STANFORD WOMENS BOOK CLUB of the EAST BAY hosts (me!) Sandra, tvgp
two thumb typing you this on my phone: "THANK YOU!" So very much here to Charlotte Severin (as you know, one of my earth angels) for creating this remarkable opportunity.. And to DIANE (I will have to look up last name, but the beautiful one in the green top..) Who opened her -gorgeous, gorgeous home & gardens - to all of us for the occasion.. And! Who included in the spectacular food/dessert spread (contributions by several), IRISH COFFEE (very big smiley face here!) Which we could doctor up (and of course I did!) With a shot of Irish whiskey, whip cream and! Green sprinkles.. Such a welcoming feel in the environment and spirit.. Such a variety of women with a very admirable variety of backgrounds.. And gracious they were to listen as I presented them with my talk & readings, "21 Reasons I LOVE to blog". -which included readings from my book, eat, write & exercise.. The Tri valley haven candlelight march story, the fake tow truck car stealing operation, on a sleepless night in spring... And not in the book, but my poem, 'that's one slippery rock..'. -an honor in every way to be their guest, and I have much more I'd like to say.. About the deep pleasure to be around these women... Each with their own unique life stories of challenges, crises, victories.. But having the common denominator of wearing life well.. They responded kindly and ask me to repeat a quote of mine I will close with here: "we come to earth with instructions: what we love to do instructs us on what we are here to do, and what suffering we endure instructs us on who we are here to help."
-now, I am on full time auntie duty, plus many other balls in the air.. But when time allows: and a wonderful experience also as a featured guest of the pen women.. And such powerful, inspiring readings last night by raina Leon at towne center books.. And another merchandising marathon at ricks picks.. And several new additions to THE HEART SEEN collection.. And more. -all of which will have to wait.. /and what a pain in my two thumbs! To type this.. And fight with the auto word function..!.. The amount of go-back and correct.. Exhausting! -creates quite a disincentive for sharing much, this obstacle course.. -that the goal?
#charlotteseverin
On a sleepless night in spring... by sandra kay
my mind insisted on telling me a love story. "it will help you fall asleep," she promised. and so i agreed to listen -but with my eyes closed.
"at a small oak table," she whispered, "there sat a very handsome man who could solve gigantic mathematical problems in an instant. no paper, no pencil, no machines. -he was a genius," she said smiling, "and although everyone within earshot knew his answers were correct, still they insisted -delighted in- proving with the calculator. "
and i started to recall scenes from the movie good will hunting... then saw robin williams, then scenes from the fisher king... dead poets society; mrs doubtfire... and i tossed and i turned, but she waited patiently for me to settle back down and then continued:
"the fanfare attracted a beautiful woman who was quick to fill in the empty seat directly across from him," she said, "and in an instant, she knew they would fall in love. no words. no time. no question. -she was a genius too," she said smiling, "and although no one else within earshot could hear the wedding bells or baby cries, still she insisted -delighted in-
looking in his eyes."
that's a sweet n' short, g-rated story, i said to my mind. -thank you. i think i can fall asleep now.
"not so fast," she said, "type it first, or it's gone forever after."
the end.
On a sleepless night in spring (II) by (me!) Sandra, tvgp
My mind Insisted on telling me a sad story. "It will help you fall asleep," she promised. And so I agreed to listen, -but with my eyes closed.
"There was a lost and lonely man of middle age," she began, "who did not know even one relative. His parents died early and did not leave him anything in the way of monetary, spiritual, or factual information." She explained.
That is a sad story, I said to my mind
She continued to tell me about how he lived in the early 21st century, so in order to put an end to the haunting questions, 'who am I? Why am I here? Where am I headed'. -all he had to do was invest some time and resources into hiring a professional genealogist and the answers would come...
The internet did make that kind of thing much easier than before, I confirmed with my mind.
"So," she said, "he invested all kinds of time filling out forms, and spent all kinds of money to have his ancestry researched"
"What did he learn?" I Inquired, -awake, but still with my eyes closed.
