tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50016464843450908342024-03-19T06:05:56.660-05:0052 WomenAging GracefullyMarilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-10153899856782550902011-03-30T11:49:00.000-05:002011-03-30T11:49:01.764-05:00Meet Neal<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I met Neal at a cheap motel in California.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EOMMiEqzHnRbCYUwZ0DeM8Df_Xa2bLU4UuZV_zf44c6UZlwkPOStLh_AS1MoW14zzyJCFyFXtaeL0qcRIHARoASv7Q2COPVy7pI0RHoQIUoQJrUfYa1dMPcHJvNZJpqex_Bm6RzLBiE/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EOMMiEqzHnRbCYUwZ0DeM8Df_Xa2bLU4UuZV_zf44c6UZlwkPOStLh_AS1MoW14zzyJCFyFXtaeL0qcRIHARoASv7Q2COPVy7pI0RHoQIUoQJrUfYa1dMPcHJvNZJpqex_Bm6RzLBiE/s200/images-1.jpeg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It was a weekday, early, maybe 6 a.m. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I grabbed some coffee by the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">kidney-shaped pool.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLE6YmPthcjckE-BbIqTATFKQXpbBzxfwsSnGDY4M_goCorNaPuksq59ybDC1GNdU2SZIafCVUabWTkDQJQpRspdUtuBpkjQscKJPOOAU_y0oaXQ-U9fj7WQnEfaDHpR3q4TCtR4e-GQ8/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLE6YmPthcjckE-BbIqTATFKQXpbBzxfwsSnGDY4M_goCorNaPuksq59ybDC1GNdU2SZIafCVUabWTkDQJQpRspdUtuBpkjQscKJPOOAU_y0oaXQ-U9fj7WQnEfaDHpR3q4TCtR4e-GQ8/s200/images.jpeg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Neal sat at a nearby table, writing in a small spiral notebook. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Except for a busboy, no one was around. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I pulled out my brown leather journal. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Neal spoke first, something about the blue sky.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoFyBrbCXDr9urzBcpVsNgMa5lZG96v1fgo8ft7HTL3dqGmddBDZKtRbANyWSYpJOkIM3fVkVCMPLoclJbrxA5xCWIX1ZL1Ll2SIYTdQ9D1GD83lCX0pjkB0ReOfu0ngI7-RMaWqhFA8/s1600/DSC_0132_477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuoFyBrbCXDr9urzBcpVsNgMa5lZG96v1fgo8ft7HTL3dqGmddBDZKtRbANyWSYpJOkIM3fVkVCMPLoclJbrxA5xCWIX1ZL1Ll2SIYTdQ9D1GD83lCX0pjkB0ReOfu0ngI7-RMaWqhFA8/s320/DSC_0132_477.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Said he was in sales. A</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">sked if I was a writer, that he wrote too, mostly poems. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Then for some odd reason, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I closed my journal, looked up at him and hesitantly explained why I had traveled 1,800 miles from home.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqgY2SKFlD0c1OBQOcIDAa-n4Rq09chNiR2CbZAq03lhrkbrxm0E7dUojSljX8Q9dGJuheBExtDU-P95Hkm53CUyD41uv-5hJKdv2WjNfgSuyeZvVEy4z302g4gLrkcBUedABJvmHBvQ/s1600/DSC_0129_474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqgY2SKFlD0c1OBQOcIDAa-n4Rq09chNiR2CbZAq03lhrkbrxm0E7dUojSljX8Q9dGJuheBExtDU-P95Hkm53CUyD41uv-5hJKdv2WjNfgSuyeZvVEy4z302g4gLrkcBUedABJvmHBvQ/s320/DSC_0129_474.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Thirty years earlier, my mother died and her ashes were spread in the Pacific. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I came to celebrate her life, I said. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I was nearing the same age she was when she passed.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Neal asked if I was nervous my fate would mirror hers.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My eyes welled with tears.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Neal smiled, but didn't say anything. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The next morning, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I headed downstairs for coffee. E</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">very table was filled, but Neal wasn't there. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">An older Australian woman offered to share and moved her bags off an empty chair.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpDlCXHKn_I3iBsYdk8IrDpaI0Qszq-sjEBDrEfiFMxB3tF-I_6oP4i_DUTOJdiszxK0Bvb2lXL5sE1dvwVPIlW73nrk8qzlcGACJYV3z4bHiJA23kClw9OhweV5zliPhB0unxwY4Fvk/s1600/DSC_0232_558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpDlCXHKn_I3iBsYdk8IrDpaI0Qszq-sjEBDrEfiFMxB3tF-I_6oP4i_DUTOJdiszxK0Bvb2lXL5sE1dvwVPIlW73nrk8qzlcGACJYV3z4bHiJA23kClw9OhweV5zliPhB0unxwY4Fvk/s320/DSC_0232_558.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">She said she was returning from a friend's European wedding. Said she stopped overnight in California to break up the trip. In the middle of her story, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">the sky turned dark.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxfxNYCKSewxxiZlmOMZRkMVOjg11LlRYMVFgJ1YTfj-BAQQbdbKkMBkZ4nBeZTUpdHG0hCNpdQJVAmkI0E_IS3v2I2azc4i07BWSwcXxuDsO6dm8qlCmiPLJxbUbf81O7hBMLFNAeaw/s1600/DSC_0246_572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxfxNYCKSewxxiZlmOMZRkMVOjg11LlRYMVFgJ1YTfj-BAQQbdbKkMBkZ4nBeZTUpdHG0hCNpdQJVAmkI0E_IS3v2I2azc4i07BWSwcXxuDsO6dm8qlCmiPLJxbUbf81O7hBMLFNAeaw/s320/DSC_0246_572.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Standing in front of the sun was Neal. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">He said he was checking out, late for his appointment, but wanted to give me something. H</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">e handed me four little pages, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I recognized, he tore out of his small notebook. St</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">ill blocking the light, he asked me to read what he wrote out loud. I turned to the Australian woman, than somewhat embarrassed, I read:</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">At night,</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I look to the heavens above and I wonder many things.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I think of what may be and often without answers, </span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I feel a sense of loss.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">So often I lament having to say goodbye so long ago while still in my youth.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">There have been hard times when I sensed, but missed your physical presence. </span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">That is still the case.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">But today the cycle has gone round, the circle closed, and from this point, you are enclosed within.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">You are no longer far away, but now especially near.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I look to the sky above and sense your presence and I realize you are not simply out there in the ethers.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I carry you within me and you are where I am.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I am that part of you left behind.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I will no longer feel an emptiness because you gave me life, you filled me up</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> and now it is my turn to live my life where you left off. </span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The sentences, the stories you left are now for me to complete, not for you, but for myself.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">When I am done, I shall be complete, with no missing parts, no unsung verse.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> And as I fill in the still blank pages of what will become of the story of my life, </span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I sense you might read the pages in real time. </span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">And when I occasionally wish to seek your reassurance, </span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I shall simply look to the heavens above on a clear night, </span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">and I shall find it in the twinkle of your eyes </span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">and those who left before you as you all look down and smile upon me.</span></i></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">He signed it Neal Williams and included his email address. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I never contacted him.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiPHfC7SDiql7gPnHaH-my-JF9ixeN1fGO-7uTdco_jMU19ckaTF5n5_zZCxl3tr4ll8Vp1xjCELYFPuwbsiBW84V11bcfvF5d7_LnqpXeC3Mei9JV3HEk8NiPyspdALYs7EY_Mb2nMA/s1600/DSC_0122_467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiPHfC7SDiql7gPnHaH-my-JF9ixeN1fGO-7uTdco_jMU19ckaTF5n5_zZCxl3tr4ll8Vp1xjCELYFPuwbsiBW84V11bcfvF5d7_LnqpXeC3Mei9JV3HEk8NiPyspdALYs7EY_Mb2nMA/s320/DSC_0122_467.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Two days later, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I arrived at the beach </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">later than planned. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The sun sat like a smoldering thumbprint on the horizon and the moon hid behind a low cloud bank. In big gulps, t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">he high tide swallowed the wide beach while a frantic wind whipped the wet grainy air against my bare skin. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Halfway down the beach, I climbed over the sea wall and walked back to my car along the road.</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I wasn't sad to leave. I knew it was time to move on. </span></div></div>Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-52165937041190696272011-02-26T16:22:00.084-06:002011-02-28T15:17:29.414-06:00Meet HeidiUntil Heidi, I'd never met anyone who dreamed of doing something for so long and when the chance came, she didn't let age stop her. As a young child, Heidi dreamed of ice skating.