That Kind of Great

Hate to brag, but had lunch with greatness today.

Mary Kirk is flat-out, no-other-word-for-it great. The you-never-know-what-she-will-say-next great. The do-anything-for-you great. And especially, the laugh-out-loud kind of great. We were UIL coordinators who met as competitors and retired as friends. Mary made a career out of taking kids from a low socioeconomic school and turning them into orators and debaters who could (and did) compete with anyone. They usually won, too, because Mary is that kind of great.

Now that we no longer "work," we have more time to devote to friendship because retirement is synonymous with relationships. Since we quit our day jobs, I've taught Mary how to use a digital camera (sort of) and that the best place to spend Wednesday mornings in Waco, TX is at Bible Study Fellowship. She has given me an example of strength and a new appreciation for laughing loud and often.

Mary and her husband have an adult son with autism. He's on the communicative, fun part of the spectrum, of course. After all, Mary is his mother. (Have to be fair; they are both incredible parents.) Since I could never begin to imitate Mary's stand-up comic humor, here's where I plagiarize a couple of recent posts from her Facebook page.

I am wearing a T-shirt embellished with a big bright toucan. 
Sean - "What is that on you shirt called?"
Me - "A toucan."
Sean -"Yeah? I have a song about it on one of my CD's"
Me - "Really?"
Sean - "You know the one. "Precious and Few" that says precious and few are the moments we two can share. Never knew that was about a bird."
Me - "Yeah, me neither, Sean."
So now we all know!

And another classic:

I was invited ("forced") to attend one of Sean's "sessions," which involves my listening to and watching his picks from his massive CD and DVD collection. Watched too many Three Stooges and Mr. Ed (help me) episodes, and to round it out was the absolute worst 40's and 50's country music ever to be recorded. Worst song was by Jimmy Dean - "I won't go huntin' with you, Jake, but I will go chasin' wimmin."
Am I a great mother or what? I can answer that question!

So there we have it! Greatness.

Lifelong gratitude

After spending 30 years in the trenches, I have to express my gratitude for public education because I have witnessed the growth and confidence it instills in most of its customers, our children. It's also a cornerstone of America, and as such, deserves our confidence and support.

The system has its flaws and will likely remain a perpetual work in progress, but as a society, we cannot afford to give up on our public schools. Whether we have children in public schools or not, we can work together for the benefit of all. The phrase "It takes a village to raise a child," is never more applicable than it is to public schools that are dedicated to educating everyone who walks through their doors.

This message from writer John Green sums up everything we need to know about public schools.

More fun than dieting

I adopted a bold, new lifestyle last July. Call me crazy, but I made a conscious and sober decision to eat healthy. Salads replaced hamburgers. Fruit and smoothies replaced sweets. Fresh vegetables replaced (most) carbs. Baked and grilled replaced fried. Gluten all but disappeared and processed perished.

And you'll never believe what happened next! Thirty pounds disappeared, just like that! 

However . . . I still love to eat and I still love restaurants and I still love to eat in restaurants. So I have profound gratitude for restaurants that allow me to eat healthy when I'm tired of eating like a rabbit. Or too lazy or too bored or too busy to cook. (Hey, I never claimed to be an epicurean goddess.)

Here are my picks:

1. Vibrante Cafe and Shoppe on North Valley Mills Drive - the best kept secret in Waco, TX. Feel free to eat anything chef and part-owner Robin Jeep prepares. This is the ideal place to have lunch with friends. Before you leave, buy a bottle of Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinegar to use on your home-assembled salads. Order dinner before 2 p.m. and pick it up any time before 6 p.m. Everything about this place is pure heaven. When you have a little time, check out Robin's Antioxident Diet cookbook, too. The woman IS an epicurean goddess. 

2. Crave Cafe on Highway 1637 - Healthy and delicious food AND the convenience of China Spring dining. (It's worth the drive, too.) Their menu offers fattening along with healthy options, so it's culinary fun for the whole family. And when you want to cheat a little, get a slice of cheesecake to go. Take a couple of bites, then refrigerate it until breakfast. (I don't lose weight when I do this, but I don't gain it either. And believe me, this cheesecake is worth the sin -- occasionally.) Their fruit smoothies are great for lunch, and the staff won't ridicule you too much if you ask them to throw a few fresh spinach leaves in with the bananas and strawberries. 

3. Jason's Zucchini Grillini. WOW! A hot sandwich with 9-grain artisan bread (whatever that is), zucchini, onion, roma tomatoes, cheese, red pepper, olives, and hummus. I'm pretty sure I could make this at home, but why? I've enjoyed Jason's ever since their Waco location opened, but this sandwich is by far my favorite.     

4. Cheddar's Bourbon-Glazed Salmon, lunch portion, sans the deadly buttered croissants. The Grilled Tilapia is addictive, too. Be sure to order their carrots as one of the sides. Great food. Great prices. Great aquarium.

5. Light lunch deliciousness: Chicken Tortilla Soup at On The Border. If you fall of the wagon, the best place to do it is over a couple of their Chicken Empanadas. Give one to your spouse and suffer only half of the guilt -- although I don't recommend sharing these.

