Well Said

I found this cartoon by Rick McKee on msnbc.com this morning, and I thought the message was particularly good ... especially in light of the topic of this blog. :)

Blindsided

Last weekend I went to see “The Blind Side” and it was wonderful. I left the theater feeling happy and hopeful, thinking about all the great things that I could do to make a difference in someone else’s life. The movie obviously showed the stark contrasts between rich and poor, but it also contrasted grateful and ungrateful, patient and impatient, thoughtful and thoughtless.

One part that I found very striking was when Michael was picking up discarded popcorn after a volleyball game because he had nothing else to eat. It doesn’t take much to help someone in a situation like that. Even someone who is living large on a small income can help. Besides, happiness is the real goal of life, and happiness is not about what we have, but what we share with love.

Anyway, Ruben Navarrette apparently felt the same way about the movie and wrote about it in his column. It’s a good read – especially the part about giving his kid a paper route for Christmas.

Total Cost: $10 for the movie ticket, and in the words of Leigh Anne Tuohy, “you can thank me later.”

The Count Down Begins

Today is December 1st, and children all over the United States are pulling out advent calendars like the one above. It’s a fun tradition that often makes the wait for Christmas even longer.

As for me, I don’t have an advent calendar, but I do have an advent activity list. My goal is to do each of the things on this list before Christmas.

1. Put up a Christmas Tree
2. Attend a Handel’s Messiah Sing-Along with Nora
3. Put up a ribbon sash for Christmas cards
4. Go ice skating
5. Hang a stocking for St. Nick’s day (December 5)
6. Go to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional
7. Watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” with friends
8. Make a wreath-like-thing for my front door
9. Give hand made gifts to neighbors
10. Drive and/or walk around to see neighborhood lights
11. Make gingerbread cookies with red hots
12. Watch “A Christmas Story” with my parents
13. Make and give out pepparkakor on Saint Lucy’s day (December 13)
14. Go to a Christmas concert
15. Send out Christmas cards
16. Have hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows
17. Tell family stories around the fireplace
18. Help out with dinner at St. Ben’s
19. Go caroling
20. See a nativity display
21. Go out and look at the stars on the longest night of the year (December 21)
22. Read the Christmas story out of the Luke 2
23. Make wheat berry pancakes for the Schows
24. Call the people I love and let them know (that I love them)

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again." – Howard W. Hunter

The Difference

Jean Chatzky recently wrote a book called “The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper in Even the Toughest Times.” Or as I read it -- “The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper on Almost Any Salary.”

In the first chapter, she talks about four different types of people – the wealthy, the financially comfortable, the paycheck-to-paychecks and the further-in-debtors. As I looked over the criteria for being in each group, I discovered that I am somewhere between being financially comfortable and paycheck-to-paycheck. That is, I spend less than I earn but I don’t have $240,000 in investable assets.

Well, that’s nice, but what can I do to change? What can I do so that I can truly be financially comfortable? Well, as luck would have it, the point of the book is to teach people what they can do to change their financial caste. To this end she gives a list of twenty indicators that wealthy people generally share. The more of the indicators you have, the better off you are financially. So, I am working on my indicators. So far I’ve got eleven out of twenty. That’s pretty good. Right?

Total Cost: $16.47 on Amazon for a financial personality test, or $0 at your local library.

My Theatrical Debut

This summer, the school is putting on a production of "Honk" a musical centered around the story of the Ugly Duckling. It was designed to include the total school community. That is, all were invited to audition -- current students, future students, alums, parents, faculty, staff -- everybody! So I figured this was the chance I had been waiting for and tried-out. And guess what! I made it!

I beat out an art teacher, the IT lady and the principal for the role of Graylag, a militant goose who volunteers the small goose army to help Ugly find his home. It's a small part, but fraught with meaning. ;) Anyway, I have lines to say and sing, I do a little dancing, and I get to dress up like a goose. Pretty sweet.

Total Cost: $0. I don't pay them, and they don't pay me. Everybody's happy.

The True Spirit of Memorial Day

When I was going to school in Utah, I was always impressed by the number of people who visited the cemeteries on Memorial Day. Every grave was had flowers and/or a flag. In fact, when I was seaching flickr looking for a picture to represent this, I found the one above, which was taking in Heber, UT.) It was really impressive. It reminded me of the reason that we have Memorial Day.

cartoon found here

Prayer in School

As most of you know, I teach at a Catholic School. Twice a day prayer is said over the loud speaker. (This could also be a scripture reading or inspirational poem or something like that.) I always like the reflections that are read, and since the ones giving the prayer/thought are faculty volunteers, I signed up – even though I’m not Catholic.

