Seven Things About Me Meme

Tess from Anchors & Masts has tagged me for this meme. How exciting! I'm always up for some fun.

First, the Rules: People who are tagged start by thinking about 7 random facts/habits about themselves. Each player then must write about those seven things on their blog, as well as include these rules. Players then need to choose 7 people to tag and list their names. Don’t forget to leave each person a comment telling them they’ve been tagged.

1. Although I now hail from Seattle, I actually consider myself a bit of a southwestern girl--having grown up in Oklahoma City, OK. A colleague recently said when he found out this fact, "Ah, now I see where you get your fight!" (He didn't realize the 'fight' probably comes most from Lucy :-)

2. Before I really start to dissolve into a belly laugh, I make this kind of guttural snorting sound that my fourteen year old daughter lovingly refers to as 'retarded.' (Not very PC...but, sorry she IS 14).

3. I absolutely love summer! My grandmother used to call me a little brown bear and for years I thought my skin was olive-colored because I always had a hint of tan.

4. When I was little, I dreamed of being Miss America and always wondered what my talent would be. Fortunately, I never went in for twirling blazing batons and gave up the notion of wearing high heels with my bathing suit. I am really glad those photos are not a part of my past or present!

5. I have not always embraced "Lucy." During a personal growth workshop, a friend dubbed me Lucy. I was livid and retorted "I am NOT Lucy!!!!" As you can see, the rest is history. (Sometimes you just have to get over yourself.)

6. For less than a year, we had the most amazing cat named, Larry. He thought he was a dog about half of the time and the other half he knew exactly when to curl up by my side and purr his little heart out. He disappeared about a year ago and I still mourn for him almost every day.

7. I have recurring dreams (both day and night) of being on the Oprah show and impacting thousands of lives in a positive way--either with my best-selling book or my powerful story of survival. Hmmmm.

AND, finally, I have a relatively small circle of blogging friends, many who have already been tagged for this meme. The joy is I have a few friends who have found me that I would like to invite further into the fun and maybe learn a few not-so-well known details about them. So I am tagging Sunrise Sister, Rich, Soutenus, Chimayo Bound, Good for Nowt, Redbarn and Geezer Dude (who has no official site yet, but I am hoping for one.)

A Story of Laughter

"Laughter is carbonated holiness" -- Anne Lamott

"The human brain forgets ninety percent of what goes on."
--Jan Milner

"There were two women who shared a house and raised their daughters, two toddlers, together. Then one of the women got transferred to another city and moved with her daughter.

Ten years later, they had a reunion. The mothers asked their kids what they remembered about living together. Did they remember all the books? No. Did they remember a mom in the kitchen every morning, fixing eggs and toast? No.

What they remembered was playing in the pink bathtub for hours, pulling the pink shower curtain shut for privacy. And the morning the mothers sneaked in, turned off the lights, threw plastic cups and spoons over the curtain and cried, "It's raining spoons!" They laughed and laughed.

We are lucky in this life--our minds think laughter is what's worth remembering.

What laughter from yesterday can I remember today?"

from Today's Gift, author anonymous

No original words from me today, BUT I am most deeply known when I dissolve into fits of soul lifting laughter. It is impossible to fake a belly laugh. Think about it. :-)

photo by bill hughlett

Is It Safe Here?

Over the last several days I have written page upon page of words. Some have been in my head and some actually put onto paper and yet I cannot seem to produce a post. Everything seems to be either intensely personal or bland. I can only speak from personal experience and my experience is anything but bland. It is full of love, hate, fear and passion. I have lived being numb and I hate it. I refuse to live there anymore and still at times I feel trapped as to where and how I can safely share my passions. So where is the balance between sharing what is me and crossing a line where it does not feel safe anymore?

I know that it is my choice what I put here for you to see and yet I have had this nagging feeling of unsafety for the last few days. Maybe it is a result of watching other blogging friends struggle with their own honesty and vulnerability. Maybe it is due to encounters I have had recently in my own life. It also feels a little creepy to know that dozens of people visit this site each day and yet very few (in fact no one for the last two or three days) leave comments. Is this a community as many have suggested or is it a spectator sport? Do you simply want to observe or will you choose to engage? What feels safe to you?

In closing, here are some words from Mark Nepo.

"We waste so much energy trying to cover up who we are, when beneath every attitude is the want to be loved, and beneath every anger is a wound to be healed, and beneath every sadness is the fear that there will not be enough time."

photo by bill hughlett

Nature

A fish cannot drown in water,
A bird does not fall in air
In the fire of its making
Gold doesn't vanish: the fire brightens.
Each creature God made
Must live in its own true nature;
How could I resist my nature,
That lives for oneness with God? --author unknown

photo by bill hughlett

Women in Christianity

I was going to post something entirely different here this morning, but after seeing this video at my friend, Rich's blog, I could not think of anything else. I wept as I watched this and I cannot yet (or possibly will I ever) distinguish between how much of it is from the pain of watching and how much from the beauty of these young, glorious faces. How can anyone who calls themself "of God" say these women are "less than"? I'd love to know your responses and reactions.

Watch here. Women in Christianity

photo by Mary Jane Hughlett, Belgian Congo, late 1950's