Friday Five: Road Trips

Here I offered today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals, and I am only getting around to doing my own post about Road Trips late Friday night! This being only our second day home after five weeks away, I have been busy, busy, busy.

So here are some road trips I remember:

1. The most recent one of July and August. Husband CB and I set out in mid-July driving north from Corpus Christi, TX to Mesa Verde, Canyonlands, and Arches National Parks, followed by Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. Everything was beautiful, though little was seen at Glacier because our day of driving on the Highway to the Sun was overwhelmed with fog and cold (47 degrees F.) rain. Otherwise, we saw beautiful scenery, especially when we drove the North Cascades Highway to Washington State on up to our hometown of Bellingham.

2. Trip to Oklahoma and Arkansas in 1983. We went to see friends Steve and Gayla in Duncan, OK first, but on the way we stopped at a forlorn rest area in TX where I drank a lot of water at the water fountain (because I was still nursing baby AE)--and by the time we reached OK, I was having lots of diarrhea. That continued when we visited friends and Dallas and went on to Mineral Springs, Ark. to see my grandmother (Grandma Brunie to my kids). I was really sick, but eventually got better. I've always blamed it on the water fountain near those bathrooms at an old, old rest area somewhere in TX, as I was the only one who drank from the fountain and no one else got sick on the entire trip. This was my worst road trip.

3. 1972 trip to CA and then to Needles. CB and I went down to Camarillo, CA for my friend Nancy's wedding in her backyard. I was one of her bridesmaids, just as she had been one of mine at our wedding. After that, us being new college graduates, CB had a job interview in Needles, CA. We both will always remember that long drive without air conditioning, with our windows wide open and the hot air blowing in on us. I recall sitting in the frigidly air-conditioned Denny's, while CB was at his interview. Luckily, he did not get the job--or we would have had to live in a trailer in Needles, CA. (Instead, we moved to Richmond, VA at the end of the summer, which was a road trip from Bellingham, WA to the east coast.)

4. 1974 trip from VA to Newport, OR. We left VA so that CB could go to graduate school at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Or. But I had gotten a teaching job in Toledo, OR, so we had an apartment in Newport to move into. I drove our Datsun 510 while CB drove a U-Haul truck. The most memorable time was me losing track of him in mid-America. With no cell phones or internet conceived at that time, we had no way to get in touch. We just had a pre-arranged motel to go to. I remember calling my parents from a pay-phone and then calling the state patrol. Eventually CB showed up, as he had expected me to call my mother and had called her from a pay-phone, too. We were reunited!

5. Innumerable moving road trips in my childhood. We did not go on vacations when I was growing up. The only times we went anywhere was when my dad was transferred to a new post as he was a career Marine officer. We would always drive to Arkansas to visit his family and then to Washington to see my mother's family and onto the new home on a base. It was always hot, and I would be in the backseat, climbing back and forth from there and the front seat--no concept of seat belts or car seats back then! On different trips, I saw Old Faithful at Yellowstone; we went down into Carlsbad Caverns; and we went to a Petrified Forest.

Home!

We got home late yesterday afternoon after five weeks away. There was little computer access during our travels and few minutes to spare, especially when I started reading The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I finished the third book this afternoon, so I finally have time to blog again!

We had various venues during our long trip--first the driving through much beautiful country, then visiting family and friends in Washington State, and finally babysitting our 8 month old granddaughter Avery in Austin, TX.

Avery loved me as the female figure with her mother and father gone. I don't think she completely remembered what or who were missing, but she was a little unsettled for the first few days. Usually, she would not let husband CB hold her and would laugh and giggle at him if I was holding her. I was glad to be honored by her attachment, but soon realized how much work it is carrying a baby around again on my hip. Avery seemed to get adjusted to us after a few days, but yesterday she had to switch gears again with the arrival of her other grandparents and our disappearance. It is good that she is a sweet-tempered girl. I wish I could see her reaction when her parents come home on Saturday night!

Returning to TX, I am newly aware of the tendency for dust to gather in houses. I am sure there is dust under our beds; I see it on the edges of the ceiling fans, too. It must get worse with pets, especially cats. I thought I noticed dust (and didn't see any) until I started seeing it more closely in hard-to-reach places. I will look into this more closely/deeply when I recover from our trip!

Pictures of Avery

Daughter MJ holding Avery.



Avery is learning to crawl.

CB and I are taking care of Avery for the first four days of her parents' vacation; her other grandparents will be here on Wednesday for the next four days.

Back in Texas!

Yesterday MJ and I flew from Seattle to Austin via Alaska Airlines, which was a good, direct flight. When son DC and granddaughter Avery picked us up at the Austin airport, husband CB arrived at their home--he had spent the previous four days driving from Seattle to Austin. It is nice for all of us to be together, though tomorrow morning we grandparents will be left alone with Avery while her parents go on vacation to the Dominican Republic with friends.

Avery is an animated and pretty 8-month-old. We are lucky enough to end our vacation with babysitting our only grandchild for the next four days.Then the other grandparents will arrive to take care of her, and we will finally return to our three dogs and one cat in Corpus Christi.

Seattle now seems like a dream--it is 63 degrees F. there while it is (only) 97 degrees F. in Austin. (It is forecast to reach 102 though--to keep the run of +100 degrees going.)

