Six Word Saturday

Off exploring Imagination in church worship

Happy Birthday Loie!!!

When I was 20 years old I took my first full-time job in a doctor’s office. The office staff consisted of only two other women besides the doctors. The job would have been joyless had it not been for Loie, who worked as the insurance clerk. She happily sang “O Sole Mio” while she plunked out insurance forms on her manual typewriter. She was wonderful to anxious patients. She took her turn at running to get the doctor’s daily fish on rye. And she was a friend to a timid girl on her first job.

Yesterday was Loie’s 86th birthday and if not for the limitations of a broken hip and wrist, I’m sure she would have been up to some tom foolery.

I had thought I would tell some stories on her, but there are so many I wouldn’t even know where to start. Or which category to go to- the many acts of spontaneity that helped loosen me up to possibility, the hilarious stories of her exploits, the many many anonymous gifts I received that I am almost certain I could track to her (she truly invented Random Acts of Kindness), well, I could even make a whole category of just stories about her driving.

Not one story would do her justice. And she’s making new stories every day. Someday I hope to sit in a circle and just hear and tell great Loie stories. Until then, I’ll just say I love her, and she changed my world.

Oh, and the apple didn’t fall very far from the tree. Check out her daughter Suzanne’s blog.

Wednesday Link Love

Isn’t this needle book the sweetest? Lots of great ideas over here.

If you are a Kindle user, here’s a great little spot for you to check out.

Can’t stop thinking about these! Sound mighty tasty (and mighty easy)

Check out this great party that my friend Beth threw!

I would really really like to give this a try. One of two things would have to happen. Either I would need DH to take the dogs and go somewhere for a few days, or better yet I would go somewhere and leave him to do it. I would sooo love to do something about my 80’s style cabinets.

Music Monday

I was over the moon happy this morning when I read that the great kids at PS22 and their wonderful teacher Mr. B will be performing at the Oscars!  This is how they found out….I think they are happy about it!

These kids are no strangers to stars, but they always seem to be so excited and happy to see their guests.  I love this guest and their response.

It Gets Better

To say that high school was not one of the best “seasons” in my life would be an understatement. I think it seems worse to me now than it did then, but it seemed pretty sad most of the time then. I wasn’t attractive or intellectual or self-confident or fun enough to ever really feel like I had a niche. The greatest grace during that time was that I did have some wonderful friends, some who are my friends to this day. But overall, I don’t remember ever aspiring to being thin and beautiful or bright and fun, but I do remember the constant wish to just be invisible. I muddled through, and at this stage of my life realize that a good portion of that could just be chalked up to adolescent angst, but some of it was very real. Overweight girls in high school, at least in the early 70’s took a lot of taunting. One crystal clear moment for me was when a teacher who I respected said to just hold on, that some of us weren’t meant for high school, that life got so much better after graduation.

He was right, and I have an eye now to spot kids that are truly just not meant for high school, and I pray they can just hold on until they get into a bigger, more tolerant world.

I have been so moved and so inspired by the It Gets Better series of videos. Some very courageous folks and also very successful have held out a hand to pull a kid through, encouraging them to hold on- that life indeed does get better.

So, I just this weekend read this great quote from E.M. Forster, writtten over 100 years ago and I wanted to shout, “Amen!”

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and bies; school was the unhappiest time of my life, and the worst trick it played on me was to pretend that it was the world in miniature. For it hindered me from discovering how lovely and delightful the world can be, and how much of it is intelligible. From this platform of middle age, this throne of experience, this alter of wisdom, this scaffold of character, this beacon of hope, this threshold of decay, my last words to you are: "there's a better time coming."

Keep your eyes open- there are lots of kids out there- some overweight or gay or just awkward- who need a hand to make safe passage from adolescence to adult life where it does, indeed, get better.

Friends

Several years ago in a conversation with a colleague about her adult children she said that at some point in their early teens she had this insight that she was “growing her own friends”, and that she was then at the point of truly enjoying that friendship.

Both girls were home tonight. My youngest was very attentive and interested as I shared with her some real struggles I am having of late, and she gave me a great insight and gift that was like a load lifted from me. The three of us went out to dinner and talked on top of each other and told funny stories and had a great conversation about love languages. At one point during the evening one of them said, “Look at us, talking woman to woman!”

I grew such extraordinary friends, I should win a prize! Wait! I did!

Wednesday Link Love

Aren’t these adorable?!

So, which do I like most? Seattle, Halifax, or Portland?

Love these. They sort of remind me of those Reader’s Digest Christmas trees I made as a child!

Being a lover of doilies, you can imagine I love this and these.

This is one of the sweetest things I’ve read in a while. I start it on Part 4, but you can start at the beginning if you want.

Star light, star bright…..I love these little stars.

Need a break? How about a 2 minute vacation?

Cute idea, not confined to Valentines Day.

Oh so sweet and cute!

Cool idea, although I’m not sure it justifies snow…..

I’d settle for this since I don’t have the real thing.