Sunday Musings

Words in Pain:  (Olga Jacoby)

I'm halfway through this book and have been underlining like crazy, one of the joys of owning your own real book on real paper between two hard covers.

While the writer is in physical pain and dying, the book is anything but a downer.  Her mind is active and inquiring as she writes letters to her dear friend, her doctor.  She often writes about religion: he's a Catholic and she's an agnostic whose "homemade religion" is all about Nature.

She writes about her love for her children and her husband of 14 years, all of whom she loves dearly, and she occasionally sobs knowing that they will need her longer than she will live. But her letters are filled with her confidence about her joyful life and her hopes that her young husband will love again and marry again after she dies.

       "Whatever we cannot know let us simply and truthfully agree not to know, but no one must be expected to take for granted what reason refuses to admit.  More and more to me this simplest of thoughts seems right: Life, live keenly, live fully; make ample use of every power that has been given to use; to use for the good end.  Blind yourself to nothing; look straight at sadness, loss, evil; but at the same time look with such intense delight at all that is good and noble that quite naturally the heart's longing will be to help the glory to triumph, and to have been a strong fighter in that cause will appear the only end worth achieving.  The length of life does not depend on us, but as long as we can look back to no waste of time we can face the end with a clear conscience, with cheerful if somewhat tired eyes and ready for the deserved rest with no hope or anxiety for what may come."

       "Sadness or joy, overpowering grief or magnificent happiness, it all goes toward the one end of making life rich, and life can have been rich only when we have known it under many aspects."

Synchronicity:

Chris is one of my favorite friends and I was thinking about her just now as I drove to get my morning taco and drink.  When I stopped at the drive-through window, there was a text from her saying she'd be in San Antonio tomorrow.

The timing was incredible as I had already been hoping to see her before I leave for Georgia and wanting to recommend this book to her!

So tomorrow is going to be good!  We will have breakfast together, or early lunch, then I'll go get the kids after school and stay for dinner at their house.

Solitary Glue Party: 

I have been decoupaging (first the tray whose finish never hardened, then some other things) and so my fingers are covered with glue which I am peeling off in little strips and remembering how much Elena and her friends next door like glue parties.  As well as Jocelyn--who liked it quite as much as the other of us kids!

When your next bottle of Elmer's or Mod Podge gets low, give it a try.  And certainly, if you have grandchildren, don't deprive them of this messy pleasure.  It will keep their hands waving in the air as the glue dries and they will have the satisfaction of peeling it off (palms only please) when it dries.