How to survive Almost Anything with Love, Power, Nurture, Strength…and a few laughs thrown in along

The cat threw up all over Proverbs 25-27 and it bled through from Proverbs 3-Ecclesiastes 5.
 
Ohmygosh is that the best opening line ever? I’m going to find a way to use it in everything I write, I think. The sad part is it’s true. I haven’t been able to be home very much this month and poor Boris is so apoplectically stressed about the lack of my presence that he keeps throwing up. It is a joy and delight to sit for an hour or so and have a cat upon each leg and hear them purrrrrrrrrr. The tradition has become to pop a movie in and then, when there is the luxury of time to do that, his intestinal system registers less stress.
 
I decided to try and salvage those pages. I thought about what I’d read about library books being saved in water damage and carefully placed a piece of notebook paper between each page. Four days later, the pages were dry, albeit some of them a bit Swiss cheesy, and I was able to zip up the cover again.
 
In this same week I ran across a copy of the Orchard Park Pennysaver from West Seneca New York. Great news. It says the post prom party committee is selling half price movie and a dinner tickets as a fundraiser from now until 13th of May. The school menus for Tuesday December 18th are as follows:
West Seneca Schools offered - Breakfast for Lunch: French Toast Sticks, Breakfast Sausage, Tater Tots, Baby Carrots, Juice and Fruit.
 
The Aurora Waldorf School: Breakfast Pizza with Elm Street Whole Wheat Crust. Hummus, yogurt dip w/ organic celery and carrots, corn chips and pretzels. Vegetarian and gluten free options available each day. Each meal will be accompanied by a veg.salad, fruit or homemade bread.
 
St. Bernadette School: Spag. & Meatballs, Breadstick and Sugar Cookie. Drinks: milk, white and chocolate, water, Juice: orange or apple.
 
And…Fourteen Holy Helpers School: Popcorn Chicken, Baked Fries, Peas, Chilled Fruit and Milk.
 
Lastly, there is a picture of Abbey Smolinski (standing on the left) who had the role of Laurey and Sarah Lipinski who was Ado Annie in the Immaculata Academy production of "Oklahoma" presented in November. Students from St Francis were also cast and there is a notation that the Rogers and Hammerstein musical was set in the 1906 Oklahoma Territory.
 
If anyone wants the rest of the news, I’ll save it for a while. Just contact me at dha@lgcmin.com to get it. Small town newspapers and Literary papers like the Loop fascinate me. But really, it came as packing paper in a $2.99 ebay win.
 
Great truth #3 in life is this. Most people are trying to live so their stories don’t show and pretty soon, if they do that enough, they will become convinced the pretend story is truth…and then they’re too embarrassed or enmeshed to figure out how to start living a real life again. Everyday becomes maintaining the lie meant to cover some perceived lack. The sad thing is usually other people are rather compassionate about the truth of someone’s life. If they only knew telling the truth would bring support not shame.
 
On Saturday 9 February I renew a part of my life I haven’t fashioned or produced in a while. I begin to speak extemporaneously in public again. I have taken all that I’ve learned in the last twenty years of life living in a small rural community having a life I never envisioned or dreamed and turned them into a series of SATURDAY NIGHT LECTURES.
They will happen at the Methodist Church, in the sanctuary, from 6:30-8:00 PM. There will be about an hour of lecture and some question and answer or sharing time. They are free although there will be a donation basket because, well, two of the things I’ve learned in the last twenty years is ‘time is money’ and the old adage, ‘ye have not because ye ask not. : but come even if you don’t have a penny, especially if you don’t have a penny.
 
What will I discuss? There are three things I’ve discovered I know about: Children, Hope, and Faith. Come even if you have none of the above. I speak to everyone and for everyone, whatever the walk, whatever the values, whatever the experiences.
 
It’s a lecture without power point or visual aids. I want us to engage with our eyes. There will be paper and pencil available in case you have your own epiphanies whilst I speak.
 
How did I get the idea it was time to start? I belong to a different kind of Faith Fellowship in the South Lake Union area. Actually we’re an espresso/chocolate café during the week and then lease the place back to ourselves on Sunday and Wednesday to celebrate together and serve the community in different ways than beverages and sweets. As part of our ‘out of the box’ style, we have an open mic every so often. A couple of weeks ago, on the spur of the moment, I went up front and stuck a stool under my posterior and started to share about going to see Raffi and the life lessons that came from that experience. I had this smile come on my face and realized ‘this is what I’m supposed to start doing…again". It was a happy exciting moment. Vashon is a good place to start.
 
The topics are varied. The first one is the same as the title of this column. Surviving is an art form and Love, Power, Nurture and Strength are key tools in moving through anything so you can end up on the other side whole, healthy and looking forward.
 
Please come. There is strength and wisdom in people gathering to seek strength and wisdom.
 
Love, Deborah