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cglNmqFOuk4_BAo5SjjgMXTnXORAw7Mw2WboYavOsPPU5iH40kZx6sXh3SmrzNnZxGmwWNayUDa5HMyJNxB-Uzm02JhGz67bOFtzzs1i4H_uXaFVLTmrKouCVRnTROEj8N9kEK_7kKk/s1600/DSC_0435heidi+flying.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cglNmqFOuk4_BAo5SjjgMXTnXORAw7Mw2WboYavOsPPU5iH40kZx6sXh3SmrzNnZxGmwWNayUDa5HMyJNxB-Uzm02JhGz67bOFtzzs1i4H_uXaFVLTmrKouCVRnTROEj8N9kEK_7kKk/s320/DSC_0435heidi+flying.JPG" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Only one problem: In the deep south, the closest thing in her hometown and anywhere nearby, was a roller rink. So she made do, content to study every move her idols Peggy, then Dorothy, made on the ice. Then, in her tiny bedroom, she'd jump and spin in front of make-believe judges as they huddled on the edge of her bed and scored her own Olympic performance.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4Gv9hKPIcacEbt8pfVsB23d6WT8FzwxrdgeYYXhfjsgLh_eYz5MG3ad4E9wLWMe2Qm4fG4jZt1WqPycqTNq2a-OdORGYgYmkJCXjahWdMraWgPTxBnmQoTK1gImw2ZyvlvphUdmFGWo/s1600/robert+and+heidi+skating1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4Gv9hKPIcacEbt8pfVsB23d6WT8FzwxrdgeYYXhfjsgLh_eYz5MG3ad4E9wLWMe2Qm4fG4jZt1WqPycqTNq2a-OdORGYgYmkJCXjahWdMraWgPTxBnmQoTK1gImw2ZyvlvphUdmFGWo/s320/robert+and+heidi+skating1.JPG" width="208" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Through college and corporate life, through the early years of her marriage and the birth of her son, that dream simmered. Finally, on her 40th birthday and living in an Atlanta suburb, she laced on a stiff pair of blue vinyl skates and wobbled out to join a bunch of wide-eyed children for a group lesson at a suburban rink.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaN-xN_3UCmrFuMDSmnZGaO0iaVG1RSrXCoOILwGBwwgGfK5TjRBHd_DtTkWqSRbPDk7q1JsjTUlAIyQ3D-bix90kNzilbjTEUY1IshiD7JLz4rsOIx54-zOFAMRCwwApcYfZdBHeyxFY/s1600/skate+close-up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaN-xN_3UCmrFuMDSmnZGaO0iaVG1RSrXCoOILwGBwwgGfK5TjRBHd_DtTkWqSRbPDk7q1JsjTUlAIyQ3D-bix90kNzilbjTEUY1IshiD7JLz4rsOIx54-zOFAMRCwwApcYfZdBHeyxFY/s320/skate+close-up.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div>Her knees shook as she struggled to stand up straight. After a few spills, Heidi's instructor pointed her to a circle of middle-aged ice addicts. Together, her new soul sisters, met for early morning sessions and after work again to learn how to waltz jump, mohawk turn, and sit spin. Off the ice, they supported each other through divorces, troubled children, moving and aging parents.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKW-0Nr60Y0kCpFRpzTfYpGg7X8AFfNJRYWgdDaNxiwcouVkbDWJNfoGewhiQW-aBdJMGlQlXrEPesvGUr8hXNuGgIsMkRqQb53zL7OLDm_gPbZWiYeV-QU8gNN_eLQai40WwxgAb03Xo/s1600/emily+and+heidi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKW-0Nr60Y0kCpFRpzTfYpGg7X8AFfNJRYWgdDaNxiwcouVkbDWJNfoGewhiQW-aBdJMGlQlXrEPesvGUr8hXNuGgIsMkRqQb53zL7OLDm_gPbZWiYeV-QU8gNN_eLQai40WwxgAb03Xo/s320/emily+and+heidi.jpg" width="187" /></a></div><br />
As if she knew its purpose, skating became Heidi's sanctuary, a place to unwind while raising her son, adopting Emily from China, moving to Nashville. It brought her peace after a hysterectomy and during her divorce.<br />
<br />
Now 52, because of skating, she created a business designing custom skating and ice dancing competition dresses.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8etlZuiK0MNMc2Kw9PjM2MV-aiVZMutY6ARx4ILQzbegOtZN4YBScG5SLVOPjvsT0laq-O8qnVpxY7DUoVvsHlY_rZqdvwCc6BRrjcwPxITMpgjzfEm7sRWCS5Ji-szIxAqcFDGh38M/s1600/diana+and+heidi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8etlZuiK0MNMc2Kw9PjM2MV-aiVZMutY6ARx4ILQzbegOtZN4YBScG5SLVOPjvsT0laq-O8qnVpxY7DUoVvsHlY_rZqdvwCc6BRrjcwPxITMpgjzfEm7sRWCS5Ji-szIxAqcFDGh38M/s320/diana+and+heidi.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heidi with Diana, a 28-year old math college professor, wears one of Heidi's creations. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Recently I went to watch Emily, now 10, compete in ice dancing with Robert, her and Heidi's master-level coach.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7y5iyymeBVLTwni-iPeA1wBW8_8XToeYckcYwknRlXIi1VOvG840hCHVC4g58mB_Y_U0tfYsexVdrwGUBLtSsIUuqhyphenhyphenivZWqnrJhRop3ykpSS9tB1kYLRM-3M-Ym4nY-843jnF2tNa54/s1600/DSC_0027_197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7y5iyymeBVLTwni-iPeA1wBW8_8XToeYckcYwknRlXIi1VOvG840hCHVC4g58mB_Y_U0tfYsexVdrwGUBLtSsIUuqhyphenhyphenivZWqnrJhRop3ykpSS9tB1kYLRM-3M-Ym4nY-843jnF2tNa54/s320/DSC_0027_197.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">After, came Heidi's good friend, Sandy, a 66-year old grandmother. She sailed and spun (in one of Heidi's custom made creations) with Robert before her unfortunate finale.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNFCPKOKC_gYlPdYCEdsb_ytjnTPBgRiMj3GF1OEg_WFnylnpJDYSFhl7zxguDqUegeeswS42vMFtcz8x4KIgCWxfgeoedyV4wDU2B1Cxn37Oa_8oKuaD1mr-OG1-9b1KgKwR5O_Yi_A/s1600/DSC_0022_192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNFCPKOKC_gYlPdYCEdsb_ytjnTPBgRiMj3GF1OEg_WFnylnpJDYSFhl7zxguDqUegeeswS42vMFtcz8x4KIgCWxfgeoedyV4wDU2B1Cxn37Oa_8oKuaD1mr-OG1-9b1KgKwR5O_Yi_A/s320/DSC_0022_192.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrjCcBdq_eoK4sDFumSulMyfCLdZlWVzue80sqMOKxT6CWze7XXKTAySa7YyQY3DsIiDSkhANl2ziv1pFEr2AYEGghCeGITclbDWiUHIsTADPTuz0gtbXpoG8UnQLPgsNSduOsmagKyw/s1600/DSC_0024_194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrjCcBdq_eoK4sDFumSulMyfCLdZlWVzue80sqMOKxT6CWze7XXKTAySa7YyQY3DsIiDSkhANl2ziv1pFEr2AYEGghCeGITclbDWiUHIsTADPTuz0gtbXpoG8UnQLPgsNSduOsmagKyw/s320/DSC_0024_194.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Heidi was the last to perform with Robert in the Hickory Hoe Down. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz4ZkG3BvAfwWC1n6ADy8dzBEyBI3bgh2voMzYEQYLP8GCwnln1WsDrdou5lnHJl0t10fxvbRl-48qOngejTw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">She didn't win. (Neither did Sandy.) A 59-year old Vanderbilt professor skated off with first place.<br />
<br />
But it didn't seem to matter. Heidi appeared content to have just skated.<br />
<br />
Maybe this was her Olympics, the wind blowing her loose hair (Robert's trick to appear like she's going faster) and her parents, brother and daughter cheering her on.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This was her chance to fly. Winning would have just been the icing on an already great dream.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Q9QPlngZB1WgtMg_6sj93_Gg4rH8sFBq82L9RtJM_aW-kB9awXFj8Wx0WROi28mcE0u6MQ5XdTXLH8h0dKDp0kpNu9aPgSLU02a_yT7V1A_1mIrlQykL_nsswI5-GSBpk_V3rHZPHrI/s1600/DSC_0035_205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Q9QPlngZB1WgtMg_6sj93_Gg4rH8sFBq82L9RtJM_aW-kB9awXFj8Wx0WROi28mcE0u6MQ5XdTXLH8h0dKDp0kpNu9aPgSLU02a_yT7V1A_1mIrlQykL_nsswI5-GSBpk_V3rHZPHrI/s320/DSC_0035_205.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div>Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-26063027197547758782011-01-31T15:07:00.000-06:002011-01-31T15:07:33.668-06:00Meet Caron ("Ca-rown")<div style="text-align: center;">Another mucky gray sky.<br />
<br />
Not even 30 degrees outside. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Felt sorry for myself. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Missed my husband. My kids. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-c5rVC1UXVqKTJTf1It4LaOYGfPh2oBFESUN7g6bhr32Js75J3W7Nb5vcd1X8_eb_WLcddt8Ov9umYniZt1TQ0v7dXJLU1t35qR5XE-26jiz5XzsqbGBjUkC3swLtEysXdK5ArAFw90Q/s1600/george+and+me+walking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-c5rVC1UXVqKTJTf1It4LaOYGfPh2oBFESUN7g6bhr32Js75J3W7Nb5vcd1X8_eb_WLcddt8Ov9umYniZt1TQ0v7dXJLU1t35qR5XE-26jiz5XzsqbGBjUkC3swLtEysXdK5ArAFw90Q/s320/george+and+me+walking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To get out of my funk, hooked a leash on George and headed out the door.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Took my usual route, past Trader Joe's market, a favorite spot for homeless people to sell newspapers.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZY5Vhv3wqbbEDNBM2QzLML59C7ptbk2nOMzbr3V2aGKW0ctKqgyj3NcEnjJnGmYAUbKOxZWvBLNh2uDjrn0X6X9IlTwEHId1e9BDVvcSCFL3gDpRXozR0o9low44t4fKLtN6Ap5rlc0/s1600/meet+caron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZY5Vhv3wqbbEDNBM2QzLML59C7ptbk2nOMzbr3V2aGKW0ctKqgyj3NcEnjJnGmYAUbKOxZWvBLNh2uDjrn0X6X9IlTwEHId1e9BDVvcSCFL3gDpRXozR0o9low44t4fKLtN6Ap5rlc0/s320/meet+caron.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Caron (pronounced Ca-rown) stood next to the telephone pole at the crosswalk.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"How ya doing?" </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Great. Like your dog." </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecr3lovN2D1R2J1tYUKlZBm7LFxpRoSXn3Dg_PemL75NkNnd2hztEsv4oVqeIVSNaRbhOHXm0jPYFWy40CL1uFmGU51GGJHjISjL3V3g5z_VjVoxkBeRPdI9crNzq19MqaUJcS5q65zc/s1600/Caron+and+George.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecr3lovN2D1R2J1tYUKlZBm7LFxpRoSXn3Dg_PemL75NkNnd2hztEsv4oVqeIVSNaRbhOHXm0jPYFWy40CL1uFmGU51GGJHjISjL3V3g5z_VjVoxkBeRPdI9crNzq19MqaUJcS5q65zc/s320/Caron+and+George.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">"Thanks."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Took a few steps - told MYSELF, "Don't get stuck talking. It's too cold." </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Then turned around.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"How's business?"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"O.K. Yesterday, not so good. Hopefully, today will be better."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Caron explained how she ended up selling these newspapers.