April 4, 2005

• Friends

  “Every person is a new door to a different world.”
  - from movie “Six Degrees of Separation”

  Good Monday morning, Xangaland.

  I had a perfectly lover-ly weekend.  The weather was great for the beginning of April in Minnesota.  The sun was shining all over the place, the air was fresh and on the warm side.  I got to spend time with lots of friends, and I even managed to get a few things accomplished, although I never feel like I’m doing enough…my “to-do” list always seems to grow, no matter how many things I manage to get done.  Thinking optimistically, at least I never have to worry about boredom !

  My friend Sally had the weekend all to herself, how great would that be?!  Her husband took their four kids “up north” (as we say here in the land of 10,000 lakes) to the “hunting shack” (and to hear Sally describe it, it really is just that…a shack…no running water or electricity, one room with a loft, plunked down in the middle of the wild woods.)  She had the house all to herself for 48 hours!  I have some time alone in my house on the days all of the kids are off at school, but to have a full 48 hours alone in my own house…I can only imagine what I might do with such a long and un-interrupted “quiet time”…probably scrap-booking or deep cleaning.  Those are both things I never seem to find enough time for.  Anyway, on Friday night she invited another friend (Heidi) and me over for a girl’s movie night.  We drank those cute little white russian’s in the individual bottles, ate chocolate truffles and watched two movies.  One was very good the other was very….shall we say…NOT good .  The good movie was Shall We Dance? with Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon.  The thing I liked about this movie was that it was romantic in an old-fashioned way.  There were definitely some scenes with *sizzle*, but nothing explicit.  It was funny and endearing and showed grown-up people going through some challenges and changes in life w/o throwing away the things that matter the most…love, friends, family, joy…they were all valued by the characters in this movie.  The NOT good movie was Closer with Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and some other guy I can’t think of his name.  This movie was all about people who didn’t value anything but themselves.  They used each other, and just when they got what they thought they wanted, they would throw it away to chase after something else…it was sad, really.  None of the characters were especially likeable.  They were all selfish and vulgar and appeared to think with their genitals rather than their brains. NOT recommended.  The language was deplorable.  What a contrast between the two movies.  We kept watching Closer, thinking it had to get better, that there had to be some redeeming moment, but if there was one, we all missed it.  It’s too bad…I really liked Jude Law in Cold Mountain.   Richard Gere is not really all that attractive, he has a goofy nose and squinty eyes, but he carries himself with such elegance that he comes across as handsome.  I love a man with social grace and charm. 

  Saturday was a day of running…first to choirboys, with a meeting for those of us working on the silent auction fundraiser we are having at the end of this month, along with their big spring concert.  When I got home from that, I had to run and pick up some things for the auction, and also supplies for my Sunday School class.  We started a new “rotation” this week…we are studying the story of Ruth for the next four weeks.  I have the story-telling station for this rotation.  After the errand running hubby and I went to a birthday party for my friend Anne  (pronounced Ann-ie) who is turning 50 tomorrow.  It was a “surprise” party, although knowing Anne, I don’t think she was all that surprised.  She is a pretty smart cookie, and I’ll bet she had an idea that something was up.  Actually, her husband (he happens to be the pastor of our church) planned the surprise, and called it a “We Love Anne” party.  He asked that everyone write something about Anne saying what they love about her.  Here is what I wrote:

                                                              I Have a Friend Named Anne

  I have a friend named Anne.  Anne is one of those rare people with whom you can feel immediately comfortable.  There is no perceived “learning curve” when in comes to knowing Anne.  She is so completely herself, so open and geuine, that I sensed upon first meeting her that here was someone I could call “friend”.  She is warm and welcoming in the very truest sense.  There is no pretense to Anne, no need to be pretentious.

  Anne is not without her complexities.  Life has not always led Anne down the easiest paths, but I sense in her a deep inner strength and a faith that has allowed her to weather the storms of life and rise above them.  She appears to face both adversity and prosperity with equal grace.

   

  Anne’s life has equipped her with a wisdom wrought from experience.  Her gift to others is her willingness to humbly share this wisdom and insight.  Her family is rich because of her generous, loving spirit.  Her friends, this congregation, and our community are better because of her kindness and hospitality.  Her servant attitude is apparent to all who know her.  Her compassionate heart is unmistakable.

