Sweet Home Alabama

An 87 year old woman recently returned to her hometown of Guin, Alabama. There she was welcomed by individuals representing four generations of her family. They ranged in age from two to ninety-five. They journeyed from the comfort of their homes and scheduled plans to welcome this lady home. Fresh vegetables and fruit adorned the table with the accompanying variety of salads,breads,meats and desserts.( One should never leave a southern table hungry. There is simply no excuse for that.) The food was plentiful and delicious. The four day visit was filled with stories,laughter,tears and more stories and more food. Additional family gathered for another wonderful meal with delectable hamburgers and fruit and desserts. The canteloupe and watermelon and tomatoes were incredibly bright and colorful and scrumptious. Most of them were grown in family members' gardens.The meal was fantastic as was the visit. The four days included the most fascinating maneuvering of walkers and wheelchairs with children darting in and out of sight and a soundtrack of giggles emanating from both age groups. Holding hands,giving and receiving hugs and exchanging smiles and winks with loved ones is a timeless gift.We skyped with family in Missouri to extend this reunion and love a little further and to remind them that they are never far away from our hearts. Photo albums were dusted off and old memories were made new again. Jokes were shared along with football predictions and hopes. More photos were taken and additional memories were created. Nostalgic drives were made through northwest Alabama. Beautiful flowers were placed at five cemeteries. The record-breaking heat did not stop these acts of love and respect. Another stop was made on the trip home to see more family and enjoy more food and stories.There is always time for one more embrace and one more memory.This visit was restorative not just for my 87 year old mother but for me and for our friend who made the trip and for everyone involved. We were reminded that although we are not Corleones, we are family and our family is important. We represented. And we were happy to discover that in Alabama, you can go home again.

My Cup Runneth Over

There is nothing worse than someone attempting to be funny and failing miserably. Regrettably some people do not realize their weaknesses or refuse to accept them and this is even more painful. It becomes awkward for everyone. This applies to alot of things not limited to humor. Everyone has gifts and it is good to embrace those gifts or talents. Similarly it is a good thing to acknowledge and accept those things at which one is not good and should therefore avoid. I cannot cook. I threw spaghetti on a wall to see if it was done. More specifically,I threw it on wallpaper. The spaghetti was done and so were my cooking privileges. I cannot sew. I spent the majority of home economics class ripping out seams. I cannot sing. I don't even sing in the shower so as to not offend the soap. All of us have been to a talent show or pageant where the contestant's talent was not impressive. You think to yourself that someone should have informed this individual that his/her strengths are not in the singing or dancing categories. But then each of these individuals, whether unfunny,clumsy or off-key should know these truths themselves. I withdrew myself from "jazz" dance classes to prevent the eventual suicides of my instructors. One teacher seemed to have a small stroke each time she failed to convince me that the elasticity of my spine should be the primary focus of my life. I do not have a green thumb. Neither do I have a great familiarity of plant types. I cannot identify the difference in poison oak or eucalyptus. I am equally good (not) at bird identifications. Each and every time I point out a hawk...it is a vulture. If you think you see me clogging, it is more likely that I am killing ants. (I am allergic to ants so spare me the "save the ants" response.) A musical instrument that I can excel at has yet to be invented. Math is not my area of expertise. I wanted foreign language credit for taking algebra ...basic algebra. I have friends who are horse people. They ride and compete in various equestrian events. I am intimidated by horses and they know it. My friends know it. The horses know it. I know it. My drawing is incredibly impressive if you are a fan of the stick-figure genre. My sculpting is powerful if you embrace the Mr. Bill period of art. The areas in which I am defective are great in number. Thank God I know what they are. No one has to suggest that I sing a little quieter. I can hear my own voice and I know that it is neither melodic or harmonious. Job applicants are told to ignore the interview question about your strengths and weaknesses and simply respond with the strengths. These will be the very same people belting out a version of the national anthem that sounds like a cat in the spin cycle of your washer. It is wonderful to try new things and then to sort out which are keepers and which might result in injury,litigation,public humiliation and international incidents. You certainly want to be a lifelong learner and try new adventures as long as you do not cross over into the land of narcissism. If you present yourself as an expert in areas in which you are not, then you lose all credibility. Celebrate your strengths. I can make people laugh. I can move them to tears through my words and my photography. I am a talented writer and photographer. I am grateful for the blessing of those gifts.That is plenty. My cup runneth over.