Annual Letter 2010

December 31, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,
On this last day of 2010, I’m sitting back and admiring and marveling about the milestones I’ve met in the last twelve months. It has been a year in which Tao Te Ching’s saying to “Do your work, then step back--the only path to serenity” applies very meaningfully to my life. Every morning when I awaken, I ask God to paint me a picture, guide me to do his will, offer him my life and my gifts to enrich his world. It’s a good way to live.

A new direction that’s opened up in recent months is the renovating of two additional spaces in my home/office for use as a psychotherapist. I finally have gotten my transcripts from the PhD and PsyD work I did in D.C. the two years after I came back from Egypt straightened out. I have the proof of qualifications now so that I can offer psychological testing here in Lake Charles. It was a happy day when Pearson certified that I could order the IQ tests that I was trained to administer 22 years ago. I still have the Rorschach and TAT tests that I acquired in that program. My Christmas gift to myself was these tests and a laptop to cut out one step in the process of gathering data from clients. I look forward to getting up and running in the new year as a child psychologist. On top of Mount Sinai in 1987, at the time that Craig and I were trying to have a test tube baby, I prayed to God that if I couldn’t have a baby, could I please be a child psychologist. This prayer is being answered with this new direction in sharing my gifts. I enjoyed being a therapist/teacher in my English classroom during my 33 year career, but this new direction is even more like “playing for a living.” I’m excited about this prospect.

For my birthday in September, my present to myself was finally getting the garage and storage space behind my bedroom cleared out of Ray’s residual tools and my old furniture from Galveston that I knew I’d never use. The garage is being converted to a space where I can do play therapy through crafts using the color therapy theories to support healing. I’ve painted the garage a peach color and replaced the mismatched filing cabinets with all black ones. The garage door was replaced with beautiful French doors with squared-off stained glass. The way color therapy works with this combination is this. I will tell the children (or adults) who work with me here that the peach color might bring up old memories that have strong feeling. When this happens, they will be told to then look at the black things in the room. Black lifts the trauma off, according to theory. At the end of the session, they will then be advised to focus on the brick wall or the stained glass. This step is said to set in healing. That’s one of the reasons why this brick-walled office of mine makes everyone feel so good when they come to see me, I believe. I have noticed in myself that healing experiences will happen when I’m out and about during the day, and coming home and sitting in my living room focusing on the brick sets in a feeling of peace. Serenity, tranquility, and creativity follow.

I have purchased some five-drawer cabinets that I plan to fill with various kinds of projects ranging from jigsaw puzzles to building a model airplane, etc. Clients will be told to go through the drawers and pick something they’d like to do. I will learn the same kinds of things that I learned in the English classroom when I gave my students choices in topics for projects. Their choices give me insight into the workings of their minds and the traumas of their lives. Healing came through working through these projects. Smell and sound therapy will also be a part of this picture. Baking cookies or bread can bring on comforting memories. Music in the background can also add to the atmosphere of healing. I have already been working with people with memory loss using music therapy. Singing songs from the past and reconnecting the memory to them is a very healing thing. Hymns, patriotic music, Christmas carols, and other familiar tunes really work well. I have personally found that music is my strong suit in memory. I know the lyrics of songs that I’m not even sure when I could have learned them. It makes me think that maybe my soul goes further back than I can remember, except through this music.

My Mensa group here in Lake Charles decided to alter our usual monthly meetings from going sightseeing somewhere to working on memory recovery, too. On the second Sunday of each month at 2:00, the group gathers in my living room to read and discuss a story from a collection of stories about coming of age. These stories bring up opportunities for us to remember similar examples out of our pasts, and interestingly, each story has also opened up discussions about world issues and things that need attention. I am liking the format of this kind of book group because there’s no preparation. Anyone can arrange to be here if they call ahead. We read each story aloud and then reflect on it personally and analytically. Two paradigms that we often view each plot through are the hero’s journey and the reader as artist. Each story seems to prove Joseph Campbell’s famous theory that all stories told ultimately relate to a quest and all of the pitfalls and milestones a hero or heroine must traverse. Reading as an artist is a theory of Maya Angelou. She teaches us to make each line of a story our own piece of art by relating it to our own personal journey. This method also reminds me of the lectio divina method of praying where you make the words in the Bible come alive with meaning for your current situation and life. That, too, is another avenue I pursue often.

