AI: Crystal Bowersox Knocks My Socks Off!

Okay, folks. It's time to talk about American Idol 2010! This edition boasts the worst contestants overall that it's had in years, but it also includes one of the best ones ever.

Crystal Bowersox. I LOVE this girl, whose talent is immense and wide-ranging. Below is an original song of hers. I like another one she wrote even better, "Farmer's Daughter," but since it includes a word of profanity at the beginning, I won't post it. Suffice to say that she has emerged from an abusive childhood and writes autobiographically...and quite beautifully.

Her singer-songwriter lyricism and effortless versatility remind me of Jewel, but she can also channel Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, and others. This girl can handle folk, blues, and rock with seamless ease. What's more, every time she opens her mouth to sing she will take you with her. Needless to say, I'm a fan. A BIG fan. (My other favorites are Siobhan Magnus, Lily Scott, and Lee Dewyze.)

You'll probably want to go to the right sidebar and click off my playlist before listening.

Books Fall Open...I Fall In

I've been doing a LOT of reading lately, and I've found a new author whose books I am enjoying. I should warn you that these are not earth-shattering or life-changing novels. They are a little more weighty than fluff, a little more well-written than most of today's fiction, and a lot more wholesome than pretty much anything out there. Often there is romance, always there is sentiment, and usually there is tender truth.

I guarantee that my husband (and likely yours) would not enjoy her work. At times, it is touching enough to border on saccharine, but it never quite goes over the top for me. In fact, Lisa Wingate aptly fills my personal need for the occasional escape that doesn't leave me feeling slightly soiled afterwards. (Quite the reverse.) I find her books both refreshing and uplifting...with the psychology, the characters, and the way they evolve consistently holding my interest. Wingate sometimes uses her dialogue to express religious views, but I'm good with that...as long as she doesn't hit me over the head with it. (She doesn't.)

Reading a Lisa Wingate book is not brain surgery, that's for sure. But it does seem to exert some beneficial effects on the heart.

=)

Pass the Dreams and Angel Wings!

Yesterday, in Relief Society, we explored the notion of feeling stagnant...or stuck in a rut. We also discussed what we might do about it. I'll get to that subject later, but first I want to take a look at how much the concept of stagnating resonated with me. In fact, I found myself listening with my spiritual ears, the one that perk up when the Lord is speaking to me. I am well aware (from past experience) that when the Lord talks, I need to listen. This quick story illustrates my point:

When our bishop spoke in last week's ward conference, he shared a cute and memorable vignette. He was visiting a family in our congregation and became engaged in an animated conversation with the parents. The conversation was marred by their youngest child, who kept saying, "Bishop, Bishop, Bishop" until the good man's attention was focused, finally and to her great satisfaction, on that persistent little girl. Once she had his full regard, the child chided him firmly, "I'm trying to listen to my show!" In a flash of personal inspiration, the situation flipped, and he envisioned the Lord calling for his attention, "Bishop, Bishop, Bishop...", then continuing, "I'm trying to show you the way."

Sometimes I am guilty of talking over the Lord (with words spoken out loud or in my head), but at church yesterday, my outer and inner dialogue was stilled sufficiently to hear the message that stagnating, on any level and to any degree, is not what I came here to do. In those days when I had children at home, I was actively engaged in so many good things that I could hardly find time to do them all, let alone stagnate. After the last one left, I took a job that kept me so busy I couldn't take the TIME to stagnate, especially if I wanted to get everything else done in my life. Even after resigning that position in the summer of 2007, I had places to go, people to see and plenty of things to do––like remodel my kitchen, plan a wedding, be a grandma, fulfill my calling, even start a blog. I was heady with new choices, and I was taking advantage of my opportunities. Quite happily, in fact.

Don't get me wrong. Today, I still find new opportunities. For the past year I've been married to a bishop...and plenty of activities go along with that...as many as you are able or willing to embrace. But here's what my heart is telling me: Not one bit of all the "stuff" I do or neglect to do constitutes a get-out-of-jail(rut)-free card on the stagnation thing. I am realizing more and more that, while being busy does make inertia a bit more difficult, it can provide no magic bullet against that state. And being less busy than you're used to can either give you wings to fly or webs to get stuck in.

Unfortunately, I think I've gotten myself into a position where I'm a little more stuck and a lot less lofty than I'd like. Which is why I am going to take the challenge offered me in Relief Society yesterday! I am going to embark, once again but in a whole new way (because after all, am I not a whole new person every time I choose to renew myself?), on the Personal Progress program. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? And besides, the medallions are different now. ;)

Hey, I'm willing to bet that a 57-year-old woman can still find some dreams and angel wings out there. And why should "new beginnings" be reserved for the young?

