uno. First day of spring was glorious. The winter has been hard in the northwest - cold and windy rain so deep it makes you feel like growing bark to stay sturdy - so any hopeful sign of warmer weather was welcome to this out-of-region Mexican. Screw the groundhog! I don't care if it saw it's shadow; I felt heat on my back and it was a day out of the office. All good.
dos. First guitar lesson with Jack. Like me, he's from Louisiana; damn good old boy with cut sentences to make the talk linger well beyond our time together. My fingers hurt bad after one hour; but my mind was even more in pain; twisted about with music theory never learned during my years in the biz. Jack is a fine teacher, hope to make him proud with steady practice ["How do you get to the Paramount Theatre?" If I have to answer, don't ask.]
Memphis seems to be a natural on the Yamaha acoustic I found. She immediately started working out a simple song, plucking strings to match the lyrics she was singing. We're not going to force feed her music instruction BUT I do want her to master music theory so any instrument has a common frame of reference. I also want her non-dependent on other musicians to write songs - her songs, her voice, her life. The biz is heartless; less she has to count on strangers to make it... amen.
tres. First lunch with Steve in quite some time. Good to see him, hear his stories; good to break crab cakes for a Catholic avoiding meat. Wish I could have lunch with at least one cousin each week. He's got the reins for the foundation web site... I'm just the wizard of oz barking directions from the curtain.
Perhaps it's the man-to-man aspects of the lunch which still hold fresh. So few of us [men in the family] spend time together; communicate about hard life issues. The women [or so I am lead to believe] do it without effort. If men are the perceived leaders of the community, or at least our families; shouldn't we discuss where we're leading everyone else? Do we have a plan? Or do we know the destination?
It's a sad reflection, but the most memorable male talks drawn from childhood are with Bud Shearer, Chris's Father. He was the next bigger-than-life character after Grandpa died. You never forget how people like that affect you.
quatro. First time I saw an animal slaughtered was as a child. It made sense because the entire cycle of primal process was exposed to me, living with Chula. She transformed the slaughtered animal into food; helped me grasp why their lives became our survival. And she reminded me never to name the animals [especially any outside the cats and dogs].
You give up meat for a while, what is it really? And what's the core relationship to it? Sunday New York Times has a piece on getting intimate with meat eating by going through the hunting experience; forcing a connection with what we ingest with what we have to kill. I haven't read the piece, just the summary; but expect it will take me back in time to Sunnyside slaughter jobs. Back then we hired this guy to come to the house and slaughter the larger animals; like a cow. The first thing [for me] you have to reconcile is blood. There's blood when the slaughter happens; then there's blood in the kitchen while the animal parts are getting transformed into meal ingredients.
But could I kill today? Or is meat so important even a slaughter job wouldn't stop me from getting a nice steak now and then? Wayne hunts; sounds interesting. Just not sure I could do it. And most certainly I couldn't do it at our house; as in raise a steer to maturity, then slaughter it and turn parts into ingredients for our favorite dishes.
Here's the truth... even though I gave up meat for Lent, don't really eat much. Chicken yes. Could raise chickens. Beef? Very little. There's something sacred here to muse on into next week's reflection [probably related to sacrifice]. Plus I'll read the NY Times piece and get back to you.
cinco. First love was a girl from Sunnyside, Lisa Trudeau. It was not a sensual relationship yet it was the first experience with intimacy. No kissing, just talk, listening to each other grow in our adolescent selves. The desert of Lent seems similar, where few words are spoken but the bond grows if you can put aside the sensual desires. My God it's right in front of us, how can we not see it?
BTW: Lisa was also my first introduction to Latin/Anglo chemistry. Evonne will dislike me saying this but it made sense then and even more now. Contrast seems like a natural evolution; especially when the offspring display the attributes from which they came. Who believes we are born of pure blood? Consider the melting pots which were [and still are] the Iberian Pennisula and MesoAmerica. Different folk just hooked up - and here we are. Back then I could have asked Lisa where she was from, what was her culture; and she might not have had as crisp an answer as I, but did I really no more about origins?