As some of you know, I have already been called upon to deliver the prayer/reflection twice, and both times it didn’t go so well. It’s not that I don’t know how to say a prayer or read a scripture, it’s just that I forget. I’m always standing in my classroom at the beginning of second hour thinking “oooo, someone forgot it was their turn” until I get a call telling me to get my butt down to the main office. These stories are good ones and I would be happy to share them with you, but here’s what happened today.

As none of you know, today my number was up again. Fortunately, I have known about this since Monday and have had a chance to prepare. I chose to read D&C 88:118-120. I love that scripture and how it talks about studying and learning (I’m a teacher to the core). I was ready. So, this morning I got to school, made some copies, ate my orange and chatted with the librarian. During first hour I gave a test, graded papers and answered homework questions. When the bell rang, I stood there blissfully waiting for my next class to come in – blissfully until the phone rang … I had forgotten AGAIN! … Later one of my students said she knew it had been my turn for prayer when she saw me racing down the stairs. Sigh. At least I was prepared this time.

…Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith. Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God; That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord; that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High.

While I Was Away

It’s been a little while since I have updated this blog, but I have a good excuse (actually several of them). There was illness, work and writers block. But most importantly, there was a new nephew!

Eliot Arthur was born on March 12 and has been quite a distraction ever since.

As fun as it is to hold Eliot and gaze upon his loveliness, it was also very important to help out his parents. Supporting a new mother isn’t always the easiest job. Fortunately, there was this list that originated with Gloria Lemay which came in really handy. I think between my parents and myself, we hit everything on the list (except #8 of course).

1. Buy toilet paper, milk and beautiful whole grain bread.

2. Buy a new garbage can with a swing top lid and 6 pairs of black cotton underpants (women's size____).

3. Make a big supper salad with feta cheese, black Kalamata olives, toasted almonds, organic green crispy things and a nice homemade dressing on the side. Drop it off and leave right away. Or, buy frozen lasagna, garlic bread, a bag of salad, a big jug of juice, and maybe some cookies to have for dessert. Drop it off and leave right away.

4. Come over at about two in the afternoon, hold the baby while I have a hot shower, put me to bed with the baby and then fold all the piles of laundry that have been dumped on the couch, on beds or in the room corners. If there's no laundry to fold yet, do some.

5. Come over at l0 AM, and make me eggs, toast and a 1/2 grapefruit. Clean my fridge and throw out everything you are in doubt about. Don't ask me about anything; just use your best judgment.

6. Put a sign on my door saying "Dear Friends and Family, Mom and baby need extra rest right now. Please come back in 7 days but phone first. All donations of casserole dinners would be most welcome. Thank you for caring about this family."

7. Come over in your work clothes and vacuum and dust my house and then leave quietly. It's tiring for me to chat and have tea with visitors but it will renew my soul to get some rest knowing I will wake up to clean, organized space.

8. Take my older kids for a really fun-filled afternoon to a park, zoo or Science World and feed them healthy food.

9. Come over and give my husband a two-hour break so he can go to a coffee shop, pub, hockey rink or some other R&R that will delight him. Fold more laundry.

10. Make me a giant pot of vegetable soup and clean the kitchen completely afterwards. Take a big garbage bag and empty every trash basket in the house and reline with fresh bags.

Mother and baby are doing fine.

Up, Up and Away

Well, I did it. I climbed the stairs at the U.S. Bank building to raise money for the America Lung Association. And … it wasn’t so bad.

After several weeks of “training” I was ready to go. (I prepared by taking the stairs at school instead of the elevator.) The morning of, I took my water bottle and envelope of donations, picked up my sister -- who was going along as moral support -- and headed downtown.

When we got there, we were directed to take the elevator to lobby – which I thought was sort of ironic.

In the lobby, I turned in my donations, picked up my t-shirt and got my number. Miss Waukesha signed me in. How great/funny is that?

After a brief warm-up, I was off to the start. They had us line up in bib order, because they were starting us in waves according to how fast or slow we might be. So they let us go in groups of ten, and then we made our way to the basement. I probably would have gotten lost, but there were volunteers all along the way to point us in the right direction.