Back in Bellingham

We spent four days in Seattle, visiting our daughters AE and KA and friends Terry and Dennis. AE took our picture this day when we ate lunch inside a greenhouse at Swanson's Nursery, near her home in Ballard.

Unfortunately, when we got to Seattle on Saturday, I thought I was having a huge allergy attack which ended up being a cold. (I was relieved that I wasn't allergic to Washington State, though having a cold to share was not that appealing.) So far both daughters AE and KA have caught this cold and possibly husband CB.

The weather is beautiful, with sunny days and high temperatures in the 70s F, both in Seattle and now back in Bellingham. Tonight we will walk around Boulevard Park, which was a traditional activity to do around sunset ever since the children were little and my mother was still with us.

As we drove to Seattle on Saturday, I heard the news that a dear friend, Susan Chaubal, died in her sleep. It was a great shock and is sad. I have many regrets, because I had not made time for her this past year, mostly because of my preoccupation with my health. Even so Susan encouraged me greatly to get a better diagnosis when it was not determined yet that I had RA.

Please pray for her husband Milind and daughter Anjulie.

Hometown: Bellingham, WA!

We got to Bellingham yesterday after driving west on the North Cascades Highway--more mountains! It is perfect weather in Bellingham: sunny and clear, with Mount Baker visible.

Now our whirlwind tour of WA State begins. This morning we drive to Seattle so that we can see our daughters AE and KA, since they are leaving for a wedding in another state next weekend. We will stay with dear friends Terry and Dennis, who always provide accomodations, transportation and friendship when we visit them. On Sunday MJ will fly from TX to be with us all. On Wednesday we'll drive back to Bellingham to have more time with husband CB's family before departing for the lower hot and humid part of the USA, where hurricanes and tropical storms threaten at this time of year.

Fun, food, and love abound!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my dear husband CB!

Here he is at Glacier National Park yesterday, the last day he was 60 years old.

Going to the Sun (Highway)

While we went towards the sun, fog kept encroaching upon us.

This morning around 11 am, this is what we saw through our windshield as we travelled along the Going to the Sun Highway and never saw the sun shining on the U.S. part of Glacier National Park. Poor CB hated driving along the cliffs knowing there was a 1000 foot drop, though unseen. It is disappointing that we did not see the peaks or glaciers along the way. I have postcards to send of the sights we did not glimpse.

After we left the park and went through the Canadian border crossing (that is only open in the summers), we entered the joint Canadian national park--Waterton Lakes National Park. As we drove in this direction, we started seeing patches of blue sky and finally entered the sunshine again. And we saw the top of a mountain--and got to the sun!

Yellowstone!

Bison walking towards our car on a road at Yellowstone on Sunday!

The only wild animals we saw during our two days at Yellowstone National Park were bison, a few elk, and some ducks. It was a little scary to have this bison walk towards our car though. Luckily, he walked right past it on the driver's side.

Since the only time I had been to Yellowstone before was in 1959, I only remembered Old Faithful. I don't think we saw much else, probably because 50+ years ago there had not been so much construction and attention to tourists' access to the many geysers and hot spots.
I took over 200 pictures during my two days there and hope to post about some of the amazing and weird sites when I get home to a regular computer. (AND I still have to post about my April/May trip to Spain!)

On our long drive to northern Montana, we had the first rain on this entire trip. Going along Swan Lake, we were reminded of the drives in northwest WA state, with the gray, close skies and drizzle. Tomorrow we will drive through Glacier National Park to reach Canada for the next two days.

By Friday we will be in Bellingham, WA to visit CB's parents and family.

Away for one week now!

Flaming Gorge, Utah

One week ago today we left Corpus Christi on this long driving trip. In a way, we are halfway through, as next Friday we will arrive in Bellingham, WA--our hometown and where CB's parents still live.

There is not as much time as I expected on this trip to be on the computer and to blog. I miss it and also all my blogging friends. It is cumbersome to use this laptop and so pictures may not be forthcoming until we return back to hot and humid TX.

Briefly, where we have been since Moab, Utah:

Thursday we drove most of the time in Colorado, leaving Moab in Utah and ending up in Flaming Gorge, Utah. After the red cliffs around Moab, we were a little disappointed by the so-called "Flaming" Gorge, though it was pretty by the National Park's visitor's center. We were somewhat surprised to learn that John Wesley Powell first found and described (for the American government) both the red cliffs and the flaming gorge.

Today we drove to Jackson, Wyoming. We were expecting Jackson HOLE, but learned on our arrival that the town is called "Jackson" and the "hole" is really a description of the 13-mile-wide canyon.

Tomorrow we will drive to West Yellowstone and spend two days and nights there, so we can tour Yellowstone National Parks. We'll go on some short hikes, but neither CB nor I can walk long distances at this time. (I have RA; CB has bad knees.)

We're in Moab, Utah!

CB and Jan at Mesa Verde National Park, NM

Near Spruce Tree House dwelling

July 18, 2011

It is so nice to be in Moab, Utah for tonight and tomorrow night, where we have wifi in our room! Unfortunately, the laptop we brought with us is clunky to use, so I will not be downloading as many pictures as I would like to. It is refreshing to be connected with the internet again, because we did not have access to that or to our cell phones (not here either) for the last two nights.