Be in love with humanity; because there is a common source [if only we could accept this; stop the killing].
ses. First thing in the morning, the offspring wants to play. I have to thank Chula for passing on genes to wake up Memphis at 6AM - on a weekend! Maybe it's spring fever. Regardless it's fresh cappucinos for this papa. I've joked recently [maybe more reality than joke] we need a two hour nanny, to cover the 7-9AM slot on the weekends. This make believe nanny would make sure there's food, drinks and plenty of book reading. And if she wants a tip, she makes my coffee too :}
Memories of Sunnyside recall the morning hours as most holy, like the greeting time with Our Father, where prayer is clear and fresh. Smells are different, light is different, heartbeat is different. Even the cemetaries seemed serene first thing in the morning; standing on our humble concrete porch. And this time of year was like a bloom explosion; so many fruit trees trying to compete for my eyes, showing off tiny flowers.
So thank you Memphis, for waking me up.
See you next week. Con paz.
frank
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
With Needles
Sarita's needlework; she can provide more context on the kind and inspiration.
Lovely, quite lovely.
frank
Third Week of Lent
uno. Tired, and tired of being tired. So damn tired feels like I can't sleep. Ever been this tired? I love the endless energy from chasing an age four daughter around the house, but clearly her energy exceeds mine; so the endless energy is limited to one of the two parties involved. At one point I just laid in bed numb from exhaustion.
You have to envy how easy Jesus had it in the desert... get tempted by Satan, eat basically nothing but sand dust and dew; no schedules, no commuting, just pray all day. He took on the weight of humanity out there [and this sinner is forever grateful for it] but I'm feeling a bit of the load lately.
Chula taught me not to complain, so take this as appreciation musings :>
dos. Full circle in giving; and children. I started donating to Child Haven years ago. Then Deborah and I continued after we met; mixed DNA and all wordly possessions. It was a drop-to-your-knees validation of faith to see them recently move into a new facility that is the envy of any non-profit organization. Previously they were in this dumpy little house; trying to serve more children than possible; trying to keep the program going. And now [at least operationally] they're thriving.
But to have Child Haven thriving means more kids are being abused; screwed up by their families. In my perfect world [perhaps not Our Father's] Child Haven wouldn't exist; wouldn't need to exist.
Memphis attends a great little school; and some of her classmates are from Child Haven. We all talk about multi-cultural; but this sets up her school environment to be multi-situational. I never want her to be embossed with "elite"; for her to believe she deserves to be seperated from humanity because of any categorization we place on ourselves. It's a hard fight; giving to your child without it transforming into an expectation.
There probably could have been several Child Havens in Sunnyside, when I was growing up there in the '60s; because families just get screwed up for one reason or another. But there wasn't. Chula didn't let me get caught up in 'things'; instead she drove deep and hard lessons about core attributes people need to mind, or get lost. I was like the stubborn daughter of Deborah and frank; not wanting to listen when a lesson was there to learn. Thankfully the message stuck - take care of the children; keep trying to make every day better.
tres. Farmer's Almanac is founded on the premise of lunar cycles; watching Luna go through birth/death [rise/set; crescent/full]. We're a family deeply affected by these cycles; and last week's full moon felt especially heavy. I've been blessed to see Luna in some of the most beautiful places on this planet; it's like a constant beacon to remind me of Our Father [and Mother's] beautiful creation, how the universe is grand and open but also personal.
quatro. Fender bender on I-5; jammed up people on the way to? When motion of civilization stops; or at least pauses for a moment; it's fascinating to watch how people embrace it or challenge it. I can imagine meeting Christ in Palestine to be similar; like time stopping for a moment. There might still be motion all around but the center of engagement is quite, and still.
cinco. This is another dream of mine; to have the larger, extended family pray together in one space, at the same moment. Imagine if we all gathered in a vast, open field; knelt together, quieted our busy minds and began to enter holy space as one - not seperate people praying -but as one tribe. Do you think we could hear each other's hearbeats? Could we feel the subtle gust of wind from our collective exhales? Could we smell the tears falling down our faces, dripping into the soil beneath our feet?
