LETTER FROM THE PAST

Tessa came across a craft project recently that involves hollowing out the center of a thick book to make a box.  It's more involved than that, but this is not meant to be a tutorial.  Actually, I probably did not have to even mention the craft project.  The fact that the gel medium that is needed costs $11.49 probably will keep almost everyone I know from even wanting to do it anyway. 

Back to the story.

While looking for a book at the thrift store, we came across an old letter.  It wasn't technically in *the* book we ended up purchasing--well, not until I stuck it in there, but I don't suppose it's really stealing as long as I did buy a book.  I mean it could have been in the book we were buying and then fell out and then got put into another.  Right?

There was something so mysterious about the letter.  I just had to have it.  It did not even look like it had been opened.  I'm sure it had been--very neatly--and then kind of glued shut again after years in the book.  I brought it home and then waited for just the right moment to read it  You may imagine that I sat in a comfy chair with a cup of hot tea while the rays of sunshine cast a warm glow around me as I gently reopened the letter.   Imagination is a wonderful thing.   

The fact is, though, that I was sitting around the table with my big, fat, Italian in-laws--not really fat, but you get the picture--trying to not repeat the dinner from hell of the week before that I could not write about.    I was not about to let the conversation slip into anything remotely reminiscent of the previous week.  I decided that they would enjoy sharing the mysterious letter with me.  Yes, I decided.  And they listened to me read it.  And we all laughed.  And that was a good thing.  The letter is so telling of the time, 1970, and it saddens me to think that with all of our electronic communications, the future generation will not have the opportunity to find such a priceless treasure in an old book in a thrift store.

 

April 6, 1970

Dear Mom,

Well, I bombed out on another interview today--another all-day affair at First Union.  It was really scary.  At this rate I'll never get a job.  I had to take an IBM programmer aptitude test which was unreal and unexpected!  You wouldn't have believed the last part, nothing but word problems.  I don't think I did one of them right!  The man told me I made a high C on it and then proceeded to tell me that they "couldn't always tell" anything by the test!  HA!  I took that to mean I blew it!  And he's just smoothing things over.  Oh me.  I'm at the depths of depression, now!  HA!  And I'm beginning to think programming is not for me.  They all want you to be utterly ambitious, want a life-long career and be an expert at everything.  Well, I'm just not that ambitious right now.  I can't be--I don't know what it's like, what I can do or really what I want to do!  So your daughter is still a good-for-nothing unemployed waste of good money!

Well, how are things in Union?  I really thought I'd make it home but Tom called and came down Saturday.  We went out to the state park again--all day.  It was perfect!!  The weather was so warm.  We had such a good time!  He even stayed for a while Sunday and went out to the shack and explored.  When he left, I practically collapsed from all that walking--but I wouldn't have missed it.  I'm so proud of him.  He's written the introduction to his paper and was expecting to finish the literary review (that goes over all the work done previously on the particular topic) Sunday night.  One experiment had to be redone, though; but he expects to be finished by July, I think.  He got a notice from the army.  He'll go in in September at Fort Benning for branch school and then what he, of course, doesn't know.  At least the dates are definite, so he can plan accordingly.  He's still hoping to get into the medical corp--but he wrote a letter to the Surgeon General and forgot to sign it!  HA!  So, I doubt it'll do too much impressing.  I hope he can get in, though, cause at least then he'll feel like he's doing something worthwhile.

Oh, the funniest thing.  Tommy's had to go on a special diet to try to get rid of his "jungle rot" he's been thinking was a fungus.  The doctor said it was a reaction to some foods--the weirdest combination of things like radishes and hot dogs and onions and chocolate and caffeine (no coffee or tea) and soft drinks and beer, and I don't know what all--oh, fried pork and fried fish or seafood.  Well, everywhere we went to eat all weekend, the menu would be full of the very things he couldn't eat!!  I just hooted--he loves food so much!  HA!  And it never failed that fish, shrimp, fried pork chops, even frankfurters and sauerkraut!!

I'm going to Raleigh this weekend.  I've already got two riders.  There's to be a big folk rock festival at UNC.  That ought to be interesting to say the lest.  I guess I ought to go out and get a wild outfit to wear!  HA!  Tom wouldn't believe it!  HA!

I'd like to report that I've caught up everything, but I haven't really.  I did get some work and ironing done this weekend, but this week is going to be a dilly.  Test Thursday and probably one Friday, I don't know!  Of course, it's only 25 or so days left 'til graduation.  How about that!  That reminds me, I got to thinking about that stereo I mentioned.  Now Mom, don't go out and make plans to get some big thing!  If anything, I want the portable kind, not furniture!  And it'd be much better just to save the money for a while 'cause I have a feeling it's gonna be awful expensive to set up housekeeping somewhere!  Besides, I don't have any clothes to start work in.  They're more necessary than anything else.  O.K.!?!?