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Caron lost her job at a fast-food restaurant. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Then, lost her apartment. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Now lives in a hotel.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Pays $44 per night because she hates sleeping at the women's mission.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "They make you pack up and be gone by 5 a.m. each morning with all your stuff." </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"You looking for a regular job?"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Yes, but if I go job hunting, I don't make any money selling." </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Do you have kids?"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"They're all grown. The youngest is in the pen."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"For what?"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Drugs."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"You look so young to have someone in prison." </div><div style="text-align: center;">(I know, I say the dumbest things sometimes.) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"I'm 51."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "Ah, we're the same age."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Caron's red lipstick outlined her yellow teeth.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Have a great day. I hope you sell lots of papers."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Thanks, you have a great day too."</div><div style="text-align: center;"> "Bye George."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">An hour later, stopped to pay $10 for her $1 newspaper, but Caron was gone. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Haven't seen her since.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hope that means she found full-time work. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Want to thank her for shining some light on what's important in life.</div>Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-80496195533745717962010-12-08T17:38:00.010-06:002010-12-09T07:06:05.430-06:00Meet EdI never planned to feature a man.<br />
<br />
Then I met Ed. Hours after we went our separate ways, I realized this total stranger had left such an imprint on my life, I had to share his story.<br />
<br />
I work at a home furnishings store and last week, Ed and his wife Sue came in to buy a throw. Sue moved extremely slow as if she just got out of surgery and every step was pure agony. Ed patiently trailed behind as I guided Sue to the display tables. He stood nearby while she deliberated which color was best and whether she should even buy it.<br />
<br />
"How long have you two been married?" I asked attempting to fill the time.<br />
<br />
Sue smiled, but didn't answer. Instead, she looked at Ed.<br />
<br />
"Fifty nine years," he said.<br />
<br />
"Wow, what's your secret?"<br />
<br />
I noticed Sue's vibrant blue eyes and silver white bob. Just a hint of mascara coated her lashes and she wore a soft pink lipstick. She had a chunky Grandma-type figure (short with rounded edges) and wore a white sweater set with tan high waisted pants and spotless white leather sneakers.<br />
<br />
Again, Sue smiled at Ed, a lean silver haired Grandpa-type in a collared shirt, khakis and a navy canvas zip-up jacket. He looked down, smiled, then turned toward me as if I asked directions and he was trying to figure out the most direct route.<br />
<br />
"A lot of hard work and a lot of prayin'," He said, adding, "Sue's had health issues."<br />
<br />
Together, they ran down her ailments. Around 20 years ago, Sue slipped on black ice, fell down a flight of stairs and laid outside with a crushed ankle and her leg broke in four places.<br />
<br />
"My hair nearly froze off," she said.<br />
<br />
A few years later, Sue had a brain tumor and then surgery to remove it, followed by a heart attack and surgery for a pacemaker. Most recently, she had a stroke that left her paralyzed on one side.<br />
<br />
"That's been the hardest," Sue said slowly, explaining how she's had to learn everything all over again.<br />
<br />
I looked over at Ed who was watching his wife. His kind eyes told what he never said, how he's learned to accept the changes, her limitations and find joy in the added responsibilities.<br />
<br />
I'm a sucker for a good love story, but in an attempt to not lose control, I quickly changed the subject.<br />
<br />
"How was your Thanksgiving?"<br />
<br />
"Great," Sue said.<br />
<br />
"We had 18 people over," Ed added.<br />
<br />
"Who cooked?" I blurted out before out before I could can catch myself. "I mean, did everyone bring something?"<br />
<br />
Sue just smiled and looked at Ed.<br />
<br />
"I did the cooking," Ed said. "I learned how in the army."<br />
<br />
Ed made chicken, stuffing, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, broccoli, sweet potatoes, turnip greens and at least five other dishes, along with a coconut cake.<br />
<br />
"The only thing I can't make is biscuits. The dough sticks to my fingers," he said, mimicking how he wipes the dough off.<br />
<br />
Hours later, I recognized the gift Ed left behind.<br />
<br />
He reminded me if you're married or committed to someone, the secret to aging gracefully together is three-fold. Savor the good. Accept the "whoa-I-never-thought-I'd-be-doing-this" parts. And third, find joy in the every day things, the simple little stitches that bind your souls.Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-82482452075481755992010-11-30T20:14:00.000-06:002010-11-30T20:14:09.580-06:00Meet Laura<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05es8I_tKVFciJguZW6hmucUG1xfjD8mbtfQ0HGSILmaR2psL3L7ZNMoM70r6ryx2vq4ElApbWjbndT-Wn4CUoX5Bmnq5Wt6rO7Sjcz_wbDi-taF_clayzMFP06tWd1-vi7gvnEXF9Fc/s1600/get-attachment.aspx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05es8I_tKVFciJguZW6hmucUG1xfjD8mbtfQ0HGSILmaR2psL3L7ZNMoM70r6ryx2vq4ElApbWjbndT-Wn4CUoX5Bmnq5Wt6rO7Sjcz_wbDi-taF_clayzMFP06tWd1-vi7gvnEXF9Fc/s320/get-attachment.aspx.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura, center, with her children (L to R) Ted, Will, Seth and Betsy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Laura looks healthier than most people her age, yet she lives with a chronic illness that requires her to visit the local hospital once a month for the rest of her life. If she didn't, she would die. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> You would never know it looking at Laura or even spending time with her because Laura chooses to not let her illness define her. Along the way, she's also learned to trust pain and not be afraid of it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In August 2006, Will, one of Laura’s four children, was home from college and noticed her feet were swollen. Laura, an active Realtor, professional school fundraiser, and wife of a minister, stopped long enough to check her blood pressure. The reading was normal. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At 49-years old, Laura didn’t think much about it. For years, she’d taught swim lessons and coached teams. She was an avid walker and took yoga and weight classes. She knew little aches and pains, even swelling, sometimes come with daily exercise. Laura also knew she was more tired than usual, but she attributed it to having two children still at home and in high school. Betsy, her only daughter, was in her senior year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However, two weeks later when her symptoms didn’t go away, she consulted a doctor. Both her white and red blood counts were dangerously low. Her red count should fall between 39 and 45. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Mine was 26. You start losing brain cells at around 22 because you don’t have any oxygen. You can go into cardiac arrest,” she explained.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her white count should fall between 5,000 and 8,000. “Mine was 2,000,” she added.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next day, Laura and her husband drove to a specialist. On the way, Laura started to have a heart attack. Her heart was pumping too fast. They made it to the hospital where she was admitted for testing and days of poking and prodding.<o:p></o:p></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNkqrv1Tj6a7Bzzaz4nE8fvZeZM-8qzgJstfzyqFfuJW8LbkVD9vTeoDo1bJwNoOt4_bCaV0PPJ_nnBN6ueT7_SgicFbTT-VWuAKpugbXdHEZB_NhZD-XTijOO0zGT1tgOU9Xxys7SK4/s1600/get-attachment-1.aspx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNkqrv1Tj6a7Bzzaz4nE8fvZeZM-8qzgJstfzyqFfuJW8LbkVD9vTeoDo1bJwNoOt4_bCaV0PPJ_nnBN6ueT7_SgicFbTT-VWuAKpugbXdHEZB_NhZD-XTijOO0zGT1tgOU9Xxys7SK4/s320/get-attachment-1.aspx.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura with Kenny, her husband of 29 years. "Getting sick was the best thing for our marriage," Laura said. "Kenny was just a rock star - all the shots, all the things he did - twice we took a break for a week from all the doctor visits and treatments. One week, he took me to a movie every day. He kept our head on for us. He kept things stable and calm."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Two weeks later without a diagnosis, she was sent home. Kenny learned how to to give her shots every day. Nothing made her better. She felt like she had the worse case of mono. Everything ached. Just walking the 20 feet from the house to the car zapped her energy. