Battle of the Sexes

Travis looked at me.  “Sarah,” he said, “please go see if there’s any coffee left.”  I glared at him from the conference table and refused to budge.  I was so tired of playing his games.  I gave him my look, the one where I raise my left eyebrow.  He stared back.  I opened my mouth; I decided to let him have it this time.  “Just because I’m the only-“  He cut me off.  “Please don’t be insolent.  You’re the newest member of this Fellowship, and that means it is your responsibility to take care of the menial tasks the rest of us don’t have time for.”

Travis was very smart.  He was always reminding us of this.  He loved words, and he especially loved hauling them out and holding them above us like a mother bird feeding her chicks, passing out one word at a time, believing we were not only dependent upon him for nourishment but actually reaching out and squealing for it.

I stood up.  “Stop being such a jerk!”  I said.  “I’m not going to do your chores anymore!  You said I would be an equal partner, and instead I get all the jobs no one else wants!  Go get your own coffee!”  At the table, the other group members looked at me in shocked silence.  I didn’t care.  “Can I speak to you in my office, please?” Travis said to me in a low, angry voice.  “No,” I said.  “You can talk to me right here.  I’m sick of this boys club!”

“You asked to be part of this Fellowship,” Travis said.  “We did not invite you.  I thought you were smart enough to understand that I’m the leader of this group and I make the rules.  You follow them.”

Now I was mad.  “That’s it!” I shouted.  “I’m sick of you and your Fellowship and your stupid pink bracelets!”  I took mine off and threw it at him.

“They’re crimson wrist bands!” Travis screamed back.  “That’s how we know who’s a member!  And the Fellowship’s not stupid!”

“Well the name sure is!  Why can’t you call it a club like normal people?”

“Because it’s NOT for normal people!  It’s for smart people!  Which means you’re not in it!”

“Well if I’m not in it then it’s a dumb club!”

“FELLOWSHIP!!!” Travis hollered.  His face was the same color as his stupid crimson wrist band.

“Fellowship marshmallowship!” I said.  “Quit using big words just to sound smart!  You sound dumb!  Get your own stupid coffee!” I said as I kicked his juice box across the gym floor.  “And here’s your MAIL,” I threw a pile of worksheets at him, “and HERE’S. YOUR. PHONE!” I threw a beanbag at his head, but missed.

Travis pointed at me and laughed.  “You throw like a girl!” he said.

“You smell like a boy!” I shot back as I threw another beanbag.

Travis jumped.  “You capricious little gnat!“ he said.  “YOU were the one begging to be a part of this cl- I mean, Fellowship!”

“Ha!” I crowed.  “You’re so gross even YOU don’t know what you are!”

“Take that back!”

“Make me!”

Mr. Watterson, our teacher, began walking quickly across the crowded school gym toward us.  I knew he was going to ask Travis to “illuminate” our “conflict” for him.  He always talked with Travis like that.  Sometimes it sounded like they were speaking in code, and thinking about that made me madder.

“I QUIT!” I yelled before Mr. W. reached us.

“Good!” Travis yelled back.  “You were right!  It WAS because you were the only girl that I made you do all those things!  Because I knew you weren’t smart enough to be a partner!”

“I AM TOO!” I screamed.  I turned around and stomped all the way over to an empty corner and slammed myself down on the gym floor.  Boys were so stupid.  And I hated indoor recess.



My challenge this week came from Maren at http://supermaren.com/.  Maren is a mezzo-soprano and one of  Indie Ink's hosts!  The challenge:  "Use the following words in a story: crimson, fellowship, capricious, illuminate."  Check out Indie Ink for more information about the challenge.  Here are the other challengers' posts:

• A Lil Irish Lass challenges Amy: The Hands That Bind
• alyssa ammirato challenges Illogical Being: Junior & Me
• Amy challenges Head Ant: Bullied
• Barb Black challenges Jason Hughes: Four Horsemen, Three Gods, a Transgendered Devil, and Lazarus Under a Pear Tree…
• Binaryfootprint challenges A Lil Irish Lass: Glitter

