Random Thoughts

In the ordinary-ness of an autumn afternoon, I sat in the car listening to a BBC program aired on NPR.   The radio was a buzz with the story of Malala. Since I tuned in late, I didn't know what they were talking about. Only that something horrific had happened to a young girl who has been blogging about schools for girls in Pakistan since she was 11. Malala. Probably in the Pakistani language that name has some special meaning. I love the sound of it. It reminds me of a bird song, or maybe a fruit bearing tree. Now that I know the tragic story, how she and two others were gunned down by the Taliban and left for dead, I wonder if Malala might mean brave or beautiful. For that is certainly how I see her. In church last night I sent up prayers to Divine One for Malala's complete recovery. But more than that, I prayed for all women and girls who are denied basic human rights and live in fear. And especially ones, like Malala, who step out of their fear to say "enough is en...

Charlie Webb, Joseph, Ellis, Claude, Frank and Berlie Webb My grandmother was born 120 years ago today. Oh how the world has changed in those years.   Grandmother had 10 brothers and 1 sister. Her mother died when she was just a toddler. This picture of my grandmother, her father and some of her brothers is always a stark reminder of where I came from. Tennessee mountain people. Poor. Motherless. Some prone to drink. Others to meanness. But with hard work and determination each made something of themselves. Today many Webb descendants still live in the Smokey Mountains, the place where my youngest sister now lives - sinking her feet back into the soil my ancestors tilled.  As you can imagine, with 12 kids in one family, that makes for a lot of grands, great grands, etc. We're kind of all spread out now. Grandmother was partially raised by one of her brothers in Washington, D.C. She went to teacher's college and taught a few years of school before getting ...

... is downright woo woo! Lucy's Quilt In my cleaning frenzy yesterday I had yards of fabric to go through. Well, actually to cram into boxes so the tops would fit on. With it all spread out across the bed, the floor and part of the hallway, I started thinking maybe fabric manufacturers (like Potato chip makers and Tobacco companies) put some kind of addictive additive in their product to make people buy more (eat more or smoke more). I think my sewing machine has only been out of the closet once over the last year. But whenever Joann Fabric has a sale or sends me a coupon in the mail I seem to think I need to check out the quilting fabrics. Seriously folks I'm not sure I'll ever make another quilt. As I told my writing coach this morning, I can no longer multi-task. I can either be a writer or a quilter but I can't manage both. When I sew I leave trails of fabric and thread (and pins) everywhere I go. I turn the dining room into a sewing room. It could be Santa's...

Two of my favorite people are ladies I've known since they were two years old. Identical twins, I watched them grow up yet rarely could tell them apart! Today they are mothers with children of their own. As we all know raising children is no easy task. But for these friends it is especially difficult. Janie has two sons with Juvenile Diabetes and Jamie has a son with a form of Autism. Like cancer, mental illness, and alcoholism Type I diabetes and Autism are family diseases. Moms, dads, and sisters soon learn that the disease runs the show. Every day is challenge that those of with "normal" kids can't even imagine. Recently I got an email from Janie with this article: "Things I wish you knew about Type I diabetes. " I'm posting it here for others to read because I think it's really valuable information. "Things I wish you knew about Type 1 diabetes…" 1. I wish you knew that there really is no controlling blood glucose. Blood glucose is a...

It's the day before Thanksgiving and all through the house Nary a whiff of pies cooking for me and my spouse. And that my friends is about as poetic as I can be. I think I'm learning something about myself - don't know yet if it's good or bad. In years past I've whined about the stress level of everything that goes into holiday celebrations. The grocery shopping for all the food to cook. The crowds. The decorations. The gifts to buy and mail. All that on top of the regular to do lists. So here I am the day before T'day not doing one of those things. It's past 1 pm, I'm still in my pjs, and, I'm ashamed to admit, I'm still in the sack. I hear lawn mowers and weed whackers outside the window. Neighbors and dogs and birds are all up and about. And here I sit. Not the least bit stressed and not liking it so much. But also not wanting to do anything about it. Is that me complaining of not having stress? What? Doesn't anything make me happy? Do I...