"He was given a very old black and white picture of two men and one woman, who he was told was his great, great, aunt and her brother, his uncle, and her husband. And we studied the picture very closely.. Which he did often and with a magnifying glass.. Yes! He could see a resemblance! It was expensive and took a long time, but it was well worth it! To finally feel connected to his past.. It gave him a new confidence in the present. He felt.. More grounded one might say."
That doesn't seem so sad... His longing was fulfilled, I said to my mind.
"I'm not done." She whispered,
"His new found confidence allowed him to date for the very first time since.. Too long to remember. ". She said,
"And she breaks his heart," I concluded
"No," she said smiling, "that's not how this ends"
She went on to describe a beautiful, although quite typical, courtship: phone calls, emails, texts.. And an eventual in person date that went so well.. She invited him to her home for you know...
"A nightcap" I said to my mind, with my eyes still closed and a smile on my face.
"Yes," she confirmed, "a nightcap". -both of us knowing what that really meant.
"The next morning," she continued, "in the light of a new day, as he walked down her hallway toward the kitchen, to his utter amazement, shock and disbelief and confusion.. He saw hanging on her wall, the exact same picture as was sitting on his fireplace mantel: his! HIS great, great aunt, great, great uncle, her brother and her husband.. HIS relatives"
-this is not like some family/incest story is it?! I said to my mind.. Because I have no Interest. -the smile gone from my face.
"No," she promised.. And went on to tell me about their next date.. Where they each discovered they had each spent over $4700 to a fraudulent genealogist and were provided false information and fake pictures."
"But for the time they did believe..." I said to my mind..
"Yes." She said..
"You're write," I said to my mind, -that story is very sad and on several different levels. I'm going to try and get some sleep now.
"Not so fast," she said, "type it now, or it's gone forever after."
The end.
BACK TO PHONE for (me!) Sandra, tvgp
And so now that I have my favorite keyboard.. I am unable to create a new post... And I quick exited out because it appeared as if my posts were disappearing one by one.. Allow me then to tell my story; true story, by typing with my two thumbs on flat glass: names, dates, times.. All unimportant. I will use only general ideas:
On a sleepless night in spring, my mind insisted on drawing this picture: /as seen below ..or above?
The true story that inspired it goes like this: there was a young man who loved his expensive, sexy, and luxurious car. It was the most important thing to him, and he lived near the beach. One morning he woke to find out that...THAT! His toddler child, who had been playing at said beach.. Well, he got, "SAND IN THE CAR!!!?!!". And this angered the young man, on a scale from 1-10, 10 = royally pissed off, -he was angered to about a level 25. The toddler was terrified, and everyone else worked very hard to make sure every grain of sand was removed from this expensive, sexy, luxurious car. And made sure, -best they could anyway, that THAT! Never happened again.
Several years later, the same man lost his sibling to cancer. He was very caring, noble, generous in providing what love, support, care he could provide during her sickness and all the way into her final days.
Shortly after he said goodbye to his sibling, there was an occasion where it was requested of (me!) To move his expensive, sexy, luxury car from an overcrowded driveway to the street so that another car could back out.
I was shocked the request would come to (me!)?
Young, female, inexperienced driver.
I remembered how upset he got about the sand...
And even though I would only be moving the car from the driveway, to the street.. Still. -anything could happen. So I said that..
"No. I'd rather not. I wouldn't want anything to happen"
And what he said next would shock me even more than the request itself. He said, -and I quote!
"What are you worried about? It's just a car."
***
So, what you can see in my point of power presentation and drawing is this.
Car was most important thing.
Death of loved one, bRoKe the connection.. Un-synapsed man to car as most important thing.
And a new connection! A new synapse was created:
Human Loved ones became most important and the expensive, sexy, luxury car became, 'just a car.'
It is my opinion and observation that he EVOLVED.
So yes then, you can say I believe in evolution.
It is obvious to me, -we were CREATED that way.