"Let go of your fear" someone once said.
ses. Bought an acoustic guitar to celebrate software my team just shipped. It should work to get us started; probably take lessons with Mr. Jack. Songs been playing so long the limbs start humming to get them out of the body. Music is prayer, no?
See you next week.
frank
You have to envy how easy Jesus had it in the desert... get tempted by Satan, eat basically nothing but sand dust and dew; no schedules, no commuting, just pray all day. He took on the weight of humanity out there [and this sinner is forever grateful for it] but I'm feeling a bit of the load lately.
Chula taught me not to complain, so take this as appreciation musings :>
dos. Full circle in giving; and children. I started donating to Child Haven years ago. Then Deborah and I continued after we met; mixed DNA and all wordly possessions. It was a drop-to-your-knees validation of faith to see them recently move into a new facility that is the envy of any non-profit organization. Previously they were in this dumpy little house; trying to serve more children than possible; trying to keep the program going. And now [at least operationally] they're thriving.
But to have Child Haven thriving means more kids are being abused; screwed up by their families. In my perfect world [perhaps not Our Father's] Child Haven wouldn't exist; wouldn't need to exist.
Memphis attends a great little school; and some of her classmates are from Child Haven. We all talk about multi-cultural; but this sets up her school environment to be multi-situational. I never want her to be embossed with "elite"; for her to believe she deserves to be seperated from humanity because of any categorization we place on ourselves. It's a hard fight; giving to your child without it transforming into an expectation.
There probably could have been several Child Havens in Sunnyside, when I was growing up there in the '60s; because families just get screwed up for one reason or another. But there wasn't. Chula didn't let me get caught up in 'things'; instead she drove deep and hard lessons about core attributes people need to mind, or get lost. I was like the stubborn daughter of Deborah and frank; not wanting to listen when a lesson was there to learn. Thankfully the message stuck - take care of the children; keep trying to make every day better.
tres. Farmer's Almanac is founded on the premise of lunar cycles; watching Luna go through birth/death [rise/set; crescent/full]. We're a family deeply affected by these cycles; and last week's full moon felt especially heavy. I've been blessed to see Luna in some of the most beautiful places on this planet; it's like a constant beacon to remind me of Our Father [and Mother's] beautiful creation, how the universe is grand and open but also personal.
quatro. Fender bender on I-5; jammed up people on the way to? When motion of civilization stops; or at least pauses for a moment; it's fascinating to watch how people embrace it or challenge it. I can imagine meeting Christ in Palestine to be similar; like time stopping for a moment. There might still be motion all around but the center of engagement is quite, and still.
cinco. This is another dream of mine; to have the larger, extended family pray together in one space, at the same moment. Imagine if we all gathered in a vast, open field; knelt together, quieted our busy minds and began to enter holy space as one - not seperate people praying -but as one tribe. Do you think we could hear each other's hearbeats? Could we feel the subtle gust of wind from our collective exhales? Could we smell the tears falling down our faces, dripping into the soil beneath our feet?
"Let go of your fear" someone once said.
ses. Bought an acoustic guitar to celebrate software my team just shipped. It should work to get us started; probably take lessons with Mr. Jack. Songs been playing so long the limbs start humming to get them out of the body. Music is prayer, no?
See you next week.
frank
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Second Week of Lent
uno. Remember how important tools are? We bought this wheelbarrow from someone in the Micronews. It came in a box with a million parts [yes, an exaggeration] and a wheel. I was tempted, just for a moment, not to follow the instructions and just try to assemble it. Decided to follow the book and was lead to success - we now have an awesome, industrial strength wheelbarrow!
