Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Art of Staying Young

Can you believe this delightful woman is 90 years old?

No wonder we wanted to celebrate her birthday!

This guy braved a room full of women to pay tribute to her.

He quoted Robert Frost about the "road less traveled by."

She has "made all the difference" in many people's lives.

A dear friend and neighbor is singing her praises.

And I'm rhyming her praises.
(Why do I wear my clothes too big when I feel porky?)

Oops. I digress. Back to singing again...

(The singers are really fun girls!)

And the crowd's fun, too.

We even join in for a sing-along at the end.

Of course, our sweet friend feels like a million bucks.

(As well she should.)

Just look at her wonderful life.

And she is as sharp and beautiful as ever she was.

Which, as you can see here, is saying quite a lot.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR FRIEND!

WE LOVE YOU.

=)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Tender Mercies


I got a GREAT letter in the mail today. Just looking at it makes me happy, but you won't understand why unless I tell you the story.

A couple of months ago, I spent a ridiculous amount of money for two seats to an Andrea Bocelli Christmas concert. This impulsive decision was based on the fact that I'd seen a couple of amazing songs from the show on PBS a couple of nights earlier. When an advertisement for Bocelli appeared in my inbox, I ended up clicking "purchase." I wanted to see that concert like no other.

I broke the news to my husband, helped him through his near collapse upon hearing the price, then settled in to wait for the big day. When I went to print out the tickets, one night before the big event, I suddenly froze. You see, the tickets were not quite what I expected. Oh sure, they were for the right night. They were even for the right performer. The only problem was this: They were for the wrong arena! No, I am not kidding you. I had purchased horrifically expensive tickets to the Staples Center in LA, even though I happen to reside hundreds of miles away in the Bay area. "How did this happen," you may well ask? And I would love to supply a reasonable answer, except that there is none. Well, I guess maybe you could sort of defend my sanity by pointing out that I'm from LA (and a big Lakers fan), so the Staples Center does sound familiar to me. But, still. Kinda scary, right?

Even scarier was the fact that I had splurged on two very pricey tickets I could not use. My first thought was to give them to one of my relatives in LA as an early Christmas present. (Many were interested; none could make it.) Having struck out with the family, I put 'em on Craigslist, hoping for the best. After a few nibbles but no real bites, I facebooked my LA friends to see if anyone could take the goods off my hands. No such luck. As the concert drew nigh, I realized that it was either waste the tickets entirely or gift them to a stranger. And if I was going to give them away, I wanted it to be to someone who deserved a great big lucky break for Christmas.

With that in mind, I texted my sister. She works at a Catholic school near LA with a bunch of amazing women, and I asked her to pick one of them to receive the tickets. My criteria was that she choose someone who normally couldn't afford that type of thing. (After all, teachers don't exactly get paid what they're worth, right?) Anyway, she wound up choosing a young woman who was apparently over the moon to go to the concert. I sent her the tickets happily, and that was that.

Until I got her letter today, that is. I'm going to share an excerpt with you, because it's quite remarkable. Have you ever heard of tender mercies? (If not, you have now!)

"Dear Sue- You have no idea what a huge blessing the concert was for us. My mother-in-law passed away at Thanksgiving; she was a big fan of Bocelli. With our travels to Louisiana to take care of Dad, there is no way we could have afforded to go to Staples otherwise. With tears in his eyes, while they started to perform 'The Prayer,' my husband said he thought this gift was from his mom, and that our angel messenger was you. 'Thank you' cannot express our depth of gratitude."

"Thank you" can't express my depth of gratitude, either...that I got to be in on this heavenly gift exchange from mother to son. How cool is that? MADE MY DAY. And made me think that not all of these little mistakes in life are really accidents!

=)

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Monday, January 10, 2011

Peace, my Child


My Saturday Centus last week seems to have struck a chord. Many have sent me emails wanting to know the story behind the story. They wish they could read on and discover how the protagonist deals with her pain and where that pain takes her.

With sadness and regret, I can only tell you that the story is true, so the end has not been written. Knowing my friend as I do, however, the ending is clear to me. This loving, valiant mother will use her faith and strength to come through the greatest loss of her life with grace and courage. She will then go on to bless the lives of others with that same faith, strength, grace, and courage that carried her––magnified immeasurably by the refining fire such suffering offers to those who are willing to walk through it.

And she will walk through it; I know she will. Because that's who she is. And because she knows that she does not walk alone.

©1999, Awaken Your Spiritual Power, Susan Noyes Anderson

I thought I walked this earth alone,
beneath my burdens bowed,
until I found I could not bear
their weight and cried aloud.

And echoing through the darkness
that had framed my solitude,
I heard my cries…first soft and low,
then gaining magnitude.

I prayed for peace within my soul,
deliverance from the night;
and finally, in the distance, I
beheld a flickering light.

The light grew strong and stronger still,
‘til it enveloped me.
The rays were warm and comforting;
I felt my anguish flee.

“Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid;
for I have known and loved you long
before this world was made.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace
I would to you impart;
and ye shall seek and find me
when ye search with all your heart.”

The voice spake from deep within;
I felt His calm o’ertake me.
With newfound faith, I knew at last
my Lord would not forsake me.

From this day forth, I’ll walk with God,
my Savior by my side.
Alone no more, His helping hand
will ever be my guide.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Perishable


This week's prompt for Jenny Matlock's Saturdy Centus is a picture. Stories should be 100 words or less.