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Over the next eight months while doctors tried to diagnose her symptoms, Laura was admitted into the hospital 14 times, endured 14 blood transfusions (one every three weeks) four bone marrow aspirations (“craaaazy” painful, she said), received three rounds of chemo, participated in numerous experimental treatments, and had her spleen removed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> Not surprisingly if you know Laura, s</span>he was never alone. Besides Kenny and the children, throughout the journey, she’d wake up and find hospital staff – doctors, nurses, and technicians – praying beside her bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the end, Laura discovered not only had she been exposed to tuberculosis while living overseas but worse, she was born with a compromised immune system.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I don’t have two components in my immune system,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If left untreated, Laura could have died. Now once a month, she gets up early and drives herself to the hospital. For 10 hours straight, she sits quietly in a chair surrounded by other patients, some, just days from death, while an IV drips her missing blood products into her vein. Then she drives herself home and spends the next 12 hours sick to her stomach.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This procedure has become part of Laura’s life but it doesn’t define her. She trusts God’s plan although she continues to challenge her body. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> Nearly two</span> years ago, after getting her doctor’s approval, Laura and I trained for our first half marathon together. Each week, we’d text each other to confirm our walking times before meeting. One day, she didn’t respond. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Where were you yesterday?” I asked as we race walked our 8-mile course along the river and through old town, past mothers pushing babies in carriages and elderly couples strolling in silence holding hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Oh sorry, it was my hospital day,” Laura said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-81028194205258542052010-11-10T16:00:00.005-06:002010-11-11T06:19:26.901-06:00Meet Safka<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxOe3kT8Zbmv2Y797vYiTcAfpRWv5H1_E1h28Vogt58qoaEzLNC6LswTVAHqB6g204mmIIBf8LeMIyYk6laAQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I heard Safka before I saw her on the side of Buchanan Street, one of Glasgow's charming pedestrian thoroughfares. It was a typical miserably cold November day, the kind that makes both locals and tourists walk quicker and talk less, anything to stay warm and dry.<br />
<br />
Standing in the rain, Safka, a plump elderly woman with a babushka tied under her rolled chin, played her accordion to the moving audience peering out from under their hoods and umbrellas. Her gloved thick fingers sailed over the keyboard as she pumped the bellows and swayed to her music. Safka didn't skip a beat as she thanked the occasional passersby who dropped tokens in her bag.<br />
<br />
And she also didn't move under the nearby building's overhang.<br />
<br />
I left to eat lunch. An hour later, Safka was still standing there in the same spot, playing the same song. I dropped a few coins in her bag and asked some questions. Safka is 77 years old, Romanian and beyond that, couldn't or wouldn't speak English.<br />
<br />
Then she smiled and thanked me as if I was a close friend who came to watch her perform. I thought, I should be thanking her for playing, albeit the same tune, like the sun was shining on Buchanan.Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-67517670321396645072010-10-19T12:40:00.035-05:002010-10-28T19:03:43.392-05:00Meet ValerieSometimes people come into your life in the most bizarre places, and you don't realize they'll leave such a lasting impression until after you part ways.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago, I was flying home from New York and had to change planes in Charlotte. On my way to my next gate, I dashed into the ladies' room for a quick pit stop in Terminal C. It was early - maybe 7:30 a.m. - and I'd been up for hours. That's when I heard Valerie.<br />
<br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ba9n2-P5mx8?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ba9n2-P5mx8?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br />
<br />
There I was relieving my bladder, minding my own business in my own little stall when I first heard her singing. I listened while I washed my hands and walked out. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but at first, I found her singing annoying. Then a funny thing happened on my way to my next gate: Valerie's little "diddy" got stuck in my brain. A week went by and it was still there. Another week - still there. Finally, it hit me.<br />
<br />
Valerie has taken a menial, rather depressing job and made it enjoyable. I know nothing about her - how old she is, how long she's been wiping down toilet seats and sink counters, picking up women's trash and going home each day smelling like a public bathroom. None of that matters.<br />
<br />
Valerie reminded me to find the joy and humor in life. Next time I fly through Charlotte, I'll be sure to thank her.Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-4641372471911810022010-10-15T14:48:00.000-05:002010-10-15T14:48:18.774-05:00Meet Dottie<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Z3Tm3PCwjBxGE4P_BYSeID89BAd-DpZrA2k0wBXlcEQ1k2ZXy_uRItmeGrpUNkJOhAHZupVSQDnwqCkaDVK7EEXurvQIKB3wUBlnt_VLgwzTaoLG-pWPIwPzxtx8KIyyJ8KCCz7H2-I/s1600/D-1._Buzek_and_student_at_Charlotte_Park2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvoiZ_I6FOkQhvBf0djPhJaii1UfWM8fL8buNq_dcBVYTVTcTythK_aMxn6peh_QbdVVIKjdE-H0cJLZCk7RInRYXu7klqQx_oKtpR1Y3cntQwsHc5o_iGdsot9nVa3qPE7qMgOufB6M/s1600/P8260991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvvoiZ_I6FOkQhvBf0djPhJaii1UfWM8fL8buNq_dcBVYTVTcTythK_aMxn6peh_QbdVVIKjdE-H0cJLZCk7RInRYXu7klqQx_oKtpR1Y3cntQwsHc5o_iGdsot9nVa3qPE7qMgOufB6M/s400/P8260991.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Last May,</b> at around 5:30 a.m. one morning, 87-year old Dottie woke up when she heard someone in her house.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Mom? It's me," her daughter said after letting herself in with a spare key. "You need to get your checkbook. Take your valuables and your dog and and drive up to the clubhouse."<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAveNeD8EXjeDmxB93DGMGyglrHZhJ4Srd2Ips9xb2_89sc2YLkKOkVbpJR0yFqkLz3E2pknIUbTjdbrWD6DjIs3qp4rua3KWc_B3iKHa9p0ql_2B8l80ECue785UlVLFF3D86BmvST0/s1600/driving+in+the+flood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAveNeD8EXjeDmxB93DGMGyglrHZhJ4Srd2Ips9xb2_89sc2YLkKOkVbpJR0yFqkLz3E2pknIUbTjdbrWD6DjIs3qp4rua3KWc_B3iKHa9p0ql_2B8l80ECue785UlVLFF3D86BmvST0/s640/driving+in+the+flood.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like hundreds Middle Tennesseans, within hours, this independent widow lost practically everything when five-feet of water eventually flooded the main level of her home in a storm that killed 32 people state-wide and caused over 17,000 people to request assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With the help of her daughter and son-in-law, Dottie eventually waded through knee-deep water to safety, while her furniture and collectibles she acquired with her late husband of almost 50 years were destroyed, racks of clothing ruined and photographs of family and friends damaged. Even her car was totaled. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUWehbUN6Fy7deFIWt9Tvnv5zfkSVR3dYIzFSHo86QACXFwyz6SVwZ4AGwhTg4pvbdHC6Yqsh2Bb6r8NWEcaTW55ZXOylLGMhND3-XUCxjwm_cgVYu9Cwty29zVB6kd1xV1igFVWn-DM/s1600/flooded+living+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUWehbUN6Fy7deFIWt9Tvnv5zfkSVR3dYIzFSHo86QACXFwyz6SVwZ4AGwhTg4pvbdHC6Yqsh2Bb6r8NWEcaTW55ZXOylLGMhND3-XUCxjwm_cgVYu9Cwty29zVB6kd1xV1igFVWn-DM/s640/flooded+living+room.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">After the water dissipated, everything was covered with a thin layer of dirt.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOuuv1UGrbJM-9CsgtdLyumNlUZmSTLc-bHb7MVuURQS-Mb1GS953kv3TtSKiP2URbP1FL0F4Py5IsJiRnLvfjrI5TrAByvr6I6FRtB0Mnoma9vfOOzuYejfFIdZ6PK-lovyUMJXGKMI/s1600/wet+hanging+clothes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOuuv1UGrbJM-9CsgtdLyumNlUZmSTLc-bHb7MVuURQS-Mb1GS953kv3TtSKiP2URbP1FL0F4Py5IsJiRnLvfjrI5TrAByvr6I6FRtB0Mnoma9vfOOzuYejfFIdZ6PK-lovyUMJXGKMI/s400/wet+hanging+clothes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The weight of the wet clothes caused the entire clothes rack to pull out of the wall.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6J4smK1jdjM8R-CdtZTHyfq0XoiGWgeU1vJvIX34EbG87Ik2Nt6XXpW4sWFxoxhgzVKVZPt6-7zqoGTtVN5mt4PNfIYpEKAhFZmJZ6Q_6A3Y9M9rIqoedQYKJWgajmSdUUH-pmKHfIA/s1600/trash+at+the+curb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6J4smK1jdjM8R-CdtZTHyfq0XoiGWgeU1vJvIX34EbG87Ik2Nt6XXpW4sWFxoxhgzVKVZPt6-7zqoGTtVN5mt4PNfIYpEKAhFZmJZ6Q_6A3Y9M9rIqoedQYKJWgajmSdUUH-pmKHfIA/s640/trash+at+the+curb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWsGFl_tPZV6pvvdTc7MAjtgoCJXFCFyvUU4g7DDse6YK1jYz2Gau8C92JHgxpdv_uD0OvwT5JkJfaeKwayThiHDtUXM2QsH8ohS2WMWQbsoi8rp2l4BvFENsxzdiSJViLRSN2RcxQWk/s1600/drying+clothes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWsGFl_tPZV6pvvdTc7MAjtgoCJXFCFyvUU4g7DDse6YK1jYz2Gau8C92JHgxpdv_uD0OvwT5JkJfaeKwayThiHDtUXM2QsH8ohS2WMWQbsoi8rp2l4BvFENsxzdiSJViLRSN2RcxQWk/s400/drying+clothes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Wet clothes were separated into piles after the storm. