I did not fall off the face of the earth…LOL  I took a brief sabbatical to refresh, reevaluate and revise the next leg of my journey!  Funny how when you slow down long enough to breathe, the fog clears, answers reveal themselves and inspiration ensues!  The last 10 months have been an amazing whirlwind…and as wonderful and exciting as it has been…it brought to light the need to breathe.  The last 5 weeks, I have done just that.  The results, still a work in progress (WIP), have been astounding. Letting go of  beliefs that no longer serve me, letting go of people who drain me, scrutinizing a few rigid perspectives, recognizing fears that were crippling me and being able to confront them for release, and coming to accept every aspect of myself with love and compassion and joy…even the ‘shady’ ones…LOL…have been the events that have occupied my time.  With that being said….
My few days in Albuquerque after I left Alaska were full and rich with healing.  I only saw a few people…this trip was not one of a social nature.  I would like to thank those I shared time with for their love and friendship.
     BRIGHT SPOT – I did have an extraordinary experience at Sweet Tomatoes Salad Bar.   I met a lovely man, George, who had just celebrated his 88th birthday on August 26th.  He approached me first with a comment, “It sure is nice to see that some people still enjoy ‘real’ books.”  I was reading at my booth across from his.  From there we chatted a bit about communication and pineapple ‘right-side-up’ cake.  Later, as I was preparing to leave, something stopped me and guided me to talk with George a bit longer.  I asked him if he used a computer and told him about the blog.  He seemed quite pleased that I wanted to share his story as a Bright Spot.  So, I moved to his booth and away we went…we talked until after closing and when we were pleasantly asked to leave, we hugged and decided that George would email me with additional segments to complete his, as it turned out, simply delightful and impressive life story.  He did email with one segment that brought us to his college years, then I didn’t hear from him anymore.  I attempted to reach him a couple times to no avail.  I can only say that it is my sincere wish that George is exactly where he needs to be and has not replied for good reason, even if that reason is that he changed his mind.  Wherever you are, George, I’d like to thank you for an evening spent in the company of greatness.
The following is a synopsis of George’s rich ‘early life’ experiences.
He was born in 1928 in Kansas City.  His family consisted of 2 parents, 2 brothers and Molly…a collie/pointer who George considered his ‘twin’.  You see, Molly was also born on August 26th….just a few years later than George.  George’s opening remarks were that he wanted to share what he learned from each member of his family.
His Dad – integrity is key in this life…being honorable and reliable (family name means ‘leadership’)
His Mom – how to be a responsible adult early on…she had her first son on her 18th birthday
His oldest brother, Bob – persistence and single-mindedness…George loved to run but he wasn’t very fast…Bob’s friends, 8 years George’s senior, challenged him to a distance run one day…they set out like fire…eventually burning out before the finish line…but George, at his slow and steady pace ran right by them as they sat panting…George WON!  George chose the turtle as his namesake…lol
His other older brother, Donald – be part of the solution…Donald was a scientist at heart…he made crystal set radios at a young age and when he was at the military academy when no one could figure out the problem with an A/C unit, Donald DID…he put up satellites at Lockheed Martin…and built light bulbs into the family dog’s house to provide warmth in the winter.
Molly – compassion and loyalty…Molly was an outdoor pet and very protective of her ‘family’…she invariably, was at the right place at the right time when it came to creatures needing assistance…on countless occasions Molly would be found at the back door with either an injured or immature bird that she felt could be helped by a member of the family.
Anectdote – I believe George to be an ‘old soul’…one that comes into this world with the wisdom of lifetimes…when George was 5 years old, the Kindergarten desks were two-seaters.  On the first day of class, a ‘fully-freckled’ little girl arrived and no one would allow her to sit in their tandem seat. George saw what was going on and stood up and offered the empty seat beside him to her.  She happily obliged.  He encouraged her the entire semester, reminding her that the behavior of the nay-sayers was their issue and not hers.  She unexpectedly left the school after only one semester.  In their teenage years, she happened to notice George and thanked him for befriending her at such a pivotal time in her young life.
***The final segment will be posted at the end of my next entry…stay tuned.