Charles Evans Memorial

Think of  the many gifts that Charles shared with us, 

Using

His two noble hands.

Although knotted with age;

Those hands seemed limitless;

Capable of colossal and micro endeavors.

They felled trees,

Created a massive wooden bar,

Served a sturdy drink;

Baited lines, and reeled in a bountiful mess of fish,

Cleaned and shared the fruits of his labor,

Planted, hoed, and gathered fresh produce and yard eggs!

Cooked, stuffed vegetables,  and loaded the freezer with delicious meals;

Those precise hands guided a motor cycle, a truck, and US!

And most importantly embraced Nat for over a decade!

We come to celebrate those hands, his heart, and his love.

Let us raise our two hands to offer Nat the support and love that she needs.

Let us use our two hands to share that love with others.

These gestures will evoke a story from Charles,

I can hear his voice now:

"St. Peter, did I ever tell you  about the time...."

Thus , will Charles live on with, and among all of us

Who had the privilege to shake those hands.

Meditating on Another Birthday

Alice Neel's depiction of old age is a bit unsettling; yet, as I approach 70, my mind reluctantly grasps this image. One of the books that I am reading is called, Isadora.

The complete insanity of the events following the drowning  death of her two children in the Seine, and her efforts to move herself beyond that tragic day, seem much like Neel's painting. Neel suffered a nervous breakdown, too!

Isadora, as fictionalized by Amelia Gray, eats tiny bits of the children's' ashes. It seems as though this is the only way she will force herself to continue to live.

Ashes from our past seem to attach themselves to us and cause the flesh to fold around our bodies as in Alice's self portrait. The moments, all 2,174,083,200 of them, seem enormous! It would take me another 68 plus years just to count this out loud!

Yet, I get up and try to unwrap the chocolate bar which refuses to yield to my arthritic hands. The muscles which I prided myself with sustaining, now seem to relax and melt like the witch in the Wizard of Oz.

How does one balance these images and lessons?

Gravity + 50 Years (10,000) 2 (sets of Breast) 2 (sets of testicles) = a sonic boom

“Who rules? Class.”

“Mother Nature rules, teacher.”

Synapses widening

Connect-ors   e-LONG- gating

Almost dis-connected, but

Not quite.

You tug at your parts, “Remember when….”

What was I thinking about?

Where are my glasses?

Why did I open the refrigerator?

Oh, to find spare parts..

They’re in here somewhere…

August, 2009

A Frequent Flyer at the Botox Bar

Wandering around and sampling;

A little restalin here,

A chemical peel there.

It’s a non-self-service costly bar,

Where the selections expand to meet your greed.

“Do I want to continue this merry-go-round?”

OR “Do I dare to get off?”

“What will I look like without the extra helpings?”

“Will my chin slide down my neck?”

“Will my eye lids obstruct my vision?”

“Where have I learned to be so vain?”

At the Drug stores as a child hanging around

The Magazine rack:

Glamour, Vogue, Teen Miss,

All telling me the Secrets to Beauty and success;

None foretold the cost and the discomfort.

The annoyance of our own skin

From head to toe we run from the mirror of age

Rather than embracing out skin and beholding ourselves as Goddess

We return to the Botox Bar and attempt to refill our plate

Always walking away hungry and emptier.

November  13, 2010

Waking up after a chemical peel

 

Woman at the Well

This sculpture, a part of a larger installation from the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans, that inspires me.

"Come and see someone...." she breathlessly tells those who have judges her. Her bowed head reminds me that I have often been broken, but I keep returning to the well for refreshment.

The full sculptural fountain graces the grounds of Notre Dame Seminary on Carrollton Ave. This is one of my favorite places to sit and breathe. Some times I imitate both postures, wondering what the conversation would be like with me. God, I am so grateful for art, and artists.

Imagining what Leonardo and others would say about this creation encourages me to keep looking, listening, and waiting for the eternal water; the one that takes all thirst away.

Dance with Somebody

It's Carnival Time in New Orleans and we are the originators of LA LA Land; dancing in the streets. We dance at weddings, funerals, and for no apparent reason.

This delightful group of dancers have a passion for music, entertainment, and community. These young people are helping all of us celebrate. I truly appreciate their energy, their spirit, and their talents. Thank you Kitty for your coordination.

Everybody, get up and dance!

All Souls Day Reflection

A reflection from Our Lady of Guadalupe on Rampart Street. The church, built on the edge of the Quarter, was to accommodate all of the yellow fever victims and their families, and the bishop hoped that this would help to stop the spread of disease. St. Louis Cathedral was being overrun with sickness and fear.

Hopping to slow this unknown sickness, only the priest, servers, and pallbearers were allowed inside of Our Lady Church; the rest of the mourners had to view the mass of the dead from the outside. Today, the same may be said for the homeless and displaced members of the community who sit outside.

This years election has a lot of people standing on the outside of  institutions. So many people feel left out of the process. Sadly, they do not see that they are the process. "We the people..." does not exclude. "We the people" have made choices that we do not acknowledge. "We the people" have chosen this path.

I offer up a prayer for all of those who choose not to see, hear, and understand their place in the current situation. "We the people" are not helpless; "We the people" are not innocent; "We the people" own the outcome.

Aaron Neville's "To Make Me Who I AM"

Aaron Neville's To Make Me Who I AM

This local musician has been singing our songs for a long time. The evolution of the spirit is truly amazing!
The lyrics "To Make Me Who I AM," are blessing me as I write. Honesty and perspective are excellent tools.

"Once I was a deceiver
Now I am a believer
But it took me who I was and where I've been
To make me who I am

God said I forgive you
Wipe away the scars
Cause I know it took who you were
And where you came from
To make you who you are

Cause I know it took who you were
And where you came from
To make you what you are"

Aaron Neville's "Who I AM"

So many different spiritual practices speak of forgiveness. It takes a lifetime for some to embrace this concept. It seems that I learn and forget this principle monthly. My head seems too hard to fully accept this forgiveness.

May we all hear the sound of forgiveness of self and others.

 

What happens when Decorum and Debating Rules are Ignored?

What is it about political campaigns that divides a nation? What happened to civil discourse? I was taught at St. Mary's Dominican High School in New Orleans, the rules of debate, and Robert's Rules of Order.

To be prepared for a debate in 1966 meant combing the card catalogues for days and weeks to find support for our positions.
Imagine this as a debating topic for high school students: Nuclear Proliferation?! There I was a 17 year old idealist handed a debate topic that terrified me! There were no internet research capabilities; just old magazines and newspapers stored on microfiche that had to be magnified to be read. There were no instance searches with cut and paste options; just a pen and a notebook.
And woe to you who had not prepared properly; you were decimated by your opponent! Debating had an order to it. One person spoke while the other LISTENED and took copious notes in order to prepare a rebuttal.
One person was not allowed to SHout over the other; that would have cost you seriously; that would have LOST the debate for you. I would not have wanted to face my debate coach if I had lost a debate because of improper procedure.
You were not allowed TO CAP SOMEONE OUT LOUD! Where has this originated? Thank God that we are not CAPPED OUTLOUD for our behavior.