Tag Archives: mylife

I Love a Good Wedding

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A young friend of mine (a former student) was married on Saturday.  Loree’s wedding to Andrew was simply splendid.

It began with multiple groups of grandparents processing down the aisle to Moonlight Sonata.  Exquisite music.  I immediately thought, “Why have I never played this for a wedding before?”  When we thanked the pianist after the ceremony, Summer said “I told Loree that I regretted getting married without a bit of Debussy.” 

The kiss: what I loved is the look Andrew gave Loree–a full thirty seconds I’d guess–drinking in her smile before the kiss.  We got the sense that this remarkable young man is deliberate in all he does.

The knot: the two fathers brought up a large coil of nautical-grade rope.  The bride and groom took these two ropes and made a lover’s knot.

After the bride and groom tied the knot the wedding party all tugged on the rope to tighten the knot.  It was festive and fun!

A favorite moment was meeting Andrew at the end of the receiving line.   Smiling, he extended his hand and was genuinely pleased to meet Curt and me.  But when Loree leaned into him and said, “She wrote the words,” Andrew changed into hug mode.  Of course the words are not my words, but a quote I wrote in a card.

Here are the words.

All kinds of things rejoiced my soul in the company of my friends–
to talk and laugh and do each other kindnesses;
read pleasant books together,
pass from lightest jesting to talk of the deepest things and back again;
differ without rancor, as a man might differ with himself,
and when most rarely dissension arose
find our normal agreement all the sweeter for it;
teach each other and learn from each other;
be impatient for the return of the absent,
and welcome them with joy on their homecoming;
these and such like things,
proceeding from our hearts
as we gave affection and received it back,
and shown by face, by voice, by the eyes,
and a thousand other pleasing ways,
kindled a flame which infused our very souls
and of many made us one.
This is what men value in friends.

~ St. Augustine

A Story in Four Pictures

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1. January 9, 2010
Jeff spends an afternoon with our college friends
Norm and Michelle in Budapest.
We’ve not seen Norm and Michelle since 1976;
 however we managed to stay in touch all these years.
J, N & M are all missionaries in Diósd, Hungary.
We met Jeff in February 2009 when he preached at our church.


2. February 23, 2010
Jeff is in our home in Oregon.
He brought us hugs and Hungarian paprika from Norm and Michelle.
(Thanks, Michelle! I can’t wait to make Chicken Paprika!!)


3.  Our Katie is the reason Jeff is in Oregon/Idaho now.
She is a precious jewel.
Katie is an honorary member of our family.

 
4.  It’s Facebook official: they are in a relationship. 
Katie’s Dad gave his blessing.
We are giddy! (times twelve!)
As Curt puts it, we are gurgling joyfully.
And, according to FB comments, so is the rest of the world!

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow…

Diamond Days

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Diamond days.
Rams, lambs, llamas, geese.
A bald eagle convention.
Bracing cold and piercing bright.
Grace multiplied.
Newborn babes with rosebud mouths.
Singing that carries you to heaven.
A grand slam sermon.
My husband, a car and a country road.
A cup of chai to go with sunset.
A heart quaffing mercies,
attempting to print these wonders
permanently in my memory.

O taste and see that the Lord is good.

The Anatomy of a Lovely Week

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~  Every morning begins with a cuppa, made by my brother.

~  A great solution for a small bathroom, isn’t it?

~  A new friend of ours–we met him Sunday–
has opened up a thriving cafe in Oakland called Remedy Coffee.
It has wifi, but if you are on a laptop,
you must sit at the communal table.
Small tables are reserved for
traditional cafe activities, e.g. talking and drinking coffee.
He installed an old phone.
If you want to talk on your cell phone,
you must go into the phone booth.

~  How could I have made it through a lifespan
without Bach’s B Minor Mass?
Katie asked Dan to explain the fugue.
After a short music lesson, he put it on.
Beauty beyond words.
Beyond words.

~ I recently decided that I want to devote a wall
in my kitchen to my brother’s photography.
I swear I had the idea before I saw his living room!

 

~  An absolutely delicious outing to Penzey’s Spices. 
What a fun store!
*This* much fun!


 
~  One of Curt’s college roommates came over. 
We ate.  We talked.  We listened to this.
In the old days the discussion afterwards would’ve
gone on past midnight.
But, alas, we have aged.

~  Here is the best side dish in the world:

Coyote Corn
2 T butter
2-3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
3-4 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked, drained, chopped
3 T finely chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped green onions, including tops
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat butter in skillet, add corn and tomatoes until warmed through.
Place in serving bowl; add basil and onions.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Today more visits.
Tomorrow: Wendell Berry.