Sunday night we stayed at Jemez Springs, NM in a log cabin that also had a hot tub. CB and I had not been in a hot tub for over 25 years! Since my RA was acting up that day, the hot water felt soothing to my joints as we sat together in the hot tub, with the Ponderosa Pines swaying in the breeze around us.

Monday we drove to Mesa Verde, National Park where we spent the night at the park hotel called Far View Lodge. All afternoon we spent looking at different sites, ranging from pit houses built around 575 to cliff dwellings from 800-1200. The multi-story cliff dwellings were built at the later period, with the early Pueblo people leaving the area around 1300, abandoning all their structures. The cliff dwellings span long expanses of cliffs in clefts that appear. Amazing! It was hot walking on the short hikes.

This morning we left early to get to Canyonlands National Park, also in NM. The red cliffs, needles, and rock formations are truly amazing. It was hot, though mitigated by thunderclouds and huge raindrops at times. It was sad to see the remains of burnt trees and vegetation, still evident from serious fires in 1995, 2000, and 2006. The last one demolished over 23,000 acres!

I took over 100 pictures, which I will share someday when I have an easier computer, maybe at CB's parents' house in Bellingham, WA--where we will arrive in ten days.

Sadly, symptoms of RA flared again today, so we skipped the last hike to a petroglyph wall left by the early Pueblo people (whose name I cannot remember how to spell--Anasazi?) Maybe all the heat and exertion from yesterday caused this to happen, I don't know.

The only (!!) changes in my life since starting this vacation have been little or no meditating each day and no swimming/exercise. Otherwise, I have no idea why I have had two alternate days of pain.

Tomorrow we are going to visit Arches National Park.

We began our vacation on Friday!

On Friday we drove to Austin, but first we stopped in San Antonio to have lunch with daughter MJ and her boy friend.

CM and MJ after lunch

I like to play Words with Friends on my Ipod, though the only difficulty is getting wifi access. I could easily do that at son DC's house in Austin. However, I usually lose these Scrabble-like games, especially with DC. Yesterday I even asked my husband CB to help me find a word in a game with DC, who was just across the living room from us.

CB helping me with Words with Friends game.

Granddaughter Avery

Avery is almost 8 months old and laughs, smiles, and babbles. Last night DC kept lifting her up high, which guarantees a smile so I could get this wonderful picture.

Friday Five: My Name Spells Gratitude

A wise person once told me to make an ABC list of things I am grateful for any time I feel sad or depressed. It is a good practice when one is feeling happier than that, too. So for this Friday Five, I suggest that you use your name or nickname of about five letters and express your gratitude about something that starts with each letter. Some people have longer names, so you decide how you will go about this! (Last names, middle names, and nicknames count!)

Although I am known by most people as "Jan," my given name is JANET. When I was in first grade, I insisted that everyone, including my parents, should call me "Janet," because that was what my beautiful first grade teacher called me. That only lasted one year.

J:I like my name of Janet, though usually I am called Jan. Having a family name makes me feel connected, as I know that various ancestors were named Janet. More recently, my aunt was also named "Janet." I may be the only Jan though.

I love jonquils (or daffodils) and wish they could grow here (in the ground). It was always a joy to see them blooming as spring approached when I lived in WA, OR, RI, and NJ. I especially remember them around the time my father died.

A: Apples that are crisp and juicy are my favorites, and we hope to find those more easily on our trip up to WA State.

For people, I immediately go to my daughter AE, who has a family name, which is also my middle name. Also there is daughter-in-law AA who is married to our oldest son DC, and they are the proud parents of AVERY, who is seven months old!

N: My longest maintained/ing friend is Nancy. We have known each other since junior high school on a Navy base in Japan and continued much of our lives writing (real) letters to each other. Since that has slacked off, we mostly talk on the phone once a week. She's also the friend who went to NM with me last summer--to celebrate us turning 60!

Friends have found a NEST of baby hummingbirds in a tree by their house!

E: I am grateful that I am regularly exercising again. Thanks to the diagnosis of RA, I am going to deep water exercise classes at the YWCA at least five times a week. I feel better for doing this.

Since today we leave on our month long driving trip, I hope that I will be disciplined enough to go and exercise in motel pools along the way!

T: Today is when we leave on our TRIP--this driving adventure husband CB has talked about and planned for months and months.

We are driving north to Canada, stopping off to visit various national parks. Then we will drive along the Crow's Nest Highway along the border of Canada and the US and get to Bellingham, WA by the end of July. We'll then be more stationary and visit CB's parents and our daughters AE and KA in Seattle!

I will try to blog about the trip, while we are comforted to know that a friend is staying in this house with our three dogs and one cat. They love to be in the air conditioned house in this extreme TX heat (and drought).

2,000 Posts!

This is my 2,000th post since May 2007.

Should this be the end of Yearning for God? I still yearn for God and continue to desire connection to blogging friends, other friends and family.

I move but don't

SUDDENLY, it is time for our big trip north and west through the national parks, ending up eventually in Bellingham, WA. We leave Friday, and I feel like I am moving, without motion, to get ready and not getting enough accomplished.

So I am sorry I am not writing or reading blogs; I miss my friends and miss their comments.

I have not even finished writing postcards I got in Spain. I haven't blogged about the Spain trip OR labeled the 600+ pictures. Now I hope to write postcards to friends on this USA trip--as long as my fingers will allow me without too much pain.