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUxsQa33iNrfrQyCM8DeUqkLoR9ChG_4BA47yLVZJZ-a-BWJCMoOplZMim7wvDjrBzuoGYD75wgETcQnafqfcDvu1M42S1c5zqrVbwIoK_9qe6kD6QMuqT3FEaCGbbz0Fmi5bcEzY6lk/s1600/dottie's+house+torn+to+studs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUxsQa33iNrfrQyCM8DeUqkLoR9ChG_4BA47yLVZJZ-a-BWJCMoOplZMim7wvDjrBzuoGYD75wgETcQnafqfcDvu1M42S1c5zqrVbwIoK_9qe6kD6QMuqT3FEaCGbbz0Fmi5bcEzY6lk/s400/dottie's+house+torn+to+studs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything was removed to the studs and dried out before her home could be rebuilt.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"Life is what you make it. We're going to survive this,"</span></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b></b>she said. Dottie, as well as her daughter and son-in-law who live nearby (and also lost most of their belongings), didn't have flood insurance. After the storm, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dottie's other daughter (who lives out of state) called and said, "'Don't worry about what you lost.' </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Over the last couple months, she scoured estate sales and consignment shops, even through me a 'flood shower.'</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"I could not believe all the nice things that could happen because of one bad thing. I lost treasures, but I gained so much more."</span></b></div></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div class="" style="clear: both; font-family: Tahoma; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div></div></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma;"></div></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I first heard about Dottie from a friend who said, "She'</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">s one of the most positive people I've ever met." After our first meeting in the temporary home she has been sharing with her daughter and son-in-law - a generous gift from some friends - I had to agree. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dottie is charming, humble, and her enthusiasm for life, infectious. She deals with life's challenges head-on. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Around five</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> years ago, she sold the Midwest home she built and shared with her late husband. She left her lifelong friends, her volunteer work and bought a smaller attached home near her daughter and son-in-law. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"The winters were getting to me. My grandchildren and great grandchildren were here. I realized that the longer I waited (to downsize) the more of a burden I'd become. I've always been an independent woman. I never wanted to be beholding to anyone," she said, then added, "But, if my two daughters hadn't helped though, I would have brought two times the stuff."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Z3Tm3PCwjBxGE4P_BYSeID89BAd-DpZrA2k0wBXlcEQ1k2ZXy_uRItmeGrpUNkJOhAHZupVSQDnwqCkaDVK7EEXurvQIKB3wUBlnt_VLgwzTaoLG-pWPIwPzxtx8KIyyJ8KCCz7H2-I/s1600/D-1._Buzek_and_student_at_Charlotte_Park2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Z3Tm3PCwjBxGE4P_BYSeID89BAd-DpZrA2k0wBXlcEQ1k2ZXy_uRItmeGrpUNkJOhAHZupVSQDnwqCkaDVK7EEXurvQIKB3wUBlnt_VLgwzTaoLG-pWPIwPzxtx8KIyyJ8KCCz7H2-I/s400/D-1._Buzek_and_student_at_Charlotte_Park2010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She admits moving wasn't easy, but Dottie joined the local YMCA's senior program to make new friends and signed up for day trips to learn the area. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After reading about FLIP </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Friends Learning in Pairs), an </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">intergenerational tutoring program that provides one-on-one sessions</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> with elementary age public school children, she applied to become a trained volunteer</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. The program looks for volunteers with a high level of enthusiasm and commitment. </span></span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma;"></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"I try and not let down times get me down,"</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">she said during my second visit as her not-so-petite, well-fed dog and constant companion nuzzled against her. I thought she was referring to the flood, but I soon realized that attitude applies to everything in her life. Two years ago, during her regular breast exam, the doctor discovered a tumor which required Dottie have a lumpectomy and go through radiation. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"It wasn't that bad," she said. "I met people much worse than me. The hospital was great and the people were very friendly."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A few weeks ago, I visited Dottie again, this time at a rehabilitation hospital shortly after she had hip surgery. This was her second hip surgery and years earlier, she'd gone through knee replacement. When I asked her how the recovery was going, she said,<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">"Not bad. This time I knew what to expect. - </span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I'll be fine."</span></span></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQ6myGmTArrP-iTzGK4gazmN9yJ1NDl6HZhCxd_6gcW9za-g_aQBIaBc1qxbojT7aD3aWtcLi0bfWmqKRh2dpy827Jz46z_eKONMqyoN8Jkq77DxwcJ_71cHcS6q2dphd31y4yBIyRQ4/s1600/dottie+with+dog+on+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQ6myGmTArrP-iTzGK4gazmN9yJ1NDl6HZhCxd_6gcW9za-g_aQBIaBc1qxbojT7aD3aWtcLi0bfWmqKRh2dpy827Jz46z_eKONMqyoN8Jkq77DxwcJ_71cHcS6q2dphd31y4yBIyRQ4/s320/dottie+with+dog+on+back.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7.9pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7.9pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7.9pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7.9pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7.9pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><o:p></o:p></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Dottie's Tips to Age Gracefully</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 7.9pt; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Put yourself out there. Believe in yourself. Nothing is impossible.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Stay positive.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Expose yourself to new things. (Dottie reads the newspaper every morning, watches both the local and national news, watches TV game shows, reads biographies, and loves to go to the movies. Her favorite? Sex and the City. “My daughter said, ‘You sure you want to see it?’ </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“A friend of mine says, ‘Make sure your brain’s engaged before you open your mouth.’”</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Exercise. Dottie goes three times a week to a special class at the YMCA that exercises every muscle. </span></li>
</ul><div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 7.9pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQ6myGmTArrP-iTzGK4gazmN9yJ1NDl6HZhCxd_6gcW9za-g_aQBIaBc1qxbojT7aD3aWtcLi0bfWmqKRh2dpy827Jz46z_eKONMqyoN8Jkq77DxwcJ_71cHcS6q2dphd31y4yBIyRQ4/s1600/dottie+with+dog+on+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div></div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-7686702814164531632010-09-02T17:04:00.115-05:002010-09-21T16:00:43.689-05:00Sonje Mayo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">You're never too old to look and feel better</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggctRPH2ySm2IA1_NeAkF3zltxMmhCPIhZ6hTrCGrIR3Ax_nhe1xSs8sz6pzHiPGtLxpaJ_93MtiE79x6p_YNYBqoZ_cB-piRsPQGxqA-6_nqcyFml5wduVZ2FatIvlgB3LC-67L3e_t4/s1600/sonje+headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggctRPH2ySm2IA1_NeAkF3zltxMmhCPIhZ6hTrCGrIR3Ax_nhe1xSs8sz6pzHiPGtLxpaJ_93MtiE79x6p_YNYBqoZ_cB-piRsPQGxqA-6_nqcyFml5wduVZ2FatIvlgB3LC-67L3e_t4/s320/sonje+headshot.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggctRPH2ySm2IA1_NeAkF3zltxMmhCPIhZ6hTrCGrIR3Ax_nhe1xSs8sz6pzHiPGtLxpaJ_93MtiE79x6p_YNYBqoZ_cB-piRsPQGxqA-6_nqcyFml5wduVZ2FatIvlgB3LC-67L3e_t4/s1600/sonje+headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"As we age, we need to eat and exercise wisely," says Sonje Mayo, former professional dancer/choreographer/physical therapist and 65-year old Pilates instructor. </span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Sonje's tips for eating and exercising:</span></u></span></span></div></div></div></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><ol><li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Get your heartbeat up for 21 minutes max several times each week. Getting on a machine for 45 minutes is pointless. You want minimal wear and tear on your joints. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Your core is everything, not only to protect your back, but to take the weight off your legs as we age. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"></span>Martha Graham used to say, "Don't come with a bald face" to class. Hair is very important. If you look good, you feel good.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Don't eat HUGE portions. Protein the size of your palm, that's all you need at a serving.</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Worst food someone can eat is sugar. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Eat the fat, just don't eat this low fat nonsense. If you're going to eat butter or eat cheese, eat the real thing. BUT eat less!</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Eat fruits and vegetables. Any kind. Whatever's seasonal. </span></li>
</ol><div style="text-align: center;"><u><br />
</u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Sonje's Story</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><u><br />
