Monday Evening Reflections - October 1, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,
Charlotte McCallum, the woman I told you about last week in my saga about China, just left my house after an hour and a half of intense and excited discussion about the prospects of going to China together. I am so excited!!! (See Photo #1) I showed Charlotte around my unusual home, and then we sat down on the couch to learn about each other. Charlotte shared photos of some of her former time in China and told me about living there and being an English teacher at Jilin University in Changchun in the Jilin Province west of and not too far across the border from North Korea. I, in turn, peppered her with questions about the kind of luggage and purse to take and all those kind of practical things I would like to know. This will be a trip where we will travel light, me with a rolling duffel bag, it's looking like, and bringing mainly clothes that we could leave behind if we wanted to and clothes that can be washed out and hung to dry overnight without too many wrinkles. I brought up the possibility of my sister Debbie's coming along, and Charlotte was open to the possibility. I called Debbie as soon as Charlotte left, and Debbie is definitely interested in this kind of trip, too. We'll all be looking for a fourth person who might be up for a trip across China on a very personal and informal level. Charlotte and I talked about the sights we might like to see in China, and already we are in agreement about the famous terracotta soldiers. I would also like to see the Forbidden City that I saw in the movie, THE LAST EMPEROR, and the Great Wall, of course. Otherwise, I'm pretty open to anything. Just walking down streets and seeing the sights will be such a pleasure. Who knows what adventures God has in store for us. I plan to just simply watch it all unfold. Charlotte gifted me with a paper cutout (See Photo #2), which says something like Good Luck and a handmade pin she got in Thailand. I was touched by meeting her and feel God's hand in the whole experience with our being connected through Jackson Schrumpf, who went to some effort to find and reconnect with Charlotte at W. W. Lewis Middle School after I mentioned the People to People program in that recent letter. He definitely thought I should talk to her about a trip to China, and definitely he is right!! May God be with us in planning and executing this trip in June, leaving sometime after the 8th of the month, after all of my rents have been secured and deposited, and staying at least two weeks and maybe a bit more.
Right after I hung up from talking to Debbie, I got a call from someone who knew Ray on-line through one of the Lancair groups who chat on-line. Their connection was that they both owned and had built Lancair airplanes. Bill Rumburg was one of the people who was looking for Ray after he died. I still keep Ray's Tubamanflies address open, just in case there's still someone out there who doesn't know Ray's gone. Bill has read my book and had some questions to ask me. I'm glad he caught me home tonight.
I was on 1200 calories per day this past week, and it really didn't faze me a bit. I was able to carry on my normal life without too many hunger pains. I also got over to Curves four times last week. Surely when I weigh in tomorrow, things will be looking up with my weight. Those five pounds I put on in France in June have just been stubborn about coming back off. I'm hoping this jumpstart is what I needed. Today I switched to 1600 in order not to go into starvation mode with my metabolism. I plan to continue dieting until this trip to China so that I can just enjoy whatever there is to experience foodwise while over there. Charlotte was telling me about eating silkworms in various sauces, and I'm sure there are other delicacies or just common foods to the Chinese that we will encounter. I'm ready for the culinary adventure, too.
Teaching school for me last week was fairly light and easy. The librarians, who are without a whole library to work with since our new one is under construction, were nonetheless wonderful in doing an orientation for my students, customized to the kind of semester project they're facing. Melanie LeJeune had prepared an extensive PowerPoint presentation that the girls were able to see up close with the portable laptops that Melanie had brought with her. (See Photo #3) They were shown the kinds of databases that are readily accessible from home through various sources, and she gave them ideas for finding the kinds of articles they need, including literary criticism, historical background articles, and psychology articles to help the students understand the motivations of their main character. It was just excellent. I thank both Diane Guillory and Melanie for putting such a fine thing together for my students.
I taught only one other class myself last week on Thursday. We were discussing James Joyce's "Araby," and this is the first year that I personally made the connection that this story is similar to "A & P" by John Updike in the sense that the narrator in each story is a male who becomes infatuated with a female. The times and places and ages of the boys are different, but it was interesting, through these girls' perspectives to see how tone and diction and detail came into play with each boy's attitude toward girls. The "A & P" character was jaded and really rather demeaning in his ideas about the girls who wander into his grocery store in bathing suits, and the "Araby" character comes off as being really sweet in his observations about the older sister of his friend. Having a group of all female students this year is changing what comes out in these discussions, I feel. I find the girls are more willing to go out on a limb in their own observations and analyses than I've seen before. I think I'm in for a very interesting ride this year in teaching this group. I tutored one of my students Thursday afternoon right after school, coaching her to write an even better admissions essay for Rice University that she had already written. Living four blocks from school, I can easily pop back over to campus for these kinds of sessions. I hope more of my students take me up on it.