• Blackbird challenges Dee: All That We Are
• Bran challenges Cope: Certainly the End of Something or Another
• Cope challenges Joelyn: It is Madness I Say
• D. R. Rux challenges transplantedx3: Faded Dreams
• Dafeenah challenges Mare: vengeance or justice or whatever

• Dee challenges K. Syrah: I’d Go Sailing
• Dili challenges Sir: Rain
• Disease challenges Random Girl: Hanging By A Moment
• FlamingNyx challenges Katri: The Mother City
• Head Ant challenges Mean Girl Garage: The Dinner Party
• Illogical Being challenges D. R. Rux: Idiots Amongst Us
• Jan challenges Blackbird: Mind Adventure Soundtrack

• Jason Hughes challenges Binaryfootprint: Hello Darkness My Old Friend
• Joelyn challenges Bran: Seriously, what the hell was I thinking?
• K. Syrah challenges melissa: Indie Ink Challenge
• Karla V challenges Disease: 7th Heaven
• Katri challenges Seeking Elevation: Indie Ink Writing Challenge
• Kerri challenges myplaidpants: Ordinary

• Lazidaisical challenges Jan: Ring
• Manju Vijayakumar challenges Karla V: The Witch
• Mare challenges FlamingNyx: Balance
• Mean Girl Garage challenges Tobie: Meanwhile In An Alternate Universe
• melissa challenges alyssa ammirato: Breaking Bread

• Michael Webb challenges Lazidaisical: Scraps
• Miranda @ My Eclectic Book challenges Tara Roberts: Better Now
• myplaidpants challenges Michael Webb: Young
• Random Girl challenges Sid: Indie Ink Challenge Week 2
• Runaway Sentence challenges Dili: Independence Day

• Seeking Elevation challenges xtinabosco: Grampa’s Memory
• Sid challenges Barb Black: Blank Canvas
• Sir challenges Runaway Sentence: Trouble & Woe
• Sunshine challenges Miranda @ My Eclectic Book: Wish Come True
• Supermaren challenges Kerri: Battle of the Sexes

• Tara Roberts challenges Sunshine: Hello Indie Ink Challenge Time Again
• Tobie challenges Dafeenah: Apocalypse
• transplantedx3 challenges Manju Vijayakumar: Why I Hated Mickey Mouse
• Wendryn challenges Supermaren: Creation
• xtinabosco challenges Wendryn: A New Breed

six-word saturday

Brother's graduating.  Just me and Grandpa!

Grandpa and I are getting some quality time this weekend as my parents attend SLBWAD's graduation.  And there's no Andy Griffith on the weekends!  Thank goodness we have DVDs.  :)  I just figured out how to add this button as a link versus a picture!  I'm a rock star!

a small stone

Water pours down today in south-central Kansas.
What a storm!
I love the rain.

River of Stones

Friday Fill-Ins

I've been playing around on different writing sites - for fun, to discover other bloggers and see what they are writing, and to stretch my brain.  Friday Fill-Ins is a fun activity (what a lame sentence; I need to work on that):

1.  I see trees of green, red roses- dang it, someone already put that!

2.  When I get home from work, I like to take off my shoes, take off my bra, and scratch.  I bet no one put that!  Ha!

3.  They begin life so small, don't they?  (yet-to-be-born baby with spina bifida being operated on in the womb)

4.  I really could keep two or more thoughts in my head at the same time so many years earlier.

5.  This I know:  I can't remember...

6.  I love to eat breakfast (and dessert) for dinner.

7.  As for the weekend...  I'm hanging out with Grandpa!

creative community website

Are you creative?  Have you heard of Charlie Peacock?  Check out this community he founded with his wife!  http://www.arthouseamerica.com

(Thank you, Self Sagacity!)

eavesdropping on kerri and grandpa

Grandpa:  "What was the first Andy Griffith again?"  (the first of 2 shows daily)
Me:  "The one with Thelma Lou's cousin and Gomer."
"Huh?"
"THELMA LOU'S COUSIN AND GOMER!"
(confused pause)  "What?"
"THELMA LOU'S COUSIN AND GOMER AND THE DANCE!!!"
"Oh yeah, the dance."