There are probably other opportunities to "follow the book" and end up with good results. It's hard, because our nature is to go it alone, or without direction, and just figure it out. Trust me; I'm a huge fan of trial and lots of error. It doesn't have to always be this way. We do have instruction [or guidance] available, if we ask.
dos. Paul's birthday last week. Not sure if anyone quietly celebrated in his honor. He never made a big deal of this day in the past; kind of how he approached things. Give others the attention. Hope it was a peaceful day for our cousin in eternity.
tres. Food poisoning in Cafe 9; vegetarian Indian food. It's no fun being sick to your stomach [and beyond]. Most of us can handle pain and illness, but tummy illness is the worst. It's messing with primitive functions; and we are a family that loves to eat. And yet it turned out to be perfectly aligned with Lent; the fasting from that which draws us away from Our Father. I paused before cramming my tummy with food after being completely drained empty. It's back to remembering the homeless; those who don't have resources to fill their tummy or who are constantly sick. Please pray for them.
quatro. I gave up meat for Lent. Didn't think it was going to be a big deal. Wrong! It's been very hard to fight the urge to nibble small amounts of meat. Maybe I should assign Chula the credit for nurturing me into a carnivore par excellence. Meat is an instant craving every time I'm hungry. Replace every meal with non-meat recipes, just try it. It's another wandering in the desert exercise; denial of self to arrive at the humble state of a servant in training. I am finding my locusts and honey.
cinco. Friday night at St. James cathedral for the Rite of Election ceremony. I'll let Deborah share this herself; it was beautiful. Evonne et al took care of Memphis while we were there. Back at her house it was pure joy to watch her play with cousins; because this is what we do, we play with each other, even as adults. We are connected, and it's so obvious when a few of us gather.
ses. I'm tired of the war, tired of hearing about it, knowing it's out there and happening every day. It would have been very cool to have it suspended for Lent [oh the arrogance]; but the fight rages on.
siete. Create art. If we take the time to inventory how many of us create art... it's quite a pool of talent. Someday I would like to start an exchange so we can all share each other's work, celebrate it then pass it on to our children. For me the next frontier is back to music. There are so many songs percolating in my heart; the arrangements have worked out over many years. I'm on the hunt for a good acoustic guitar to start working simple chord structures, see what emerges.
Want to hear a dream? I would LOVE to hear the harmony created from our collective voices. Perhaps we can't all sing [at least by professional standards] but we can all make sounds with our voices. How many have tried? Don't be suprised if I show up at a reunion with portable recording gear. If you have sound clips of your singing voice, please send it to me.
ocho. Who do we honor? The future is aging, I'm not a kid anymore. The elders speak in long sentences during prayer sessions. But who are they? Who are the names which should spill out from each reflection? I don't need stories but do want signposts to follow into reverence. So much pain and suffering came before us. My life today is built on the backs of others before me, taking risks and giving to what is core. Who do we honor?
nueve. I'm trying out a new Pocket PC phone. It's bigger than my smartphone was; but the features help to ignore the size. What does this have to do with Lent? Maybe nothing. But my hope is that it provides a tool to build quiet spaces [for example listening to music during a writing period]. It's also an archive tool; to collect pieces along the journey. It all goes to Memphis someday.
Kiss the one you love. See you next week.
frank
There are probably other opportunities to "follow the book" and end up with good results. It's hard, because our nature is to go it alone, or without direction, and just figure it out. Trust me; I'm a huge fan of trial and lots of error. It doesn't have to always be this way. We do have instruction [or guidance] available, if we ask.
dos. Paul's birthday last week. Not sure if anyone quietly celebrated in his honor. He never made a big deal of this day in the past; kind of how he approached things. Give others the attention. Hope it was a peaceful day for our cousin in eternity.
