Some Assembly Required...

Anne Lamott has written another, jewel in her crown, book. Some Assembly Required, A Journal of my Son's First Son, is a love note to her son. The book also depicts a year with her new grandson, Jax and navigating around the baby boys mommie!! Truly it is, like all of her books, a story of her fully flawed human life. I so connect with all the truth that she writes, her analogy that we are all here in one big penal colony!!! She reminds me that life comes on life's terms, not Bonnies!!! What a concept, that is soooo...hard for many. We are powerless, and YET control freaks, especially moms of the world. I march at the front of that list. She writes that so often she needs to control and spread her sickening fear ubiquitous litany of good ideas!!! YES, I have those ideas too, and for sure I am right!!! Maybe not always, and being able to say that is wisdom. When you forget about yourself in the big picture, that is Ms. Lamott's idea of heaven. She tells her son, that she cannot remember not knowing and loving him. That one sentence, is the most beautiful thing I have ever read. She also reminds him, about raising his son, that it is hard now, and shall be hard all the days of his life!! In my opinion, she could have said that again!!! Life is wicked hard, and wonderful beyond words. One of her friends said," Grace is a small white butterfly, and life is a semi trailer careening up I 95 headed your way!"
This woman of grace, Anne Lamott, touches my soul with her words. She is a woman of faith, and common sense, a rare bird. She has a God Box that when she is up against the wall, and all prayed out, she puts the problem, or person's name on a slip of paper. Then with great hostility she hands this prayer to Jesus, and says, "have a go at it!!!" Her honesty is so palpable through the pages, even the Kindle. Thank you Anne, I'm so grateful for you and yours. Letting me know that Love and Grace are bigger than the nightmare, supposedly!!!!Brilliant work!!!

You Think Someone Could Teach You To Dance?

Dancing With The Stars is back on the tube, and I'm giddy with excitement.
After watching this week, I have swished and swayed instead of walking. I have won over all my family members, convincing them that this is entertainment. Now to hear them talk, they can critique all the numbers, from Salsa to Rumba. They remind me that next week is the Fox Trot! We discuss gowns, and the lack of chest hair on the men!! It's riveting conversation. I occasionally have to shush the crowd, I have to concentrate learning my moves!! This is serious stuff. After my love of Mighty Mouse, came a crush on Gene Autrey, then I saw Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly dance, now that was love. I was a child, a baby who knew what she wanted!! I wanted them to glide me all over the dance floor, hold my hand in theirs, swing me and my Ginger Rogers gown all over the floor. They were magic, and this baby was going to dance. Somehow Tarzan came into the picture and I wanted to be Jane, but that dancing queen never left me. So you see why I'm thrilled to be getting my twinkle toes ready to move, even if it is via the telly. I've still got it, I danced all the way upstairs the other night and asked my Bill if he thought someone could teach him to dance?? He stopped snoring and said "NO." He is lucky I don't anger easily!!! and I know he loves to see me dance. He also knows I love Fred Astaire more in some moments!!!! Like now!!!

Where is Murray State?

March Madness basketball is making me "Mad as a Hatter!"
Oregon, Murray State, Boise?? who are these people?? Bill said, " You like Vanderbilt, don't you?"
"I don't care if they win or lose? tonight or any night." It is just too much, game after game, after game. Thank God the weather is, Judy Garland's red shoes, beautiful.
Some people drive around looking at Christmas lights, I nearly wreck the car, looking at spring. The earth comes alive(I just heard the word BCU come from the basketball watching people in my den, that I use to call family!!! BCU, don't care!) with blinding colors, like the BIG box of crayons, all with pointed tips!!! Birds are freaking tweeting their beaks off, landing on every branch in my yard. A woodpecker was so loud, I had all Barons combing the house for a burglar, until I saw the giant red-headed pecker taking down a pine tree. My yard man, Mr. H, spread pine straw today, and you would have thought it was the second coming of Jesus, I was so happy. Sunshine, warm air, windows open, pollen caked on all things standing still, March Madness be gone!! I have Spring, and my brackets are all marked correctly!!!