Road Tripping

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It has been said that the dynamics of two people driving in a car are perfect for deep conversation.  You are both facing the same direction, which is more conducive to open disclosure, less threatening than facing each other.  It is possible in a car to have very few distractions that normally disrupt discourse between two people. On a journey of any distance you have the greatest luxury: time.  Time for the talk to meander the way a wild river wanders, rambles and loops.  Time for a topic to steep and brew and be set aside before drinking it down. 

Some of my best memories are of long car trips we’ve taken. 

Our honeymoon was spent driving from Wheaton to the West Coast.  As we approached South Dakota my husband became animated, anticipating Reptile Gardens.  Please!  Why would someone actually pay money to see snakes dripping from trees?  My lack of enthusiasm had no dampening effect on Curt.  But I was driving and he was sleeping when we cruised through Rapid City right past that repulsive place.  A mile down the road I had a throbbing fit of conscience, made a U-ie across the meridian, and drove back to the exit.  True love.  It is one of the great mysteries of my life that three times I have paid to be a snake spectator.

I was raised in a large family, with a Stop For Gas Only policy.  Your bodily needs had to coordinate themselves to the car’s fuel tank.  One learned early The Precautionary Pee.  “Just try,” Mom would say.   I had the good fortune of marrying a man who takes the first exit when the need for a facility is expressed. Whew!

We listen to music, lots of audio books, sermons, seminars and audio magazines.  Sometimes I read a book aloud.  But the rich moments are when we talk.  (Aside: If I had younguns, I’d be one of those mean moms who would restrict the use of personal DVD players.  Why?  Because they rob you of thinking time.  And talking time.  Without them the brain has space to stretch.) 

I got to thinking of gerunds that come along on road trips:

reviewing
anticipating
planning
evaluating
arguing
reminiscing
teasing
describing
asking
responding
pondering
playing
reminding
wondering
looking
pointing
photographing
drinking
spitting (seeds)
cussing*
discussing
listening

While I love the speed of airline travel, car trips seem more….organic.  Remember all the songs and games of childhood trips?  Hagaleena Bagaleena, Do Your Ears Hang Low, Alphabet I Spy, License Plate games…

Road trips have been a great adhesive.

Agree or disagree?  What road trips do you remember?

* the cleaned up words, don’t ya know…

 

Simple Pleasures in September

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~   Hospitality is thriving in Eastern Oregon.  Friends have befriended us on long wedding weekends, fed us incredible crepes (or breakfast burritos, depending on the host) and let us share in their home life; here Xander is hugging on his kitty.

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~  To be honest, my garden has been ugly this year.  Curt tilled the ground, I planted, my son watered, and we all ignored both weeds and fruit (exceptin’ the luscious raspberries).  Just. too. busy. Saturday was the first opportunity for….well, you decide: is it redemption or atonement?  There were enough tomatoes for a large batch of spaghetti sauce and a large batch of fresh salsa.   We’ve been eating Swiss chard.  Beans and peas just didn’t grow this year.  The beets and butternut squash still need to be harvested.

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~  New, fun game to play.  I know some girls who are devastatingly good Blokus players.  It is now my goal to be able to hold my own against these masterminds.  I like this game because it can be enjoyed at different levels of proficiency.  My four year old grandson and I had fun just playing with the pieces. 

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~  Aren’t birthdays a simple pleasure?  Because life is a gift.  And the best response to a gift is to return thanks.  The recent death of our friend Joe (21 years old) in Afghanistan, is a painful, bittersweet reminder to treasure each moment.  Today is my birthday and I am thankful to God for the beautiful life He’s given me.  For daily mercies.  For forgiveness. 

Aging has its compensations.  Now that my husband is older he is more inclined to snuggle than to bounce right out of bed. There is that.

To start the celebration, I’m bringing a rhubarb-apple-pear cobbler to work.

“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it.  I want to have lived the width (*and depth* I would add) of it as well.”   ~ Diane Ackerman

 

Gas or Electric?

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Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

Curt and I have a history of sticking with an oven/range until its final, gasping breath.  Back in 1981, our $50 used unit succumbed in increments: first the oven, next a small burner, followed by a large burner, then a small burner.  It was Curt’s first year teaching and coaching at the local high school; I was working for a CPA.  We had just bought our first house and were living without margins.

I perfected “skillet dishes” until we scraped enough money together for a new stove, the cheapest, stripped-down “contractor’s model” the store sold.  It had one large burner and three small instead of two and two; no self-cleaning oven; it was so basic a range the buffalos were still roaming on it.

Call me Dutch, call me Yankee Frugal, call me crazy, but I couldn’t justify getting a new stove until this one was worn out.  And blast!  That stupid thing Refused To Quit.  The appliance repairman came back in 1997; I danced in anticipation of a new stove.  Bob put in a new element ($17) and it was good to go. 

That silly $200 stove is Still Working.

Except. The oven door is sprung.  Opening the door is similar to a child safety lock on a pill bottle: push down, twist a little until you find the sweet spot, yank it open.  That works.  But if you actually want to bake, you will want a bungee cord to hold the door firmly shut.