"To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven." Eccl. 3: 1-8 I'm typing this post on a MacBook which I have had for almost 2 years. I won't say my arm was twisted but without my nephew's nudging, I probably wouldn't have bought it. I know how to turn it on, write/save documents, import/export pictures and scope out the world-wide web. Beyond that, I have no idea what an app is or does. I hate the way you can move your finger up or down across the screen to get to different screens. I had to have a pimply-faced but technically-savvy teenager at the Apple Store turn that feature off for me because I was continually hopping places like the Easter Bunny without a GPS. I never knew where I was going, how I got there, or how to get back to my document. I don't own an Iphone or Ipad. I don't want to depend on something smarter than me that isn't human. I had a friend once who would rather "fight than switch" from ...

"Juxtaposition" is a word I don't often use. Sometimes I even have trouble pronouncing it. However, it's a perfect choice for the stories of two women - girls really - I learned about this week. For starters, there was this picture that captured my heart on the internet news a few days ago. Ohio teen, Jackie Kasburg, of Chippewa High School, not only kicked three extra points in the school's homecoming football game, she also took home the title of homecoming queen. What you can't see in this pictures is that she is wearing pink cleats. Football pads, pink cleats, an arm full of roses and a diamond tiara. That has got to be what the founding members of the feminist movement had in mind. In my opinion, feminism is not just about bra burning, and breaking through glass ceilings. It is about being free to be comfortable enough in your own skin (male or female) to pursue your dreams in whatever venue they appear. I wish I'd had a picture of Ms Kasburg on my...

I just received this email from Women for Women International. WFW is I first learned of IWD. Tomorrow, March 5th, there will be a global teleconference. I am sure it is going to be both interesting and enlightening. All I did to get it here was cut and paste. I don't know if the "click here's" in the message will still work. If not go to www. womenforwomen.org for more information. --- Dear Mary, Thank you for being a part of the largest International Women’s Day celebration in Women for Women International history. The global teleconference is this Thursday, March 5. Please send us your questions for the call and we will do our best to get to all of them. Here are the details: International Women's Day Conference Call with Zainab Salbi, Karen Sherman, and Grace Fisiy Thursday, March 5 5:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. PT Phone number: 1-800-868-1837Conference ID number: 86236923 Women for Women Founder and CEO, Zainab Salbi, will speak about how critical our grassroots w...

"... in this quickening light, with the dawn of each new day, let us look for love." John Denver I was reading a blog this morning where the author was recalling the music from 1968. She mentioned the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Procol Harem. I read through the list and was dismayed to find no mention of my all time fave - John Denver. What's up with that? Was I the only one who spent a great deal of my teenage angst on the fact that I wasn't Annie; that John wasn't singing directly to me? I don't remember the year but I was cool enough to join some other girls at a Beach Boys concert. My first such outing I believe. I was stuck in the nose bleed section of the Coliseum barely able to see the floral design on the "Boys'" shirts. I think my first clue that I was out of my league and totally un-cool was the fact I expected to sit with my hands in my lap and listen to the music. Oh sure, I would have clapped my hands, or tapped my feet, but standing ...

March 8, 2009 IWD is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In the days since deciding to host an International Women's Day Blog party, I've spent a lot of time in thought about the women I know. Zeroing in on just one woman to acknowledge as having had a major impact on my life is much more difficult than I thought it might be. It's good, I believe, to think back over one's life and remember the ones who have helped make us who we are and who we still might be. I asked the men in my life what women they might pick. My father, ever one to challenge a perfectly good thought, thinks everyone will naturally pick their mother, so what's the point? Has any one woman had any more impact on a girl than her mother, he asked without looking up from his dinner plate. Sweetie acknowledged that his mother had an impact on his life but in a very negative way. It wasn't until he was older that h...