My home/office is bursting with new life. After five years of pretty much leaving Ray’s files and things intact, I finally moved to clear my chakras of that loving relationship in my life, hoping that this will open the doorway for another relationship of an even deeper kind to begin down the long and winding road to my door. I’m praying for my own true love again like I did in 1997 on this same New Year’s Eve evening with the prayer’s answer being Ray’s entry into my life just a few months later. We’ll see what God has in store for my coming year in this area.
My rental business has been like participating in a television series with the wide variation of how rents come in each month and the configuration of repairs that come up. I received enough money from Mesothelioma settlements about ten months ago to pay off all of my rent houses and to buy a new Honda CRV. It was a feeling of joy that the list of debt that Ray and I drew up before he died was finally paid off. It has given me financial freedom to start down the pathway of renovating all of the houses, one by one. In the last year I’ve accomplished four of them. I have two more currently being done. I have a very valued friend in Sandra Chisholm who is my contractor. Once we’ve made up a list of things to be done on a house, I turn it over to her. She consults with me almost daily and keeps the process going until a piece of art is created in each of these old houses. She is understanding the value of this kind of therapy. The tenants perk up and become happier and livelier every time we finish another house. Houses represent the souls who live in them, and working on the house and making it more beautiful does something very valuable for the residents inside. It’s another way that I feel I work for God in his good therapy for all of us. In this new year, I intend to alter my criteria for acceptable tenant/therapy clients. I will no longer accept unmarried couples. I have a theory that because they are not fully committed to each other, they often aren’t committed to me and my contract with them either. Mini disasters from this lack of responsibility have cost me too much time and trouble. I’m looking for healthier clients and will screen well in the future. I feel it’s better to let a house sit empty than risk its being torn up. The last two houses that have turned over have been left in perfect shape with the tenants getting their deposits back. I see this as a new fork in that road of rental therapy.

I have recently started cooking regularly again. I haven’t done this kind of cooking since the years I lived in Cairo. I’m finding benefits from this new occupation in many areas. My bowels seem to be enjoying better health since I started eating exclusively at home. I have suffered from diarrhea over and over again since living Lake Charles, and now it’s stopped. I’m also noticing that eating according to the food pyramid instead according to all of the diet regimes that have held me in bondage for the last 40 years is seemingly clearing poisons out of my system. The blackheads on my face that mushroomed here in Lake Charles, probably due to the same reason I was having diarrhea, are now healing and going away. I feel that the interesting menus that I’m preparing are a healthy answer. I especially love to trying international cuisines. The last two Thanksgivings I have cooked a menu from the Fine Cooking magazine, and it has been rewarding. Last year it was Gerwertztrameiner chicken thighs with grapes, and this year it was a turkey leg mole. Coming back to life in this area is a blast!

I would love to sponsor a 4-H club for young girls here in my home/office and teach cooking and sewing the way I was taught when I was young in Elkhorn, Nebraska. Alice Magee named our club the Diligent Girls, and her teachings still guide me today. I got ribbons for snicker doodle cookies and angel food cake at county and state fairs. I made an apron, skirts and blouses and modeled them there, too. One year our club participated in the music contest at state and sang “Over the Rainbow.“ I feel like that’s where I’m living now with the shadows that are arising to make my life so much fun.

I’ve gotten my kitchen newly outfitted with black and pewter small appliances and had electrical added so that they are all plugged in a easily used. It’s a joy to make a list of groceries for each menu and go out adventuring in the many ethnic markets in Lake Charles for unusual ingredients that I often have never heard of. I’ve discovered a shop that feels like you’re walking into China and another one that is filled with Indian food ingredients. There are others, too, like Middle Eastern and South American. It’s a more fun way to market. Instead of stockpiling lots of food in my cupboard, now I just keep breakfast and lunch foods and market for each menu and that’s it. I’m loving it. I’ve had amazing adventures through looking for an ingredient like aragula or Champagne vinegar. I meet the nicest people and learn new ways of eating and being.
My décor in my home/office has shifted. I am currently enjoying the pleasure of visiting all kinds of churches around Lake Charles. When I lived in Hawaii my junior year of high school, the Sunday School lesson book was called Your Neighbor’s Faith. That year, our class visited other churches comparing them to the Lutheran faith I am confirmed in. I’ve come back to this exciting way of knowing the many faces of God and his people. It’s a good way to get out and know more people in the community. In conjunction with this practice, I am deliberately collecting symbols of all of the religions of the world and finding places for them to be here in my soul’s space. They reflect a deepening of my relationship to God and an awareness that all of the religions connect us to each other and Him.

Singing and dancing continue to grow in my life. I have invested in old albums to sing and dance to in my living room. The acoustics with the vaulted ceiling make it feel like I’m singing in a recording studio. It’s a lot of fun. I haven’t been to Curves in a long time, but I intend to get back there starting next week to get my body toned up again. I’m finding that the singing and dancing aren’t enough of a workout, although they‘re my favorite thing to do. When I’ve worked especially hard on a certain day, I give myself an uplift with my music. Singing lifts my spirits high.

I found the perfect plate for the front of my CRV. It says “Carpe Diem” or Seize the Day, an old way of looking at living your life. Each morning I awaken with the anticipation of a great adventure stirring. God guides me down a pathway of seeking and finding ways to contribute to the healing of our world. I’m wearing purple a lot, solidifying my promise to myself that sovereignty and independence in living will carry me successfully into these years ahead when women are known to be in their stride. When I turn 60 in the coming year, I will make a pact with myself to live my life to its fullest to the glory of God. I pray that for all of you in this new year. God bless you in your own pursuits of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I decided to post my annual letter on my blog each year instead of going through the many steps of mailing out a letter and card, and already I’m seeing many advantages and benefits. This letter is much more detailed and interesting, I think, because it can be as long as I want. I don’t have to worry about printing and mailing. It’s also a major money and time saver. I spent eight hours last year stuffing my envelopes for mailing. I hope all who receive this news will give me feedback about this new format.