I haven't gotten rid of piles of books or papers. Somehow I always think a trip is a deadline. With RA fatigue and sometimes pain, I am not meeting any of those odd goals I seem to set myself up for.

I have not written letters I meant to write--hopefully, postcards (maybe) will suffice. . .in the future.

I have no birthday present for husband CB, whose birthday will be celebrated on this trip.

The only packing I have done so far is putting a pile of books in a big bag to take along. That's one advantage to going in our own car.

There's more, but this is enough complaining. The time will get here on Friday morning; we will leave; that's that.

(Sarcasm: This is such a momentous 1,999 post!)

Avery's Visit

Avery came to visit her daddy's parents (us) this past weekend in Corpus Christi, TX.

Avery (7 1/2 months)

Also coming with Avery was her big brother, Sampson, the English Bulldog.

Avery, Sampson barging in, and Grandpa CB

Sampson is allowed in parts of our house that our three dogs are not permitted into, mostly because Maisie and Baillie (our female dogs) want to snack in the cat's litter box. Our cat is not used to having a dog around, and Sampson loved to rush at her and bark. This is how she looked after he was taken away from her area.

Gracie our cat, glaring

Daddy DC loves to play with Avery and have her stand up (and flip over). He is her caretaker while his lovely wife works every day.

Avery and Daddy DC

Since you can only see Avery's mommy's right arm, I'll put another picture up to show you AA with her pretty daughter.

AA and Avery

On Prayer

You ask me how to pray to someone who is not.
All I know is that prayer constructs a velvet bridge
And walking it we are aloft, as on a springboard,
Above landscapes the color of ripe gold
Transformed by a magic stopping of the sun.
That bridge leads to the shore of Reversal
Where everything is just the opposite and the word 'is'
Unveils a meaning we hardly envisioned.
Notice: I say we; there, every one, separately,
Feels compassion for others entangled in the flesh
And knows that if there is no other shore
We will walk that aerial bridge all the same.

~ Czeslaw Milosz ~

(New and Collected Poems, 1931-2001, trans. Robert Hass)



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Avery Visit!

Son DC took this picture with his Iphone soon after their arrival here in today. I love holding my granddaughter Avery, especially without my hands hurting like they did over Mother's Day weekend.

Friday Five: Summer Fun

Dorcas brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

So, what's up, Rev Gals and Pals? How are you spending your summer? (I know, some of you are in a different hemisphere and it may be chilly...sorry!) Are you experiencing fire or floods or tornados? Vacationing? Working harder than ever? Experiencing change? Longing for change?

Share five things that are happening in your life, personally or professionally or some of each, in this season of life.

1. Trips to WA State
Ever since we moved to TX in 1978, we have always gone back to our hometown of Bellingham, WA every summer. Both sets of parents/grandparents lived there until my mother died in 1992 and my father died in 2002. CB's parents still live there, and now our daughters AE and KA live in Seattle, plus our dear friends Terry and Dennis.

This year CB and I are venturing out on a long driving trip up there, which starts one week from today! We are going north from TX through various national parks in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana before we head west to the Pacific Coast.

2. Summer reading
Somehow summer gives me permission to read more frivolous books, such as the mysteries I love. I have a bag full of books that I will take on our driving trip, because there will be lots of room in the car!

New mysteries I am trying out are by Rick Riordan, whose detective lives in San Antonio, TX, and Matt Beynon Rees, whose detective operates in Israel and Palestine.

3. Coping with RA
Since the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in May, I have had innumerable medical tests, three visits with my rheumatologist, and the beginning of a drug regimen based upon methotextrate. Symptoms fluctuate, especially as I try to decrease my daily intake of prednisone while waiting (and hoping) that the methotextrate will start suppressing my immune system. Having a chronic disease is something I alternately deny and accept. There is an emotional limbo where I want to accept it and not be passive, but also be optimistic and trying to be better.

4. Choosing HEALTH
As a counselor once told a friend, one lives better if one "chooses health." I am trying to do that by exercising more, mainly taking water aerobics classes at the YWCA, and eating more nutritiously, as guided by Weight Watchers.

Being on prednisone keeps me from losing weight, but at least I am not gaining either. Eating is something to watch as we vacation for five weeks. A long-held tendency (tradition?) is to celebrate with food, especially desserts, on trips and with family. Trying to remember to choose health as the way to live (not the goal of losing weight) is what I hope to remember.

5. Continuing to meditate twice a day
My practice of sitting in silence, waiting upon the Lord, is pretty well set at twice a day. I managed to do this with daughter MJ on the Spain trip. I know the equanimity and peace given to me are helping me adjust to RA, among other things.

Just like eating, spiritual disciplines can be distorted, diminished, and/or delayed /forgotten on vacations. I will try to make prayer a priority, even if it is only 1-2 minutes at a time. (That is enough, because it is God's prayer after all.)

TX heat is good for something!

The heat and humidity have definitely arrived here in Corpus Christi, TX. At least, we are about 5 degrees cooler than Austin and Dallas, where it is reaching 100 degrees F. or more every day.

Even with my RA hands, I still like to hang clothes out on the clothesline, which is behind our garage.


Here you can see my turquoise swimming cover-up and the bag I carry my pool stuff in (given by the Shalem program).

Float!