tres. Food poisoning in Cafe 9; vegetarian Indian food. It's no fun being sick to your stomach [and beyond]. Most of us can handle pain and illness, but tummy illness is the worst. It's messing with primitive functions; and we are a family that loves to eat. And yet it turned out to be perfectly aligned with Lent; the fasting from that which draws us away from Our Father. I paused before cramming my tummy with food after being completely drained empty. It's back to remembering the homeless; those who don't have resources to fill their tummy or who are constantly sick. Please pray for them.
quatro. I gave up meat for Lent. Didn't think it was going to be a big deal. Wrong! It's been very hard to fight the urge to nibble small amounts of meat. Maybe I should assign Chula the credit for nurturing me into a carnivore par excellence. Meat is an instant craving every time I'm hungry. Replace every meal with non-meat recipes, just try it. It's another wandering in the desert exercise; denial of self to arrive at the humble state of a servant in training. I am finding my locusts and honey.
cinco. Friday night at St. James cathedral for the Rite of Election ceremony. I'll let Deborah share this herself; it was beautiful. Evonne et al took care of Memphis while we were there. Back at her house it was pure joy to watch her play with cousins; because this is what we do, we play with each other, even as adults. We are connected, and it's so obvious when a few of us gather.
ses. I'm tired of the war, tired of hearing about it, knowing it's out there and happening every day. It would have been very cool to have it suspended for Lent [oh the arrogance]; but the fight rages on.
siete. Create art. If we take the time to inventory how many of us create art... it's quite a pool of talent. Someday I would like to start an exchange so we can all share each other's work, celebrate it then pass it on to our children. For me the next frontier is back to music. There are so many songs percolating in my heart; the arrangements have worked out over many years. I'm on the hunt for a good acoustic guitar to start working simple chord structures, see what emerges.
Want to hear a dream? I would LOVE to hear the harmony created from our collective voices. Perhaps we can't all sing [at least by professional standards] but we can all make sounds with our voices. How many have tried? Don't be suprised if I show up at a reunion with portable recording gear. If you have sound clips of your singing voice, please send it to me.
ocho. Who do we honor? The future is aging, I'm not a kid anymore. The elders speak in long sentences during prayer sessions. But who are they? Who are the names which should spill out from each reflection? I don't need stories but do want signposts to follow into reverence. So much pain and suffering came before us. My life today is built on the backs of others before me, taking risks and giving to what is core. Who do we honor?
nueve. I'm trying out a new Pocket PC phone. It's bigger than my smartphone was; but the features help to ignore the size. What does this have to do with Lent? Maybe nothing. But my hope is that it provides a tool to build quiet spaces [for example listening to music during a writing period]. It's also an archive tool; to collect pieces along the journey. It all goes to Memphis someday.
Kiss the one you love. See you next week.
frank
Monday, March 13, 2006
new post to vanbelleroad
Sorry for the delay on this`s weeks Lent reflection.
frank
--
frank[ie]
"I thought the only lonely place was on the moon"
- Paul McCartney
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Paul's Birthday Today
Very stormy in the Pacific Northwest today. Paul would have been inside presumably, going over the coaches stuff.
Rest in peace brother.
frank
Rest in peace brother.
frank
Friday, March 03, 2006
First week of Lent
1. Had a great breakfast with Evonne last Saturday; try the Hawaiin french toast. I was telling Wayne recently what a great model of God-child/God-parent our relationship has become, but it takes years to develop, so he has time to get it going with Memphis. Evonne has been my Dear Abby for so many years... hard to imagine what it would be like without her shoulder to cry on. There was a gentle debate about the Sally Clark selection to the city council [I worked with the lesbian mafia at CSB; they are very clubby but they took damn good care of me]; which was a safe choice for a political org not used to taking risks. Apparently Evonne had a friend who was also on the short list. In general Evonne is doing incredible work with youth; and I admire it all [cuz someone has to do it!].
