Fate or Luck?

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."  ----Hebrews 13:2

“ . . . it makes you feel good when you help others. I've been helped by acts of kindness from strangers. That's why we're here, after all, to help others.”  ----Carol Burnett

Jennifer Vasilakos was in the right place at the right time. Suffering chronic kidney failure, she was at an intersection collecting donations to undergo a $20,000 stem cell procedure that had the potential to save her life. (She is not a candidate for kidney transplant.) A stranger stopped and asked for directions, which Ms. Vasilakos happily provided. They chatted and she explained her circumstances. The man gave her fifty dollars and drove off. An hour later he returned and introduced himself. He was Ty Warner, billionaire founder of Ty Inc., the Beanie Baby company. And he promised to fund her entire medical procedure.

The article in Yahoo!®News put it this way:

“He was true to his word. Vasilakos, an herbalist and Reiki teacher, received a package on July 16 with a $20,000 check and with a handwritten note from Warner. The note read in part, "Someone up there loves you because I was guided to meet you Saturday. I never lose my way, but fate had me lost and ask you for directions. The rest of the story I hope will be a wonderful new life for you." ”

This story stayed with me as a reminder that we never know who the Universe will send our way. In the case of Ms. Vasilakos and Mr. Warner they will each be blessed to know the outcome of their chance (fated?) meeting.  But for most of us, there are possibly hundreds of encounters in a week in which we take part and can never know what domino we’re tapping or what the results will be. We should never underestimate the impact we might have on another person’s day, simply by being kind.

And remember to watch for angels, or your opportunity to be one. The world is in short supply.

See you next time for the naked truth about  . . . ?

Lisa

P.S.  If you’re interested in reading the full article about Jennifer Vasilakos and Ty Warner, click HERE. Ms. Vasilakos also maintains a blog called Kidney Recovery With Stem Cells.

Mama's Little Helpers

The Red Queen  - Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland."

It’s time for a little grumbling about the onset of middle age, an occasionally recurrent theme here at Writing in the Buff. Not too much grousing, just enough to improve my outlook about the whole thing. And since I’m sitting here with a glass of Sutter Home Sweet Red wine and a hunk of chocolate the size of Texas and still complaining, you know it’s been one of those days.

To begin with, I plucked two gray hairs from my brows this morning. Gray. Not a big deal, plenty more dark ones to fill in the blanks, you say. Not so, buttercup. My eyebrows are defecting at a light-speed rate. By the time the year is up I’ll look like the Red Queen from Tim Burton’s "Alice in Wonderland." And losing my brows, as sad as it is, would be tolerable if the damn things would permanently disappear, but they don’t. They hide for a few days then sprout from my chin.

Okay, so, because I’m by nature a happy person, I pushed past the gray eyebrow thing and continued with my morning routine. Except the jeans that fit me a week ago wouldn’t button across my muffin-top.

And when did I develop a muffin-top anyway? Is this some sort of sick joke?

You know, Mama always told me, “Honey, turning 50+ isn’t so bad. Your boobs will grow!” She never warned me that everything else would grow exponentially. Had I known a C-cup meant trading up a size in my Levi’s I would have happily retained my little friends in their original form. There’s no going back now, I’m afraid. Every time I lose a pound or two, instead of springing back into place my skin pays homage to Babar the Elephant. And as frightening as that is around the thighs, I don’t even want to think about my boobs on a weight loss program. Holy deflating dirigible, Batman!

So I deep-sixed the jeans and opted for a sundress. God bless sundresses. Cool in the summer and loose enough that the muffin-top is invisible, long enough to hide the spider vein thighs. And just think about that for a second, will you? Let’s total this up:  Gray hairs migrating from brows to chin, muffin-top, spider veins and elephant skin. And I’m expected to leave the house in the morning? My whole body is becoming a cornucopia of extraneous elements. An escape hatch is in order.