Again, I ask God’s blessings on your coming year…. It is midnight and 2011 is here with sounds and sights of celebration in my neighborhood. The sky is lit up with fireworks. May we all find many celebrations in the coming twelve months!

Love, Linda

November 27, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Last January I co-led a program at Theresians based on The Cup of Our Life by Joyce Rupp. It was a lesson based on the "shadow" of your cup. I learned that we all have shadows within us that are our God-given potentials that are meant to be developed. I explored this idea through reading numerous books on the topic of the shadow, Jung’s psychological theory about the two sides of our personas. Through this process, I began thinking about what hidden sides I had in me that might need to surface in retirement, and the first one to emerge was my musical self.

I returned to the choir at First Presbyterian Church just in time to be invited to Mo Ranch last summer. I had attended the Worship and Music Conference three years ago, but this time was different. My shadow was ready to emerge. I planned and executed singing "Over the Rainbow" at the talent show in June. I sang it through twice, once sweetly and once very jazzy. I didn’t falter, and the pianist who accompanied me was excellent in following my lead. I felt like a performer that night and wondered what door God would open next.

In August I attended a workshop on Language and the Pursuit of Happiness, and the young man who sat next to me started talking about trying out for the beast in "Beauty and the Beast," an ACTS Theatre production that was about to start. He told me that I’d be a perfect Mrs. Potts, and, although I didn’t get that part, I got up the courage to sing "Over the Rainbow" a capella for the audition, and I committed to almost three months of rehearsals and 11 performances that ended on November 15th. I was a hat seller and a "plate"--singing and dancing and acting on a stage at age 58. My musical shadow had definitely emerged.

If you know the music of that show, there’s a song about being "human again." There’s a line that says, "I’ll be cookin’ again, be good lookin’ again…" Somehow through the experience of being in this play, I feel these things happening, too. More shadow is coming out. Not only am I singing again but I’m cooking again, and my hair kept getting shorter throughout the three months of commitment. I feel "good lookin’ again. I feel like I’ve gotten over some hurdle and I’m fully human again. Vitality has returned to my days. My rental business is going well. It’s a ministry, and I feel God’s presence in all that I do. I’m also reading literature again. I especially love short stories, and recently I tackled Dostoevsky’s The Idiot.

My house has been changing in the last three months. I’ve added plants, stained glass, and new light fixtures. Yesterday I cooked a meal that Julia Child would have been proud of. I outdid myself with Gerwurtztraminer Chicken with Grapes and four other complex dishes from the Fine Cooking magazine. Jigsawing it altogether reminded me of my cooking in Cairo 25 years ago. I don’t think I’ve cooked like this since then. It feels good. I feel good, and I’m wondering what other shadows will emerge in the new year. I heard about an International cooking class at Sowela Tech this coming spring, and I plan to be there. My family has planned a destination holiday this year to Fredricksburg, Texas. We leave December 27th. This is my life story in progress… I’ll let you know next year what comes next. Please let me know how you’re doing, too. Many blessings in the coming year…

Love and peace from Linda Gardner

Christmas 2008

November 29, 2008
Dear Family and Friends,
Thanksgiving memories are spilling over into my morning, and I thought I’d use this opportunity to reflect back on this past year for my annual Christmas letter. Last year I put together a notebook of all the letters like this that I’ve written over the past 31 years. The earliest one I found was dated 1977, copied on a ditto machine in purple ink. That letter was all about teaching in a newly integrated school. I had joined Weight Watchers for the first time that year, and Craig and I were flying off to Puerto Rico for the Christmas holidays. It’s interesting to think about all of the threads that have continued throughout my life in letters.

Teaching AP English over the last year was the peak of my career. I had eight girls who were the most like me in habits and attitude that I’ve ever taught, and we soared together as I introduced as many creative thinking strategies into my teaching as I could fathom. Every part of the course was like teaching at the graduate level, and the girls lived up to my expectations in all their writings and other products. On this note, I decided last January to let the school know I was going to retire after 33 years from teaching. I wouldn’t have wanted to go out any other way. Now that I’m able to sleep longer hours and linger in the morning over the newspaper, I’m finding that God is sending me opportunities to share my gift of teaching in new settings. I’m currently one of the mentors to a new Theresian group of spiritual women, and I look forward to the kind of "teaching" I might do where there’s no longer any grading involved. I pray God sends me others.

Travel is another thread that continues for me. My attempts over the past year to go to China never worked out, but I did make two trips to visit family and friends, and they’re my favorite way to travel anyway. I spent a week in Nebraska is August attending a family wedding and an unexpected family funeral. Being there as school was starting this year helped me realize how excited I am about retiring to just running the rental business. The trip in October to D.C. was also a celebration of that. I got to see the turning colors along Skyline Drive and to spend quality time with many people I hold dear. The real sense of celebration has occurred this past week, however. I didn’t have to grade a huge stack of 25-page projects this past week like I have for the past seven years. My drive to Nacogdoches on Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family was filled with a long list of gratitude that I’m feeling, about health, about financial security despite the upset of the markets, and about so many loving family and friends in my life.

