Week-end of celebration

Just a quick plug for smilebox.....fun way to organize memories!

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Snippet

I bought my niece a little book of stories and drawings entitled "Traveling Light" by Brian Andreas...so beautiful and this is the lead-off poem (all the qualities of a lead off batter I think...gets the book to first base)

Awakening

In those days,
we finally chose
to walk like giants
and hold the world
in arms grown strong
with love

And there may be
many things we forget
in the days to come,

but this will not be
one of them.

and one more:

Fragile World

It's a very fragile
world, she told us,
so walk carefully
everywhere you go

and we promised
to remember
for as long
as we could.

Peace to you all tonight.

This is how today started.....

This week has been pressured and off kilter.  It seems when you need things to go smoothly, the universe can decide it is time to check in on your managerial skills.  Not my strength and I really don't need any more reminders of that but here it is:

I needed to sign something to return to my son's school this morning.  Luckily, I know just where all my pens are, they are kept in my beautiful pen-holding coffee can.  And yet, this morning I found the following items in the can:

1 toothbrush
1 pair of scissors
1 screwdriver that looks suspiciously like a pen
1 circular knitting needle
1 charm bracelet
1 paper clip
1 MP3 player
0 writing utensils of any sort

Nothing more needs to be said about anything.

You never graduate from family:)

The Texas clan is coming up next week-end to celebrate Cousin Anna's graduation from college.  She is greatly admired by her younger cousins who have a few questions for her:  Do you want to get married with T?  What do you want your job to be, now that you are grown up? Are we going to see more of you, now that you don't have so many papers due?

Nobody can lob tough questions that land on the soft parts of your psyche like family.  My sister loves to tell the story, especially around my therapist friends, about the time I put her favorite stuffed animal, Grover, in the toilet and perched his little blue arms in a most welcoming position.  I am fairly certain it was in retribution for some heinous act on her part but sadly, that part of the narrative has been lost.  She has since asked me, repeatedly,   Why, why...why Grover?.  Did I mention some of the questions lobbed at you will have no easy answers?

So to the younger members of my clan, I give this advice in trying to answer our queries:
1.  Always remember that at the heart of even the most obtrusive question is the desire for connection.
2.  We took our turn at having to explain our lack of churchgoing ways to all the grandparents.  You all, in fact, are getting off rather easy.
3.  Some moments are so smooth and filled with optimism that you can't imagine needing anyone from your past but then you get dumped and you lose your job.  Sometimes you lose your way or your health.  Then, all of us asking with real love and compassion  Are you OK? helps you find your way home, even if you live 2000 miles away from your clan.  We will always help you find your way home.
4.  Answer the questions...sigh heavily and roll your eyes but answer the questions.  Every question my grandmothers asked me and every lecture my grandfathers gave me to keep me safe are precious to me now.
5.  Start lobbing a few back our way...we can take it:) 

We are all so very proud of you all!

Brimfield 2010

Another great day at Brimfield with good friends and a world of possibilities, if you just have vision: wouldn't the neighbors be thrilled to see a purple brontosaurus peeking over the fence? Wouldn't guests be pleased to sit in a chair made out of saws? Alas, my picks were a bit more mundane but I am thrilled with this piece of folk art:

Such a find....I love the antiques and the guys stoned in the back who give away collectibles at a fraction of their worth, but the real joy for me is to meet artists who are doing what they love and who refused to listen to anyone tell them they could not make art for a living. Support that seed where ever you find it trying to grow.

For the Moms

Here is a post a friend sent me....this woman is an amazing author and has a beautiful "voice"

More Progress

My husband does not dance, not even a little. He pretended to, when he was pitching woo but really, he would rather see how many beans he can stick up his nose.

Until now. Imagine my delight when our Daisy troop leader announced that the Girl Scouts were sponsoring a father/daughter dance. I could barely contain my excitement. Finally, he was going to receive an offer he could not refuse. Emma was beside herself with joy, because she does dance, more than a little. She asked him to please practice "his Elvis moves" and watched "Dancing with the Stars" to cop some dance sequences.

Finally the big night arrived. Scott appeared inscrutable and I began to worry, just a bit. Could he possibly turn his daughter down? I wished all parties involved the best of luck and headed out to soccer practice with my son. We got back first and waited for Fred and Ginger to arrive home. Emma burst through the door with this exclamation "Daddy is a great dancer...he twirled me up and around and we didn't fall once."

All these years I thought my husband could not/would not dance, it seems he was just holding out for the right partner.

Progress

This pic was snapped on my Iphone during one of the last times that my daughter and I had coffee and cookies at our local coffee house...LaLa Java. LaLa is no more in our town (they moved to a neighboring town but it is not the same as walking down). In it's place, a new super grocery store is going up, the concrete walls look quite sturdy.

So that is progress....a new something that already exists, in spades, and the demolition of something unique and neighborly. We would sit at our table, underneath the magnetic board and create poetry and talk about life. This is our last line in a place that meant something to us all.