Does the blogging community inspire you or intimidate you? Are you on creativity overload from the craft and DIY bloggers? Are you on emotional overload from the tales of woe bloggers? Are your sides aching from laughing at the humor bloggers? Are you overwhelmed by the achievements and challenges of mommy bloggers? Does the idea of being pithy and witty and challenging in your blog, twitter stream, and facebook status make you insane?
Today, I am all of the above.
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MERGER update. After 18 months of suspense things like "org charts" and "budgets" and "new boss" and "downsizing" are being whispered (or whined) in the hallways. Also after 18 months of leadership meetings where they were framing our strategy...because the mantra has been "structure follows strategy"... it looks like the structure is take this whole hunk of department and move it here and that whole hunk of department and move it there. To be honest...it feels pretty forced and not a little like "What the hell have you guys been doing for 18 months? We could have done this hunk of this, chunk of that about a year ago???". In fact, it feels a little like bussing black kids in the 60s. Will that minority group be welcomed or shunned? And can I just say??? Award-winning integration process my ass.
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Sometimes books that come to you in unexpected ways are the best. Once when I was on a plane heading to my hometown (called home due to my father's rapidly advancing illness) I found a book in the pocket of the plane seat that someone had left behind. The Love Letter. It was just enough to keep my mind from going to the really bad places that I knew were inevitably coming in real life. The book I am currently reading was a similar "gift of the fates". Love Walked In. Found abandoned in one of the rental apartments in Italy, it somehow made its way into my overstuffed bag to bring home. It is truly a beautiful journey so far.
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Christmas shopping season is most definitely upon us and the usual bombardment of commercials, store displays, e-coupons, snail mail catalogs, etc. are hitting me hard. I have pages turned down and items circled and websites bookmarked, and lists started, but I'm already feeling the inevitable words bubbling up in me, "Do these people really need any of this CRAP?" Pretty as it may be. Suited to the personality as it is. Selected with love and devotion as it may be.
Really. Who needs to fill their homes with more of this stuff when people in Haiti are being blown out of their tent-homes by a hurricane. Sigh. Really takes the joy out of the whole giving thing.
Celebrating service this weekend...namely my father in law's service. He has been a Mason for about 60 years now and has used that time to work his way through the bureacracy and politics that are inevitable in such societies and found ways to give back "for the greater good". Looking forward to seeing him recognized for his acts of love to the community. And I promise I won't even make any jokes about the secret ceremony scheduled for midnight with the goats and chickens and an altar...really I won't.
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My Mom sent an email today that took my breath away.
"I had the strangest but wonderful feeling the other day. I was watching TV in bedroom and the sun came through the slit in the curtains and shed light on the picture of you and me at the Top of the Rock and slowly moved over to the picture of all of us taken in Florida when Dad was so ill and the sun landed on just him, me and you. I really got such a wonderful feeling and then the sun disappeared."
Such a wonderful moment of grace.
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Have a lovely November friday. Take a moment to consider the random thoughts in your brain. And enjoy the last of the leaves, the scent of crisp cold winter days just hinting in the air, and an abundant holiday season beginning.
2 comments:
I loved the book "Love Walked In" and I love your mother's sunshine contemplations.
glad the icky merger talk was surrounded by positive messages. miss you.
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