How sick I am of snow

I heard last week that 49 of the 50 states had snow.  How crazy is that????  Normally, I love snow.  I love snow because I am a Southern woman and we don't have it very often.  When we do, everything shuts down and we take a day off.  It is an annual, random holiday for us Southerners.  Not this year.  It has become an every week ordeal and I am sick of it.  The school systems are out of snow days.  The road departments are out of brine.  And most of us are out of patience.

I am a native Tennessean.  I didn't choose to live in the South; it was thrust upon me BUT having visited the other 48 states (that currently have snow), I would choose Tennessee.  One of the main reasons I choose to live in Tennessee and the reason a lot of other folks have chosen to move here is our weather.  We have four seasons, each lasting three months.  Yes, it is February and that is winter for us but I have had crocus to bloom in February as a little hint that spring was just around the corner.  The crocus are not accustomed to being covered in snow for days on end and neither am I.

The weather forecast is predicting more snow for the coming weekend but today I saw a patch of blue sky about the size of a man's hand.  These dark clouds won't be here forever.  There is hope in a Southern girl's heart.

My Friend, Jim Dale

My friend and mentor, Jim Dale, passed away on May 19, 2009.  I didn't find out about his passing until the evening of May 21, the day of the funeral.  Jim couldn't be dead; he was only 66 and I had a book laying in the kitchen to loan to him.  I was crushed that I could not honor a man at his death who had done so much for others during his life.

 

During the 1980's I had the opportunity to attend a seminar by Zig Zigler and Brian Tracy.  It is not an overstatement to say that I learned things that day about being a sales professional that literally changed the course of my life.  It also set me on a course that would lead me to Jim Dale.  After that seminar, I had a desire to do what they did -- change peoples lives by sharing valuable information in an entertaining way.

About 10 years later, while visiting my parent's church in Nashville and it occurred to me that a speaker, John Grogan, also attended that church.  John was a dynamic speaker and had appeared on stage with Norman Vincent Peele and others.  I approached him and shared with him my desire to be a speaker.  He said, "If that's what you want to do, I know someone who can help you."  John and Jim belonged to the same speaker's organization and John knew Jim had a mentoring program for speakers.  In September of 1999, I met Jim Dale and spent three days with him learning as much as I could about public speaking.  With his course, came access to all his resources along with lifelong mentoring.  Even though I lived 200 miles from Jim at the time, we spoke on the phone often and we became friends as well as teacher and student.

In the next few years, both of our lives were touched by serious illness.  In 2000, I had a brain hemorrhage and in 2002 Jim almost died of stomach cancer.  A life-theatening illness along with the crippling effects 9/11/01 had on the speaking industry basically ended my short speaking career and did serious financial damage to Jim Dale's career.  He somehow managed to continue booking and holding speaking engagements even through extensive chemotherapy.  He had no other choice.

When I saw Jim again in 2003 after I moved to Nashville, I could not believe it was the same man.  He always laughed and said, "I'm half the man I used to be."  Over the next six years, we would met occasionally for lunch or Jerry and I would meet him for dinner.  He could not eat much so he would tell stories and we would listen.  Jim was a quiet and lonely man with few close friends.  To supplement his income, Jim had started substitute teaching in high schools around Nashville.  He used his famous stories and magic tricks to educate and entertain his students.  By the stories he told me, I knew how much Jim loved his students and how much he wanted them to understand their true value.  In April of 2009, Jim told me how excited and honored he was that his favorite high school had asked him to be the baccalaureate speaker in May.  It was his last speech.

When I found out that Jim had passed away, I called John Grogan and told him the news.  We talked at length about Jim's great gift and his passion for God and serving people.  I was comforted by the posts made on Jim's memorial site and especially by the post of a man who had heard Jim's last speech and been profoundly affected by it.  I tried contacting Jim's daughter whom I felt I knew from Jim's stories but she never replied.  I wanted her to know what a great man her father had been and how deeply he had touched people's lives.  An employer of mine once told me if I wanted to know how important I was I should stick my finger in a bucket of water and pull it out and see what kind of impression it left.  Well, life is not a bucket of water.  One person's life can matter a great deal more than one may ever know.  That was Jim Dale, my meek and kind friend and mentor.