One hour later:

Grandpa:  "I've already forgotten what the first Andy Griffith was."
Me:  "Hmm."
"What was it again?"
"Barney set up Thelma Lou's cousin and Gomer to go to the dance!"
(longer pause)  "Now slow it down for me - what did you say it was?"
(brief prayer)  "THE DANCE!!!"
"The dance..."
"THELMA LOU'S COUSIN!  GOMER!"
"No, that was the second one."
(longer prayer)  "NO, THE SECOND ONE WAS BARNEY IN JAIL!"
"Huh?"
"THE. SECOND. ONE. WAS. BARNEY. GOT. PUT. IN. JAIL - CITIZEN'S. ARREST!!!"
"Oh yeah.  You're right."
"Thank you!"
"Huh?"

an extraordinary life

Have you ever been in a movie?  Built B-24 bombers during WWII?  Owned your own business?  Traveled the world?  How about tracked down a niece and nephew in foster care, fought and worked through the red tape and bureaucracy to gain custody, threatened to get your lawyer involved, then got awarded the children because you're scary enough without the lawyer?  My great-aunt Leota did all of those things, and more.  She died last week at the age of 86, having lived life on her own terms.  She never married, never had children, kicked...butt on her bowling team, and spoke her mind.  She said to me one day years ago, "Looks like you're going to be a lot like me," and I consider it the best compliment I've ever received.  Leota, I'd be proud to be a little like you.  Thank you for all you did for so many people, just by being brave enough to be yourself.  You were remarkable.

my god, my god...

One night last week I couldn't sleep and decided to skip around the net to see what I could see.  I discovered the Indie Ink Writing Challenge.  "Hmm," I thought, "This looks interesting.  Participants pass around writing prompts and use the prompt they receive in a blog post that week.  That sounds like fun."  (Yes, that is how clearly I think in the middle of the night; why do you ask?)  And, as I often do at that time of day, I signed up first and read more about the challenge second.  "Oh crap.  These people don't fool around.  There's some really good stuff here."  And so I closed my eyes, crossed my fingers, and prayed my prompt would be something like, "Once upon a time...."  Instead, I got this from Random Girl: 

"You lost your faith.  How is life different now?"

Wow.  So much for splashing around in the shallow end!

A loss of faith would be a loss of Love more than a loss of belief for me.  Or a loss of the ability to sense that Love in any way.  Without my faith I would have an indescribable ache, a terrible longing for God.  Fear, confusion, and anger would be present at different times.  But in the midst of this dark night of the senses or the soul I would choose to believe regardless of how I felt or what I understood.  I have made that choice a number of times in the midst of depression.  That choice does not make living a life without Love, or a sense of Love, any easier, though.  Life would often be hell.  But, when I had the strength, I would pursue God as relentlessly as he pursues me.

"Woman Weeping"

Vincent Van Gogh

I've been writing notes and thinking about this for 24 hours, and I can already tell you it won't be done by the deadline Thursday evening. There is something more going on here.

In Clinging: The Experience of Prayer, Emilie Griffin writes:  "C. S. Lewis wrote of a practice...that he called festooning.   Festooning, Lewis explained, was taking a familiar prayer, such as the Lord's prayer, and elaborating it, adding one's own intentions on at various points in the prayer until this elaboration became a ritual unto itself."

I wrote and scrapped a few rough drafts before it dawned on me that a song I've been drawn to recently fits well with my evolving response to this prompt.  As I read the lyrics of this song, several related things come to me:  a book mentioned by a friend last week, a book that friend recommended to me 20 years ago, Psalm 22, The Song of Songs, the gospels, a book titled Clinging, a favorite book since childhood, and "Christmas Canon" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO).  I am in the midst of weaving all of these things together before festooning it with my own thoughts, which I'm not fully aware of yet.  And I will probably choose not to share those thoughts here.  There are some things revealed in secret that are meant to be kept secret.  But here is what I've processed to this point:


"Wuthering Heights"  Kate Bush
Out on the wiley, windy moors
we'd roll and fall in green (your love is more delightful than wine)
You had a temper, like my jealousy
too hot, too greedy
How could you leave me (I looked for him but did not find him)
When I needed to possess you? (He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.)
I hated you, I loved you too (my God, I call by day but you do not answer,)

Bad dreams in the night (I call at night but I find no respite)
They told me I was going to lose the fight (all who see me jeer at me)
Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering (the Spirit blows where it pleases;)
Wuthering Heights (you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going)

Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy, I've come home (my God, my God)
I'm so cold, let me in your window (do not remain aloof!)
Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy, I've come home (my God, my God)
I'm so cold, let me in your window (do not remain aloof!)