∞§∞

Perishable

She awoke to a world still spinning on its axis, but horror stood one sleepy stretch away. When memory exploded, striking every nerve in her body simultaneously, she crashed like an overloaded computer. The pain went with her.

He was dead, had been dead twelve hours before she even realized. Twelve hours she had washed her hands, done laundry, eaten, breathed and laughed, not knowing she was in the world without him. Could such a light be lost so silently?

Outside, the oranges were frosted over, bright goodness gone the way of her own fruit, the sweetness of her womb.

∞§∞

Friday, January 7, 2011

Imagine...


I wonder how many of you are aware of Eva Cassidy? She is a singer extraordinaire, but her voice is more finesse than flash...more exquisite than exciting. If you are one who regularly pushes the mute button before you go a-blogging, I hope you will un-mute for a moment or two so you can listen to her right now on my playlist. I particularly like her version of John Lennon's song, "Imagine." I also particularly like John's song, itself:

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too

I like his song despite the fact that portions of the first and second verses (above) don't apply to me. To be honest, I wouldn't want to imagine there being no heaven, and the idea of living on earth without religion or even country doesn't much appeal to me, either. But the ability to let go of ideological differences and simply enjoy the spirit of Lennon's lyric has always been mine, because I absolutely can relate to his basic premise. I love the intent...a brotherhood of man...a world that lives as one, but I believe that the key to that dream's fruition lies in the heart...that it is intrinsic rather than extrinsic. I think the world can be shared by those who choose to embrace and those who prefer not to embrace religion, and I believe countries have the potential to honor and understand one another. I also believe that abolishing boundaries and belief systems would not repair the damage we see in the world today. The real changes men and women need to make must come from within; and for me, a true brotherhood of man would respect diversity and stretch itself to allow distinctions of belief and nationality. I even like the idea of possessions, so they can be shared willingly. I want differences, so they can be overcome. In my imagined world, it is love, not homogeneity, that fulfills the dream. And it is lack of homogeneity that provides the greatest growth and sweetest victory in that fulfillment.

But I do love John's song, and I relate to it on every level of feeling. After all, we are both dreamers. Our blueprint may be different, but the dream we are dreaming is universal. He and I and so many others are reaching for the same ideal...And somehow, in my heart, that transcends our differences. Which is why I believe that it's perfectly okay to retain them.

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

It's a good dream...the very best.

Let the transcending begin! (And don't you love Eva Cassidy?)

=)

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Marriage: Our Love is Life


The couple for whom I wrote this poem wanted nature to be part of their marriage vows because that was the most sacred way they knew of to pledge themselves to one another. Standing under the sky, they felt as if they were in God's presence. I was happy to write this poem as a part of their marriage ceremony.



Our love is deep and constant as the sea,

yet fresh as mountain air in early spring

and free as meadowlarks who, taking wing,

come home to find their rest in nest and tree.

Our love is life, for earth and sky are we,

and air and water––and two hearts that sing.

These are the lasting treasures that we bring...

I give myself to you, and you to me.

You give yourself to me, and I to you.

On this, our wedding day, with loved ones near,

the dream we found together has come true.

Our hands are joined, and now our path is clear:

to make love live and breathe in all we do.

This is our marriage vow, for God to hear.

∞§∞

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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Mama's Got a Brand New Blog...


You've heard of Papa's Got a Brand New Bag? Well, my mama's got herself a brand new blog! That's right. My 83-year-old mother just became a blogger, and her first post is waiting to be discovered over at Grandma Robbins' Nest. I'm hoping all of you will head on over there and leave her a welcoming comment or two...maybe even become a follower, if it suits your fancy. I know she would love to have you on board for her latest adventure!

=)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Hang on for the Ride!

I love this photo! It makes me smile.

red shirts
red flower
blue jeans
clenched hands
vintage trike
intense expressions
~serious business~

It's magic, right?

It's childhood.
The way it used to feel.
The way I used to feel.

I love this photo. It makes me smile.

=)

Click below for more glimpses of happiness.

photo by Heather@Tendershootz.com

Monday, January 3, 2011

The Stuff that Dreams are Made of...

I couldn't let 2010 go without sharing one last bit of holiday magic.

We should all don matching pajamas on Christmas Eve
and watch visions of sugarplums dance in our heads!

∞§∞

Maybe we could even hang on to those joyful visions all year long.


Saturday, January 1, 2011

Resolved


Not only is it New Year's Day, but it is Saturday Centus time...thanks to my good friend, Jenny Matlock, who understands that the first day of the year is a perfect moment to muster one's creative forces and add 100 words to a well-chosen prompt. (That prompt, as usual, will be in red.)

∞§∞

Resolved

Her crumpled up list of resolutions stared at her accusingly. This had to be some kind of record. 10 carefully selected, eminently reachable goals…and every one of them broken by January 5th. Less than a week to blow the whole list sky-high: a second set of fireworks with nothing to celebrate. She wouldn’t be losing 20 pounds, thinking before she spoke, making her bed every morning, or turning up her nose at men who were separated but not divorced (that one hadn’t lasted through the weekend)…

The die? Cast. The remedy? NO • MORE • RESOLUTIONS.

(Finally, a resolution she could keep.)

∞§∞