Friday there were no classes because of a Diocesan In-Service. It took place at St. Louis, and it was so very good. We had two keynote speakers. One was Dr. Carol Eipers, Vice President and Executive Director of Catechetics for William H. Sadlier. She came to us from New York City, and we wondered how she got on a plane to come with so many props to bring her presentation to life. She started out dressed like a miner and ended up dressed like a salt shaker with a halo. Her message, through her numerous gimmicks to get our attention, was that "[w]e will 'mine' our Catholic beliefs by digging into Scripture, Tradition and our experiences of faith," which we can share with those we serve--our students. The other keynote speaker was Mr. Leo Trahan, Diocesan Director of Religious Education from the Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi, and he shared even more practical things, some of which touched me to tears. There were three times that I teared up and could have gone off somewhere and cried. His telling us that sharing our personal story is key to communicating the Good News about Christ with our students touched me very deeply. During his break, I ran out to my car and got one of my books and wrote him a note about how much he had stirred me and gave it to him. I just felt called to do that thing. He introduced us teachers and administrators to the Nooma film series. These are 11-minute films that are narrated and connect true life experiences to God's movement and purpose in our lives. I have to tell you that I have ordered all 17 of these on-line today, and I know that some place and sometime I will be using these little films to spur meaningful discussions with somebody--maybe my granddaughter or my nieces and nephews or maybe a group of adults. Who knows? Anyway, this was something practical that came out of Mr. Trahan's talk for me. He also did a Photo Story from the Photo Story 3 Free Download at Microsoft.com on Hurricane Rita. I could have bawled with how beautifully he moved me with his music and his photos. Coming from Biloxi, I know he knows what coming through a hurricane means, and it showed in the depth of his understanding in film and music. There were other things he used in his presentation that also touched me, and I just had to let him know with an autographed copy of my own book, my own story. I thanked him for affirming me in my approach to opening every one of my classes with a devotional and a sharing and then a creative-writing warm-up and a sharing. So often in doing this kind of activity in my class, my own personal stories of faith surface and are shared. I felt God was working some personal therapy on me in this day of in-service.
God has been working on me from all kinds of angles in the past week again. I attended the Grief Workshop at my church again last Tuesday, and this time I didn't cry so much, but this time I shared so much that I've never told anybody. There are experiences that I've had as a widow that have seemed questionable and unusual, and Dr. Danny Miller assured me that I'm really in the category of normal in all that I've experienced. I have felt very blessed that this man has been willing to hear so much that I have to say about all my losses in life. He's got quite a personal way of listening, and so does his wife Jeannie. I feel myself coming to terms with so many things that have lain buried within for so much time.
Adam Puckett's death also stirred me greatly last week. I went to the visitation at Johnson Funeral Home on Wednesday afternoon, and although I don't know Gisele, his mother, very well yet, I was able to hold her in my arms for a brief moment and say the things I needed to say to her. I also was able to talk at length with her sister, my spiritual director, Denise Donahoe. I decided that I wouldn't go to the funeral the next day, just because I thought it could very well be a big crowd, and I wanted to leave my space for someone who knew Adam personally. I was feeling agitated and needing some outlet all day Thursday, though. I knew I needed to do something with my hands, and I ended up going through the big basket I have sitting on my counter with all of my accumulated cards and newsletters and such from the past year. I needed to clean it out anyway before the new Christmas cards come in this year, and I did it that day. I also decided to clean closets again. This time I got rid of all my handbags that I've accumulated since moving to Lake Charles. All of them were black leather, full of pockets and zippers, and all of them I know I'll never use again. I don't think I've ever gone back to using an old purse again. Why I always keep them, I don't know. Anyway, I took quite a haul of them, along with three bags of clothing, to the Women's Shelter that afternoon. I also had lunch with Phyllis Morgan that day. (See Photo #4) She was kind enough to meet me at Chez Cafee so that I could unload this burden of loss on her. Hopefully I wasn't too bad of company for her.