Oh it gets dark, it gets lonely (my God! my God!)
On the other side from you (why have you forsaken me?)
I pine a lot, I find the lot (All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves)
Falls through without you (I looked for him but did not find him)
I'm coming back love, cruel Heathcliff (before I knew it, my desire had hurled me at the chariots)
My one dream, my only master (in him I live and move and have my being)

Too long I roam in the night (all night long...I looked for the one my heart loves)
I'm coming back to his side to put it right (I shall seek my love)
I'm coming home to wuthering, wuthering (Awake, north wind,)
Wuthering Heights (and come, south wind!)

Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy, I've come home
I'm so cold, let me in your window
Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy, I've come home
I'm so cold, let me in your window

Oh let me have it, let me grab your soul away (I held him fast, nor would I let him go)
Oh let me have it, let me grab your soul away
You know it's me, Cathy


From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice..."My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

"Three Crosses"

Rembrandt

Jesus, why have you forsaken me?

Vincent Van Gogh:
"'The Roots' shows some tree roots on sandy ground....I tried to put sentiment into the landscape...the convulsive, passionate clinging to the earth, and yet being half torn up by the storm, I wanted to express something of the struggle for life...in the black, gnarled and knotty roots."


Madeleine L'Engle, The Weather of the Heart:
You're supposed to do the knocking.  Why do you burst my heart?...

     Dear God
     is it too much to ask you
     to bother to be?

"We are waiting; we have not forgotten..." 

"Christmas Canon," TSO

"Reach"

Robert Hodgell

(How it ends):

And suddenly, the veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, the rocks were split...(Jesus' body was taken to a tomb). Meanwhile the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus were following behind. They took note of the tomb and how the body had been laid. Then they returned...and on the Sabbath day (the next day) they rested, as the Law required.

I slept but my heart was awake...

"Three Trees"

Rembrandt

...he has fulfilled it.

Today I pray with Crys from A Life In Ordinary.  I don't have anything of my own to add at this time, so I lift up Crys's prayer as my own.  What are you praying for?

thank you, Princess Mommy Pants!

Parenting - This Crazy Beautiful Life i.e., Princess Mommy Pants, has brightened my day with The Versatile Blogger award!  PMP wrote a beautiful note to the bloggers she passed the award on to.  Go check her out!

I've seen two sets of rules that accompany this award.  This set of rules asks me to tell you 7 things about myself and pass the award on to 15 recently-discovered bloggers.  Let's talk about me first:

1.  Today I found a badge that said "Blogging without Giveahootery."  I love that concept - not getting caught up in how many followers, page views, etc. etc. you have.  It's wonderful to be able to write freely and let readers come to you as they may.

2.  I don't know if I have 15 recently-discovered bloggers; we're about to find out.  But in addition to bloggers I've found some great blogging groups and websites, so I'll cheat a bit if I have to.  See?  There I go breaking the rules again.

3.  I will probably be moving this fall or winter.  I don't know where or when, and I don't give a hoot!  (I mean I'm at peace with not knowing.)

4...I'm drawing a blank.  Happens a lot.

5.  I like beads.

6.  I'm re-learning algebra for a student I'm tutoring, and I love it.

7.  i.e., I'm a geek.

Fifteen sites and briefly why - in no particular order:

1.  http://myyearofhugs.com/ - what would happen if we tried this?

2.  http://www.theturnipfarmer.com/ - lovely art, insight, and humor

3.  http://kyliesconversations.blogspot.com/ - I'm intrigued by her writing and interests

4.  http://dthaase-lines.blogspot.com/ - wonderful, whimsical art and comments

5.  http://www.returntorural.com/ - again, her writing and interests drew me in

6.  http://mypeacefulvalley.blogspot.com/ - she pays attention - watch out for Mama Bear!