Weight loss likewise continues to be a topic of interest in my life. I’m currently on the Curves diet. My trip to D.C. made my weight creep back up again, and I’m getting it off. I work out at Curves several times a week, and it gives structure and a social outlet to my days of now running the rental business full-time. I’m loving running the rental business. Who would have ever thought even just ten years ago that I’d be walking in these shoes? My recent success at getting a long-term tenant out of a house that she hadn’t taken care of gives me knowledge that I can face hurricanes and difficult situations with aplomb. God is right at my side.

May He be with all of us through this holy season and into the new year. God bless you in all your endeavors, and please be in touch…

Love and blessings, Linda

Monday Afternoon Reflections - November 19, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,
Life has become so full and beautiful that I've had trouble finding time to sit down and write to you guys. Please don't be concerned. My cat Abbakadabra popped out of my house one day last week and disappeared. She never came back. I guess she must be dead. Quickly I've realized how relieved I feel that I don't have to worry about her peeing on my carpets anymore. When I came back from Dallas last weekend, she wasn't here, and I really didn't miss her a bit. It's so nice to have on black pants today and know she won't be crawling into my lap and ruining them and that when I sit down on the toilet, she won't be accosting me to get in my lap. She had really become somewhat of a nuisance.
My trip to Dallas was amazing. I met little Anna Zhulan Corry, a little Chinese six-year-old girl from somewhere. Barbara, her mother, is doing such a fine job of orienting her to our American ways. Anna speaks English as well as my niece Hannah. It's unbelievable really. She must be related to God.
My students finished their semester projects on Friday. Everyone of them had a tale to tell about how their computers or printers screwed up. They all ended up burning the midnight oil even though I paced them through this project so they shouldn't have had to. I guess God wanted to test them this way. Their projects are like little dissertations. I'm planning to savor each one. I have the advantage of being able to evaluate and read them one at a time over this holiday. One day at a time. Wonderful. So different than other years. You can see they were proud of their work.
Hopefully by next week, things will have settled down on this starship so that I can write a true detailed letter to all of you. Life here is exciting, and I'm going places like Lafayette and to Mistle Toe and Moss, and I really have this premonition that there's a prince charming looking me up. A box just seemed to fall from heaven on my car. He seems to be saying he likes this independent woman.
Thank you, all of you guys....
With love, Linda
"Whatever you do may seem insignificant,
but it is most important that you do it."
--Gandhi