Last night Curt told me my birthday present would be a new stove!   What?  The burners still work! 

Here is the Big Question: Electric or Gas? 

I’ve never cooked with gas in my life but that is what I’m leaning towards.  We have gas in this house but would have to bring it over to the stove.  I know you must have an opinion.  I would LOVE to hear it. 

Excuse me.

I need to go work on my Hava Nagila…..People!!  I’m getting a new stove!!!

 

Wonderful Wedding Moments

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Saturday we celebrated the wedding of Julie and Daniel, the fourth and final wedding of the year in our church community.   In this lovely picture (credit: Matthew Hurley), we are dancing a Virginia Reel.  Isn’t Julie beautiful?  She is wearing the same dress her mom, aunt and grandma wore with a gorgeous pair of cowboy boots underneath.  Directly behind her is Isaiah (white shirt) for whom many of you prayed to wake up from a coma.  There he is, dancing!  I’m leaning forward, ready to twirl around.

It was a wonderful wedding. I woke this morning through a floodtide of memories…moments worth recording:

~  The groomsmen’s toasts were simply amazing.  My friend leaned over and whispered, “If these are the kind of guys Daniel is friends with, it speaks very highly of him.”  The masterpiece was the song written by one of the best men, Daniel Went Down to Wallowa, modeled on The Devil Went Down to Georgia. 

 

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 ~  Collaborating with a college freshman on the composition of a violin descant for St. Patrick’s Breastplate, the bridal processional, was a hoot! We had more fun isolating a musical phrase and pulling a blues riff from it when we should have been focusing on the descant. Julie entered during the centerpiece of the song: Christ be with me.  My first exposure to NoteWorthy Composer software has me drooling.

~  I looked across the table and said, “Krista, You. are. beautiful.”  Her mother, holding with a squirming grandson agreed, “She really is.”  Krista smiled and explained, “My husband’s love makes me beautiful.”  And.  It was so sweet and genuine, not a Sunday School answer, if you know what I mean.

~  The. Kiss.

~   Our Bonnie (mother of the bride, a friend who belongs to us all) displayed extraordinary beauty and serenity.  Hosting a wedding reception in her back pasture was no worry.  She glowed with the light of grace.  It has been five years since she fought Stage 3 cancer.  We are so thankful for God’s kindness displayed in her life.

~  The entrance of the cake, held high and carried around all the tables and delivered to the head table by a Best Man (there were two), while a jig was played on the violin.  

~  When I heard the men were wearing Wranglers I was a skeptic.  However. They looked exceedingly handsome in their Chocolate Black Wranglers with cowboy boots, formal vests and, after the ceremony, cowboy hats.

~  It has been a glorious summer.  Glory can be fatiguing but it is a Good Tired.  A Happy Tired.  Looking back with a young friend, we smiled and sighed and took a deep, cleansing breath.  “Well,” she said, “I guess it’s time to start a new season of love!” 

 

Just Be Cuz

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We’re back from a trip to Omaha for time with extended family.  We participated in two family reunions (Grandpa’s side and Grandma’s side) and visited with all of my husband’s living aunts and uncles, all but two of his cousins. 

I’m curious about cousins.  Some are functional strangers who happen to be related.  Sharing an ancestor doesn’t appear to be enough commonality to carry on a conversation. 

But other cousins, upon meeting for the first time in decades, seem familiar, because they truly are family.  They are kin and kindred. 

It’s fun to discover family traits that travel through parallel generations.  One cousin said her husband calls her relatives “human doings” because of their high energy and focus on activity.  She quizzed Curt on his personality and came up with many matches; for example, she likes to read but only if all the work is done. 

We heard and told many stories.  Ah, the art of storytelling: the opening, timing, animation, interaction, enthusiasm, and the ability to stick the landing.  It’s fun to listen to couples tag-team their history, one jumping in with color commentary, one handing off the narrative, at times both talking in stereo.  And stories flowing downstream accrue more stories.  There were goofy and crazy yarns, funny and unexpected outcomes.  But the ones that found a home in my heart were the stories where the person opened up his/her life, pain and all, and didn’t mask the hurt.

I have a friend who has no cousins.  No aunts or uncles.  Her dad and mom were both the only child.  Her family history goes straight up the branch like a poplar tree.   

We all grow up with the weight of history on us.
Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains
 as they do in the spiral chains of knowledge
 hidden in every cell of our bodies.

    ~ Shirley Abbott

The great gift of family life is
to be intimately acquainted with people
 you might never even introduce yourself to,
had life not done it for you.

    ~ Kendall Hailey, The Day I Became an Autodidact

Call it a clan,
call it a network,
call it a tribe,
call it a family.

Whatever you call it,
whoever you are,
you need one.

~ Jane Howard


How many cousins do you have?  Do you see them often?  Ever?  With what emotions do you anticipate family gatherings?