7.  http://livingmontessorinow.com/ - I love the Montessori way of teaching - great info. here

8.  http://creativeclutter-mel.blogspot.com/ - art, humor, insight

9.  http://ropcorn.com/ - reflections on her life in Sweden - you must see her bee close-ups!

10.  http://outofclutter365photo.blogspot.com/ - so like me and in some ways so different - stretches my perspective

11.  http://www.wynniebee.com/ - I enjoy her blog hops, group blogging activities, and blog tips

12.  http://www.mommyalwayswrites.com/ - I love her writing style, photography, and art - (the fact that she's my cousin has nothing to do with this!)

13.  http://thedreheradventure.blogspot.com/ - another cousin, who takes WONDERFUL professional photos

14.  http://www.ashleysisk.com/ - I love the photo scavenger hunt!

15.  http://liferearranged.com/2011/05/instafriday-2/ - another fun photo activity!

Spend some time on these sites - they're worth it!

a reminder to myself

"Old people like for others to listen to them.  In some places we have groups of Co-Workers whose main responsibility is to listen.  They visit typical homes, especially of older people, sit down with them, and let them talk and talk to give them the satisfaction of being listened to.  The older people, I repeat, love this even though they may not have much else to say other than unimportant things - to others, obviously, not to them - that happened a long time ago. 

"To listen to someone who has no one to listen to him is a very beautiful thing."

Mother Teresa

charming grandpa

Grandpa charmed the socks off another person yesterday.  A substitute nurse came by to check his vitals and ask some routine questions.  I wasn't in the room, but I could hear Grandpa yakkin' (his word) away....  As she left, the nurse said, "He's so sweet!"  He sure is.  Usually.

After the nurse left, Grandpa kept fussing with the blanket on his lap, which had been moved during her visit.  I adjusted it, found the Kleenex he keeps hidden under it, and handed it to him.  He still kept fussing with the blanket.  "Is everything okay?" I asked.  "Oh, yes, this is just messy and I don't want it to bother your father," he said.  The blanket was bunched up a bit and not lying perfectly straight (it has a plaid pattern; the stripes were crooked!).  I think I've mentioned before that we have a slight streak of particularity (particularness?) in our family.  Wait...in our family we have a slight streak...hang on, a slight streak of particularity runs....  Oh well.  "Yeah right!"  I said.  "I think it's bothering someone else!" and I tapped him on the chest.  He laughed and shook his head.  Give it up, Grandpa; I know all your secrets now!

a small stone

http://ariverofstones.blogspot.com/

A website that lifts my spirit,

reminds me to pay attention,

and encourages me to record what I see.

This draws me to God.

whimsical wednesday

I loved to jumprope (jump rope?) as a child.  The other day I thought it might be a fun way to get some exercise.  It wasn't.

And yes, for those of you who know me, I am aware that today is not Wednesday.  I just saw this and wanted to participate!  Check out the website at http://dthaase-lines.blogspot.com/p/whimsical-wednesday.html!

six-word saturday

Love MB - had a wonderful talk!

MB has been my friend, mentor, encourager, teacher, and spiritual caregiver for over 20 years.

synchroblog

This post is for the May synchroblog, Life Unfurling.  This month bloggers write about what they've learned and gained by letting go of something they once held tightly.  Last fall I went through a process of loss and grace that I wrote about in choosing a sometimes extravagant and ridiculous life, grief and gratitude, and saying goodbye.  Rather than rewriting all of this, I hope referencing these posts will be okay.  I love the synchroblog idea!  As a result of these losses I've experienced how faithful and loving God is.  In my greatest time of need, as in my not-so-great, God cares for and takes care of me, even when I cannot sense it.  Being given a greater understanding of God's care and faithfulness is a richness that cannot be put into words, so I encourage you to let go of something which you may be holding too tightly and see for yourself how high and deep God's love is, from which we are never separated.

Take a gander at the other entries!

John Martinez at Indie Faith – Letting Go of the Holy Me

Beth Patterson at Finding Ground – What is Passed Over is Not Love

Jeremy Myers at Till He Comes – Help, I’m Lost and Can’t Find Myself

Ellen Haroutunian – Life Unfurling

Marta Layton – On Burdens, Blessings, Babies and Bathwater

Alan Knox at The Assembling of Church – Where Did I Go?

