From Facebook

I saw this yesterday on my sister's Facebook page:

Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed. 

-Herman Melville

Does this remind me of anyone?  Maybe even myself?

Back to the Future

When my son was about 12 or 13 years old, we lived in an upper-story apartment that became very warm on summer afternoons and evenings.  To cool off, we often went to the nearby Laurelhurst Theatre where we could view movies at discounted prices in air-conditioned comfort.

One of our favorites was the 1985 film Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox.  It combined time travel with high school life and family relationships in a hilarious comedy.  I lost count of how many times we saw that movie together - and eventually its two sequels.

My son is now an adult, living across the country.  I remember sharing good times with him at the movies every time I see or hear anything about Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, or Lea Thompson.  I am still smiling.

Autumn or Fall?

Today began my favorite season of the year.  The temperatures are cooling.  A sense of anticipation is in the air as we move into a new school year, the World Series, harvest time, football season, and the upcoming holidays.

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run...
-John Keats

Fall Wind
Pods of summer crowd around the door;

I take them in the autumn of my hands

Last night I heard the first cold wind outside;

The wind blew soft, and yet I shiver twice:

Once for thin walls, once for the sound of time.
—William Stafford

Snail Patience

This came into my mailbox today from Liz Lamoreux (look her up at www.lizlamoreux.com):

my hope for you (for me)

snail patience :: a poem note postcard from Chickadee Road

Japanese Garden

My sisters and I visited Portland's beautiful Japanese Garden a few weeks ago.  What a beautiful and peaceful experience!  No litter, no cellphone chatter, and - with a pass borrowed from the local library - it was free of charge.  All we had to do was to enjoy the pleasure of this green and gracious garden.  

Memorial Days

The traditional Memorial Day (formerly known as Decoration Day) on May 30 is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service (see www.usmemorialday.org).

For me, these last days of May have prompted a different kind of "memorial days."  I've been thinking about the Saturday in May 2010 when I moved out of our family home in Corvallis to an apartment in Portland.  I was a little sad, but I was also excited that I was about to start a new chapter of my life.

I've also been thinking about my friend Laurence who entered the hospital during the last days of May 2010 to receive a bone marrow transplant.  He battled many challenges in the days that followed and served as an inspiration to many with his strong faith and unfailing gratitude.

Today I am indeed in the midst of a new chapter of my life, but it doesn't look like what I hoped it would be. I have had my own health challenges. I have not found my dream job - or any regular work.  I have been slow to make new friends and explore my local community.  Life feels pretty discouraging at times.

The story of my friend Laurence has not turned out as I had hoped either.  After five months of progress and setbacks, he passed away.  He is sadly missed by many friends and family members.

In times of despair and grief, I find it easy to lose hope.  Yet, it is in the memory of braves ones who have gone before me that I sometimes find the strength to keep going.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.  (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

The Smoker - Part 2

Following my experience on Friday evening, I looked on the Web to find out about the full moon. I discovered that the full moon would actually be Saturday, May 5. And, it would be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year 2012. People would be watching and taking pictures all over the world. Some referred to it as the supermoon.  

A perigee moon, or SuperMoon, on May 5, 2012 near Palm Springs, California. The moon appears especially big and bright during this once-a-year cosmic event as the full moon is at its closest to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. The perigee side of its orbit is about 31,000 miles closer than the opposite, or apogee, side. (David McNew/Getty Images)

I emailed all my family to be sure to look for this biggest and brightest moon of the year.  I walked out to the street last night and admired its appearance.  I looked at photos of it from all over the world on my computer.  Wow!  It's hard to believe I became aware of all this because of a guy smoking a cigarette in a parking lot.