Happy Birthday Class of 1970

This is the year that we all turn "60", and it makes me smile.
My precious daughter just this week said, " Mom the 80's are calling and they want their scrunchie back!!" Little does she know, that I may pull out Go-Go boots from the 60's and my Abbey Road Album from 1970! I have furniture from the 40's and 50's, and I still have a serving spoon from our senior breakfast!!!! There has been a lot of living in these 60 years, and it makes me proud.
My memories are still 'intact" and even embellished !!!!! My growing up years were the best, my children still listen to MY music, and consider me a classic!!! ( that is not like a car?? is it)
Yes it may be a miracle that we survived, but we did, and we flourished. This liberal group of free spirits grew up, and some even became the "R" word!! How I don't know, we were high on pot and life! We are bright, creative people with a "Joy" about us. Hard times did not skip over us, it fell on some hard, and we all picked up the pieces. I can not begin to explain how much I love these people, my class of 70. There are no words, maybe just calling them family, says it all.
Happy Birthday Class of 1970

Laughing is A Must Have

Life changes on a dime, and if I have learned ANYTHING in my almost sixty years, it is you HAVE TO LAUGH!!!! Also I believe we have children, to keep us laughing.
My kids have a wicked sense of humor, and seem to enjoy making me howl.
Brian and Hart hold the prize, but all the other Baron Bunch have their way too.
I'm a proud momma, comedians for kids.
Not one day, not ONE, do I not laugh out loud. I repeat, NOT ONE DAY!!!
Recently Hart has turned me on to a TV show, that has put him at the top of the children pedestal!!
An Idiot Abroad, The Bucket List. The premise is simple, a man, takes another persons bucket list, and attempts to find joy!!! Most of our lists are not the same, I know climbing mountains, of any height is not on mine. Nor is any jumping off of bridges or out of planes. So you can see, one man's bucket list, is not necessarily the other mans. This does not even sound that funny as I type, and it is hysterically funny. The man they send on all of these jaunts, is a miserable fuddy duddy. He has a hard time, finding anything that even makes him smile, so this is torture for him. Plus he is British, need I say more? What a funny lot of people, those Brits. Ricky Gervas is one of the producers, genius!
Thank you number three son, for just being you.

56 months = 4.8 years

Next week there will be a, not so gentle, reminder of my Ward's death. The 13th of every month, the breathe leaves my body, just like on that horrible day. Yet I get dressed and keep moving, and continue to see hope, joy all around me.
This year the class of students that we have had the pleasure of learning from, have restored my hope in the future. Note, that all years are NOT like this one!! No amount of adjectives can explain what they have brought to my life. The desire to learn is such a powerful tool. Each day, they explode with prior knowledge, and hang , like sheets on the clothesline, to each and every story that we tell. We read John Steinbeck's The Pearl, this year, to the advance class of English learners.
The flow of his written words, grabbed them, and held on for weeks. THE PEARL, I just did not see it coming, loving books is so rare. Not knowing the English Language and loving to read, a miracle!!!
These kids are not just smart, they have huge hearts. Brilliant minds, generous hearts, middle school ELL students, my working life complete.
So I think now would be a good time to retire, "go out" knowing that our world will have the best of the best. Diversity is a beautiful thing, we are the world!! ( Had to throw in my hippie days!!)
Each week my kids, write in a journal, here is an excerpt. This young man from Taiwan had lost his 98 year old grandmother......"We will miss my grandma. We are happy because, she finished her responsibilities." That is the most precious thing I have ever seen written about a death.
I'm not dead, but I have come to the end of my responsibilities at school, and my cup runs OVER!!!
This 13th of the month, I will pause, reflect and know, that Ward was finished here on earth, and find peace.

Christian FISH

March continues to surprise us, harsh storms with funnel clouds!!, very warm weather(my car temp read 81 this week), and damn near winter this morning!!! I'm looking for that pot of gold balance. This lion and lamb thing is making me spin, and not like a ballerina!
I think we all get so anxious to, dig in the dirt, way before its spring. Things are blooming, and the fish is frying. March brings the season of Lent to us, beckoning us to give up something??? I usually give up, thinking about giving up something. This rule makes no sense to me, AND if you do give up something for Lent, I don't need to here about it. I confess to loving, Christian Fish, as my son refers to it, every Friday during Lent. We are all so diligent in not eating fried foods, that the yearly Easter season fish fry, is awesome. Our neighborhood catholic church cranks this fish out, and we give the money back to the church. With one exception, our bodies are so not accustomed to fried foods, that we have been sick for two Fridays now!!! That devil grease, he can be so clever. So I guess we will give up fried fish for Lent, and this is just between God and myself!!! I feel kind of lucky this year, I finally have something to give up!!! and I'm telling everyone! Blasphemy, I do not even follow my own rules.
Now I know why at this time of year, it is called March Madness!!!! Christian Fish!!! and Easter, hard boiled eggs, who makes this stuff up???