Time to Throw More Confetti & Share Joy

I grew up with David in Indiana. He has lived in long-term care for many years, and his uplifting attitude is a delight.

I am giving gratitude for David because he started my Lent off on the right foot of not borrowing or lending just giving. He asked me to make him a hat. I ended up making 35-hats during Lent to give to those in need.

I then took the Forty Days-Forty Items challenge. I deposited one item that I no longer used around my apartment or in my life in a trash bag. I plan to donate the items tomorrow evening.

Both the Good Friday Tenebrae and Holy Saturday services were wonderful. The Easter service at All Pilgrims this morning lifted the veil of darkness to light. I loved the confetti. It was joyful!

I have decided it is time to throw more confetti into the air and share the joy.

Step by Step

"Drum Roll, Please!" I walked slow yet steady yesterday with 15,718, and that is according to the Fit Bit. Thanks to my Shaffer cousins and our exercise recording, I decided to take one more walk last evening. 

My walk led me to the Center on Contemporary Art (COCA) in the Rubix Apartments, located at 515 Harvard Ave East in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

I met Victoria Raymond, who is the artist of this piece, titled: "I've Got a Handle on it." She said that all of us have been broke or have brokenness some way in our lives. The handle is for how we handle the times of brokenness or hold on.

For me, the yarn/string represents how they unravel yet how things can be tied together. The bright colors with flowers are how we have opportunity to grow and blossom where we are planted. If I had $625.00 I would have bought her piece.

Seattle author, Stephanie Kallos book, "Broken for You” is reminiscence of Raymond’s piece. I found that both pieces were tied together with string and not by the yarn I use for the hats I make for those in need of warmth. I believe good works elicit emotion and speak to one’s being. Both pieces, the art and the book, spoke to me theologically through these words from “The Prayer of Consecration, Holy Communion, “…He took bread; and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to his disciples saying, Take, eat, this is my body given for you.”

Where will your walk lead you today?

Victoria will have a piece in “The Incredible Intensity of Just Being Human” in this exhibit on April 2016 at ArtEast in Issaquah. I am looking forward to it.

And a Few of my Favorite Things

Julie Andrews as Maria sang the lyrics from my “My Favorite Things” in the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, “The Sound of Music,”  

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

As a kid growing up in Indiana in the 1960’s and 1970’s, I listened over and over again to my mother’s LP of “The Sound of Music.” I sang “My Favorite Things,” and mind you that I had not viewed the movie or a stage performance in the early 1990’s. So I believed Dairy Queen ice cream and all of the different configurations of desserts were my favorite things less the brain freeze and lactose intolerance.

My favorite things have changed since my formative years. I sat in reflection after seeing a photograph taken last evening of St. James Cathedral.

St. James Cathedral is one of my favorite places in Seattle. You can see 9th Avenue in front of the cathedral. I lived in a small 280 square foot apartment on the west side of the street for 8-years. (You can see it. It is the bldg. closest to the edge of the photo and directly across the street from the Cathedral's front doors.) I then was blessed to work at Exeter House and Skyline At First Hill for almost 8-years. I love the First Hill neighborhood. It was the best ever. I learned about Seattle and about myself. A great experience.

I also learned about art. I have not missed an art exhibit in 16-years at the Frye Art Museum. (Frasier mentioned this museum on an episode. Frasier and Niles had it wrong about the museum's visitors and wearing tuxes to opening. No tux required. Come as you are!) A great neighborhood and great people.

Thank you St. James Cathedral for being the light in the darkness and welcoming all. The beacon shines bright.

I am sending love to First Hill and to the staff at St. James, and thank you to the person who took this photo last evening.

What are your favorite things?

Good Teachers Awaken The Student

"I am a teacher but an awakener." - Robert Frost

I have had many teachers in my life, who have awakened the creative giant within me. One teacher was Denny Bechtelheimer or "Mr. B." He allowed me to creatively write in poetry class with my unusual Haikus and hilarious yet embarrassing limericks. Where was the iambic pentameter?

Mr. B introduced me to the Mighty Mouthy Bruins and to local Fort Wayne theatre, including wonderful teachers outside of the high school: Larry Life, Darrell Monroe, LarryWardlaw, Wayne Schaltenbrand, John Tolley and Harvey Cocks. I am sure I pushed the boundaries and was still allowed to explore, originate roles and bring to life productions. I have carried these skills from Fort Wayne to Seattle and shared with others as I became the teacher.

He infuriated me, too as I probably did with him. Mr. B graded me lower than other students. I asked, “Why?” "I expect more from you." That angered me. This happened to me various times throughout the years with other teachers. And that is a totally different discussion.

Many teachers, who will remain nameless, have inspired me throughout the years.

Thank you, Mr. B for awakening this high school student to possibilities.

Speechless in Seattle

Let us give prayers to those who have suffered a loss or have been injured and give our gratitude to the Seattle fire fighters and other first responders, including police officers. Many times you are not given the credit for your "good" work.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Explosion-shakes-North-Seattle-6879044.php

Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)

My next door neighbor took time out of her busy day and dropped a fortune cookie off last night from her dinner out. I had it for breakfast this morning. The fortune read, "Take care of yourself first. Then help others." This fortune seemed incongruent with the most wonderful earworm I have been experiencing the past few days, “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand.)”

The song was release in April 1970 as a vinyl 45-RPM record. It was Diana Ross' first single after she ventured out from "The Supremes" as a solo act, and think about how she probably was in need of someone to reach out to her on this journey. It could not have been easy even with the talent, money and fame.

I have caught myself singing these lyrics aloud, and strangers on the street have hummed or sung along and smiles have been shared:

"Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
if you can..."

How do I bring the sage fortune of the cookie and the earworm together?

I will take care of myself by rewriting my resume this afternoon and believe others will walk with me as I seek a career opportunity. Maybe someone will ask for a copy of my resume. Maybe someone will reach out and review my resume. Maybe my resume will be passed onto the person, whose organization can utilize my skills to make it a better place.

I will live both today as I bring the fortune and the song together. I will take care of myself and live the song because you never understand until you walk in someone’s shoes. So, “Take a little time out of your busy day…To give encouragement…To someone who's lost the way.” 

How have you reached out today?

God bless you, Mrs. Reagan

RIP Nancy Reagan. "Just say no." "White House China." "President Reagan’s Alzheimer's Announcement." You stood by your man, and he stood by you.There is no doubt: "Nancy Reagan was a class act." (Mrs. Reagan also trumped Trump on the news shows this morning.)

Your son, Ron Reagan lives in Seattle, and I would like to have a sit-down with him. I remember the story of him declaring that he was an atheist and no longer would go to church. How about when he dropped out of Yale after one semester and joined the Joffrey Ballet with grace.

"The Way I See It," and then there was her daughter, Patti Davis, who was an activist on the "Home Front," and cowrote the Eagle's song, "I Wish you Peace." (And there is nothing like flying on an eagle's wing.)

You allowed your children to align with their beliefs and to follow their journeys, no matter the bumps in the road. This demonstrated your love, resiliency, and strength as a First Lady.

God bless you, Mrs. Reagan.

Happy March 4th!

When you say March 4th, it can be interpreted as March Forth. It is now my new tradition to 

"March Forth." Why have a  Happy New Year with resolutions, when you can March Forth?

"What is it in your life that is making you feel guilty or unproductive? What would make you feel better if you got it done? Try to find one or two things that you could get done today that would take you one step closer to accomplishing your goals."

I plan to take pause and reexamine my goals that are big and small. It is time to March Forth.

Make "March Forth!" your new tradition.

Just Say "Hi."

God is still listening. God is still speaking. Say, "Hi."