Sunday Night Television

It's not often I wake up wanting to share what I watched on TV the night before.

60 Minutes (CBS)  Last night's program was an interesting mix of stories.  The first segment pointed to the number of long-term unemployed Americans and a program in Connecticut designed to help them get back to work.  The number of mature, competent men and women out of work and the prejudices they encounter as they search for jobs are alarming.  However, the Connecticut program offered a strong ray of hope for those able to participate, many of whom are now employed. Even just watching this story felt encouraging as it showed that some people do care about and some employers will hire the more "seasoned" worker.

In the second part of the program, a Harvard scientist says that drugs used to treat depression are effective, but for many it's not the active ingredient that's making people feel better. It's the placebo effect (see www.cbsnews.com).  With 17 million Americans taking these drugs, this is an interesting - if controversial - statement, and there is sure to be further research.

The final segment was about a 21-year-old Norwegian chess champion with a phenomenal memory.  Not only can he play ten games of chess at the same time, he can do it with his back turned to the chess boards.  (I sometimes have trouble remembering my zip code!)  Magnus Carlsen is a gifted young man who also enjoys soccer and tennis and is in demand as a model.

Downton Abbey (OPB)  I found the conclusion of the second season extremely satisfying (even with a few weak moments around a Ouija board!), and comments on the web seem to agree.  If you are not watching this series, you are missing out on some intriguing characters living in a sumptuous setting in early 20th century England.  I believe the third season will not be aired until 2013, so there is plenty of time to catch up - or watch the first two seasons again!

Don't Go Back To Sleep

We had a generous dose of sunshine recently here in the Portland area.  Somehow it made getting up in the morning a little easier.  It seemed easier to believe something good could happen on such a day.

A friend of mine told me that she visited the Japanese Gardens during the good weather and was impressed by the clear view of Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Hood.  Even though it was still daylight, she could see the moon rising in the blue sky.  I could tell from my friend's voice that she was still excited about the experience and eager to share it with others.

When it's gray and damp out, getting out of bed came seem a little more difficult.  It seems there is less possibility or less anticipation that the day will bring good things.  Lingering in the warm bedclothes to sleep a little longer can be extremely tempting.

Could I be missing an opportunity by giving in to that temptation?  Here is a poem sent to me by another friend this week.

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the door sill

Where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.

                    - Rumi

Eleven More Months

Aunt Sandi Says is off to a slow start for 2012.  But, although January is almost over, there are eleven more months in the year, and I am resolved to renew my blogging.

While I haven't posted new entries to this blog since before Christmas, I have been faithful in my daily journal-writing which I do on a wonderful site called www.750words.com.  This site is fun to look at even if you don't think you are interested in keeping a daily journal of 750 words or more.  (The 750 words is the rough equivalent of Julia Cameron's practice of three pages a day in The Artist's Way.)

If you are already successfully journaling on a regular basis, good going!  If you're like me, however, with many starts and stops in your journaling efforts, I recommend giving www.750words.com a try.  I started using this site in August and was impressed with its ease of use.  I am now writing at least 750 words on 80% of the days since I began, and it probably would not have happened with paper and pen.

I've Just One Wish

Greeting cards have all been sent,
The Christmas rush is through;
But I still have one wish to make,
A special one for you.

As I listen to the Carpenters sing this holiday song, I think of two very special people in my life that I cannot be with on Christmas this year: my mother Jane and my son Eric.

My parents both made Christmas a very special day for our family every year.  I remember Mom doing lots of Christmas baking - including her famous gum drop bread - and lots of Christmas decorating throughout the house.  As I grew older, I realized there was also a funny story about Mom hiding Christmas gifts.  Once Christmas Eve arrived, and it was time to put them under the tree, she couldn't remember where she had hidden them!  

Mom also sent many Christmas cards every year and kept track of all those received.  I was always impressed that she had a few friends she exchanged cards with every year - women she had known since they were all in grade school.  Mom now lives in an elder care facility for those with dementia, and this will be the first Christmas she cannot leave to spend the day with us.  Of course, we are visiting her throughout the holiday season, but she will not be with us for our family celebration.

My son Eric was a big part of my Christmas for 25 years - until he decided to move to North Carolina to be with his sweetheart whom he eventually married on December 1, 2000.  I miss our times together, especially a few Christmases in the Seattle area when the two of us were the only family we had to celebrate with.  We always made an effort to pick out appropriate gifts and filled a Christmas stocking for each other.  I miss my grown-up boy every day, but even more so during the holidays.