The forgotten recycling

I forgot to set out the recycling bins today.  Where I live we have to pay for someone to come by and pick them up.  They come every other Tuesday.  I have it marked on the calendar but it is the hardest thing to remember!  The recycling is my responsibility because my husband just won't do it.  He's not a earth hater or anything; he just doesn't want to be bothered with it.  Sometimes he will throw a milk carton in the trash I am sure just to bug me.  I will run over and retrieve it and put it over into the blue recycling bin.

I hate it when I forget stuff.  I know everyone does but its really frustrating.  If I could have a super power, I think it would be to have the power to turn back time.  Today, I would have moved it back to 11:15 a.m. so that I could have put out the recycling bins before the truck got there at 11:17 a.m. since that is when the "sorry we missed you" hanger said they were here.  It would be an awesome power to have.  I would have turned back time on September 22nd the year my friend's son was killed.  I would say, "Now, Gregg, go put on your helmet before you get on your motorcycle even if you are going 500 yards to your grandfather's store."  But no one has that kind of power and its a good thing.  We have to learn to be responsible for our actions however trival or careless they may be.

So, it is really no big deal.  I will just smash the cans and papers down a little harder to make more room.  If we accidentially throw away a milk carton, it won't be the end of the earth as we know it.  We can manage another two weeks.  We have done it before.  I will just make myself a big note to not forget again.

How thankful I am

It's been a difficult summer.  It's kind of been a difficult year actually.  But through the problems of life, there are things for which to be thankful.  My mom has a rare form of dementia called Lewy Body Dementia.  It is sort of like Alzheimer's except the person has some short-term memory and knows something is wrong.  Her reality is all mixed up with her dreams and hallucinations.  She falls often and has broken three bones in the last year.  She does know us and that is a blessing.  Her health has deteriorated at an alarming rate this year and we are well aware that our time with her is short.  I am thankful for time.

Our youngest daughter was laid off from her job last December.  Considering how talented she is, we assumed she would have another job in no time but that was not the case.  As summer came, it was apparent that she was not going to be able to pay her mortgage.  Luckily, she was able to move in with her cousin  and rent her home.  She went on numerous interviews and second interviews.  How many times can a person be the runner up?  Last Friday she got a new job.  A wonderful new job.  I am thankful for work.

Our oldest daughter and her family moved to East Tennessee in August.  For my daughter and son-in-law it was going "home" to where they grew up.  No longer having them close by has been difficult.  I realize now I took them being close for granted.  I should have spent more time with my daughter.  I should have spent more quality time with all of them.  I see my past being relived.  I see my parents making trips back and forth on I-40 to East Tennessee.  I see our young family making numerous trips to Nashville.  I know now how my mother felt then.  So, I will focus on making some memories when we are together.  I am thankful for family.

It has been a difficult year but it seems they get more difficult as the years go by.  Maybe the problems seems harder and the situations more difficult because of my age.  Maybe it is the reality that the good years are behind me instead of ahead of me.  When we sat down for our Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house, my father would have everyone say one thing for which they were thankful.  It is a nice tradition that we have continued even after his death and our mother's illness.  I think it was a way for him to be reminded of all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for even when life gets difficult.  God has blessed me in so many ways.  I really have no reason to complain.  I am thankful.