Crystal Lewis – What Happened When I Let Go

Pam Hogeweide at How God Messed Up My Religion – Letting Go of a Church-Centered Me

K.W. Leslie at the Evening of Kent – Legalism, Anti-Legalism, and Anti-Anti-Legalism

Ryan Harrison at How We Spend Our Days – Scraping the Barnacles

Kathy Escobar at The Carnival in My Head - Letting God Off the Hook

Christine Sine at Godspace – Giving Up For God, What Does it Cost?

Liz Dyer at Grace Rules – What Do You Do When You Are Not Sure

Dan Brennan at Faith Dance – Letting Go for a Greater Good

Elaine Hansen – Recovering Control Freak – Let Go?

Wendy McCaig at View From the Bridge - Embracing the Grey

Chris at The Amplified Life - Seasons of Life

Kerri at Practicing Contemplative - Synchroblog

Jeff Goins - What You Get From Giving: The Paradox of Generosity

Jules Kennedy – Letting Go…Watching the Rope Come Apart

you know...

You know it's not going to be one of your better days when:

- on the way to your car, you drop your pants.  No, no, the extra pair you're carrying.  And did I mention it's raining outside, so they get all wet?  And that they're dressy pants, not roll-around-on-the-dirty-wet-driveway-pants?

- at the gas station the wind is so high it blows your gas cap off your car trunk while you're in the store getting comfort food.

- as you look high and low for your gas cap, a note you're holding onto blows out of your hand.  Why you were carrying the note in the first place, since you didn't need it to get gas, is a mystery.  But it's your lucky day, and the note doesn't blow away because a big, wet puddle catches it.  Yay, wet note with smeared reminders.

- you find your gas cap under the car, and you pull up a bit so you can retrieve it.  As you bend over, a large pickup truck pulls in behind you and nearly rear-ends you, literally.

- you get kicked out of an online group because you didn't quite play by the rules.  Yeah, I know, it was a consequence I that I chose to risk, but it still makes me cranky.

- your grandfather finishes his lunch and bangs his cup on the TV tray, yelling, "I'm done!" then, when you don't budge in the next second (I swear only a second passed) he bangs the cup harder, "I'M DONE!!!"

TGIF!

friday book memes

I found a couple of memes related to books that look like fun.  Would you like to know what a meme is?  So would I.  There are lots of definitions on the net; let me know when you figure it out.

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice, and the rules are:

"Grab a book, any book.

Turn to page 56.

Find any sentence that grabs you.

Post it.

Add your (url) post below in Linky.

It's that simple."

I've been carrying around Madeleine L'Engle's A Wind in the Door because I want to reread it and think about the children and other characters learning to name and love the evil Echthroi.  On page 56:

"It is a constant amazement to me," the cherubim thought at them, "that so many earthling artists paint cherubim to resemble baby pigs."

Book beginnings is hosted by A Few More Pages, and its rules are:

"Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading

on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author

so we know what you're reading.  Then, if you would like, let us know

what your first impressions were based on that first line,

and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence."

 From Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse:

"Jeeves," I said.  "May I speak frankly?"

"Certainly, Sir."

"What I have to say may wound you."

"Not at all, Sir."

"Well then-" No. Wait.  Hold the line a minute, I've gone off the rails.  I don't know if you have had the same experience, but the snag I always come up against when I'm telling a story is this dashed difficult problem of where to begin it.  It's a thing you don't want to go wrong over, because one false step and you're sunk.  I mean, if you fool about too long at the start, trying to establish atmosphere, as they call it, and all that sort of rot, you fail to grip, and the customers walk out on you.  Get off the mark on the other hand like a scalded cat, and your public's at a loss.  It simply raises its eyebrows and can't make out what you're talking about.