As swimmers dare

to lie face to the sky

and water bears them,

as hawks rest upon air

and air sustains them,

so would I learn to attain

freefall, and float

into Creator Spirit's deep embrace,

knowing no effort earns

that all-surrounding grace.

~~Denise Levertov

Why are you unhappy?

Why are you unhappy?

Because 99.9% of everything you think,

And everything you do,

Is for your self,

And there isn't one.


~~Wei Wu Wei

(I found this in Grace and Grit:Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killam Wilber by Ken Wilber on page 243. Now I want to learn more about Wei Wu Wei, who was born in Ireland in 1895!)

Memories of July 4th

I don't have that many memories of July 4th. You would think that my childhood growing up on military bases (mostly Marine) would highlight patriotic observances, but I do not remember any. That seems odd from my perspective of being 60 years old, so I thought I would try to recall any Independence Day celebrations I could:

• The one I remember most vividly is one I spent on the beach at Port Hueneme Naval Base in California when I was in high school visiting my long-time friend Nancy. Her family brought us to the beach for the fireworks display. It was fun, and I remember her younger brother (who is now a linguistics professor in Australia) running around--probably Nancy, her sister, and I were moving around, too.

• It used to be that you could see the fireworks from my parents' house in Bellingham, WA. I remember sitting alone on the couch, watching them when my mother was dying of pancreatic cancer. Little did I know that she would die only ten days later (in 1992).

• In 1979, when I was pregnant with our first baby, our neighborhood had a gathering at the local park, which we declined to attend--as I was very pregnant and it was so hot (like today)! My mother was visiting from WA, waiting for DC's arrival--and she wasn't used to the heat either. He was a week overdue and finally arrived on July 6.
  

• On a few occasions, we took our children down to the waterfront grassy areas here in Corpus Christi, TX with massive crowds of other people. It was always very hot and humid. . . and buggy. (There are over 200 varieties of mosquitoes, and all of them can be found here!) I mostly remember doing this with our two younger children. I wonder if they liked it. . . .

We are having a very quiet 4th of July. CB will grill chicken. Otherwise, we are staying in our nice, cool and air-conditioned house. (At 5 pm it is 94 degrees F. For my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, it is 100 degrees F. in Austin!)

I hope you are enjoying the 4th of July wherever you are!

Happy 4th of July!

Go to The Star-Bangled Banner to learn about the preservation and restoration of the flag raised at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812 on September 14, 1814.

Quick facts about the flag are here.

Now I Become Myself

My friend Louise pointed me to this poem by May Sarton:

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

Friday Five: The Way We Blogged

Kathrynzg brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

A friend and I were lamenting recently about the good ol' days of blogging and memes. Certainly there are still some very active blogs around our web ring, but the days of the Friday Five getting 50-70+ responses are in the past. We lamented that the Friday Five is the equivalent of the women's guild of RevGalBlogPals.

I am one of those who went from blogging just about daily to periodically at best. Unfortunately, the number I routinely read has gone down as well. What about you?

1) Have your blogging (writing/reading) habits shifted since the days of yore?
Those could have been my words above, which is how Kathryn started this FF. I used to visit all my friends daily, but now most of those original blogging friends from 2006 (when I started blogging) rarely post anymore.

I post almost everyday, because this practice has become my form of letter-writing that I seldom engage in anymore. I am glad that my two oldest children, husband, and other friends regularly read my blog; they keep me engaged.

Yesterday I anticipated the near future when this blog will reach 2,000 posts and I wondered if this blog should continue. . . .

2) Do you have some favorites that you miss?
I really miss Katherine at Meaning and Authenticity--she was the friend who got me started blogging.

A few others I miss:
Jennifer at Orientation of Heart

Zorra at Red Heeler Ranch

Rev. Dr. Kate at Prairie Light

Barbara at Views from the Road

3) Are there some blogs you still put in the 'must read' category?
I am grateful for Blogger's Blogging list of those I "follow" so I can keep up at a glance with favorites. I cannot list them all below, but here are a few I always look at:

Ellie's various blogs, especially The Anchorhold and Meditation Matters

Sherry at A Feather Adrift

Mompriest at Seeking Authentic Voice

AND I am really glad whenever I see posts by these bloggers, who are often too busy:
Dave at The Quaker Agitator

Fran at There Will Be Bread

Jaliya at The Quoteable I Ching

4) If we gathered at your knee, what would you tell us about those early days of blogging?
It used to be fun to share with each other. There used to be lists of categories that everyone would pass back and forth called "MEMEs"--I tried one just ten days ago, and no one responded!

I remember we would have themes such as ABC's of GRATITUDE and FAITH STORY and post continuing reflections on those topics.

5) Do you have a clip or a remembrance of a previous post of yours or someone else's that you remember, you know an oldie but goodie?
I loved it when bloggers would meet up and post pictures of those gatherings. I only have met Diane in 2008 and Serena in 2007 and they used to blog much more than they do now, though Diane is more regular than many.

15

In 15 more posts I will have 2,000 posts up on this blog! That is definitely hard to fathom. Does that indicate a time to close this and open a new one? However, I am still "yearning for God."