2. Ash Wednesday service was like bliss; got to sit in on the kids version, where the kids get to put ashes on the other kids [and adults]. You see kids getting raised in the church... life just seems perfect at some level; what a blessing. The potluck afterwards degraded into daredevil stunts where the little kids laid down on the ground while the other kids jumped over them [Who thinks of this stuff? Reminds me of the stuff we did with Ana and Dan's kids at the house.].
3. Had some nice visits with Chula recently; she continues to evolve into a single bright light; where the glare is enough to warm you for several days. I will never, ever tire of being in her presence. We did a detour stop at Archie McPhees for cheesy toys [kind of Mardi Gras release]. There were a few items I wanted to buy Chula, Deborah thought they would be inappropriate for my profoundly Catholic Grandmother. Has anyone been to Ballard lately? They're like trying to turn it into a real destination; with culture and everything. They even have homeless people! Anyway Chula was telling me about attending church as a little girl; the promise she made to her husband [my Grandfather] about remaining a Catholic. Very sweet. I love holding her hands; it's like holding eternity.
4. Got this kick-ass cold on Wednesday; it was so bad that on the way into work had to pull over and go hunker down in a gas station bathroom and do the thang. Sucked. But nurse Deborah did the medicine and I feel much better today. Lots of folks sick on my team [not suprising given the insane hours we all work here at the evil empire]. Lesson: eat well, play hard, pray like a saint.
5. Josh/I had to opt out of the foundation web site Susanna is setting up for Paul. We're both slammed with work, just didn't have the extra time to meet her deadline. At least they have a domain to work with; should be straightforward to get the rest completed. Josh started a new gig in mortgage banking; yet another adventure for a fine young man [wonder when they're going to have children?].
6. Bathroom remodel is on schedule [whatever that means]. It's been a gas to watch Deborah deal with a pack of men who aren't used to a strong women telling them what to do. I can see them looking at me like "Can you step in here please?" No. She's doing a great job as general contractor, running their little butts all over the place, we're getting a pretty sweet setup as a result; despite a few bumps in the road [or was that inspection]. Many thanks to Dennis and Wayne for their encouragement and assistance.
7. And Ms. Deborah is now white [as if we didn't know this]. I defied the Redmond gods and bought her Apples. They're actually very cool machines but not my style; too used to Windows boxes. It's interesting how new Apple owners immediately snap into the 'lifestyle' personna. Steve must be doing something right. We're dumping MS stock and buying Apple [and Disney]. Amen.
8. Tyler is one year old this week. He's such a little buddha; and Wi/Mark are so locked into loving him like crazy. Memphis still isn't sure what to make of him; he likes to grab her a lot. Birthday party tomorrow.
9. We did the first parent conference with Memphis's teacher last Friday. It was a hint of things to come. She's way ahead of her class, on many levels. It frustrates me but have to let it go; they're pros, they know what they're doing. Deborah is monitoring it closely. Evonne gave me some great advice on how to think about it. Memphis loves her classmates [and other children in general]; it's all good. She is craving a sibling... more on this later.
10. Prayers for the week. So many areas of pain in the world right now; where do we start. Lately homeless people have really been on my heart. It would suck - I mean down to the bone suck - to live in a cold alley with the weather we've had this winter. And add children to the mix and it's just raw. Father please help them, and help us to help them more. The broader family is always in my prayers. Evonne has to tolerate my utopian ideas about how to re-connect our large family; I know it's just dreaming but you have to have dreams, no?
11. Sarita is talking about a cousin reunion; I'm game if we can agree on logistics [not easy]. Kind of think Los Angeles would be fun; hang out at the beach then do a road trip to Tijuana. Can you imagine all us cousins taking a bus to a Mexican border town; cutting loose. Wonder who would end up in jail. Street tamales are on me.