Monday Afternoon Reflections - November 5, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,
Lots of things went on last week in my life, as well as in yours, I'm sure. Let me tell you about mine.
The Light Weigh group met in my house for the second time last Monday, and the numbers diminished greatly. I'm wondering if people decided on the first night that the program was not for them or whether some people just couldn't make it last week. I guess tonight we'll see what happens. A smaller, more intimate group would be my preference anyway, so if that's what happens, it will be good, I think. I continue to keep my eating in check by waiting for hunger signals, and it's working very well for me. Praying for someone instead of reaching for some kind of snack is also becoming commonplace for me. This is an interesting turn of events. Now if I can just get myself back to Curves regularly again with this week's schedule. I need the exercise, too.
Tuesday Ted Baker called me with the exciting news that Flavin Realtors had let him know that someone is interested in the Cleveland House property that he's getting ready for sale for me. I hope this comes to fruition. This is such an excellent time for someone to get involved so that they can pick out paint colors and cabinet counter tops, etc. We'll see what happens. Besides that, I didn't need the services of Ted in the last week, and that's got to be a first. With rents coming in over the past several days, though, a few requests have come in--nothing that's an emergency. Ted will be doing some handyman work for me in coming days. I have plans, once another Mesothelioma settlement comes in, to continue the process of repairing rotten wood and painting houses, but for now, I'm in a holding pattern with the rental business.
My job as a teacher is also very fulfilling and going well. My eight young women are proving to be exceptional in all aspects of my course. Last Tuesday, we discussed "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, a story set in Vietnam about a young lieutenant who blames himself for the death of one of his command because he was obsessing over a love interest back home. The story is written in a style that includes sections of things that the men carried over in Vietnam--literal things with weights and also less tangible things like the secrets they carried. We discussed this story through motifs. The girls were broken into pairs to create a poster tracing one motif or several parallel ones through words and symbol. (See Photos #1, #2, #3) They did presentations, explaining their thinking about the physical and emotional things the soldiers in this story carried, and I put the posters up in the hallway, in preparation for Open House next week. With the addition of creative thinking strategies in my teaching, I've got lots of things to display on the wall. This is a big change in my course this year. I'm so excited, and I was able to share this excitement with Glenda Williams, our new Academic Vice Principal one day last week. She suggested that this year I come up with posters advertising AP English for next year, and I plan to get the girls to help me with this after Christmas. I'm sure they can come up with something good.
Other activities in my classes this past week included introducing the syntax paragraph for the style analysis unit. Syntax scares people for some reason, and I'm hoping this year I've done a better job of alleviating those fears and overcoming the negative fall-out from thinking that syntax is too obscure or scary for anyone to understand and write about. We'll see this week if the essays the girls write about a story called "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros show signs of true understanding of this aspect of style. The girls also completed drafts of their Literary Analyses for their semester project, which will be due on November 16. I've been moving them through the individual pieces of that project, and we're just about there. Tomorrow they have to show me their creative cover sheet and biographical timelines. There are just a few more pieces of the project to complete, and there's plenty of time to polish everything up. I'm so excited that I only have eight of these 30-page projects to evaluate over Thanksgiving break this year. It will give me a longer holiday, which I'm looking forward to.
My students also completed the war section of our short story unit by comparing what they learned about war from the four stories we read and shared and analyzed. They did this in class on Friday, and we will move into the end of the short story unit in the next two weeks. I've chosen two stories that are about mother-daughter relationships. With a group of girls, these stories should really pop into life.
Wednesday was Halloween, and for me, that mainly meant that I dressed in orange and black and dropped by my church to photograph the Trunk or Treat outreach that is done each year to invite our surrounding community into our church. I know Ray would have loved to have been a part of this endeavor. He so loved dressing up in costume, and he would have really loved the whole idea of it. But I don't have the heart to decorate my trunk all by myself. I'm doing well to just get myself over there to see how much fun everybody's having. I especially loved Joe and Barbara White's costumes this year. Aren't they hilarious? (See Photo #4)