Finally in the basement, we again lined up in bib order where they let us start up the stairs one by one in ten second intervals. I had to laugh at the countdown (shown below). The start guy counted down very deliberately “ 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … GO!” and then the person would saunter to the steps and start up … very … slowly. Maybe earlier in the day there was a mad dash to start, but not with this group.

At last it was my turn to start.

ouch. ouch. ouch.

My legs were on fire, my mouth was dry and my back ached … and I was only up to the fourth floor. So, I didn’t start out well, but after about seven stories, the pain subsided and I began to enjoy myself (really). One thing that helped was looking for my name. They had put up a piece of paper for each participant with their name and a motivational message. Unfortunately, they ran out of names half way up. Then there was nothing but stairwell to look at.

The other climbers were really fun to talk to. I met one lady – Barb – an we walked together for a couple minutes. She kept telling me that she wasn’t competitive and that she was going to stop and rest as often as she needed to, after all, there was no reason to kill herself. I thought that was a pretty sensible philosophy – especially since we had to sign a waiver saying that we wouldn’t sue if we did die. (Yes I know I look awful in this picture ... that's because I felt awful.)

At last I could see the end. I made it! I could just see it in my mind – walking through the door onto the observation deck, helping myself at a banana and bagel bar, laughing about the experience with other climbers.

No such luck. I came through the door, was handed a medal and a bottle of water then steered immediately through another door into a boiler room. From there, straight back to the freight elevator and back down to the lobby. (sigh) Not the most romantic end to a stair climb, but it makes for a good story.

So that was it. Not too bad. I met up with Nora in the lobby where I showed off my medal and got a snack. Also, I spent a few minutes chatting with some firefighters who were about to head up the stair in full gear. Yikes.

On the way to the car I ran into Ali (one of my students). She was just on her way in. And so the process whole process starts over again. It was a great morning.

Mission Day

Last Friday was “Mission Day” for the faculty and staff at school. This is a day set aside every year for us to focus on the mission of the school. Sometimes this is done through classes, sometimes through lectures and sometimes through group discussion. But this year was different. This year they had us go out to one of ten charities and do service for a day. Some of the places we had to choose from were the Sojourner Truth House, Repairs of the Breach, St. Vincent DePaul, etc. You have probably already guessed that I went to Sojourner Truth House.

The Sojourner Truth House is a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. They have housing facilities as well as support and education programs for the women. For the children, there are on site activities and a day-care-type of service for those too young to go to school.

We (my coworkers and I) spent the better part of the day in the children’s area playing with four super cute kids. We read books, ate snacks, built block towers and danced to Miley Cyrus music. The kids were great – friendly, energetic, happy. One little boy had the greatest laugh – it was part laugh, part squeal of delight. One of the girls kept calling to me to see what she was doing – since she couldn’t remember my name, she would just say “hey you in the brown shirt ….”

I have to admit that I felt a little guilty. We had come to work but ended up playing the whole day. But then I realized – if we play with the children, then the ladies who usually play with them could get some other important projects done. That made me feel better. We were serving the people who serve others.

So, it was a great day. GREAT. I’m so glad that I work for an organization that values service so highly.

For more information on Sojourner Truth, and why it is so appropriate to have a women's shelter named for her, visit this website.

84, Charing Cross Road

I found a GREAT book in the school library, and read it in one sitting. It reminded me of the process I go though when buying used books online.

• The book I really want is out of print.
• I order online from a seemingly reputable seller.
• The book does not come as soon as expected and I email to find out what’s going on.
• The seller emails to say that the book has been sent and should arrive any day.
• The book finally arrives in perfect condition and I feel guilty for only having spent $2 on it. Five stars!
• I order another book from the same seller.
• This time the book arrives on time, but it’s a yellowed, ten year old, mass-market paperback that is missing the front cover.
• I pound out an angry email to the seller threatening to give him only one star!
• The seller writes immediately to beg my forgiveness …
• etc.

That is basically what this book is – letters back and forth between a book buyer and a book seller. The difference is that Helene Hanff’s experience is so much more charming and funny and poignant. I laughed all the way through … and then cried at the end (real tears).

Without giving too much away, it taught me a valuable lesson about friendship and living for today rather than putting off ‘till tomorrow.