Also, in 15 days CB and I are leaving for a long driving trip, which means we will be out of our house for over a month. Luckily, a friend is going to stay here, with her grandchildren, and take care of our three dogs and one cat. We are driving north, hoping to avoid forest fires, so that we can visit various national parks, like Canyon de Chelly, Moab, Glacier, and Yellowstone! These will be quick visits, so I hope we will appreciate each breathtaking view and not grow "accustomed" to the splendor and thus miss it.

Vacations as I grew up were always to visit relatives and we practiced that also while our children were growing up, since we lived in TX and our parents lived in WA State. CB's parents still live there, as do daughters AE and KA, so that will be the furthest destination on this trip.

I can point to another 15--as in 15 minutes of meditation. I try to sit in silence for 20 minutes twice a day, but often it is 15 minutes. . . . or even less. It is always good to remember that the important thing is to sit twice a day--even for one minute each time!

If you have any connection to 15 today, let me know in a comment!

Buying Books

Needless to say, I buy too many books. However, today my choice of buying from Amazon.com was confirmed.

I spent about ten minutes in Barnes and Noble this afternoon, waiting for husband CB to call me to pick him up. I cruised the mystery aisle and then decided to look in the fiction, poetry, and biography sections for books by May Sarton, especially after the two affirming comments by Jaliya that included quotes from her writings. There was not even one book of Sarton's anywhere.

Sometime last year our huge Barnes and Noble store was changed in its layout. About one/third of the store is dedicated to children's games and learning aids, probably because there is a large community of home-schoolers in our area. Another large section has cards, journals, and notecards as well as the large "on sale" area. It is disappointing that I can rarely find books I want in the remaining book shelves. Right at the front is large kiosk with a friendly person hawking the Nook, which does sound pretty cool with its new format of color and web-access. (There is also a Starbucks in the middle of the store.)

About 25 years ago I was excited that a Book Stop opened in Corpus Christi. This was a voluminous bookstore that offered discounts to its customers, much like Barnes and Noble still does. It was started by someone from Austin, TX, but it went out of business in the next decade sometime. Then Barnes and Noble moved into its space and eventually built a much larger store.

The only independent bookstore left in Corpus Christi is Rainbow Books, a children's bookstore run by an older ex-school librarian. It is wonderful to go in there and ask for her suggestions and recommendations. She knows about each and every thing she stocks. I have found some surprisingly wonderful little books for my granddaughter Avery there.

Otherwise, I am mostly an Amazon.com book customer. Plus, I am trying to use my public library more often, which is where I am sure I will find books by May Sarton. (They don't stock many theology books though.)

May Sarton

May Sarton
1912-1995

Recently I read two books by May Sarton: The Magnificent Spinster and The Education of Harriet Hatfield. Although I knew the author's name, I had never read any of her books before. I first read The Magnificent Spinster, which is about a woman's life from childhood to her death as written by a former student. This was a woman who remained single all her life, but who had a zest for living that inspired and nurtured many around her. It is what I assume a "novel of manners" is like. It is a good story, without excitement and intrigue.

I coincidentally found The Education of Harriet Hatfield at Half-Price Books. It struck me because it was about a 60 year old woman (which is my age) who opens a bookstore for women after her partner of 30 years died. It is the story of her "growing up." There is more drama in this story than the first one.

Both books give positive attention to lesbian partnerships, which got me interested in finding out more about May Sarton, especially since she was born in 1912. She lived with a partner for 13 years and evidently wrote about their relationship in Honey in the Hive, which I have not yet read.

The Unitarian Universalist Association has an interesting article about her:

"Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing, 1965, is often referred to as Sarton's "coming out" novel and one she admits she could not have written while her parents were alive. With its reissue in 1974, to which Carolyn Heilbrun contributed an important introduction, Sarton's work gained academic recognition, especially by feminist critics. Subsequently her work began to be studied in literature classes and college women's studies programs. Although she appreciated the recognition, Sarton believed that the label "lesbian writer" might limit and distort perception of her work. She wanted to be read as a writer who dealt with themes of universal interest. She had, in fact, already written novels about family and married life. "

What an interesting woman. I am sure libraries have many of her books, as she started writing in the 1930's.

"Rabbit Hole"

Recently, we watched the December 2010 movie "Rabbit Hole." Several friends kept recommending it to me. I really liked it, but my husband did not, though he did stay through to watch the entire movie.

"Rabbit Hole" is a sad and intense movie about two parents whose 4-year-old son died eight months before. Each copes in different ways and seems to lose the way without one another. Their groping towards and away from each other is painful and very realistic. It is a beautiful movie, very well done.

I am still thinking about it. The dvd is available for rental. I recommend it.

Pray for the World

Most loving God, your concern for the poor is unrelenting
- draw our concern into yours;
your compassion for the poor is limitless
- draw our compassion into yours;
as you long for justice, may we also strive for it.
Forgive our doubt, forgive our neglect.
Open our eyes to structures of oppression
and free us from apathy and indifference.
Give us courage to accept our responsibility,
wisdom to chart a sound course amid complexity,
perseverance to finish our work,
and the gift of your Spirit to do what alone we cannot do.
So may we serve to the honor and glory of your Name
and the well being of your beloved people throughout the world.
Amen. By the Rt. Rev. Jeffery Rowthorn.

Good Habits

It was only about five years ago that I had an "aha" moment about habits. Somehow I had always associated the word "habits" with BAD, as in bad habits. Until someone told me that there are good habits, too, I never acknowledged those beneficial actions I regularly did as "habits." Suddenly my eyes (and brain) were opened to a much wider field of actions as movements we engage in. All are choices, not necessarily reactions that move us along, which is really what a bad habit is.