Have a great weekend; remember to kiss the one you love. Con paz.
frank[ie]
"I thought the only lonely place was on the moon"
- Paul McCartney
2. Ash Wednesday service was like bliss; got to sit in on the kids version, where the kids get to put ashes on the other kids [and adults]. You see kids getting raised in the church... life just seems perfect at some level; what a blessing. The potluck afterwards degraded into daredevil stunts where the little kids laid down on the ground while the other kids jumped over them [Who thinks of this stuff? Reminds me of the stuff we did with Ana and Dan's kids at the house.].
3. Had some nice visits with Chula recently; she continues to evolve into a single bright light; where the glare is enough to warm you for several days. I will never, ever tire of being in her presence. We did a detour stop at Archie McPhees for cheesy toys [kind of Mardi Gras release]. There were a few items I wanted to buy Chula, Deborah thought they would be inappropriate for my profoundly Catholic Grandmother. Has anyone been to Ballard lately? They're like trying to turn it into a real destination; with culture and everything. They even have homeless people! Anyway Chula was telling me about attending church as a little girl; the promise she made to her husband [my Grandfather] about remaining a Catholic. Very sweet. I love holding her hands; it's like holding eternity.
4. Got this kick-ass cold on Wednesday; it was so bad that on the way into work had to pull over and go hunker down in a gas station bathroom and do the thang. Sucked. But nurse Deborah did the medicine and I feel much better today. Lots of folks sick on my team [not suprising given the insane hours we all work here at the evil empire]. Lesson: eat well, play hard, pray like a saint.
5. Josh/I had to opt out of the foundation web site Susanna is setting up for Paul. We're both slammed with work, just didn't have the extra time to meet her deadline. At least they have a domain to work with; should be straightforward to get the rest completed. Josh started a new gig in mortgage banking; yet another adventure for a fine young man [wonder when they're going to have children?].
6. Bathroom remodel is on schedule [whatever that means]. It's been a gas to watch Deborah deal with a pack of men who aren't used to a strong women telling them what to do. I can see them looking at me like "Can you step in here please?" No. She's doing a great job as general contractor, running their little butts all over the place, we're getting a pretty sweet setup as a result; despite a few bumps in the road [or was that inspection]. Many thanks to Dennis and Wayne for their encouragement and assistance.
7. And Ms. Deborah is now white [as if we didn't know this]. I defied the Redmond gods and bought her Apples. They're actually very cool machines but not my style; too used to Windows boxes. It's interesting how new Apple owners immediately snap into the 'lifestyle' personna. Steve must be doing something right. We're dumping MS stock and buying Apple [and Disney]. Amen.
8. Tyler is one year old this week. He's such a little buddha; and Wi/Mark are so locked into loving him like crazy. Memphis still isn't sure what to make of him; he likes to grab her a lot. Birthday party tomorrow.
9. We did the first parent conference with Memphis's teacher last Friday. It was a hint of things to come. She's way ahead of her class, on many levels. It frustrates me but have to let it go; they're pros, they know what they're doing. Deborah is monitoring it closely. Evonne gave me some great advice on how to think about it. Memphis loves her classmates [and other children in general]; it's all good. She is craving a sibling... more on this later.
10. Prayers for the week. So many areas of pain in the world right now; where do we start. Lately homeless people have really been on my heart. It would suck - I mean down to the bone suck - to live in a cold alley with the weather we've had this winter. And add children to the mix and it's just raw. Father please help them, and help us to help them more. The broader family is always in my prayers. Evonne has to tolerate my utopian ideas about how to re-connect our large family; I know it's just dreaming but you have to have dreams, no?
11. Sarita is talking about a cousin reunion; I'm game if we can agree on logistics [not easy]. Kind of think Los Angeles would be fun; hang out at the beach then do a road trip to Tijuana. Can you imagine all us cousins taking a bus to a Mexican border town; cutting loose. Wonder who would end up in jail. Street tamales are on me.
Have a great weekend; remember to kiss the one you love. Con paz.
frank[ie]
"I thought the only lonely place was on the moon"
- Paul McCartney
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