From this party, I drove over to Central School for the Arts and Humanities and attended a live radio Louisiana Crossroads concert. Doyle Bramhall, C.C. Adcock & Friends were performing. It was soooo good! I only stayed for one set, but it's the kind of music I love to kick back and listen to, and I wished that my brother Scott could have been there with me. I'm wondering if he is familiar with these artists. I can't believe how fortunate we are here in Lake Charles to have this kind of entertainment just a few blocks away from my house. There's no traffic; it's easy to park; the entertainment is topnotch. I feel like I've gone to heaven in a sense.
Thursday was a different story when I drove over to Reeves Uptown to attend the monthly Profit and Loss luncheon. Ashley Smith, the hostage hero of Atlanta, was the speaker, and because she is famous, I guess, the place was a mob scene. I opted not to attend and turned around as soon as I saw that my usual parking spot was unavailable and that I would have to walk a couple of blocks to get to the door. I figured the tables inside would be overwhelmed, too, and I just wasn't interested enough to go through the experience. Hopefully, next month things will be more usual.
Friday the students got out of school by noon, and the teachers had in-service in the afternoon. There were two sessions--one on the computer to learn some shortcut methods on GradeQuick, our gradebook on the computer, and another on security plans that should be in place in our building for intruders on campus and other possible crises. They were both good, but I'm sorry that my being tied up on this particular Friday meant that I missed getting to see my son Will on his way to Mississippi. I just missed his call when I left the building that afternoon. He wasn't able to stop evidently on his way back to Texas yesterday. Hopefully, I'll see him soon in another capacity.
Saturday night I had the treat of attending a dance at the VFW hall with two friends from choir. Ruth Lucius invited Ellen Smith and me to go listen to our choir director's band. (See Photo #5) Chris Miller's Bayou Roots plays all kind of Cajun waltzes and other dances, and there were actually some single men in the crowd who asked us ladies to dance. I also got out and tried this version of line dancing and was successful. The evening was a lot of fun.
Chris reminded us that because we didn't have choir practice on Thursday night, we needed to meet in the sanctuary at 10:00 Sunday morning to practice our song for an hour before service. I was running a little late, but I got there in plenty of time to enjoy experiencing "The Morning Trumpet" with a live trumpet player from McNeese State University. The congregation actually clapped for this performance later during the service. It was just beautiful and so appropriate for All Saints' Sunday and communion.
Later after lunch, I had made an appointment with Liz Mueller from my school to have a photo shoot again this year for my Christmas card photo. She picked me up before two, and we went over to my church grounds for some photo opportunities. I wore the tuxedo white shirt and black slacks that I'd found the night before at Talbot's, and the photos came out very well. I especially love the ones that were taken in the church sanctuary. By chance, Lois Ferguson was dropping off a friend when Liz and I were trying to see if the doors to the church were open, and she was able to let us in for some beautiful photos. The light was coming in the stained glass and shining down upon me. They came out great. Liz also ran me over to St. Louis and took some shots of me with the line of oak trees that line the bayou. I had tried to get the perfect photo the week before in Nacogdoches but wasn't really satisfied. One of Liz's shots will be the one for my cards this year.
The Women's Circles joined forces on Sunday afternoon to get bags of candy ready for the upcoming Christmas parade. (See Photo #6) Schedules with the Advent and Christmas celebrations at our church were stapled to the decorated bags, and people of all ages helped with the preparations of these. I wished I'd brought my own stapler. I could have gotten more accomplished if I had, but at least I was able to take pictures, as usual. And I enjoyed the personal visiting that went on during this activity.
I met John and Diane Pelzer at Logan's at 6:00 p.m. (See Photo #7) They just got back from a two-week cruise through the Panama Canal, and they had many stories to share. It sounds like they had a fabulous time traveling with John's brother and wife. In Costa Rica, they found a necklace, bracelet, and earring set made out of nut ivory for my birthday gift. (See Photo #8) I just love it and can't wait for the opportunity to wear it.
I've heard from both my friends in Dallas about my upcoming trip later this week. Little Anna Zhulan is looking forward to an "all day good morning" when I come visiting. I so look forward to seeing things through this little Chinese girl's eyes. I will be spending time with both Barbara Corry and Cindy Wood. The only thing that I wish I could also do during this time away is pet my cat. (See Photo #8) I have Carole Chavanne coming to see her each day while I'm away, but this little cat has become such a loving little baby. I just wonder if she cries when I'm not here for those special times she curls into my lap each day. I'm hoping she spends lots of time in this special spot on the camel saddle, curled up with Ray's chemo quilt.
Life, the universe, and everything seems to be in good order on a day like today. The weather's beautiful. I have no emergencies in my life going on. Teaching and the rental business are fulfilling and going very well. I hope your life is also in a good place. God bless you...
With love, Linda
"Whatever you do may seem insignificant,
but it is most important that you do it."
--Gandhi