Which leads me back to my Sutter Home Sweet Red and chocolate. Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking. My little helpers probably contributed to the muffin-top. Well, it can’t be helped. Sometimes you’ve just got to take one for the team, you know?

Alla nostra salute.

See you next time for the naked truth about . . . ?

Enjoy your week!

Lisa

Bloom Like Papa

Death and dying is universal. We have all either lost someone close to us or will be touched by that eventuality. Knowing this does not ease the suffering, but it is a reminder that, whatever our differences, we are all flowers in the same garden.  We grow, blossom, fade and die, regardless of race or religion, creed or country of origin. And if we’ve lived well there are those whose lives are improved because we existed.

Papa was such a person. He impacted everyone he met with his extreme intelligence, innate kindness and warm generosity.  During his years as a college student in New York he worked as an usher at the Metropolitan Opera where he developed his lifelong love of opera and classical music. After earning his medical degree from Georgetown he worked as a country doctor in rural West Virginia, carting his black medical bag through the hills and hollers on foot.  Later he joined the U.S. Navy, transitioning to the newly formed U.S. Air Force near the end of WWII when his talents as a physician and administrator were needed. He earned his Masters degree in public health from Harvard and served as hospital commander on the bases where he was stationed, volunteered to serve as flight surgeon on bombing runs during the Viet Nam war, made policy as chief of aerospace medicine, and acted as an Air Force liaison to the CIA. He served the USA proudly for over 20 years and retired a full colonel.

He often said he would serve his country again, in a heartbeat, if only he could pass the physical.

In spite of all Papa’s accomplishments, what those of us who love him remember the most is his great sense of humor and insights, his funny stories, full-of-life personality and kind heart. Life without him is . . . different; our “normal” is forever changed.  So how do we find our “new normal?”

Our old normal was a family orchard that included Papa’s life energy flowing through it. Learning to live without his heartbeat nourishing our space is a challenge.  We’re doing okay in baby steps, feeling our way, learning to bloom again.

In honor of Papa and those like him, I pray that we all blossom, each and every one of us, with glorious colors that paint the landscapes of our existence with broad strokes of kindness, humor, courage and honest compassion that remain vibrant and relevant, even after we’re gone.

Lisa

Salutations!

“Salutations is my fancy way of saying hello.” —Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

Salutations!

How is that for a nice literary greeting?  Since Charlotte’s Web was my first favorite book ever, I opted to quote Charlotte. I did give consideration to my usual “hey, y’all!” but decided not to sound like Larry the Cable Guy right out of the gate.

Going forward, my blog will change a bit due to time constraints. I’m sorry to say that Book Blurb Friday will not be returning to Writing in the Buff. If anyone would like to take up the BBF hosting duties I’ll be happy to pass the torch.

For the time being I’ll post just once weekly, on Wednesdays. I hope you’ll start visiting here again now that I’m up and running once more, and I certainly look forward to catching up with all of your blogs as well. I’ve missed a lot!

In the weeks that I’ve been absent I’ve received good news to share. First, my story “Deep at the Heart” has been accepted by Chicken Soup for the Soul for publication in their Hooked on Hockey anthology, due in stores in early October.

Second, my micro story, “A Twisty Thing,” won first prize for humor in The Binnacle (University of Maine at Machias) Ultra-Short Competition.  At only 150 words it was a challenge to write, but I’m delighted to have been awarded this honor. When it is published and available for reading, I’ll let you know.

Last, but not least, thanks to everyone for your many kindnesses. I so appreciate the care and sweet wishes that were bestowed upon me and my family during these last months.  Special thanks to Lynn Obermoeller, pen pal extraordinaire. (Lynn - You’ll never know how your return address peeking from my mailbox turned my days around.)

I’m happy to be back at the re-tooled Writing in the Buff where my focus will be less on writing exercises and more on writing about . . . the naked truth.  Of course!

See you next Wednesday —

Lisa