Poetry, Second Stanza

This next poem is dedicated to my huge following of other middle-aged woman (aka Anne and Gail). I loved the message and power of this poem!!!! It makes me happy to be female and even happier to be aging (and that takes some doing!) Thanks to Ms. Sarton, for her great wisdom... and for other great women who have paved the way through life for me, especially Mom, who aged (and even died) with grace and humor.

Now I Become Myself

Now I become myself. It's taken
Time, many years and places;
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people's faces,
Run madly, as if Time were there,
Terribly old, crying a warning,
"Hurry, you will be dead before--"
(What? Before you reach the morning?
Or the end of the poem is clear?
Or love safe in the walled city?)
Now to stand still, to be here,
Feel my own weight and density!
The black shadow on the paper
Is my hand; the shadow of a word
As thought shapes the shaper
Falls heavy on the page, is heard.
All fuses now, falls into place
From wish to action, word to silence,
My work, my love, my time, my face
Gathered into one intense
Gesture of growing like a plant.
As slowly as the ripening fruit
Fertile, detached, and always spent,
Falls but does not exhaust the root,
So all the poem is, can give,
Grows in me to become the song,
Made so and rooted by love.
Now there is time and Time is young.
O, in this single hour I live
All of myself and do not move.
I, the pursued, who madly ran,
Stand still, stand still, and stop the sun!

May Sarton

Poetry In Motion

I've never considered myself one who enjoyed poetry. I'm too impatient to slow down enough to appreciate all its layers. But the past couple of weeks, I've stumbled upon two poems that brought tears to my eyes: Because of their truth, their beauty and the clean way they used the English language to evoke so much emotion.

The first one I found was in a bookstore in South Carolina. It's from Langston Hughes and here it is:

Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

I can't think of any greater wisdom to share with my own son than to keep climbing... Thank you Mr. Hughes.

I'll post the next one in a day or two.

Happily in their Debt

I’ve thought a lot this week about the kindnesses of others. The generosity of friends.

Last week a dear family friend took our son, Brian, to Subway for dinner. This was a fairly simple, straightforward gesture and yet it took my breath away. I was so moved that it brought tears to my eyes. And then I realized why.

Because there is nothing more humbling or tender than when someone does something for you that you can’t do for yourself. While in the past six weeks or so, I’ve wanted nothing more than to hug my son and to pamper him in someway, I can’t. The support I can provide him is so limited right now. But Leah could. And she did. She didn’t wait until she ran into him, but she tracked him down, reached out to him and gave him a meal and a listening ear and encouragement. Just like a mom might do. Now, Leah certainly isn't old enough to be Brian's mother, but she nurtured him (and us) just the same.

She also shared a message from me with him… and then carefully took pictures and videos and delivered them to us. She has a very busy life, with so much to do and yet she found time to do this for our family.

Leah and her husband Yancy served as a proxy for us last week and I am forever in their debt. I'm grateful for another glimpse into the joys of giving and receiving vicariously.

Julie & Julia... & Lynn?

Okay, I'm re-committing to blogging... not every day, but when something strikes me. And today, something did. 'Dropped by the grocery store and grabbed a few things that sounded good. First thing on my list? Butternut squash. We've become addicts this winter. Arrived home with the squash and a few other fruits and vegetables (the cadbury eggs are considered a fruit, by the way).I omitted the bacon, baked the squash brushed with a touch of olive oil for about an hour prior to tossing in with the chicken. I had cilantro instead of parsley, so used that instead and actually think it was better for it. I also added one and a half bananas... they are amazing, by the way... Then I served over quinoa. Tasty and v. healthy.

Steve, in his best "Top Chef" voice told me my flavor profiles were perfection. (This is why I cook for this man).

What a nice Monday-night miracle to find a new, untried recipe which you have all the ingredients for... and you end up loving it!!! And now, my husband is cleaning up the dishes as I blog... (another reason I cook for him!) ahh... life is as sweet as those bananas in honey. Now if I could just figure out the margin alignments on my blog... Getting greedy, I guess.

EASIEST EVER CHICKEN MARYLAND Printed from COOKS.COM 2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes. 3-4 slices of bacon (optional) 1 banana, sliced 1/2 of a butternut squash, cubed (or more if wanted) parsley, salt, pepper 1 can tinned sweet corn butter a little honey Sauté the chicken, bacon (optional) and butternut squash. When nearly done, push everything to one side of the pan. Add the banana and a squirt of honey; sauté the banana in the honey over medium-high heat. Add the sweet corn and some fresh parsley, and a good dollop of butter. Mix altogether, making sure chicken is cooked. Serve hot. A sweet, buttery dish... great on a cold day.

Southern Charm

Just three old salts hanging out.

We just returned from a lovely week with friends in the Carolinas and Georgia. We'd never been there before, but we quickly fell in love with the people, the architecture.... and the food!