I don't know when I'll be home.  The 25th is our big weekend here (Jr./Sr.) and 17th is the big shindig at State, although I don't know if we're planning to go.  I'd say we'd be home after Jr./Sr., but I may have to check cards that weekend--I'm not sure yet.  Anyway, be good and let me hear from you.  I'll try not to call 'cause it's too expensive.

Bye for now!

Love, 

Felicia 

Okay, did you not just die laughing at some of Felicia's writing.  HA!  I loved it and wish that I could find her.  I want to know if she ever got a job or if she ended up being a good-for-nothing unemployed waste of good money!  And did Tom ever get cured of his jungle rot?  I suppose we'll never know.  HA!

Anyway, this opened the door for me to share a book that I had put together about my grandmother which included copies of the letters that she had written to me while I was in high school. Let me just say that the response from the in-laws was quite surprising.  I think they actually grew to like me just a little bit. 

If, in fact, I did not have that hour stolen from my sleep last night, then I would finish this post with more about my grandmother and my secret talent--which I'm sure you are all just dying to know about--but that will have to be another post on another day.

I am missing hanging with my blogging buddies and pray that this insanity in my life right now is temporary.

SISTERS IN BLOGGING

Patty at Blessed Moon recently organized a blog luncheon for the locals and has written about it on her site.  I got to take a few hours off from work to join the others so it was double fun for me!  I especially enjoyed hearing from each person about why she blogs. Patty includes this information on her site as well.  Just go on over and read about it!  She has the most amazing camera and took this photo of the group.

TALENT - PART ONE

My eight-year-old grandson, Nate, drew this picture the other day to go with a report that he is doing on Dr. Seuss.  It is obvious to me that this is talent.  He has been drawing this well for years--with either hand.  We are all pretty impressed.  Amazing.  Talented.  Gifted.  And guess what?  He came that way--straight from God.

Now talent is an interesting topic.  Most people--and I am one of them--are impressed with four main areas of talent:  art, music, sports, and academics.  Achievement in any of those categories means something to almost everybody.  If you don't believe me, just go re-read all of the Christmas letters you got which chronicled the accomplishments of your friends' children--you know, the ones that left you feeling like you were a failure as a parent because your children are so ordinary.  Have you ever received one that showcased obedience or compassion or brotherly love or my favorite:  common sense?

As a parent, I have tried to identify some talent or strength in each of my children in which to invest--so they could feel special.   I have studied them from infancy to find that spark to fan, hoping that in doing so, it would build confidence and give them a passion for something unique to them.  I secretly--or not so secretly--have wanted to find a hint of one of the top four talents. Unfortunately for them, my children don't come from overachieving, talented stock.  My husband and I are just average folks born to average parents.  We have average intelligence and average looks and average abilities.  We don't sing or dance or play an instrument or have a shelf of trophies for our athletic accomplishments.  We don't even hold college degrees.  Perhaps if a spark had been identified when we were younger, it may have been fanned into a campfire; but even with fanning, it would not have produced a forest fire. Average.  Straight from God average.

Regardless of our stock, I've enrolled my children in piano, drum, violin, and harp lessons.  I have signed them up for basketball, baseball, soccer, and dance.  I have even paid for art lessons.  And guess what?  Not a musician, athlete, or artist among them.  I have read the classics to them and paid for higher education and guess what?  They are not geniuses.  I  have  fanned--believe you me--and even threw in  some accelerant --and they still appear to be just like their parents:  straight from God average.

Or maybe not.

Perhaps God thinks things are special that the world does not.  I'd like to think that God has, in fact, gifted me and my family with talents--no matter how seemingly insignificant--to be used for His purpose.  And more importantly, I'd like to think that we are being faithful to Him with those talents.

As I ponder just what those are for my next post, I wonder if others have questioned God's sovereignty when it comes to His choice in gift giving.  I know that through my 33 years of parenting, there have been times when I--yes, I know it's horribly selfish--wanted more for my children than their heavenly Father has seen fit to give them.  I've wanted more for me as well. 

HERE COMES THE SUN

That's what I need in my life:  just a little bit of sunshine.

Florida, here we come!
--with the pirates and their sidekick

2004

Tessa, Nate, Ross

YOOHOO, REMEMBER ME?

I've missed my friends.