</u></span></div></div></div>At first, Sonje Mayo's charming South African accent is a tad distracting. The same is true of her physique. At 65-years old, she has some wrinkles, but she moves like a 20-something ballet dancer. No lie. No exaggeration. Honest-to-God truth.<br />
<br />
"Hello, my darling. Come in, sit down. Let's get to know each other," she said, during my initial consultation. A friend/yoga instructor suggested I meet her. For nearly a year, my back was causing all sorts of pain. After a series of x-rays, a Cat Scan, several cortisone shots and months of chiropractic adjustments and treatments - all covered by medical insurance - I wasn't any better.<br />
<br />
So I scheduled a series of Pilates classes with Sonje Mayo, some private, some "duo" classes using the equipment and a series of group mat classes. It was during my first mat class that I had, let's call it, my "wake-up call." <br />
<br />
Lying on my back with my legs at a 45-degree angle, I listened to Sonje count. At any moment, I thought she would complement me on my form. Instead, I glanced down to find her French manicured finger nail pointing an inch above my navel.<br />
<br />
"Pull it eein, eein and up!" she cried. "Tuck your ribs, elongate your tail bone. Come on now! I don't want to see any sausage rolls! Pull it eein! Pull it eein and UP!"<br />
<br />
In that split second, I realized that behind the proper accent and inside that sculpted body was a perfectionist who expects her clients to stay focused and not just go through the motions. I was there to work hard, get stronger and hopefully eliminate the pain in my back.<br />
<br />
Truth be known, Sonje hates slackers. If you're hurt, that's different. If you're lazy, no excuse. And if you whine? Well, take my word, just don't. In hindsight, it's what I should have expected from an acclaimed internationally known choreographer.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjge1p5GoJr7VZPWlTNXWkHcMlK-hDlpi2ZYd2iSbutkordMCzgbA4L4iBUNFxHHSWhq13l_GvVAqj3KbKg3Jz7jwPNnYgdhcB2H5GhvZ1u-sgxSA8q_eHLsV5ShcEi4F28AsnBEoFq8f0/s1600/sonje+pilates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjge1p5GoJr7VZPWlTNXWkHcMlK-hDlpi2ZYd2iSbutkordMCzgbA4L4iBUNFxHHSWhq13l_GvVAqj3KbKg3Jz7jwPNnYgdhcB2H5GhvZ1u-sgxSA8q_eHLsV5ShcEi4F28AsnBEoFq8f0/s320/sonje+pilates.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talk about a core workout! <br />
The black platform is attached by springs below the bar that Sonje Mayo's feet are resting on. Using her core strength, she moves the black platform to the left then slides it back carefully so the springs don't slam. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It's also what I'd expect of a former Alvin Ailey dancer and physical therapist. She's focused on one thing and that's to make her clients' cores stronger and in so doing, protect their backs and knees.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjFEOdbGrTwHx6-KOJ8j9WJDNZ3nPG0GCnKN9Sam7JeyF0UIB70Gcl8Tsg9ZKcBOiBDU1sIlbtaVfLHOCpYC3WFEiBbKChAPgxBql5ZxEZmdGvCUJsaGYNX7QHb-lBpAgPYQoy0Gg9Sw/s1600/tver_148_6662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjFEOdbGrTwHx6-KOJ8j9WJDNZ3nPG0GCnKN9Sam7JeyF0UIB70Gcl8Tsg9ZKcBOiBDU1sIlbtaVfLHOCpYC3WFEiBbKChAPgxBql5ZxEZmdGvCUJsaGYNX7QHb-lBpAgPYQoy0Gg9Sw/s200/tver_148_6662.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mat class at Sonje Mayo's Pilates studio</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9kbcZ3XY0oc_FUEE_gcL4zBy_JjN_vNgs9BH-qXaQCCGw563vRfVTscEOJUJOuZy-gBKmtZjRI3N5V6y2NHrVBrbb5yFMsxdJAzEKyjZClgSo7gvXYxKqcAmU0pyE2qGAGHfMyi_F4Q/s1600/tver_147_5340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9kbcZ3XY0oc_FUEE_gcL4zBy_JjN_vNgs9BH-qXaQCCGw563vRfVTscEOJUJOuZy-gBKmtZjRI3N5V6y2NHrVBrbb5yFMsxdJAzEKyjZClgSo7gvXYxKqcAmU0pyE2qGAGHfMyi_F4Q/s200/tver_147_5340.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks easy, but done correctly, it's a basic core killer!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lIrg6gzxqBX1wDN4oGxSBgjs-IWtkviTGP4dSh3ZYfbf0zL_npEOh-Q5kJFq0HNAYmPNTkRbSMFgI-uyOvnUD_CVHzEm-hy4qcSJIpYA9mSojnF6UDXECrvA3v8OrvmD1mVqRCVu96o/s1600/tver_154_3353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lIrg6gzxqBX1wDN4oGxSBgjs-IWtkviTGP4dSh3ZYfbf0zL_npEOh-Q5kJFq0HNAYmPNTkRbSMFgI-uyOvnUD_CVHzEm-hy4qcSJIpYA9mSojnF6UDXECrvA3v8OrvmD1mVqRCVu96o/s200/tver_154_3353.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div>Fortunately, I wasn't the only one to be called out that day or any class since then. No, Sonje's reputation as a stickler goes way back and is well-known among many of today's accomplished dancers and choreographers, including Arthur Pita, one of the leading choreographers in Europe.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijl2VGLFgz4d4MwlLOXNsmzE11it4ubk2ISQaaoCaE4FdgcAGRvAnWrevCIlQvqMjqWzsIQwCEVFrbME4UKCIAughMbnEJcQf7hn_FTCrMV_8qB3m27EOrPYt37XxnPOGjxeYyQe2haKU/s1600/Scan_Pic0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="483" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijl2VGLFgz4d4MwlLOXNsmzE11it4ubk2ISQaaoCaE4FdgcAGRvAnWrevCIlQvqMjqWzsIQwCEVFrbME4UKCIAughMbnEJcQf7hn_FTCrMV_8qB3m27EOrPYt37XxnPOGjxeYyQe2haKU/s640/Scan_Pic0006.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtkS6mTWSUtqD9PIax-Nv5ePkLAW8DgdSKHIVWrFMiCbE_e8iqG5_08V-9uu6SDpUirZHbsT40Ii3kmLrQNsZD6C6QEa-giZkiDd_hNrO4f8o4q1mOtc6UfSgLQ00qd6fAVfPklAZRcg/s1600/arthur_pita_portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtkS6mTWSUtqD9PIax-Nv5ePkLAW8DgdSKHIVWrFMiCbE_e8iqG5_08V-9uu6SDpUirZHbsT40Ii3kmLrQNsZD6C6QEa-giZkiDd_hNrO4f8o4q1mOtc6UfSgLQ00qd6fAVfPklAZRcg/s320/arthur_pita_portrait.jpg" /></a></div><br />
In 2006, Arthur was quoted in the Johannesburg Sunday Times. Sonje, who recruited him as a teenager to a prestigious arts school where she taught, opened him up to "what life was about," he said.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I asked Sonje what Arthur meant.<br />
<br />
"I told Arthur what I told all my dancers," Sonje recalled. "It's not about learning the dance or doing the dance. It's that dance teaches you how to approach life. I used to say if you're disciplined in class, you are disciplined in life."<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_slNADrkDzWGUYmZ1k36N9KBWKeB6aAhh32n8timA3-YS67FAXuRA-V-kI4IKBgfNayCkyJ8rPngztgTh_t6qOOY_JJmGr1bYzvWF13Xf3cB42SoElRo04GUXuCjd4zvvPYKI1LbYYc/s1600/Scan_Pic0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_slNADrkDzWGUYmZ1k36N9KBWKeB6aAhh32n8timA3-YS67FAXuRA-V-kI4IKBgfNayCkyJ8rPngztgTh_t6qOOY_JJmGr1bYzvWF13Xf3cB42SoElRo04GUXuCjd4zvvPYKI1LbYYc/s320/Scan_Pic0010.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(That's her on the right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnF59Y2t0jGZc845AzdZVDx7pvODSLcPm1k6V-HhfXyODeA5T62HBlPACJVViV8MgGqg1rZGFliXr7frWRm_3HLTXsurXxUCgKEdD1F_FXoWXQTRsu2ER4grH2k1v-Ww3Ui05FwvbOGw/s1600/Scan_Pic0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnF59Y2t0jGZc845AzdZVDx7pvODSLcPm1k6V-HhfXyODeA5T62HBlPACJVViV8MgGqg1rZGFliXr7frWRm_3HLTXsurXxUCgKEdD1F_FXoWXQTRsu2ER4grH2k1v-Ww3Ui05FwvbOGw/s320/Scan_Pic0008.jpg" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Her confident, strongly opinionated attitude is a product of growing up in South Africa during Apartheid and dancing professionally up until 10 years ago. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">The Early Years</span></u><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><u><br />
</u></span></div>As a small child, she says, "I didn't understand what was going on. I took it as the norm and didn't realize the impact. But it worried my father terribly. He was very nervous to say too much. He was a Jew and his parents had run from Germany, you know what I'm saying? You learn to keep your head down. You don't want to make waves. He didn't want to draw attention to himself. But he was so liberal. He spoke about everything at the table every night - psychology, Freud - he made up questions and asked my sister and I our opinion."</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ironically, her father's views of education included music, (perhaps because her mother played the piano) but didn't include dance. When a teacher noticed Sonje, who wasn't more than 4-years old, had natural talent and approached him, he initially said, 'Ballet was an indulgence and dancers were known to have loose morals!'"</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiaqz0x6bZV5AVv96sgC95lh8AsW8W-Kzb1_MQ0n5jvORfj5W44iZDDHFZ1xw7vXM-tyYLPMY5JiR39RnKbpRFKdPuDvCg-YgN-LdIbZq1qSQqKKf04MeNQThHz0EQCJ92yYUhF-RIQA/s1600/Scan_Pic0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiaqz0x6bZV5AVv96sgC95lh8AsW8W-Kzb1_MQ0n5jvORfj5W44iZDDHFZ1xw7vXM-tyYLPMY5JiR39RnKbpRFKdPuDvCg-YgN-LdIbZq1qSQqKKf04MeNQThHz0EQCJ92yYUhF-RIQA/s320/Scan_Pic0009.jpg" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then the teacher confronted her father again and told him he'd be "'doomed to hell and damnation for not allowing a God-given talent like mine to be developed,'" Sonje said, adding, "she even offered to teach me gratis. That is what really got to my dad. No child of his would be a charity case!"<br />
<br />
From then on, dance became part of Sonje's life. She competed and eventually went on to study dance and physical therapy at the University of Cape Town, one of the most liberal universities in South Africa. "I would even go as far as saying that UCT was the only effective opposition ot the Nationalist Government at that time. It was a real hotbed of politics and I got very involved. My father was worried because so many UCT students were arrested and he knew I was very involved." </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
After graduating, her parents encouraged her to leave the country. She landed first in London, then Canada and finally, in the U.S. To her father's credit, it wasn't her dancing ability that allowed her entrance into each country. It was her skills as a physical therapist. Eventually, she ended up auditioning for Ailey and became the first "white" dancer.<br />