So, as the weekend begins tonight:

I've just one wish on this Christmas Eve;
I wish I were with you . . . I wish I were with you.

It's Cold Outside!

The recent cold weather in the Portland area has made me appreciate the shelter of my apartment and the warmth of stores and other buildings I visit.  Sweaters and sweatshirts, extra blankets, hot drinks - these are things that I can do without for much of the year.  But, right now, that extra sweatshirt or hot coffee is more than welcome.

On December 1, I started a practice of writing down at least two things I am thankful for every day. After reading about someone who had listed 50 things she is grateful for - I just took her idea and developed it into a pre-Christmas ritual.  If I record at least two things every day until December 25, I will have a list of 50 (or more) things for which I am thankful.

While I won't be sharing my entire list in this blog, I want to share two things I am grateful for today:

(1) Cold Weather:  I am grateful for the cold weather because it reminds me of how wonderful it is to have warm coats, warm blankets, and home heating.  The cold weather provides a contrast to the warmth that these and many other blessings provide.

(2) Hot Eggnog Lattes:  Every year I look forward to the days between Thanksgiving and New Year's as "eggnog latte season."  Whether purchased at the local Starbucks or made up in my own kitchen, this fragrant and delicious beverage is one of my favorite things about the holiday season.  

What are you grateful for today?

Still Autumn

I know that tomorrow is December 1st, but officially it's still Autumn.  As I walked through the multi-colored leaves to my mailbox this evening, I was reminded the season doesn't end for a few more weeks.

When driving to see my mother last Thursday, and when I took another short trip on Sunday, I noticed the colors of the trees even in the rainy weather.  There is still an abundance of falling leaves even as the holiday decorations go up.

In Amy Sorensen's blog, The English Geek, (http://amysorensen.typepad.com/the_english_geek/) she shared a poem today. I found it beautiful and timely in spite of its title.

October

by Carolyn Smart

Those fallen leaves, pale supplicants,
have much to teach us of surrender,
how, wrapped in autumn's incense
they unfurl their flags to the wind
Every year I want to kneel in damp soil
and say farewell to blessed things:
the swift geese as they shout each to each
above the treetops, the white nicotinia
at my door, still releasing its fragrance
against the chill of evening,
the memory of a much-loved hand the last day I held it
There was early morning light rich as silk,
the flash of late fireflies
amidst the cedar,
cows' tails whisking in the amber fields,
the chiaroscuro of a moth's wing
Goodbye, brief lives,
ablaze with tenderness;
today the glory of the leaves
is enough, for I am learning anew
to release all I cannot hold,
these moments of luminous grace
saying Here and here is beauty,
here grief: this is the way to come home

PS:  If you haven't already done so, take a few minutes to check out the video at www.autumnblessingsmovie.com/.

November 22

Every year, I remember. I look at a calendar, I write a date on a check, I hear someone talking about preparations for Thanksgiving, and I remember Friday, November 22, 1963.

What did I do that morning?  I assume I got up, got ready for school, and attended my morning classes at Highland View Junior High School.  What did I do at lunch time? I went through the cafeteria line and picked up my light green plastic tray. The entree section was filled with fish sticks and potatoes. I sat with friends to eat my lunch. As I ate, the principal's voice came over the loudspeaker, "The president has been murdered."

I didn't know it then, but my life changed forever that day. The shock that our president, the first man ever elected to that office in my young memory, had been shot and killed was my initiation into that collective experience which happens when tragedy strikes our nation.

Whether our first experience with collective tragedy was an attack such as Pearl Harbor or 9/11, whether it was an individual death such as JFK's assassination, I see that these are times that Americans come together. These events may affect us in different ways to varying degrees, but we all share in the experience.

Today, Aunt Sandi says:

• Even in the remembrance of sad events, there is something for me to be thankful for. I am thankful whenever I see Americans coming together to help each other through difficult times. I am thankful for the compassion and strength that lifts us up and gives us hope even in distressing circumstances. 
• Advertisers have been intent on turning our focus to holiday shopping since before Halloween. Even so, Friday probably will be one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Take your own tote bags to reduce waste, take only one debit/credit card (or cash) to control spending, and take a list to help resist impulse buying of unnecessary "stuff." 
• Holiday times often mean more dirty dishes. What is the most energy efficient way to wash dishes? The results of a study comparing alternate methods of hand washing dishes - as well as the use of automatic dishwashers both old and new - can be found at switch.portlandgeneral.com. 

That's what Aunt Sandi says. What do you say?