The juggler has dropped a few balls this month--and just when I thought I was about ready for my circus interview.  It has been crazy with extra hours at work, out-of-state company, tax preparation, and who can even remember what else.  February has been a blur.  I've been incredibly busy, but have had nothing worthy to blog about.  Nobody out there is really interested in school accreditation, tax record organization, or the family dinner from hell.  Well, maybe somebody would be interested in the last one, but I can't really go there for many reasons. 

In the midst of the craziness this week, I was able to carve out time--believe me, this was in the miracle category--to meet with local bloggers for lunch.  I needed the distraction and the fellowship and am thankful to Patty for organizing it.  I do realize that Blog World friendships, although extremely important to me and fulfilling, are no replacement for the occasional hug around the neck in real life.  Edie is always good for a hug.

This would be a good place to include a photo from the lunch, but then that would mean that I would have had to take my camera.  That's right, I was busy juggling and couldn't carry it.  There were two folks in the professional photographer category there (Patty and Jessica), so any photo I might have taken probably would not have compared; so when they post about the get-together, I'll just link up.

What I took away from our lunch was that everybody has something to share--whether you have blogged for five years or five months. I about got giddy when I was able to add the link to Patty's blog to my dashboard reader.  It was so simple, but I had no idea that it could be done by pasting the link in.  Thank you, Kim, for that little tidbit of information. 

I have also learned so much lately from my youngest daughter, Tessa, who now has, I think, three blogs.  She has made headers and buttons and tabs and scrolling messages.  She has connected with other young ladies and now participates in an online book club and a group writing project.  I am truly blessed to get to share one of my passions with this incredible daughter.  And I think it is pretty neat that she invites me to read her diary (blog).  Not so long ago, we hid these from our parents.  But then not many of us had a juggler for a mom.  That must seem cool to her, right?

DISCLAIMER TO RANDOM POST

I about died laughing when I read the comment on my previous post about leaning to ski.  I guess I should have written NOT learning to ski.  This week, in addition to pouting about not going to Blissdom,  I was mourning things that I will never get to do in my life--being old and all.  One of those things is learning to ski.  I did go once in the olden days of high school, but that does not constitute learning to ski.  Too bad for me.

Three years ago this April, I had surgery on my foot after being rewarded for my gift of sarcasm in New York City.  Yes, that was quite a reward, and it should have curbed my sarcasm forever and ever.  Maybe I should have this photo framed as a reminder.  That just may do it.

Back in 2005 while we were visiting NYC on the day after Thanksgiving ( I don't advise picking that date if you have a choice, btw), my husband just about flipped when he saw the FOX News building up ahead.  Let me just say that he is a huge fan of FOX News--me, not so much.  And I, in my enthusiasm (for him), began walking quickly while screeching, "Look everybody, it's FOX News.  Hurry, hurry, hurry, we wouldn't want to miss seeing FOX News.  blah, blah, blah."  And simultaneously, I was grabbing my camera out of my pocket in the 11-degree weather and that's when it happened.  I stepped off of the curb (quickly because that's what you do when you cross a street in NYC) and fell out of my clog-type shoe into the path of oncoming yellow vehicles.  I wouldn't advise that either.  I not only fell, but I also knocked poor Tessa down with me.

Just think about what your response as a caring family member would should be.  My son, Ryan, was horrified and began telling me to get up.  I think he mimicked me with that "hurry up, hurry up, hurry up" screech.  Tessa began to cry.  And everybody else just about died laughing.  I rallied enough to get the picture below (for him) before I hobbled inside to the building's cafeteria and applied ice to my foot which swelled up pretty quickly.  Nobody really cared because some idiot  attractive woman with bare legs and stilettos from FOX was spotted.  Don't ask me because I don't watch FOX News.  Surprise.

You may not realize this, but it is not really convenient to get injured in NYC.  I did not see even one walk-in clinic or any crutches for sale in the store windows.  I did, however, see tons of stiletto heels, which I knew even then, would have no future with me.  And since I didn't want to ruin anybody's fun, I just sucked it up and continued on.  That was smart.  And being a tightwad, I put off surgery for a year and a half.  That was smart as well.  I think that sounds sarcastic, don't you?