Oh my goodness, the food: fried chicken, barbecued pork, shrimp and grits, key lime pie, black bottom pie, pecan pie, red velvet cake, pralines, pecan chicken, deep fried pickles (I'm not kidding), deep fried peanuts, boiled peanuts, she-crab soup, crab cakes, crab cakes benedict, catfish, sweet potato casserole... and waffles. Steve says we can't move there because he'd weigh 300 pounds.

We had such a great time with our friends, who are younger, kinder and more energetic than we are. It was a great time discovering another beautiful corner of the country. We were a little shocked when we got off the plane to near freezing temperatures. And the next day, we found ourselves in the first real snow fall that Myrtle Beach, SC had seen in 21 years! Timing is everything. The locals went crazy and we loved seeing snow men lining the beaches like crazy sentinels.

We've decided the best part of traveling is the opportunity that it gives you to imagine your life in a different place and lived in a different way. Every place we go, we swear we're ready to move there. Then we happily return to our little home and routines in sleepy Kirkland and remember why we chose to live in our own beautiful little corner of the world.

A very chilly pelican

Myrtle Beach

It looks warmer than it was

Charleston

I LOVED the Spanish Moss

Ode to a Bathroom Attendant

Last week Steve and I had the chance to go on a wonderful trip (about which I will bore you with a blog entry with soon).  We flew out of Seattle late Friday night and had a few hour lay over in Charlotte, North Carolina (I was pretty excited about this because I'd never been to NC, so now I can check that state off my list - with an asterisk of course, beings that I've only seen the inside of the airport.  See also Alaska... uhhh, I digress.)  So we arrive in Charlotte at about 6 am, which is 3 am Seattle time.  You can imagine that I was a little worse for wear.  

The airport was  much larger, busier and modern than I was expecting.

I went into the restroom  to freshen up a bit.  Immediately I was impressed because on the counter was complementary mouthwash, "ladies" products and those great mints that melt in your mouth.  Already I'm already feeling perkier.  By the time I've entered the area with stalls, I can hear two women conversing... one of them very animated.  It quickly became clear that this woman was a restroom attendant.  She was moving quickly, finding empty stalls for her guests, tidying up, and taking care of everyone.  The first thing I heard her say was, "yes, I DO like my job.  I get to talk to people all day long who are going all over the world."  I was so impressed with the energy and joy she brought into an airport bathroom!  (She brightened my day even more than the thought of free tampons!)  All the while as she worked so efficiently, she kept a cheerful line of chatter.  As I was washing my hands, I heard her say to a traveler who must have been complaining about long flights,  "Oh, so you have a long day ahead of you, do you?"  And she said it with such genuine compassion...  This from a woman who would spend her day in an airport bathroom.

Steve and I were soon off to a beach vacation in Mexico.  But throughout my vacation, and now since my return, I keep thinking of this wonderful woman who chooses to be happy and, more importantly, to share that happiness with others.  I want to be like that:  to be the kind of person who doesn't wait for better circumstances to be happy.  But who chooses happiness and kindness and love.

So, my sincere thanks to this stranger who I'll never see again... and who I'll never forget.

Tis the Season to be Thankful

A Few Random things For Which I'm Grateful:

* Pandora. I'm listening to Christmas tunes right now on one of three radio stations that I've designed myself. I never have to listen to a song I don't like... and this is all free. As a kid, I never would have imagined that kind of luxury. I'm truly grateful for technology and how it sweetens my life.

* Matching Senses of Humor. I'm grateful that the three of us share the same twisted brand of humor. This has drawn and held us together in times of stress and frustration. Laughter makes pretty much everything better.

* Church Callings. I love that every couple of years my life is shifted by an outside force. One year I'm studying doctrines to teach adults, another I'm a party planner and then I find myself presenting flannel board stories to 3-year olds. I don't choose where I serve but I've never had a calling that I haven't 1) grown from and 2) gained a new friend. It's one of life's miracles.

* Being married to someone who is so different from who I am. Steve is the perfect foil for me. We see things so differently and this has taught me so much over the years.

* Uncertainty. It is the most uncomfortable feeling, but I have come to appreciate the way this causes me to stop leaning "on the arm of man" and drives me to a reliance on a the only sure foundation: a Loving Father in Heaven and His Son. I can't see the path, but I'm learning to trust that He will guide me through it.

* Health. Possibly the most unappreciated blessing in my 46 years.

* A Happy Son. I don't know how Brian manages it, but from half a world away, he brightens my day each day by his unfailing positive attitude.

* 5th Place. How grateful I am to have raised my son in the Cul de Sac that time forgot. With neighbors who have taught our family about service, compassion and humor. My hope is that I'll grow old and die there as well.

* Friends of different ages: Those who are older and wiser who I want to emulate, those who are younger and more energetic who motivate to keep trying new things, those who share a million memories of raising our children together. And for Pat, who I hardly see, but who I can't remember a time before her. She is my first memory and though years may go by between visits, there is not an ounce of discomfort or awkwardness.

* Friends to whom I'm related. I've heard the quote, "Friends are God's apology for our families." But God owes me no apologies. My family members are among my dearest friends.

*This time of year. I love Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the feeling that comes with this season...