You can't go wrong with Wodehouse, so I suppose I've chosen an easy one here, but I love his out-of-the-box humor and plot twists.  I also love Bertie's (the speaker) eyeroll attitude of "atmosphere."

evidence

Today (Thursday) is my stupid-little-brother-with-a-doctorate's birthday, so I think this would be the perfect time to whip out my evidence of his destruction of my birthday cake when I turned 8.  (OMG, my nephew is turning 8 this summer!  Where does the time go?)  Wait, I've counted, checked, and double-checked, and there seem to be only 7 candles on that cake - I could've sworn this was when I was in 2nd grade...oh, brother must have stolen one.  Do you see the huge hole he dug out of the cake?  It's right there, the highest corner of the cake in the picture!  Come on!  Well, Stephanie feels my pain.

Happy Birthday, SLBWAD.  I hope it's great!

This is brother and I (and his snot mustache - or maybe it's Silly Putty) with Old Papa, our great-grandfather.  Brother gave him that name, and it stuck.  Now my 2nd cousins call my grandpa Old Papa.  Old Papa called my brother "Peanut."

Peanut's wife does, too.

it's a party, and you've gotta' see this place!

This is the retreat center in the flint hills that I went to in December and April.  It's well worth a look!

Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center will be TEN years old in June!

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * To celebrate, we’re planning a * * *

Party on the Prairie

* * * * * and calling it * * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * T@T * * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * Ten @ Tallgrass: * * * * *

What a Difference a Decade Makes

June 25, 2011 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

at Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center

1780 Thurman Creek Road

Matfield Green, KS 66862

Women who have experienced the Retreat Center are invited to come help us celebrate.

Bring a friend to introduce her to Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center.

Women who have yet to experience Tallgrass are invited to come see what’s here.

Lunch will be available (free-will offering requested)

Grilled Burgers, Chips, and a Drink

Walk the Labyrinth, walk to the creek, create SoulCollage® with Hazel Hutchinson*

See the eAuction items on display.

Enjoy a gentle day in the country.

Bless Billie with your presence and a hug!

It’s a Birthday Party, so we’ll have CUPCAKES and ICE CREAM!

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

*A note from Hazel Hutchinson:

I will bring a selection of cards so guests can see and ask questions about SoulCollage®.

The focus of the day, will be offering an opportunity for guests to make a SoulCollage®

card to honor the presence/significance of Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center in the

participant’s life or to make a SoulCollage® card to Bless TSRC into the future.

A note from Billie Blair, Director:

We’ve been here for TEN years! Can you believe it?! The years have gone by quickly.

I’ve enjoyed each and every person who has come to Tallgrass over the years. I hope

to see many of you again on June 25th, to help us celebrate. A great team of women

has been working to make this happen for the Center. We’ll have good food, things

to do and see, and we’re working on providing some live entertainment!

I tell folks who ask about this ministry that I feel like what I’m doing here is

not only what I believe I’m called to do, but I’m doing what God created me to do -

walk with women along their path for awhile, supporting, caring, just being with them

at times, as well as encouraging them to find their healing and their passion in life.

I’ve ben honored to work with some wonderful facilitators, offering a range of retreats

from clearing clutter to finding our passions, to working with horses to find oneself.

We’ve participated in the Forgiveness Ceremony, told stories, made prayer flags, beads,

and sticks. We’ve had a harpist, singers, writers, and other artists here. We’ve taken

wildflower walks and made paper with prairie plants. . . and sometimes women came

alone or with a friend to find time and space to rest, reflect and restore.

It’s been an incredible ten years for me. I’ve learned so much from YOU.

Thank you for sharing the gift of who you are with me. I’d love to see many

of you come join us for this special-to-me day!

My sister will be here in the evening, gifting the Retreat Center and anyone who wants to stay

with an outdoor movie. The movie will start after dark, of course, so folks might want to tour a little of

Chase County, have supper at the Hitching Post in Matfield Green (or bring a sack supper and picnic

in the Center’s yard), then join us about 9 for the movie. We don’t know yet what movie we’ll be viewing,

but just imagine sitting under the stars. eating popcorn and watching a movie together!

Please bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on.

With you all in God’s holy embrace,

Billie

Rev. Billie Blair, Pastor in the Pasture
Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center
1780 Thurman Creek Road
Matfield Green, KS 66862
phone: 620.753.3465
email: tallgrassretreats@wheatstate.com
website: www.tallgrassretreats.com