=)

Be Thou an Example of the Believers

One of my sisters teaches English at a private Catholic school. In fact, she's the department chair, and a pretty good one, if I do say so myself. She's also an immensely talented teacher, beloved by students and co-workers alike. In fact, she is beloved by everyone, including her family members. (me being one of them)

Her children hold her especially dear (of course), for she is an uncommonly wise and nurturing mother. As such, it's not surprising that she dropped critical responsibilities at work instantly (her school is renewing its WASC accreditation this year and is also in the middle of the annual Shakespeare festival) to fly to my niece's side when she went into labor. Neither is it surprising that she stayed longer than initially planned when the baby was born with serious bladder and kidney problems. What is surprising and heartwarming is the unqualified love and support she has received from her school. Other teachers have eagerly stepped in to fill the void, offering their own time and efforts without expectation of reward or compensation. Touching notes, cards, and phone calls have been received; and many prayers have been offered by the school as a whole––during their church services, in their individual classes, and by the students themselves. When she called to check in, she was never regaled with problems or guilted with complaints. Instead, she was lovingly told that what mattered most was Sullivan, her new grandson.

Almost every time my sister speaks to me of this school and her co-workers, she is moved to tears by their generosity of spirit and truly Christlike support. Now that she has returned to their midst, she is hugged and comforted all day long by teachers and students alike. I cannot imagine a more supportive environment for her, and I am grateful for the unconditional love showered upon my sister and her family.

Too often, religions and their members are divided by differences rather than united by faith. Doctrines may and will differ, but true followers of Christ are never that far apart, no matter what church they call home. I am grateful for these fine women who uplift and sustain my sister on a daily basis, who have never shown anything but respect for her as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are "examples of the believers," and I know they will be blessed for their goodness.

Just Beau-TREE-ful!

Yesterday, I was driving all over creation with innumerable errands to run, and I didn't mind doing them one bit. It was a gorgeous morning. The rain had moved on to another thirsty place, leaving only a few white, fluffy clouds and a clear horizon. The sky was blue as my grandchildren's eyes, the air apple crisp, and the trees a hundred shades of green. Over and over, I was struck by the incredible beauty that surrounds me, and I felt blessed and grateful to live in a place so beautiful that I sometimes catch my breath just going to the post office. And again on the way to the cleaners. To say nothing of the library, where our heritage orchard is located.

Nothing lifts my spirits more than looking at a tree and following its branches upward. My eyes always take my heart with them. Care to join me?

live oak

live oak

white cherry

heritage orchard with mustard beginning to bloom

Douglas fir and the other piney wonders below...

photo by jurvetson

(Don't you love this mossy tree in the park a few miles from my home?)

I ♥ trees.

Friends, Like Flowers, Need Water

LET'S DO LUNCH!

Today I will be having lunch with these women, the caring and competent people I worked with for seven years. When I retired from this exceptional law firm about a year before I launched Sue's News, Views 'n Muse, I was treated to a special farewell luncheon, where the photograph you see above (framed in black and including the "Let's Do Lunch" message) was one of their parting gifts to me. I'm ashamed to say that I've only managed to "do lunch" with them a handful of times since. They were and are great friends, women I genuinely value, but somehow I've allowed everyday pursuits and pastimes to get in the way of our spending time together.

How did I let this happen? My intent was to stay in touch on a regular basis, visiting the offices once a month or so to catch up on all their news and enjoy the warmth and support their company has always offered me. But I just haven't made it a priority, even though I'm the one who would benefit most.

My question today is this: Why is it so easy to let schemes and schedules get in the way of people who matter? I worked (sometimes played!) side-by-side with these women every day, and we shared everything from Christmas service projects to crazy clients, from high hopes to devastating disappointments. We even took a trip to Hawaii together, husbands and all! To say nothing of the office birthday parties and cookfests. It saddens me to think that I could have let any part of the friendships we formed take a back seat to things that weren't nearly as important.

Because, after all, what's more important than friends?

(nothing)

=)

PS. Looking forward to our lunch, ladies!

Which Way Is the Wind Blowing?

March has arrived, along with the winds that blow me back to my growing-up years in Southern California. This poem grew from a fun memory of my childhood love for those sometimes windy days:

I've posted the words below and apologize for the print above being somewhat illegible. (I wanted to use Ron Hodgdon's original illustration from Clubhouse Magazine, so my only option was to scan it in, as I didn't have a copy.)

THE AIR MATTRESS

©1992, Susan Noyes Anderson, Clubhouse Magazine

Illustrated by Ronald Hodgdon, Creative Arts

One time the wind was very strong.