   

  Thank you, Anne, for being who you are.  Thank you for being my friend.

   

  Happy Birthday!

   

  After the party another we asked one of the other couples that was there if they had eaten supper before coming (the party was from 5-7 PM, but they only served cake, ice-cream, punch and coffee …I guess that’s what happens when a MAN plans a party, lol!).  They had not, so we went out together to Applebee’s.  We sat around and visited with them for 2 hours!  It was very fun and relaxing.  It’s good to make time for friends.  So often I get caught up in the kids’ activities that my time with my friends gets pushed aside.  My friendships are important to me, though, so I feel fortunate I had the chance to nurture some of them this past weekend.

  Sunday was another busy day.  Yes, the time change made it a little more challenging than usual to get moving.  I had to get to church early anyway to set up my Sunday School classroom.   At least I didn’t have to worry about forgetting to change my clock…for Christmas I got this great alarm clock that knows all about daylight savings time and automatically resets itself–it “sprang ahead” right on schedule!  In October it will “fall back” w/o any help from me as well…isn’t that the smartest clock you’ve ever heard of?  I also had to put in my time at the office yesterday.  Those bills don’t ever seem to stop coming…and they definitely don’t pay themselves!  How nice that my “boss” (hubby) lets me do my job whenever it works best for my schedule, however.  I actually prefer to go in on the weekend when no one else is around.  No distractions–that is the best working environment for me.

  I even managed to catch Desperate Housewives last night!  Hubby sort-of watched with me (he was doing paperwork at the same time) and declared it a “dumb show”, but I think it is hilarious!  A bit over the top sometimes, but that is how it’s meant to be…outrageous.  It’s part of it’s charm.  As long as the TV was on, I continued watching Gray’s (Grey’s?) Anatomy when it came on.  It’s a pretty good show, but not one that I will make a regular habit of watching, I don’t think.  Sort of like most of the shows I follow…I’ll catch it when I can.  Since today is the first day of the fourth quarter of school, none of the kids had homework last night, so I was free to watch TV for a change.  Most Sunday evenings are a little more hectic, finishing those homework assignments that have been postponed all weekend long.  My kids have learned procrastination from me, I’m afraid. 

  My upcoming week will be another busy one.  I really hate to use that word–”busy”.  Maybe instead I should say; “in the upcoming week I will once again be involved in many worthwhile activities”….ummm, nope, that really doesn’t work for me either.  Whatever– you get the picture.  I am excited that on Thursday my long -awaited book club will be getting started.  Sally (of the 48 hour weekend of freedom) is the instigator behind this book club.  We are starting with The Secret Life of Bees, which I know my Xanga friend mommers has just finished.  This will bring the total number of books I am reading right now to four, unless I can finish The Memory of Running by Thursday.  Our book club has eight ”charter members”.  I know four of them very well, two are women I have always wanted to get to know better, and the last one is someone I don’t know at all, but look forward to meeting and starting a new friendship. I am, of course, the eighth member, and I hope after all these years I know myself, although there always seems to be more to learn!

  “When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.”
  -William Arthur Ward

  Remember your friends, and make time for them–

                                                                                   -Leah-                            

  Here are the lyrics from a great song at the end of  Shall We Dance?

  Artist: Peter Gabriel

  Song: Book Of Love

  The book of love is long and boring,
  No one can lift the damn thing.
  It’s full of charts and facts and figures,

  And instructions for dancing.
  But I–
  I love it when you read to me,
  And you–
  You can read me anything.

  
  The book of love has music in it,
  In fact that’s where music comes from.
  Some of it is just transcendental,
  Some of it is just really dumb.
  But I–
  I love it when you sing to me,
  And you–
  You can sing me anything.

  
  The book of love is long and boring
  And written very long ago.
  It’s full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes,
  And things we’re all too young to know.
  But I–
  I love it when you give me things,
  And you–
  You ought to give me wedding rings.
  And I–
  I love it when you give me things,
  And you–
  You ought to give me wedding rings.
  
  

   

  • 11:04 am
  • 14 Comments