A Tidings of Magpies

Happy Birthday to Mom from College Girl

We went today to the exhibit, FLOODWALL , a Katrina Memorial by Jana Napoli in its midwest debut here in CinCity. If you get the opportunity come on up to the Clifton Cultural Arts Center(August 28-September 14)or see it when it comes to your town. In Miss Jana's words, "I wanted to take this intimate and homely detritus out of this sodden world. I wanted to take the wrenching cry of grief and transform it into a wailing wall where all of us could mourn. This emotional response quickly grew into a sculptural and historical work that would allow the people of New Orleans to speak, to talk about what they value and why. Anyone who sees the drawers is drawn to them in a very personal way because it is such a familiar object. They think of their own lives, their own drawers and what they hold to be precious and sacred." It's quite moving to see the wall of empty drawers, or in some cases, the flotsam left behind--pages of phone numbers, an old photo--hopefully not to be ...

Sarah Palin as the vice presidential candidate. This has become a hell of a lot more interesting horse race. Am really looking forward to reading and hearing more. I have my bias--I mean look at me, I've worked with the indigent population and the marginalized my entire working life. I have my leanings. But we've got some smart,educated, articulate, experienced people running this year and I have no doubt at all that they love our country. I say, let the games begin.

"I was glued to my tv when it looked like he looked at me and said 'Best start putting first things first.' Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand You can't flip it over and start again Take every breathe God gives you for what it's worth Don't Blink Just like that you're six years old and you take a nap and you Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife Don't blink You just might miss your babies growing like mine did Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your 'better half' Of fifty years is there in bed And you're praying God takes you instead Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think So don't blink" --Kenny Chesney My honey haired girl surprised me tonight at dinner when she began talking about how sad she felt about growing up and that it was all going by so fast. "Next year I'll be going into senior year, then going to college, and then I'll be...

Once after dinner a woman and I walked past An empty basketball court and she says, "I played on a team my junior year in Belfast," And I say "Want to shoot some?" She says "Yes," Though she was wearing a long black dinner dress. She kicked off her high heels and she caught My pass and with great finesse Drove to the baseline, jumped and shot Swish. Two points. We played for awhile, Man in a black suit, woman in a long black gown, I loved her quickness and her heads-up style, Her cool hand as she beat me hands down — Her jumpiness, like a blackbird in the night— Her steady eye, her feet about to take flight.

Two more days in Neurodramaville and I've been thinking a lot about courage. I actually think about courage quite often due to the nature of my work, and I'll get back to that aspect in a moment, but reading Lydia's post from the weekend (please see below) brought the broader, more political and social aspects of bravery and acts of courage to mind. Acts of courage, to me, are small everyday occurrences that may go unnoticed, but never feel small to the person doing them. Daily I am painfully aware of how difficult it is to come to any hospital's ICU and see the person you love lost and unrecognizable by the residue of trauma or disease. Hell, it's hard for me to come in day after day to the barrage of bad news and worse outcomes and I get to escape home to my own life, laundry, and grocery lists. It requires courage to drive in everyday and walk through those automatic sliding glass doors with a threadbare wrapping of hope wrapped tightly around your shoulders, new...

Please, please, please leave this spot immediately and click over to read Lydia's post about a Forty Year Old Salute and from there on to Kevin's blog posting dated October 22, 2006 about those same summer Olympics in 1968. I didn't know the back story to that photo though I remember the events clearly. I would actually put the photo here, but I have irritated my own computer somehow and honey haired girl is not here to help me with hers. It seems somehow naked without a photo for the garnish factor. Oh, yes. She's home!