Monday Afternoon Reflections - October 29, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,
Today is a gloriously sunny autumn day with just the hint of a chill in the air. I often associate this kind of weather with San Diego, but after the horrible firestorms they've been having there over the past week, they probably would wish for some of the rainy weather we're accustomed to. I heard from all of my friends and family in San Diego over this past week with relieving news from each. Some evacuated last week, but all came home to their homes intact. May we continue to hold the people of this California region in our prayers as the Santa Ana winds continue to blow. May the ones devastated find strength and courage and may the ones spared help those in need.
I just got home from an unexpected lunch with my son Will Pylate. (See Photo #1) He and his coworker had time to break for lunch after a job over in Orange, and I met them at the Cajun Eatery, a thirty-minute drive for me. What a nice thing this is, getting to enjoy a catch-up visit unexpectedly on a week day. My family missed Will and his family at our family gathering this weekend, and I was glad to have this opportunity to at least see Will.
The family gathering over this past weekend was so much fun for those who could make it. Friday we all headed to Nacogdoches, Texas, to be there in time for the evening Nacogdoches High School football game against Marshall, Texas. I checked into my hotel as soon as I got into town and then went to Scott and Marcia's house to meet up with the others. Lee's family couldn't get away until Eva got finished with teaching her first grade class, so they were the last to arrive, just after kick-off. We made a good cheering section. (See Photo #2) It was hard seeing where Emma was amid the crowd of her marching band, but we think we snapped at least a couple pictures that had her in. The band didn't actually do any complicated formations on this particular night because of the middle school bands joining their show. We got to see Emma the next morning, though, marching in the Stephen F. Austin University's homecoming parade. (See Photos #3 & #4)
Saturday afternoon, the adults took off in Scott's all-wheel drive vehicle for a tour of all of their properties, leaving the children home to fend for themselves. The boys played video games all afternoon, and the girls did girlie things like straightening their hair. We adults went out to the country to visit Miss Marcielle, Marcia's mother, in her little cedar cabin out on their property. (See Photo #5) Scott drove us up steep hills and around rocks and trees down into dales to see the details of nature that are so beautiful this time of year. (See Photos #6 - #9) The purpose of this weekend together was fall birthdays. I supplied the cake from Cypi's with all of the names upon it. (See Photo #10) Scott, Debbie, and I blew out the candle right before I left to return home. The rest stayed into Sunday and enjoyed more time outdoors together. (See Photo #11)
My weekend wasn't over after this rich and fulfilling time with family. On Sunday morning, even though I missed choir practice on Thursday due to a hot water tank problem, I sang pretty on-key the song, "Instruments of Praise." I sat listening to Fred preach and thought how fortunate we are to have such a good storyteller from Mississippi in the pulpit. He seems to have anecdotes from all parts of his life to share in bringing God's Word to life for us. I appreciate it every week.
Right after the service and a quick lunch, I was back on the road again--this time over to Port Arthur for the Texas Bamboo Festival held at the Buu Mon Buddhist Temple there. I arrived just as the ordination service in the temple was ending. Little girls were just finishing a dance, and I oh so wished I'd left home thirty minutes sooner. (See Photo #12) I ran into friends from the American Bamboo Society who had organized this event--Jimmie and Judith Bussey (See Photo #13) Judith walked me through the beautiful gardens of many kinds of bamboo and water lilies, and soon I was on my way to Dillard's. I've been on a mission to replace my underwear again, this time with what seems like a really sturdy and pretty kind called Body Suede by Wacoal. I like the XL sized panties, and most stores just buy one pair in each color, so Judith's news that there was another Dillard's in Port Arthur made this shopping trip even more fruitful. I also stopped at the Dillard's in Beaumont, and now I have what I want and need. It was a successful trip all ways around.
The whole weekend followed a work week of accomplishments--in the classroom, in my rental business, and in other areas of my life. My classes continue to astound me with their creativity and sensitivity about what we're reading in literature. I am getting pure pleasure from working with these eight girls this year.
In my rental business, because the weather changed to 70's in the daytime and 40's at night, suddenly there were heating issues to deal with. Tuesday Ted had to go get a heater up and running for me, and on Thursday, he got a hot water tank back on line after hours. I had a floor replaced in the bathroom of another house by another contractor, and he also did a very nice job. He works in conjunction with Lanier Plumbing, and I'm glad to have another back-up in case Ted's ever not available. I had Lanier Plumbing also come unclog my bathtub drain. It was long overdue, and it is so nice to again have that drain working right. I did some handiwork myself this past week. When the air turned chill and it was time to turn off the ceiling fans, it became apparent that they were indeed very much in need of a good cleaning. I went out to Bed Bath & Beyond and got one of those long-handled tools to wrap around the blades and get all of the cat fur and dust off. I'm so glad to have that done, and it's so nice to not have heat or AC going. Maybe my utility bill this month will be nice and low.
I walked the Labyrinth at Good Shepherd on Tuesday night before I went to the last Grief Workshop session at my church. Every time I walk the labyrinth, something new and different comes from it. This time I felt like God was telling me that like the labyrinth, I'm on a pathway right now and out there somewhere there's someone else on a pathway that will someday cross paths with mine. I was thinking as I walked that night about how I happened to meet my first husband Craig through a channel of unexpected occurrences, and the same thing happened with Ray Gardner. Ray happened to be perusing the Yahoo personal ads for women in Galveston, and we met through that unexpected means. Through my walk through the labyrinth on this particular night, I got the message that there's another chapter to my life on the horizon. I just don't know when it will engage and happen. At least the Grief Workshop has gotten me thinking in these kind of new possibilities in my life. I'm grateful to Dr. Danny Miller and his wife and the Viegas for helping me to move along in my grief process about Ray and about so many chapters of my life.
In addition to the work on my weight that I've been doing through Curves, this past week I offered up my home for a program called The Light Weigh. It's another approach to coming to terms with the reasons why we eat and learning about the proper ways to eat in order to release pounds and come to a natural resting place. Leslie Fain is the facilitator of this group, and I have volunteered my home for our meeting place for 12 weeks. The first session went very well, once we found a place to show the DVD. It wouldn't work on my TV player, so we ended up in my bedroom using my computer. But this was the only glitch. I'm anxious to hear more about this plan of eating. On this first night, I found affirmation for something that I've gravitated to already, just living on my own and not needing to plan meals for anyone else. I'm waiting until my stomach growls before I feed it anything, and this is one of the keys this program teaches. We've got to get in touch with our natural hunger cycles. I look forward to finding out what's being taught tonight when we meet here again.
Everybody's looking forward to Halloween coming up this week. May the goblins and witches not scare any of you...
With love, Linda
"Whatever you do may seem insignificant,
but it is most important that you do it."
--Gandhi