I remember hearing that a habit is formed in three weeks of practicing it. I am not sure of the time table, but know that awareness paired with intentionality is necessary. . . .and patience!


Kat Elton in her book A Resilient Life: Learning to Thrive, not just survive, with rheumatoid arthritis has some good advice about creating good habits:

"Having intentions that you hold close is like planting seeds. Creating your seeds involves letting go of your ego and beginning to reach deeper inside. Paying attention to them every day will allow them to grow. Shouting loudly at them won't make them sprout any faster. You nurture your seeds of intention every day through belief, positive action, and detachment, or letting go of the outcome. As the Buddha said, 'The secret of health for both the mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present wisely and earnestly.'"

Elton, Kat. A Resilient Life: Learning to Thrive, not just survive, with rheumatoid arthritis. www.KatElton.com, 2010. (324)

Friday Five: Faith and Culture

Today's Friday Five is brought to RevGalBlogPals by Terri:

This week the church I serve is a host site for the University of Michigan, Dearborn, Worldviews Seminar. It's a week long summer education course open to anyone, with continuing ed hours to be earned. It's a survey of the world religions with a morning lecture at the university, led by Lucinda Mosher. Then the group drives over to the church for lunch, a short lecture, and then they board a bus for a tour of local religious buildings. They tour Buddhist temples, an Antiochean Orthodox church, a synagogue, a mosque, and many other area houses of worship.This year is the tenth anniversary of the seminar. In addition to the Worldviews Seminar the congregation I serve is planning to participate in Episcopal Faith Shared and Faith Shared. I am working to have members of local Jewish and Muslim congregations present and participating in our Sunday morning service.

It is oddly synchronistic that Terri posted this FF when the discussion at this morning's Friday Renovare group was about someone's trepidation about a new Methodist minister belonging to the Confessing Church movement. She fears that this is promoting Christian exclusivism. The essential statement of the Confessing Movement with the United Methodist Church is stated as:

We confess:
In accordance with Holy Scripture and with the Holy Spirit’s help, that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God. Confession of Jesus as the Son is Essential, not a matter of personal opinion.

A statement like that worries me, because the words chosen are limiting and exclusive to a certain segment of people. However, I am not fully informed of this movement and right now am wondering if I even want to know about. I vaguely know it is connected to Dietrich Bonhoffer's Confessing Church movement against the Nazis in Germany.

Since technological advances from telephone lines to internet capabilities have connected us to the wider world, as illustrated by blogging and Facebook, people are more aware of different cultures and religions. That is illuminating but also the instigator of fear, which unfortunately often causes us to retreat into safety or group/tribal exclusive mentality (fundamentalism?).

The opportunity instead is to realize how all people are interrelated and ALL are created and nurtured by One God, who is revealed in many ways. I applaud Terri's church for hosting the Worldviews Seminar and wish I lived closer so I could attend. Being with people different than ourselves opens us to acceptance if we do not stop/retreat the encounters.

I fear the thought of God choosing only a segment of people to love. Such a god could change his/her mind and decide I am not in THE beloved group after all. I believe that God loves all creation--all the world (and universe).

I echo these wise words:
"The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, forgiveness."
--H.H. the Dalai Lama
(Charter for Compassion)

Thanks to Purple for posting about this issue today and pointing out that hospitality points the way with a quote by Parker Palmer, which you can read here.

Siblings

Being an only child, I have only learned about siblings and their relationships through observation. Best of all, I continue to watch my four children (and two partners) grow in their connections with each other. It warms my heart to see the ways they connect with one another, even with AE and KA living in Seattle, WA and the rest of us living in TX.

For Father's Day, MJ created this Father's Day card for her oldest brother DC, which he shared with me. It is so cute, I am putting it here, as I love how my son is a loving brother, husband, and dad, plus MJ's creativity and thoughtfulness. (This is not to negate my affection and regard for my other children.)

Here you can see that the top picture has DC holding MJ when he was almost 11 years old.

Of course, the bottom picture shows DC as a Daddy, holding Avery and rotund Sampson, our first grand-dog.

What to Eat?

After posting three times yesterday, today I am wondering if anyone wants to know how my health is. . . .I am not sure if many of you ever look at my RA blog, which is mainly where I am questioning RA and sometimes complaining about it. (Sign up for that blog to be emailed to you, if you want regular updates.)

So I am going to copy the post I put there this morning here:
I am still wondering about diet and RA, while being flummoxed by various sites, books, and advertisements. Who to believe? Today I went to Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior's site, where she addresses "Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet: 3 Key Questions."

"She writes in this post:

As I wrote recently, there is no Rheumatoid Arthritis cure. That includes diet. But that is only the beginning of the discussion of RA and diet. We still want to know 3 things**:

1. Can I eat something to make my Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms worse?
2. Can I eat anything to make my Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms better?
3. Despite both of those answers, are there foods or supplements which can fight the effects of the disease?"

Those are definitely the questions I want answered! RA Warrior wrote about this two years ago, and she probably has much more info on her website than I know about yet. A post with lots of info: "Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet: Part 2: Ten Easy Tips."