Gisele Puckett wrote to all of us at St. Louis about how amazing the coincidences were the day that Adam died. By chance, she and her husband were trying to call Adam, just at the moment that the accident occurred. Adam's brothers were both easily diverted back to Baton Rouge to be of help, and there were other things that happened that day like a rainbow in the sky that show that God was present and helping. I'm so glad to know that Gisele feels called to fulfill her position as our new counselor, despite the heartbreak she's had happen. We at St. Louis are very fortunate to have her in our midst. I hope to know her better.
Friday, after the in-service, I came home and ate a salad for lunch and then another adventure was in store. I traveled with my friend, Joan Vallee-Rettke, to Baton Rouge for her grandson Drew's third birthday party the next day. We made good time and got there just as Corey and Drew were coming home. Susan, Joan's daughter, was soon to follow. Joan and I had stopped at Winn Dixie to get a Thomas the Train birthday balloon blown up with helium and picked up salads from DeAngelo's for supper. That way, we were able to babysit for Drew so that Susan and Corey could go out for dinner and gather things for the upcoming birthday party. They are both attorneys and work long weeks. I was glad that Joan and I were able to give them some time off on their own both nights we were there.
Saturday morning I slept in, having gotten a nice long sleep, and things were really happening around the house. Food was being delivered and workmen were putting up a train-shaped bouncing spacewalk construction in the yard. (See Photo #5) The children at the party, including Drew in the striped shirt, had a wonderful time jumping in that thing. (See Photo #6) I took on the role of being photographer for the party since I didn't really know many people and Joan and Susan and Corey were busy with lots of other things. It worked out well, and I have been able to give a CD full of many pictures to both Drew's grammie and his parents to remember this special day. (Oh, how I wish there were this much documentation of me and my life when I was three years old, especially right now with my writing my book about those years. By the way, I did write again this past Wednesday and got another segment done.) I took lots of pictures, but I'll only subject you to a few more. (See Photos #7-#11)
Drew is an amazing three-year-old. He can count past 50, and he goes back and forth from hand to hand by fives. I've never seen anything like it in one so young. He's also totally engrossed with Thomas the Train. The party was based on that theme, and he got many presents related to Thomas, but what was so amazing to me was to see Drew's focus in playing with his trains on the coffee table and with putting together puzzles and with everything he did. He's got a long attention span for just a little boy. Obviously, he's very smart like his grandmother and his parents.
Joan and I got back to Lake Charles Saturday night after 11:00, but I was able to get up Sunday morning to sing with my choir and attend church. I loved the song we sang, "O God Beyond All Praising" and the whole church service. I was glad I'd made the effort to be back. Rev. Fred's sermon about making a solid investment, even when it might be a longshot in the future, spoke to me in things that I know I must do. I didn't stick around very long after the service, for my house badly needed dusting before the Rhodes paid me a visit later that afternoon. Lynn's son, Father Sean, who became a priest in Minnesota last year, is here visiting, and I was glad to have the opportunity to get to know him a bit. Barry, Lynn, Father Sean, and Barry's sister, Donna, who's here from Hawaii, came over about 4:00, bearing gifts. Donna had baked me a persimmon cake from a tree on her property in DeRidder, which was delicious this morning for breakfast, and Lynn gave me a momento from her recently deceased father's home--a lovely cobalt blue vase. I've found a place for it in my kitchen. We drank a bottle of red Zinfandel from Ray's collection before heading for DeAngelo's for a delicious dinner that always pleases. (See Photo #12) Conversation is always so varied and interesting around these special friends who have become my family in Louisiana. I was especially happy to share with Father Sean experiences I've had teaching at St. Louis. I accidentally dropped my camera right after one of my students working at DeAngelo's snapped a group shot for us, and thank you, God, it didn't break this time. The shutter was closed, and it landed on its back, and it still works. Thank you, God!!
I'll need it for my trip to China in June. I'm hoping writing this letter has calmed me down enough to go to sleep now. I think I'm getting sleepy. I waited to write today, though, until I'd met Charlotte. I'm so glad I did. I wanted to share with you the good news about China.
I hope your life is also unfolding in unusual and interesting ways--good ways... I'd love to hear about them.
With love and blessings, Linda
"Whatever you do may seem insignificant,
but it is most important that you do it."
--Gandhi