Monday Afternoon Reflections - October 22, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,
I have felt better this past week, although I have still needed plenty of sleep. I really think that the Grief Workshop and all that it has stirred in me, not only about losing Ray, but about all of the major losses in my life, has moved me through the deep fatigue that requires so much sleep. I was blessed this weekend with having the time for that kind of sleep. With my current teaching schedule, I even could sleep in this morning, and I did. I feel rested and ready to reflect on my life and to share those reflections with all of you this afternoon.
I've continued with the Curves Challenge. I'm into the fifth week of really cutting back on my calories again, and I'm pleased to report that it's going well. I've lost eight pounds. Finally, those five pounds that I put on in France have come off again, and I'm hoping that once I come to a resting place, I can just maintain my weight. I made it over to Curves for workouts several times this past week. That aspect is also so very important. Because of this regimen I'm on, I've not tried to have many meals out, but even on a week like this, I ate out three times.
One time was when I rode over to Lafayette on Tuesday night with JoLynn Marcantel for a Theresians District meeting. She and I had dinner at Zea's before the meeting, and the salad was so pretty, I just had to photograph it. (See Photos #1 & #2) The meeting following moved along nicely. I'm loving the room we're now meeting in with couches in one big circle. I feel like it's opening up the group for me. Maybe it's the second year into this kind of position when friendships begin to blossom. I'm enjoying it. Plans for the Lenten Retreat are underway, and I just hate that the Bamboo Weekend conflicts with this each year. Last year I thought about straddling things and going to both, but I have decided that my retreat for Lent will always take place in the bamboo groves of Avery Island, where I have special people who gather just once a year. I just can't miss it.
Another meal out this past week was for PrimeTimers at my church. (See Photo #3) That was quite a day for me. I didn't know whether I was going to make it. I was asked to help administer the PSAT test at my school that morning, and while that test was going on, all hell broke loose in my rental business. After two weeks of no one calling for repairs or other problems, suddenly on this particular morning, I got three calls. I ended up having to leave the test. Thankfully, I was only a proctor, and this didn't really pose a problem. I had to get Lanier Plumbing and Ted Baker involved with the three things that happened, and by the grace of God, I still managed to get to the PrimeTimers luncheon and the faculty meeting at 2:00 p.m. and to my spiritual director's office by 3:00. The speaker for the PrimeTimers luncheon didn't show up for some reason, so that was a disappointment, but it probably worked out best for me anyway.
My third meal out this past week happened yesterday spontaneously. On a whim, I called Barry and Lynn Rhodes to see if they'd like to attend the Lake Charles Symphony performance yesterday (See Photo #4) They agreed, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by other friends who also came. I spotted Phyllis Morgan and Celena Perry, and we sat right next to them, and then a little later Lynn spotted two of her Quilting Guild compatriots, and Carol Thompson and Suzanne Lee also joined our party. In fact, they joined us for dinner at O'Charley's after the performance, and Barry was an awfully good sport to listen to so much "girly" talk over our meals. When we snapped the shot leaving the restaurant, we laughingly called ourselves "Barry's Harem." (See Photo #5) It was a good time for all.
By the way, the symphony performance was really good, too. All three pieces conducted by visiting Conductor from Alexandria, Louisiana, Joshua Zona, were compositions by Schumann. During the first half of the performance, the Overture to Manfred and "Spring" lulled us into a restful place. We all talked about how relaxed we felt and how sleepy. But in the second half, when David Friend on piano stirred us all into musical frenzies and crescendos, we were in rapt attention, awaiting the next movement of the Piano Concerto in A Minor. We left the Rosa Hart Theater awake and ready for that fun meal at O'Charley's. On the way out, many patrons were enjoying a piece of the cake that was given in honor of the Lake Charles Symphony's 50th anniversary year. I was surprised to find out that the Junior League fifty years ago was responsible for this wonderful addition to our cultural life in Lake Charles. They were the ones who offered up this cake, and the whole auditorium sang "Happy Birthday" before the afternoon's performance.
I was supposed to partake of another meal on Thursday at the 2007 Women's Commission Fall Conference, but it was such a mob scene at meal time that I opted not to go listen to the Keynote Speaker of this Conference, Dixie Carter. I also didn't get to hear Eleisha Eagle play and sing. But I did spend some time going through all of the booths on the ground floor of the Civic Center. (See Photo #6) I was happy to meet up with women in the community to add to women's health and other occupations. Christus St. Patrick Hospital was passing out royal blue tote bags that I know I will use on my trip to China in June.
I called my sister Debbie numerous times again this past week to check up on little Woody. Every day the reports kept getting better, so we thank all of you who put this little companion in your prayers. His back seems to be healing well, and hopefully he won't have any further problems.
At choir practice on Thursday night, Bob Emanuel asked me if I'd be willing to be Worship Leader for Sunday's Dedication service, and I agreed. This time, finally, I feel like I've got the routine basically down. By that I mean, I think I'm remembering properly to tell the congregation when to stand and sit, and I made sure this time that I had all of my prayers prepared. There are several. This was the Sunday when the congregation met afterwards to nominate new elders for the Class of 2010. I'm one of those, and I look forward to sharing the gifts God has given me with my church family. I'm hoping I don't end up in the kitchen much, but otherwise I'm really quite open to trying some new things.
Unfortunately, travel plans are going to prevent me from going to the planned orientation for new elders on November 11th. I've got a number of weekend trips on my calendar over the next six weeks. This coming weekend, my family is gathering in Nacogdoches, Texas, for fall birthdays. We'll be going Friday in time to see Emma march playing her French horn at her high school football game that night. The birthday party will be on Saturday. Then the weekend of November 9th, I'm flying to Dallas to meet my friend Barbara Corry's new little Chinese daughter. Five-year-old Anna Zhulan sounds precious and so vivacious on the phone. I'm sure it will be quite an experience. I will also connect up with my old friend Cindy Wood on this trip. Then the weekend of November 30, I'm flying to Harlingen, Texas, to join an old kindergarten friend of mine, who will be enjoying two weeks on South Padre Island with her family. The DeGroffs live in Burwell, Nebraska, and their sons and families will come from wherever they live. Patty Taylor DeGroff and I correspond and stay in touch through phonecalls and birthday cards, but I think it's been maybe 28 years or so since I've seen her in person. On a whim, when she told me this past week she was going to be in Padre Island, I suggested I join her and her family for a few days. I also look forward to this getaway weekend. God is leading me some very interesting places...
My class of eight girls continues to bring me joy and much intellectual stimulation. This past week we discussed Luigi Pirandello's short story called "War" using another creative thinking strategy. We were looking at the both the physical and psychological indicators that author gave us in determining the personalities of his characters. (See Photo #7) This is a story about war that is unusual in that it's about a conversation among parents of soldiers having their own battle of who might suffer the greatest loss. None of the characters have been given names, and it was interesting to put them into the focus of the hero's journey paradigm, for each one of them really represents Everyman. It was a class period that gave me a real sense of teaching being an art.
Homecoming was over a week ago, but there were still signs in the Commons this past week of the Cinderella theme. Liz Mueller was walking by when I was photographing some of the decorations, and she had me pose again this week as a Cinderella. (See Photo #8)
Signs that I'm moving in some manner in myself and in my soul continue to happen in my house and in my wardrobe. I replaced my garbage can and my clothes hamper recently, and as you can see, Abbakadabra likes the new hamper very much. (See Photo #9) I've made more trips to the Women's Shelter with items and clothes I no longer need. And I've also added to my cobalt blue fowl collection recently. Here is a Murano Dove of Peace in blue.
I hope in my own little ways I'm working like this dove for peace in the world. May my letter reach out to you and give you some connection and some contentment somehow. Many blessings on each and every one of you...
With love, Linda
"Whatever you do may seem insignificant,
but it is most important that you do it."
--Gandhi