Going along with these questions is tomorrow's appointment with a naturopath. (Consulting him does not mean I will stop seeing my rheumatologist.) Surprisingly, both my husband and I are having individual appointments. Although Chuck is a PhD. chemist, he has been influenced by an elderly friend whose RA was improved with diet, as described in this fluffy and not-too-scientific book How to Eat Away Arthritis by Lauri M. Aesoph, ND. (I liked The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book by Jessica K. Black, ND much better.)

A healthier diet will improve both Chuck's and my health. He has painful knees due to osteoarthritis and we are both overweight. So there is a lot to learn; at least we are looking and asking!

Martin Laird's NEW book!

Tonight I received this book from the big brown UPS truck. I am very excited to get Martin Laird's second book A Sunlit Absence: Silence, Awareness, and Contemplation. I already have a labeled category for Martin Laird on this blog, because his first book Into the Silent Land was so profound and beautiful. I remember that other bloggers liked this book, too--Robin has 14 posts about Into the Silent Land!

The Guest House (is YOU!)

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

~ Rumi ~

(The Essential Rumi, versions by Coleman Barks)

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My Mother

Jan's mother
(1919-1992)

Yesterday I re-found this picture of my mother that my Canadian cousin Margaret gave me last year. I think it was taken around the time of her high school graduation, but I am not sure.

Letter Writing MEME

I do not write letters like I used to, but all my life I loved writing letters to friends and family. I remember growing up on military bases and seeing my father type a letter to his mother every week. Without easy access to long-distance telephone calls and no concept of internet communication, the only way to communicate for the first 25-35 years of my life was through mailed letters. Through the years, my writing has degenerated to notes I write, except lately when my hands hurt too much from RA.

I was thrilled to find someone who likes letter-writing through RevGalBlogPals: Susan at Fruitful Words. In 2009, she even did a series of posts about letter-writing. In one of these, she had a letter-writing MEME. (Remember when we were all doing meme's back then?) So I decided to do that here!

Answer in the comment section, please, or take these questions and answer them on your blog. Be sure to link back here so I can read your answers.

Tag 4 people and then write one of them a real letter! Let’s inundate the postal service with some “love” mail. Be sure to tell who you sent your letter to and why.

• What was the last letter you wrote? To whom? The occasion? Was it a letter or more of a note?

The last note I wrote was to my two daughters who live in Seattle. (This won't be a surprise for them now!)

• Do you prefer writing with a pen/pencil or with a mechanical device like a Blackberry or computer?

For long letters, I prefer to use Word on the computer. When my hands are not hurting, I like to use a pen on stationery/notecards.

• Do you prefer receiving handwritten letters/notes over email? Or makes no difference, it’s all communication.

It is so rare to receive a handwritten letter that it seems almost silly to say I prefer those. Still, an actual personal note via email is nice.

• Do you save your hand-written letters? Why or why not? Describe a special letter that you’ll never toss.

I save hand-written letters from my children and from special friends. I am glad that I saved a few written by my mother: someone's handwriting brings forth their presence, even after their death.

• What kind of paper do you typically use? Envelope? Stamp? Embellishments?

I like notecards and love to find special cards to send people. I find really good ones on my visits to WA state every summer; there are much better cards sold there than I can find in south TX.

I like to buy pretty stamps, which I often learn about at Letter Writers Alliance.

• What is the most unusual letter you’ve ever sent? Received?

Probably on puzzle pieces.

• What was the last handwritten letter you received? From whom? The occasion? How did it make you feel?

I got a long handwritten letter from a 94-year-old woman who used to attend the Wisdom Class (weekly book study) at our church, but has moved to Houston. I know it is an effort for her to write, and I loved hearing about her life and thoughts. Plus, a handwritten note or letter makes me feel like someone cares enough about me to take the time to write!

• Tag 4 people and then write one of them a real letter! Let’s inundate the postal service with some “love”mail. Be sure to tell who you sent your letter to and why.
• (I think I will be sending out left-over postcards from my trip to Spain, because my hands were hurting too much back in May to write all the ones I'd bought there!)
  

Thank you, Susan, for this!!

Happy Father's Day!

CB and MJ (3 months old)
Feb. 1990

My dad is no longer living, so today I celebrate my dear husband of almost 40 years who continues to be a wonderful father to our four children (and their partners). I am also glad that our oldest child is celebrating his first Father's Day with Avery.

Happy Father's Day!

Prayer for Desert Times

(From here)

The journeys of our lives are never fully charted.
There come, sometimes, to each of us, deserts to cross,
Barren stretches
Where the green edge on the horizon may be our destination,
Or an oasis on our way,
Or a mirage that beckons and will leave us lost.
When fear grips the heart, or despair bows the head,
May be we bend as heart and head lead us down
To touch the ground beneath our feet,
And scoop some sand into our hands,
And receive what the sand would teach us:
It holds the warmth of the sun
When the sun has left our sight,
As it holds the cool of the night when the stars have faded.
And hidden among its grains are tiny seeds, at rest and waiting.
Dormant, yet undefeated. Desert flowers.
They endure.
Moistened by our tears,
And by the rain that comes to end even the longest drought,
They send down roots, and they bloom.

Oh, may we believe in those seeds,
And the seeds within us.
May we remember in our dry seasons
That we, too, are desert flowers.

Amen.

- Margaret
Keip

From March 2, 2008.