So I spent my 50th birthday on crutches as well as several weeks past that.  And then I got to wear a lovely blue shoe.  And let me tell you that surgery does not solve all of your problems.  It just changes them.  I am thankful that I can now at least wear a shoe.  Too bad that shoe has to lace up and contain an orthotic.  Yep, no cute flipflops or heels for me.  And no ski boots.  I suppose the moral of the story is to try to curb the sarcasm while you are in NYC.

celebrating Kenzie's birthday (same as mine) at Build-a-Bear with crutches

celebrating 50th at school with all the children

If that was not enough, two years ago while visiting in the north again, the day after Thanksgiving, on our way to IKEA--I am seeing a pattern here--we were hit from behind by a tow truck.  Nobody laughed that day.  Of course, the four children in the back seats, covered with shattered glass and screaming, kind of dictated the response.  Praise the Lord that we all walked away--in the cold--from that accident.  I suppose I should be thankful that I am just a chronic pain sufferer instead of having to mourn the loss of one of my loved ones.  And I am. It does help put it in perspective as I write it, but my back pain is so frustrating.  I am a doer, and I had so much more in life that I wanted to experience--skiing among them.  

Between the back and the foot, I am very limited on what I can do--strong drugs are not an option.  It doesn't help that all my blogging buddies are over-achievers when it comes to DIY projects.  How I wish that when I was in my prime--moving upright pianos and wood cook stoves, single-handedly, to paint under them--Blog World had been settled.  Then I could have posted all kinds of photos that would impress people.

And it doesn't help that most of my IRL friends are fitness buffs.--working out and running marathons and such.  Now, I have never been into fitness--good grief, I have always driven to the mailbox--but I might enjoy tap dancing or kick boxing or skiing.  And please, don't suggest Wii Sports.  I've tried that.  No, not for me. I just can't be laughed at that much by my family members.  I have not recovered from the first round of laughter at my expense.  I will now put on my Asics with orthotics and go to work--a desk job. 

QUICK VISIT

On any given day, a zillion ideas for blog topics pop in my head.  Unfortunately, there is just not time to actually write about each one.  I feel good if I get something substantial written once a week.  This week that did not happen, so I am feeling a bit stressed.  I am, therefore, going to post ten interesting or not-so-interesting things that randomly pop in my head as I type.  Just because.

1. I have avoided Blissdom posts because of sheer jealousy.  I couldn't go this year, and  I am still pouting.
2. I have booked my spring break get-away to Disney using Disney dollars.  I even booked a room for Kelly and family.  And we're meeting tons of friends there.  Well not tons, but seven or ten or so.
3. I am loving the book Ishmael that I received for a gift at Christmas.  That algebra tutoring was sooo worth it.
4. I am overwhelmed with what God thinks I can accomplish this year at school.
5. I have been invited to join local bloggers for lunch!  Edie will share about Blissdom, and I will pout some more.
6. I am almost done with my bathroom redo.  Can I hear an amen?
7. I am sick of paying for dance lessons only to have them canceled because of  the possibility of snow. 
8. I am going to be a grandmother again.
9. I am enjoying another season of American Idol.  I do not miss Paula.  I will miss Simon next year.
10. I am going to finish that map bird and mail it to the winner from Funky Junk by this weekend!  Promise.

Cardinal by Nate, Age 5

Wow!  That was pretty random.  Be glad that I omitted the post about the local meat market and learning to ski.  Yes, I did sneak in the big announcement.  Subtle, eh?

MY OWN LITTLE CORNER IN MY OWN LITTLE WORLD

I'm always a day or a week late to the party over at Funky Junk. She recently did a take-your-blogging-buddies-to-work post. That was fun. While most of us will never get to paint a firetruck as she did, at least some of us will get to dress like a fireman at work. Nananabooboo.  Is that how you spell that?

When I am not cooperating with the training on the highly-technical sprinkler system, I can be found right in the middle of the mess below.   It actually does look worse in pictures.  I should have tidied up first.  Let me just say that I am highly productive most of the time at this desk.  And every now and then, it slows down enough for me to organize it.  It hasn't been now and then for a long time though.  Actually I have two desks to keep neat at this time. 

Oh, you can see the second desk right there past the three filing cabinets.  I can just roll in my chair back and forth, back and forth.  Fun.

Even in the chaos or should I say especially in the chaos, I must have my happy places.  One is in my rolodex.  It is a very happy place for me.  Not only does it contain everything I need to know at my fingertips, it also makes me smile.  That is important at my job.

Anytime I am bored--which is never--I can just flip through and find a great thought or quote.  I can also find the number for the fire department--just in case the sprinkler training does not pan out.

There is also something fun and comforting about running my mouse all over the faces of my grandchildren and daughter.

And what would a home away from home be without a potted plant and a famous bird?  Nothing, I say.

And finally, this about sums up my attitude when visitors come by asking for something. 

Oh, and one more thing that is plentiful around my place of employment--kids, lots of them--even right there under my feet.