6. For great food on the run, I recommend Golden Corral take out. They weigh it and it's much less expensive and damaging than the buffet. And the dessert bar will not follow you home.

These are only a few of my favorites. More coming soon. Please share your healthy discoveries, too.

Random Gratitude

On my way to volunteer at a local school,  I stopped at Subway to buy a sack lunch to go. (I know, I know -- at eight months into retirement, I should have meal planning under control, but I don't, so judge me if you must.)

At 8:05 a.m., I was Subway's only customer, and since I was running a bit late, I was thankful for no line. I paid for a 6-inch sandwich (ham and turkey on 9-grain bread), a bag of baked Lay's, a diet coke, and a bottle of water, thankful the stop was quick because I was in a hurry.

Then the sandwich chef/cashier took my money and -- innocently yet deliberately -- reestablished my morning priorities.

"Have a blessed day," she said.

I paused and smiled at her. "You, too," I said. "We all need one of those."

"A blessed day? We sure do!" she said. "A month ago my husband died in his sleep, so I depend on  blessed days."

Okay. I know I possess more than my fair share of cluelessness, but I knew at that moment that I had time to slow down, that I could not just walk away from this conversation. She did not look old enough to be a widow (as if there's an age requirement), and my heart broke a little for her.

"I'm so sorry," I said, meaning it. "Had he been sick?"

"No," she said. "One night as I headed to bed, he told me to get a good night's rest and then turned on the TV to one of the Biblical channels. He just fell asleep and never woke up."

I processed her words for a moment. The fact that she looked younger than I do was not lost on me.

"How old was he?" I asked, more to continue the conversation than any other reason.

"He was only sixty. And he taught martial arts classes for thirty years." Her eyes told me she still cannot believe this. "He was in great shape." She said they'd been married fifteen years. She'd known him since she was fourteen.

Another moment to process. He was practically my age. He was seemingly perfectly healthy.

At this point, I realized not only why I had just finished reading the book of Job, but also why I was still the only customer in Subway. Words seemed so inadequate, but this stranger now mattered to me. I needed to say something, so I offered the most positive reaction I could.

"At least you will always know God's word was the last thing he heard."

"Oh yes!" she said, smiling. "He was a Christian. We always prayed together. Read the Bible together. I know he's in heaven now, but it still hurts. I feel lost without him, but everything would be so much worse if I was lost in my heart."

She was just getting warmed up. "I pray all of the time, and every time I pray, I can see his face, telling me to get out there, keep my faith and keep living."

I got chills. She kept talking. "We have to really live every day because we never know what's going to happen."

Then, comfortable that she had said everything she was supposed to say, she stopped talking. I've bought sandwiches at Subway for more than twenty years, and this morning was a first: my sandwich chef/cashier taught me a daily devotional; she reinforced a major life lesson. Things had become personal; I wanted to pray for her.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Mary," she said, smiling again.

Of course it is, I thought as I walked out the door, thankful that God's everyday wisdom often shows up in the least likely places and comes from people who are -- anything but -- random. All I have to do is slow down and pay attention.

The 21 Days of Gratitude Challenge

I just started reading a book titled "The 21 Days of Gratitude Challenge." OK, Shelley Hitz, I accept. 

First and always, I am thankful for God's love, even (especially) when I don't deserve it, which is most of the time. I am also thankful for the way He works in my life every single day, which is a manifestation of His love. In the past few months, He has changed the entire focus of my existence from seeking success in the workplace to cherishing a much simpler life focused on the relationships He created and continues to bless. I'm thankful that He has shown me the value of spending quiet, meaningful time, first with Him and then with the people He has placed in my life. 

Today in Job 38-41, I read God's incredible description of how he manages creation on a daily basis. It's not his nature to just "fix it and forget it." His careful, constant watch over both animals and man is ongoing. My favorite passage today was God's description of the horse in Chapter 39: "Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane? Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting? He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray. He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; he does not shy away from the sword." 

As I read this, my first reaction--as a horse lover myself--was to love God's love for horses, but then I realized God's power of suggestion and the symbolism of His words. As humans, with the capacity to know God's strength and the ability to understand that He is our protector, we should be as fearless as the horse and ready to mirror God's love and strength as we "charge into the fray" of the world each day. God might even be implying that if we take the time to consider Job's plight and God's power, our fears are somewhat silly.

Overwhelmed by God's power and majesty, Job replied, "I am unworthy -- how can I reply to you?" I totally get it, Job. I am unworthy. We are all unworthy. But thankfully, God doesn't see us that way. In God's eyes, we are His creation, His treasures. His love for us can't be measured in human terms. He wants to walk with us, live with us, give us the desires of our heart. He knows our names; he knows our children's names. He wants us to know we can trust Him with everything we have. 

As part of this gratitude challenge, I will write about the people who give my life meaning, but today...and every day...I am thankful for God, our loving provider, the author and finisher of our faith.