<br />
"I suppose he (Ailey) was under pressure to accept other races into his company which had always been exclusively black," Sonje explained. "He also liked my discipline, both technically and mentally and he felt that the dancers in the company could learn from that."<br />
<br />
And because Sonje could move like an African due to her exposure to tribal dance, she thinks that was a reason he took her as the "token" white.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNAD2y_5Nn42U4LbVncSmqa6eqgrEwG53XIi_AXdscfQtcH2hEJFJP4nSPi3FtjSZUC3PQzpNdit-aCLYGkKwv9M1ESIARliwR8qua5tg3ek8f_x44eKilbLGnXo3oBdDQuC3bhK9cZo/s1600/jazz+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNAD2y_5Nn42U4LbVncSmqa6eqgrEwG53XIi_AXdscfQtcH2hEJFJP4nSPi3FtjSZUC3PQzpNdit-aCLYGkKwv9M1ESIARliwR8qua5tg3ek8f_x44eKilbLGnXo3oBdDQuC3bhK9cZo/s320/jazz+art.jpg" /></a></div>In 1971, she got married and returned to Cape Town where she had a son and daughter and founded JAZZART. It was the first openly multi-racial dance company in the history of South Africa.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEMFY3PLNPH9iV3m5l5pZ6hrviN0jVPr-oAqVsIEjYZ2LALxFpWlUTZTq22vqZ8YoRxPC_zWIzswFjQgUAykBGkS64HFUwm-j2zsy45EPQqOM9XZkolecLX1f1wErv2pYCBtK3U7v1EE/s1600/-_May_1981%C2%A9Ruphin_Coudyzer_FPPSA-1.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiEMFY3PLNPH9iV3m5l5pZ6hrviN0jVPr-oAqVsIEjYZ2LALxFpWlUTZTq22vqZ8YoRxPC_zWIzswFjQgUAykBGkS64HFUwm-j2zsy45EPQqOM9XZkolecLX1f1wErv2pYCBtK3U7v1EE/s640/-_May_1981%C2%A9Ruphin_Coudyzer_FPPSA-1.jpg.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Sonje is on the far left)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>"Up to then, some choreographers had used black dancers but they were always camouflaged or they could only perform in a protected personal 'studio' environment, meaning no tickets were sold to the public," she said. "I was breaking the law. Apartheid prohibited black and whites dancing together. Up to then, there was had never been a modern dance company of this genre...but the public was pleasantly surprised."<br />
<br />
By the early 1990s, every day life was tense. "Crime was out of hand in South Africa. The blacks had been oppressed for so long - it was total mayhem. We lived with 12-foot high walls, barbed wire on top, alarms, patrol dogs and Jack slept with a loaded gun by the bed. The police were overwhelmed," she recalled.<br />
<br />
Eventually, the couple and their two (now grown) children moved to the states and settled in Nashville for her husband's career at Vanderbilt University. She continued to dance and choreograph, even formed a dance company. And then one day, she woke up with a herniated disk.<br />
<br />
"Out of the blue, it happened...I knew I had to stop dancing and teaching because contemporary dance is very visual and you make up as you go along the way. I called a physical therapist friend of mine in London. She listened to me and then said, 'You know what to do. Find yourself a good Pilates teacher and stop whining.'"<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFCV8cRLkxurX8OEpumI5wH70Dq1IASUJFvdm3vQIWAF5ajaVMYXqpr9G4V6jBnTNPXD6O1-D01eDUNQT0DvdbPBIb8pB5iVJf0ZvMMWNnJKMXayWQXnLZ8iYXJYVFIME5Lbzp8QYkNM/s1600/sonje+pilates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFCV8cRLkxurX8OEpumI5wH70Dq1IASUJFvdm3vQIWAF5ajaVMYXqpr9G4V6jBnTNPXD6O1-D01eDUNQT0DvdbPBIb8pB5iVJf0ZvMMWNnJKMXayWQXnLZ8iYXJYVFIME5Lbzp8QYkNM/s320/sonje+pilates.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At 65-years old, Sonje demonstrates in her Pilates studio</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Ten years later, Sonje, now a grandmother, is a comprehensively trained Peak Pilates trainer. Her goal is to reach the next level - to become a master trainer, one of the few teacher trainers in the country. It's a lofty goal, even for someone half her age.<br />
<br />
"It will probably take me til I'm 90," she laughed. "But, I'll never retire, although I'll probably have to slow down. (A short pause as if she peeked into the future) But, I'll never stop working."<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"></ol>Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001646484345090834.post-30272530946736477122010-08-03T22:15:00.022-05:002010-09-01T09:03:53.162-05:00Meet Mildred<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Early one sticky morning, while slouched on an old wood bench nursing my coffee, I heard about Mildred. I confess. I eavesdropped at the dog park.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nearby, her granddaughter Sarah and a handful of locals swatted flies and swapped stories about the heat wave. Casually, as if it was no big deal, Sarah mentioned her 88-year old grandmother Mildred’s air-conditioning went out.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8HN9CiDALraoB1AjhC0yGQEth3rz-VbUUHRbjr3Iw0omV5OBELFTD-NXpkjhRzyyPtEjj4I8LtQalkIQVDm5aAOCG5ANs0sTpvxDUS4YQzjKVJgkwTIRSL_In04d42uRO9zwrK7UhRU/s1600/Sarah's+first+album+-+love+note+from+Grandma.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpqmvu7-x1okGCkH6RBjqnCknYvajWJHtV5YIAOGGQMZzG4OIpHJxtG5LP-tUdR5Af81YrWaCqc-UG5yTuyoFAa6SEQCTpOiJziIsIMppMaG2YPzoFTjgn-VxwzgfB1alF15IiYYkKFQ/s1600/Sarah+and+Mildred.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504514285684424930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpqmvu7-x1okGCkH6RBjqnCknYvajWJHtV5YIAOGGQMZzG4OIpHJxtG5LP-tUdR5Af81YrWaCqc-UG5yTuyoFAa6SEQCTpOiJziIsIMppMaG2YPzoFTjgn-VxwzgfB1alF15IiYYkKFQ/s400/Sarah+and+Mildred.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mildred, Sarah and Sarah's dog, Dali</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></span></div><div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“She lives alone in the Midwest. Until the repair man comes, she’s been spending time in her basement.”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I couldn't help butting in. "What does she do down there all day?”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a name='more'></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“She works on her photo albums,” Sara replied, smiling proudly.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504516242230080882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC90EB9bRMS-lC6Dz4XpPl0bX5laHCDQW2tiF4TrlnuqxRN6CgtrejNkBHGj9wsFbrtQHk0DpQqJ3K_k45uqvupY58ql6IHMwm9bNRmGSe_y_nwomn5awrrKyyUTcfvgzctsvg5J3sumg/s400/page+out+of+sarah%27s+album.jpg" style="display: block; height: 268px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"If I ever need to know when I did something, I look it up in one of my albums," Sarah said.</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mildred's basement is not a cushy, finished room. She descends at least 12 steps into a cinder-block walled space with fluorescent overhead lighting. Besides a few carpet remnants, the floor is exposed concrete. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mildred doesn't seem to mind her sparse surroundings as this is where she's chosen to work on her photo albums for the last 20-plus years.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It all began when Mildred retired from teaching school, the most recent, sixth grade. Now, despite some hearing loss, macular degeneration and severe arthritis, Mildred has become her family’s unofficial Memory Keeper. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By her last count, she's completed at least a total of 115 albums for Sarah and the other three grandchildren and her eight great grandchildren. Each album has around 100 standard size pages. Currently, she's working on Sarah's fourteenth album. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mildred has also completed seven albums that document her family's early days. And she's made copies of those books and distributed one to each of the family members, Mildred added, not boastful, but more matter-of-fact.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Over the years, I've met people who document their family's lives, but not one who gives everything away. Mildred's albums are what I'd call old-school style. She doesn't use any stickers or cut-outs. She keeps things simple, yet precise.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504514289853900818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8HN9CiDALraoB1AjhC0yGQEth3rz-VbUUHRbjr3Iw0omV5OBELFTD-NXpkjhRzyyPtEjj4I8LtQalkIQVDm5aAOCG5ANs0sTpvxDUS4YQzjKVJgkwTIRSL_In04d42uRO9zwrK7UhRU/s400/Sarah's+first+album+-+love+note+from+Grandma.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Her daughters send her the photos and basic caption information, the newspaper clippings and special notes and mementos that Mildred weaves throughout each album. To keep her production organized and economical, Mildred buys four-dozen albums at a time, reams of archival paper and plastic sleeves that she stockpiles in her basement.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504516248308448066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKhToCdM0ypCbwMwIszF7_w-PCX-s8vmohSRJI8LFfpFQWqCRW9J4wP7Y7Bb1lCY8mE36U3r1kiikkMZ5Fd_f08gZwi3ww5mIlOaNxdiO99yOMnlbjc1PvIOWlT_y6ghY2OMToYt4mjE/s400/sarah's+albums.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Mildred completes an album, she sends it off. </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sarah's collection is proudly displayed in her living room.</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"I usually work on my albums on Sunday afternoon,” she explained. “Sundays are lonely. Lots of people get together with their families. Since I (choose to) live alone, I like to talk out loud as if I’m visiting with the person whose book I’m working on. I draw lines to the side with pencil and then once I write about the photo in permanent pen, I erase the pencil line. I like to write in first person, to write what I think they would be saying in the photo.”