It Hurts to Move

This past week I spoke with my former ballet teacher, Jocelyn and much to my surprise, she invited me to come back to her adult class on Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. I was elated because of the convenience of the class time but felt nauseated at the thought of squeezing myself into leotards and tights. Even worse was the thought of me trying to do the barre exercises. It was fun to pull out all of my ballet apparel and my ballet bag, though the toe shoes will stay in storage. I can assure you that my grande plié was more like a groan plié but I made it through the class without having to call 911. It has been slow go for me today but I am so glad to be back in Jocelyn's class.

Lots of Love

Valentine's Day reminds us all to share our love with others. Sending flowers, chocolates and other gifts are not exactly my style but being reminded the importance of letting our loved ones know how much they mean to us is so important. My personal opinion is that we should try to show our love every day. One of the lawyers I work with surprised me for Valentine's Day. She knows how much I love Victoria Magazine. She was at an antique store and found a dozen back issues and bought them for me. I had fun calling Mimi and singing her one of my favorite Valentine tunes, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." I could hear the smile in her voice and it warmed my heart. No matter how you shared your love today, I hope your heart is full of love and that you remember to share some love and goodness with others.

P.S. I love you Hoss!

My Latest Class

Since October I have been taking an RCIA class. It has been a great journey though I don't "graduate" until Easter. On Sunday we had a service with the Archbishop to "launch" us into the final phase of the program. It was such a moving service. Unbelievable musicians performed, the program was read in five different languages, and then the Archbishop spoke from the alter. It was at that moment that a bird from nowhere flew to the windows behind the alter, crashing into the glass. There was a thud and then a burst of feathers followed by a fall. A priest volunteered to pick the bird up and he promptly cupped the bird in his hands. Just like Saint Francis, he warmed the bird and carried the little creature outdoors. We were all totally distracted but it made our program unique. Here is a picture of my class and one with me and a classmate with Archbishop Gregory.

P.S. The little bird is just fine!

South Cackalacky

So we went to visit Sami and the girls in South Cackalacky this weekend. On Friday we went out to eat and then watched Ratatouille. I had to chuckle to myself as I thought about the little rat. After I posted about the Chinese New Year, my friend Heidi sent me something about being this being the Year of the Rat (read the previous posting comment). While watching Ratatouille, I had to remind myself that he is a good rat, not a scary nasty rat. Certainly not like the rat that ran up my neighbors tree last year! Anyway, South Cackalacky was so much fun but the trip was too short. We had beautiful 70 degree weather (but a bit windy). Thought you might want to see a photo from our visit.

Happy New Year!

The Chinese New Year begins tomorrow, so, tonight I will throw away all the bad from the previous year. Pictured is the concoction that stays on my kitchen counter and it is meant to absorb any negative or bad things that are in my house. We set it up in July and I am grateful that there is so little build up of negativity. I have seen some of the "catchers" spill over onto the counters. Making the catcher is interesting. You mix up a concoction of salt, copper, silver and water. Once you make a catcher you don't disturb it until the end of the Chinese year. Then you throw away the bad. Can't wait to start a new catcher and get rid of the old.

"Miah, You Are Three!"

All you have to say to my granddaughter is "Miah, You're 3" and you will quickly hear her reply, "No I'm not, I'm 4." Just recently I called to tell her that her that her birthday was coming up and that she would get presents. She quickly responded, "Again? I just got presents." Oh how wonderful to not care about what age you really are and even more wonderful to be able to say my bucket is full. Most of us just keep wanting "more presents."

Happy Birthday Miah! We love you and your spirit.

A Nervous Goodbye

In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned the young female asylum seeker that we are hosting/sponsoring. She is has now been out of detention for two weeks and has been living with us since that time. We have had some very interesting experiences together. In the last two weeks she has had her first escalator ride, been in a high-rise building, eaten Thai food and foods other than African or "jail" food, and shopped in a grocery store. She has also had to tell her life story to the pro bono attorneys helping her with her asylum case. Having to relive the trauma has caused her so many sleepless nights. I have promised her that she won't have to think back on her horrible experiences ever again. Now her wonderful attorneys will tell the story for her.

Tonight she packed up to go spend a few nights at her girlfriend's house. Her friend moved from California to the Atlanta area to be here with her. We got home from work to find Ami packed and waiting for her friend. We also found her nervous and sad to be leaving us, her new family. She sent an email today telling me that she is so happy to be a part of our family and I was deeply touched. Pictured are the two of us at the office just after a second escalator ride.