Friday, December 12, 2014

Three (Is Not Enough) Beautiful Things 12/09/14: Creswell Sanctuary, Scones with Jane, Sparky Talk, Dinner with Harold

1.  Rita and I went to the Creswell Bakery for biscuits and sausage gravy and a marvelous hazelnut sticky bun.  The Creswell Bakery is another sanctuary.  Is this bakery housed in a former church building or am I just imagining that?  Hmmm.  Well, it feels like a church to me and the dining area is peaceful and open, much like a church fellowship hall and it was most peaceful enjoying this fine meal with Rita in such a relaxing environment.

2.  I first met Jane King around twenty years ago when she enrolled in my Wednesday night Shakespeare class.  She has been a generous supporter of learning communities and other invigorating projects at LCC.  (Jane is a faithful reader of this blog -- she is often the reader most on my mind as I write these posts.)  Rita and I visited Jane today in her handsome apartment at the Eugene Hotel for coffee and scones and had a lovely time getting caught up. We also had a deep and emotional discussion about the difficulties of aging parents in relation to their children and the difficulties of children in relation to their aging parents.  It was a generous, tearful discussion, assuming the best about our respective family members and looking head on at how challenging it is when parents grow older and increasingly vulnerable.

3.  I really needed one more visit with Sparky.  I had to talk with her about the New Shakespeare Showcase and ruminate about the future and we had a great conversation.  Joe joined in and we covered all kinds of ground, and left each other with the hope that maybe we'll not only see each other in the not too distant future, but we both badly want to work together again....

4.  Sunday morning, I didn't make it to the 8:00 service where I had hoped to sit in the pew with Harold Lannom and possibly have a coffee afterward.  I didn't make it.  Instead, I went to Harold's house this afternoon and then we went to Billy Mac's for drinks and a fine dinner.  Harold told me about the transitions in his life, about giving up his car, about getting ready to move out of his house, about his hope for traveling to Washington, D. C.  Luckily, as a retiree, I can help Harold with all he needs if he comes to D. C., starting with meeting him at the airport and helping him get from place to place and see what and who he wants to see.  (We dreamed of a liturgy given somewhere in the D. C. area that would include me reading the Old Testament lesson and Betsy Tesi giving the sermon!)

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