mom went shopping all over Downey. Karen would bring home bags and boxes of clothes, and loved to spend her money. She and her Mom's relationship was much stronger, and Karen tried her best to accept her Mom, for who her Mom was. Karen understood the way that her Mom was raised, and that Agnes did the best with what she knew. There was a generation gap between them, but they acknowledged it, and let it be.
Richard was seeing Mary Rudolph, which was their cousin, and spent a lot of time with each other. Karen did not interfere with his personal relationships, as during her counselling, she had revealed to Raymond Vath why she meddled in his affairs. She knew that it had been wrong, but she felt that she knew what was best for Richard. She was so similar to her Mom, who was the same way. So she took a step away from his personal affairs, and tried her best to respect him. She knew now that respect was a two way street. In the last few months she had learned so much about herself, it amazed her.
Another Carpenters television special was going to be on the ABC network, so while in L.A. Karen and Richard began to record songs for it. Then the grueling and tiresome taping began. Karen and Richard disliked it immensely, but it had to be done. Filming was done at the Carpenter home, and basically the theme was a day in the life of the Carpenters, but in a musical version. A novel idea. The break for Karen was much needed, and so much more healthier than previous visits. She wasn't feeling so torn up inside.
So when she headed back to Seattle, she was ready to continue her therapy, and was looking forward to it. It was still very tough to have to change her mind frame, and all the ideas that had been put in her head, as a child. It wasn't very easy to give all that up, and accept a new set of rules. Karen was a very stubborn woman, who wouldn't settle for anything less than perfection in whatever she decided to do.
ONE LITTLE SONG I SING, their latest single didn't make the Top 5, but peaked at # 8. On the Adult Contemporary Chart, it hit # 1 for 4 weeks. It was a disappointment in a way on the pop charts, and yet not really, because they had dozens of top ten hit singles, and not every single could be # 1.
By this time, the WINGS album was certified by the RIAA as being 3x Platinum in the U.S. and every album up to this time, by the Carpenters was certified Platinum from 1969's OFFERING to 1986's WINGS album: 16 consecutive Carpenters albums all platinum, and many multi-platinum. The television special THE CARPENTERS AT NEWVILLE AVENUE was another solid hit, at # 3. Guests included Evelyn Wallace, Mom and Dad Carpenter, and a few surprise celebrity guests. It aired on October 17th, 1986.