The Meandering of a Curious Mind

     Over the past week I have read much about the need to seek after our dreams, truly seek, and the need to sew seeds for harvest.  These scripture readings come at a time when my mind it whirling, seeking the will of God.  My dream is to write a book...  I do believe that I have sown seeds, seeds of love, hope, prosperity, and friendship, and I am patiently waiting for the harvest.  My dream,  on the other hand, must have "work" applied.  One can dream all day about a desire, but nothing will come of it unless he/she puts forth effort to make it happen.  My daughter Jamie has reminded me of this for years.  Yes, I said years!!!
     I began reading a book by Charles Krauthammer earlier this week.  I am finding it amazing, but I also find it to be perplexing, because of the style.  My mind was reeling until I realized that what I am reading are his articles.  Hmmmm  How much have I written over the years that could be assembled into a book?  Much of my life and the lives of my family members has been written, and the writings could possibly be positioned into the format of a "tell all" book.  NOT!!  It could be a mystery of sorts or, even, a comic book.  After all, the characters would be Claudette, Jamie, Johnny, Jason, Chrystal, Booger, David, Grandma Ila, Grandmas Elsie, Richard, Tony, David, and me.  How much better could it get?  Not to forget Bob and his children and all the friends we have amassed.  No one would be exempt; all could be the target of a section created just for them.  Hey, I am beginning to like this idea!  And, on top of all these characters, I have had thousands of students!  Ah, yes!!!  My wheels are turning...  No one would be exempt from his or her own "chapter" of sorts.
     This book idea is becoming an all encompassing non-fiction reflection.  I can not wait to get started.  This is fair warning, if you do not want to be included, say so now or forever hold your piece.  Watch out world!

Earlier today, I was going through some things, and I came across this folder I used while teaching. It contained a piece I had written years ago.  I hope it brings a smile to Richard's face.  We have since said good-bye to both Tony and Susan.

                               

                                                   The Joys and Laughter of Family

     Sitting on this oh so cool southern veranda has been exhilarating, and there were times in the past when it would not have been possible.  My brothers Richard and Tony are  here, along with their wives Charley and Susan.  Tony is here for rehab after his second hip replacement, and Richard and I came from Bossier and Austin to Nacogdoches to spend time with the 'old man" and, hopefully, cheer

 him up.  It is so peaceful sitting here on this cool, sunny autumn day.  A gentle breeze has been playfully shifting the branches on the tall East Texas Pines that line the drive, as honey bees flirt with the hibiscus type shrubs.  Every now and then one will fly into our circle and linger by an ear or shoulder before flying off to join his swarming buddies.

     The drive from Austin's hills this morning to the rolling mounds of East Texas, as my children jokingly call them, was so awe inspiring.  I never tire of seeing God's handiwork, and today was no exception.  I fell in love with a small ranching community called Crockett and have its image ingrained in my mind.  The ranch land surrounding it is beautiful, green, and lush.  When I stopped for coffee, its people were outgoing and friendly.

     Entering Nacogdoches, I made a  wrong turn and ended up lost for about twenty minutes.  I called Richard, and he talked me through my maze and into the parking lot of the Rehab Center.  The banter that followed hugs was the normal ditzy blonde getting lost, in of all places- Nacanowhere , and was par for the course in the Tewell family.  One of us is always the brunt of jokes: reality makes for better jokes!  

     Then it started!  Remember when...  Richard has a unique gift.  He remembers very little of life until he was about eleven.  Perhaps it is his way of coping, or maybe it is selective memory.  Either way, Tony or I could tell him just about anything, and he would not know truth from fiction.  Have we used it?  You be the judge.

     "Remember when David woke up telling Mom he was sick, and I told her he had a test, so she sent him to school?"  Tony is laughing so hard, tears are running down his face, as he manages to say, "And, the nuns called Mom because he had a temperature of 102."

     "What about the time you fell from the tree branch and landed in the pig slop?" I chuckle.  "See, what goes around comes around. "

     "Well, what about the time you stuck your foot in the spokes of the bike and sprained your ankle, and a bee stung your big toe after Mom wrapped your ankle and propped it up on a chair?  What pay back was that?"   We all laughed.

     "Remember when Richard was lying on the grass near the end of the other complex, and Mom runs across the grass screaming, "Richard, Richard," and when she gets to him he opens one eye and says, "shhhh , we're playing cowboys and Indians, and I'm supposed to be dead."  Mom nearly passed out.  Tony is laughing so hard by now, he needs to take a drink of water and catch his breath.  It is good to see him laughing.

     The stories fly fast and furious, as one after another we recall one laughable moment and jump to another.  Even Richard has stories to tell!  The morning passes very quickly. The nurse brings Tony's lunch and medication, so we get up to leave to find something to eat.  Susan and I ride with Richard and Charley, so that we can continue to enjoy one another's company.  During our drive to Black Eyed Pea, Susan tells us how good it is to see Tony laugh.  It has been a rough two weeks.  Tony's middle son Jay had been relocated to heaven, and Tony's physical pain had been unbearable.  He had really been beaten down the past two weeks.  Laughter is good...

     The food at Blacked Eyed Pea is great and the joking continues. This time the joking is with the restaurant staff...they are so friendly.  Good food and great staff!  Try it sometime.

     We head back to the center and pulling into the parking lot, I see Tony sitting there talking with a lady seated toward the other end of the veranda.  She, too, is wheel chair bound.  That brother of mine never meets a stranger.  "Wish I had his gift of gab," as Mom used to say.

     We start in again laughing and joking--one trying to out do the other.  This lasts through most of the afternoon, and then the mood shifts.  The remember whens become painful. 

    "Remember when David called to tell Mom he wasn't coming home because he wanted to stay at Aunt Veronica's for good?"  He said, "Aunt Veronica doesn't eat tomato soup all the time."

     "Remember when you boarded the bus for Pennsylvania?  Why did  you have to go?"

     "Bill didn't appreciate my getting upset with him when he pushed Mom down the steps, so off I went to live with a couple I had never seen before."   Tony's last words that day had been, "Viya Con Dios."

     We were silent for a few minutes.  Some memories are better left alone.  We talked of other things.  We settled world problems and fixed our government's ails, and before we knew it, we were once again laughing.

     We spoke of playing cops and robbers with Mom and Richard behind the sofa and with Tony and me on the staircase, being snowed in and digging tunnels across to the other complex, dressing Richard as a little girl and passing him off as a cousin, and spending  holidays with family and friends.  Life, with its ups and downs, is great!  A whole lifetime has passed as we sit here in the late evening of a perfect November day.

     Rose, a nurses aide, comes out and sits next to me, and she starts telling us about the bats that live in the center column.  "Bats," I say.  "Guess it is time for me to leave."  Everyone chuckles but me.  I'm remembering the bat that got into the trash can near my bed, while I huddled beneath the covers in that dark, dark room at Rancho del Cielo, Mexico.  Nope, I  don't need bats!

     Rose tells Tony about the fresh pot of coffee she has brewed, and I'm thinking it really is time to call it a night.  By the time I find a hotel, it will be nearly ten, and it has been a long day.

     Richard heads off in one direction, heading home, and I in another looking for a hotel.  It has been a wonderful day.  Mom would be proud.  "There is nothing quite like family," she would say, "and the memories they share."

     "Wonder what we can get Richard to believe next time", I smile to myself.