</span></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ot7NUB9FXF-cKtsR9tkHJq4KomEqZ_ioR0M9BezRWNIUCGyvv-NTo6AkHN_r4BUUEV7XFQjKbLaw-buUEgPS_g5alQWJ694sdMpHIUlv_Z-KIKvVCENsoXxHOK7Dcon2CPVxPI0_H9A/s1600/sarah's+first+apt.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504514317805469650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ot7NUB9FXF-cKtsR9tkHJq4KomEqZ_ioR0M9BezRWNIUCGyvv-NTo6AkHN_r4BUUEV7XFQjKbLaw-buUEgPS_g5alQWJ694sdMpHIUlv_Z-KIKvVCENsoXxHOK7Dcon2CPVxPI0_H9A/s400/sarah's+first+apt.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 268px;" /></a><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7P3XhQEPR6EGddppgCk8viWiY4s88v6lUOSSWFlBKFf82vd0pDnb9ZQ5dL03F4gL_3y-wi2mKIIZWncuUPF7hQqAEhIxFgL24skfHAQvZ0UacmHGBTcuUUcPfXYcxtgPj18ZPB0IImk/s1600/sarah's+letter.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504514304333382114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7P3XhQEPR6EGddppgCk8viWiY4s88v6lUOSSWFlBKFf82vd0pDnb9ZQ5dL03F4gL_3y-wi2mKIIZWncuUPF7hQqAEhIxFgL24skfHAQvZ0UacmHGBTcuUUcPfXYcxtgPj18ZPB0IImk/s400/sarah's+letter.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Little notes and letters end up in each album</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Don't your hands ache?" I asked.</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mildred laughed. “If you could see my hands, you’d know. My knuckles are large and my fingers are all crooked. But every morning, I fill one kitchen sink with cold water and the other with water as hot as I can handle. Then I dip my hands in one side and count out loud to 10 really slow and then put my hands in the other sink and count again.”</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504525502132448546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0L0eFqeQjpsu6SlrZ-cBUUsweRx909BE_KJyYb-niGBUxXkbnvX9rsQtlY_bD_5ClohTlI-RZbsXMLNGpA7ayq8qnypxnWiYeomqxwxgKkPMMU3kWBb_foCDdZ4iq-Deplp9RTgD81UE/s400/flowery+page+in+photo+album.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 235px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></span><br />
<div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mildred drew free-hand the rose vine border </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She also limbers up by practicing the Palmer method, a traditional teaching style of repetitive shoulder, arm and hand movements used to learn cursive handwriting. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"What about your eyesight?" </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mildred still enjoys reading, although she now orders large print books to be delivered and owns every size and shape of magnifying glass you could imagine, she admitted.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“I’ve had laser surgery and I still get shots in my eye. I can still see, but I live with that possibility of knowing that I may lose my eyesight completely. Right now, I can’t focus in on anything with my right eye so I can only read for half an hour at a time," she said, not whining, more matter-of-fact.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She also can’t drive anymore so she relies on the local senior van to take her to visit friends at nursing homes. She has her groceries delivered and a friend takes her to church each Sunday.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Life isn't always Picture-Perfect</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span> </b></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhT-3LPwBZcMD7H-Sj5HQuE_Pl6J18B02XKjSWvR5GQqUG3JRPrJqfd84G6-aq6Vu4Mrr5cuyr3KrZtyMpQuEKa90IcO7HlDD7dZuj6NjYIWE07vtmx0F-bjI31bFYwmJ1fANwK0Rx3U/s1600/mildred+and+her+husband.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504516238337746418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhT-3LPwBZcMD7H-Sj5HQuE_Pl6J18B02XKjSWvR5GQqUG3JRPrJqfd84G6-aq6Vu4Mrr5cuyr3KrZtyMpQuEKa90IcO7HlDD7dZuj6NjYIWE07vtmx0F-bjI31bFYwmJ1fANwK0Rx3U/s400/mildred+and+her+husband.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At 20-years old, Mildred got married. A few weeks after her honeymoon, her husband was drafted. Then two years later, while her husband was fighting in World War II, her parents died leaving her in charge of her two younger brothers. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Mildred was 49-years old, her husband died of a heart attack. It was just six months after they’d moved into a new home, the same one she lives in today.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"What gives me strength is my faith," she said. "Every era has had it’s joys. Am I lonely? I’d lie if I didn’t say ‘yes.’ But it’s up to me to do something about it. It’s my choice. Every day, I thank God for giving me a good night sleep and giving me another day.”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 12px;"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div class="widget Text" id="Text2" style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 0px; position: relative;"><h2 class="title" style="font: normal normal bold 14px/normal Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">THREE TIPS ON AGING GRACEFULLY</span></h2><div class="widget-content"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Mildred says:</div><ol><li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.25em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.25em; text-indent: 0px;">Respect all people including your husband and family.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.25em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.25em; text-indent: 0px;">Be yourself. Don't put on airs. Don't think you have to be an expert in every field. Recognize your blessings and credentials and enjoy them.</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.25em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.25em; text-indent: 0px;">No gender is superior or less than another.</li>
</ol><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div></span></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both;"></div><span class="widget-item-control" style="float: right; height: 20px; margin-top: -20px; position: relative; z-index: 10;"><span class="item-control blog-admin" style="display: inline;"><a class="quickedit" href="http://www.blogger.com/rearrange?blogID=5001646484345090834&widgetType=Text&widgetId=Text2&action=editWidget" style="color: #cc6611; cursor: pointer; opacity: 0.5; text-decoration: none;" target="configText2" title="Edit"><img alt="" height="18" src="http://img1.blogblog.com/img/icon18_wrench_allbkg.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; position: relative;" width="18" /></a></span></span><br />
<div class="clear" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="widget Text" id="Text3" style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 30px; min-height: 0px; position: relative;"><h2 class="title" style="font: normal normal bold 14px/normal Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">"THE BIGGEST MYTH ABOUT AGING - "</span></h2><div class="widget-content"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div></span><br />
<div>"Everyone says it's a golden age," Mildred said. "That's a myth. That doesn't mean that they're not livable years. Don't want to give it the wrong image. In old age, the time doesn't drag, it flies. I hardly get the calendar turned and I have to turn it again."</div></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both;"></div><span class="widget-item-control" style="float: right; height: 20px; margin-top: -20px; position: relative; z-index: 10;"><span class="item-control blog-admin" style="display: inline;"><a class="quickedit" href="http://www.blogger.com/rearrange?blogID=5001646484345090834&widgetType=Text&widgetId=Text3&action=editWidget" style="color: #cc6611; cursor: pointer; opacity: 0.5; text-decoration: none;" target="configText3" title="Edit"><img alt="" height="18" src="http://img1.blogblog.com/img/icon18_wrench_allbkg.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; position: relative;" width="18" /></a></span></span><br />
<div class="clear" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="widget Text" id="Text4" style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 30px; min-height: 0px; position: relative;"><h2 class="title" style="font: normal normal bold 14px/normal Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">HER MORNING RITUAL</span></h2><div class="widget-content"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Years ago, Mildred went to visit Sarah and her family on the other side of the state. One night, Mildred complained to Sarah that her hip hurt and she was going to bed early with a heating pad.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">At the time, Sarah was still in middle school and active in sports. The next morning, before Mildred changed out of her pajamas, Sarah stopped her in the hall and said, "Grandma, I’m not going to let this happen to you. Before you change out of your pajamas, meet me in the living room. We're going to get down on the floor and I’m going to teach you some stretches."</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Since then, Mildred has followed Sarah's exercise routine daily.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">"I get up early, eat some toast and drink my coffee while I listen to the early news," Mildred said. "I do my devotions and then get on the ground for half an hour, never less than 20 minutes, and do my stretching.”</div></div></div></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6600cc;"><b><br />
</b></span></div></div></div>Marilee Spanjianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172415172170110727noreply@blogger.com0