It blew and blew like crazy.

So I just let myself go limp,

like when I’m feeling lazy.

And can you guess what happened?

It held me up so neat!

Like I was laying on my bed

while standing on my feet!

Personal Stories Mean the Most

I meant to tell you this story right after my husband's singles ward had their ward conference, but I forgot until this Sunday, when our stake president told it once again in my home ward's Relief Society meeting. The story is his own, a true and powerful life lesson.

One morning, his father instructed him to take a defective hedge trimmer back to Sears. It would be his responsibility to convince the sales clerk that an exchange was appropriate, then come home and trim the very tall hedges on both sides and in back of his house. This seemed like a pretty big job to him at the time; he was 11 years old and would have to make the trip, hedge trimmer and all, on his bike. Making the task even less desirable was the fact that it was a hot summer day and that cutting the hedges would require a step ladder and a full day's effort. What's more, Sears was a five-mile bike ride, one way, and his buddies looked like they were doing some pretty fun stuff.

Needless to say, the job didn't get done. At 11, the lure of friends and freedom was a little too strong for him to resist. When his father came home to find that the work had not been completed, he did not say a word. There were no scoldings, no punishments, no expressions of disappointment. Still, the young man was painfully aware that his father was not pleased; his son had let him down. That son, now a grown man who is admired and respected by his entire stake, recalled being filled with remorse, a feeling that was probably enhanced by the fact that his father chose not to reprimand him.

The next morning, this younger version of our stake president jumped out of bed early, eager to make amends by completing his neglected yard duty. Unfortunately, when he stepped outside, it was immediately clear that his father had gotten up even earlier and already started the trimming. In fact, the job was pretty far along. The thwarted young man barely had time to heave a guilty sigh before his remorse turned to something more dire. As long as he lives, he will never forget two sounds...the screen door slamming as he headed outside in preparation to do what he should have done the day before...and the sound of the trimmer shorting out in his father's hands. Sparks flew everywhere, and in what seemed like an instant, the hedge was engulfed in flames. His father was caught between the chain link fence and the tall, impenetrable hedge. Frantically, he ran over, dropped to his knees, and tried to scratch a tunnel underneath the thick brush to rescue his dad. But time was short and the sun-baked ground surprisingly hard. As terror turned to shock, something miraculous happened. He woke up.

It had been a dream! The terrible consequences of his negligence were not a reality. At this point in the narration, this faithful man smiled as he shared with us the fact that his young and incredibly relieved self not only got up and got that job done in a hurry, but that he went the extra mile...even raking the dirt underneath the hedges after he cut them and cleaning and oiling the hedge trimmer. He had learned a valuable lesson, one he never forgot.

There are many morals that could be taken from this story, not the least of which is President Kimball's old motto...DO IT! But the one our wonderful stake president stressed yesterday was equally valid. He wanted to talk about the tender mercy of second chances, and the importance of not only taking but making the most of them.

Aren't we fortunate that the Lord gives second chances?

It was a highly inspirational ward conference, even though I had already heard it in my husband's ward. Naturally, I'm grateful for this "second chance" to tell you about it.

=)

Moms, Memories, and Not So Ordinary Days

Oh, how I love this video. And you will, too.

Grab the kleenex box, though...

This one pulled every heartstring I have.

And turn off my loverly red playlist to the right.

Storms and Rainbows

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KARIN!

Looks like you got a birthday rainbow!

A big rainstorm passed through our neck of the woods yesterday. The electricity went out again––par for the course around here when the wind blows hard. I guess there has to be one disadvantage of living in a place with lots of trees, right?

The good news is that the outage only lasted 24 hours. Last time, as you may recall, we were without power for five days and had to throw out the entire contents of our refrigerator. (By the way, the same neighbor who rescued my frozen stuff on that occasion by carrying it in a little red wagon to his own freezer dropped by last night with a lantern for us.) He even offered up their guest room for the evening. What great neighbors we have!

We decided to sleep in our own not-quite-arctic-but-close-enough bedroom, electing to hit the hay early with two comforters piled atop the bed. The idea was that we would talk and laugh late into the night. Instead, I talked...Dave grunted the occasional yes or no...and neither of us had time to laugh before he was sound asleep. That guy works too hard!

Needless to say, I was delighted to wake up and see two small points of light radiating from our cable box. Nothing like losing the comforts of electricity for a few hours to make you realize the value of light and warmth on a cold night.

Yes, indeed, blessings are mine...not the least of which is my daughter, Karin, whose birthday is today. She has always been a rainbow girl, and it makes great sense that one should grace the sky on the day she was born. Happily, the light she shines never goes out, regardless of the weather.

Love you, Beebs.

=)