Rock, paper, tickle

My granddaughter, Carson, age 5, crawled into bed with us Saturday morning about 5:45 a.m. She lives in the Eastern time zone and she was visiting us in the Central time zone so it is understandable that she would be awake and looking for someone else to be awake with her. It started when she crawled up the middle of the bed and snuggled in real close to me. Her little arms were cool so I wrapped my arm around her and thought that maybe she would go back to sleep. Next, she whispered ever so softly, "Grandma." I knew if I didn't answer, she would keep saying it. If I did answer, then she's got me. "Yes, Carson." She whispered that she wanted to play "Rock, paper, scissors." Since the sun was barely up, I could only make out the outline of her little hands in the light coming from the doorway. She, too, figured out that "Rock, paper, scissors" was going to be difficult in the low light conditions. She put on a brief hand puppet show including a flying bird that I suggested looked like a whale's tale. (Alaskan memories) Then she whispered, "Grandma, let's play 'Rock, paper, tickle.'" It is played like the regular game except on the word "tickle" I had to tickle her from head to toe. I was barely awake so it was a half-hearted tickle but she let me know if I forgot her left foot. I finally surrendered and suggested we get up and make coffee.

In the afternoon she organized a game of "Tackle Hopscotch."  I have really forgotten how to play hopscotch but it didn't matter to Carson.  She makes up her own rules.  In "Tackle Hopscotch" the goal is to push the hopper off the blocks and into the holly bush if possible.

Carson has a wonderful imagination. In addition to making up games in the middle of the night, she also makes up stories. Like the story of her big, giant dog, Sammy Coleman who was killed by a red-eyed rattlesnake before her 3rd birthday. Poor child has never had a dog nor seen a rattlesnake. She did see an airplane flying through the clouds and told me how she walked on the clouds to a rainbow castle where she stole one of the princess' animals. Sounded a lot like Jack and the Beanstalk to me. Her mom is a little worried but I think she is quite creative. I remember seeing a movie about Beatrix Potter and how she saw Peter Rabbit and his friends. Who knows? Someday Carson may be a famous writer and make good use of her fabulous imagination. For now, if she tells you she has a broken leg from a red-eyed rattlesnake bite, don't believe her.

People who talk to themselves while walking down sidewalks.

I'm an insurance agent so my office is basically in my car and my car is primarily in metropolitan Nashville. Even though I was born and raised in Nashville, I lived 30 years in a small town in East Tennessee so I still get a bit of culture shock when I see people walking down the sidewalk talking to, well, no one. Not anyone I can see anyway. It is not a random, occasional occurance either. It happens almost every day when I venture into the urban core. Perhaps some of these folk are mentally ill and homeless but certainly not all of them. Sometimes I wonder if the person just had a bad breakup or an argument with a friend and they are still working through some of their frustrations by speaking or shouting them into the universe.

The other day I was sitting in my car eating a sandwich at an Arby's in the Metro Center area of Nashville. (Oh, my car is also my lunchroom.) If you are unfamiliar with the area, there are quite a few businesses there but not many places to eat. A man came walking down the sidewalk in front of my car and, sure enough, his lips were moving and I didn't see any earphones. He passed by and then I saw a well-dressed lady carrying a purse and a drink approaching. I thought to myself. "Now, this is a professional lady out on her lunch hour getting a little exercise." Then she suddenly pointed at the street and shouted "RAGGEDITY" or something like that. Every few feet she would point into the street and shout "RAGGEDITY." When she passed in front of my car, I noticed she was wearing a back-pack. She continued on up the sidewalk screaming at the street.

As I finished my Beef 'n Cheddar, the first guy walked back passed me carrying a Subway bag. When he had passed the first time, he was probably saying to himself, "Don't forget to call Joe when you get back." It was either that or, "I'm sooo hunnngry." (Sorry -- It's a quote from another street talker.)

Last night at sea

Well, they have pulled up the gangway and we are ready to pull out of Victoria, Canada. It was interesting to visit a city at night. We did a quick driving tour in a bus and then visited a castle home. When we came out of the castle it was dark so the rest of the city was seen by their lights. Luckily, a lot of the buildings in downtown Victoria are lit up with white or colored lights. It was quiet chillly with a brisk wind blowing. I felt like I was out viewing Christmas lights. It is a lovely town and I would like to come back in the daytime to see more. Since it is an island sea port the temperature is moderate year-round. We passed a park that was completely brown grass. Maybe that is why they have so many beautiful flowers everywhere.

Even though it is 11:30 p.m. we will be out on our balcony for a little while. We want to watch the ship pull out of the harbor. Tomorrow will be another early day. We will eat a quick breakfast before we leave the ship in Seattle and quickly board our plane back to Nashville.

Day at sea and last port

Today is Friday and is almost a full day at sea. We will get to Victoria, Canada tonight at 7 p.m. We will then take a short excursion to see the sights and then back on the ship. We slept in to 8:30 this morning! (Except the time changed during the night so it was actually 7:30.) We ate a continential breakfast in the room so we could take our time getting ready today. We watched a cooking show and took a tour of the kitchen. That was great fun. Jerry went to a navigation session and learned about how the ship works. We are now in our stateroom again so we can pack up our bags in order to set them out in the hallway before we go to dinner at 5:45 p.m. The sea is very calm but very foggy. Jerry is out on the balcony filming a barge we are coming beside.

We are sad that it is our last day. It has been so much fun.

Totem poles and lumberjacks

Today is Thursday and we have left the beautiful seaport of Ketchikan and are now sailing for Victoria, Canada which is our last port. We had another early morning since we were only in Ketchikan for half a day – way too short for such a lovely town. We saw a bald eagle searching for fish while we were getting ready. Have I told you how wonderful our weather has been? It has been sunny with highs in the low 70’s. It is not normal for Alaska and Ketchikan has not had rain for 14 days when normally it rains every day. While in Ketchikan we visited the totem pole park and learned how each pole tells a story. Our friend, Mr Hopper, was very impressed since frogs are highly celebrated on totems because natives believe frogs to be special since they can survive on land or water. After a brief driving tour of Ketchikan, we went to the lumberjack show. Now, I must admit, I was not looking forward to it because I thought it would be corny. I was wrong and it was lots of fun. We boarded the ship and went straight into lunch. If you have never cruised, you may not know that they feed you a four or five course meal at every meal. My greatest fear of gaining weight on this trip is coming true but it sure is delicious!

Tonight is our second formal night. The first one was Monday and it was so nice to dress up and have our picture taken. It is sort of like prom. Of course, the women enjoy it much more than the men. Don’t know why. Outside the balcony now is nothing but water as we sail south leaving Alaska behind.

Blue ice, eagles and whales, oh, my!

Today is Wednesday and we have just left Tracy Arm fjord. We are watching for whales but none have been sighted yet. We had a fabulous, clear day today to go up into the Tracy Arm fjord and saw some magnificent scenery. We were a little disappointed that we were not able to get close to the Sawyer glacier. It is the large one that you see on ads for Alaskan cruises and the only opportunity to see a glacier “calf” or break off. The glacier has “retreated” a mile over the last five years. Depending on your viewpoint, it can be from global warming or from the natural freezing and thawing that occurs all over the earth. Cruise ships used to be able to approach in the glacier without going up into the inlet. Today there were a lot of icebergs in the inlet so we did not go up close. We did see tremendous scenery and a bald eagle sitting in its nest. I hope the pictures will do it justice.

If you like to sleep in, an Alaskan cruise is not the vacation for you. We have been up early every morning. Today we set our alarm for 6:15 a.m. but it was worth it even though it was about 50 degrees. We ordered a continental breakfast from room service for after 8 a.m. It was delightful to eat breakfast while watching the icebergs float by off our balcony.

I am now sitting on the balcony typing. We just saw several whales, probably humpbacks. You see their spray first and then, if you are lucky, their tail. I got some great pictures. I can’t wait to show them to you.

We are so blessed in Alaska

It is so indescribable that I will post of few more pictures. Kaye and I are sitting on the balcony looking out at the Skagway port. We are so blessed to be able to take this trip. We were just discussing how few people in the world would ever be able to see the sights that we are sitting here so casually observing.