miracles in stride

january 2008 i got sick with an unknown, confusing illness, and by february i couldn't walk 1/2 a mile without intense pain. in fact, one day it took me 30-45 minutes to walk that 1/2 mile. by march, i walked a mile, BUT i was slower than a turtle tripping through jello with snow shoes on. really. i mean, really. for someone who used to dream of being a race-walker and had a fast paced one mile walk going, this was devastating. in the spring, i couldn't even walk through a grocery store or a mall without someone commenting on the "speed" of my stride.

but yesterday, yesterday i walked a 5-freakin-K. in an hour. i. walked. a 5.K.

you can credit diagnosis, celebrex, doctors, modern medicine, support and love, faith. i think it's a mixture of all of them. but mostly i think it's a miracle. i'm in pain today, but ohhhh, how i am thankful. my God still moves today.

the doctor told me in may i should not run anymore..... we'll see about that one. in his time.

"those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength."

summer fruit

this summer brought days and days of 100+ degree weather. a well body! an 8 hour train ride to dallas. trips to hearne. a road trip to new york. and it brought something worth sighing over, worth shouting from the roof tops.

i am in love. with a wonderful man.

i am blessed by him and the daily little things he does to care for me. i joy in his laughter and love his jokes (even though he doesn't understand why). i still get a bit giddy when i hear his voice on the phone or his knock at the door.

and i have to smile everytime i remember that i get to hold neal's hand.

8 days in a new york minute

day 1: neal, a true road warrior, takes the wheel of a 15 foot monster while micah hacks her way through a gluten free egg mcmuffin. more than perfectly spiced chicken biscuits. air conditioning dance for hours. precious food from hearne, cookies and brownies from ovilla. who could ask for anything more.
day 2: neal takes the wheel. air conditioning dance is over. customer service proves a lost art. two hours in jackson, tenn. a thoughtless mechanic who can't think on his own.
day 3: watch out louisville. watch out for neal's amazing grandmother and her powerful grabber.
day 4: queasy micah waves good bye kentucky. helllllooooooo ohio. helllloooooo wheeling, west virginia? good bye for good wheeling, west virginia. welcome to pennsylvania, home of the omish barn. and another barn. and yet another barn. i heart pennsylvania hills and mountains.
day 5: mcdonald's highway guru misguides; we have no desire to end up in syracuse. watch out nyc... neal is drivin' through lincoln tunnel. micah is very impressed. and very sick. neal navigates manhattan by rubber and harlem by foot. micah navigates brie's pillow. brie brings home the brie. the most tender chicken ever and seafood in madeira sauce mark the first day in gotham.
day 6: 18 miles of words, the villiage people, brazilian goodness, brooklyn lines, ice cream in central park. micah sick. neal patient. all thaid up with 5 wonderful people in the theatre district. and i am blessed by all.... especially the incredible man holding my hand.
day 7: i am still though the city moves all around me. and it is confounded by my stillness. first subway ride alone and i am met by a friendly woman from the bronx. we talk and i save a seat for her on the subway. three girls giggle and sing. harlem's wonders untouched. Lord, save their innocence. a latte later, brie and micah head to "england". two hours of tea and sympathy. lovely. bookstores and libraries. marble and maps. two lions book end a marvelous sight. i love my brie. micah pooped and speechless. brie patient. neal, micah and brie head to a darker gotham for three hours. lamb stew, salmon in dill, salad and carrot soup. je voudrais une boite en bois s'il vous plait. ahhhh la vie en rose.
day 8: hit the ground running. breakfast. the zoo- trains and travelers. the zoo- flashing lights and tourists. ice cream and good byes. subways, buses, and planes. tropical april showers at 14,000 feet while joe mccarthy gambles. and the wheels hit the ground back in austin; two black bags continue on the adventure.

and i am ready for the next adventure. this time healthy. got your bags packed?

summer rain, cherry blossoms and dragons in no particular order

dear diary

pt. 1

"never asume the obvious is true" william safire, pulitzer prize winning writer

this is a quote intuitives, like myself, need to live by. i rush in and take what observations i make to be true without questioning, without seeking concrete evidence to back up assumptions, an intuitive thing to do and a very post modern trend as well. intuitives-- we all do this. a lesson i have learned and learned the hard way: ask. just ask. when you ask, truth will make itself known.

pt. 2


this is my favorite summer ever. this weekend there will be dancing. in a week there will be a road trip to new york. the best part..... is that it is shared with you.

abre o cerado la boca

on waffles

there is a time for silence.

there is a time when i must struggle for words.

some days i must write and say as little as possible.

there is a season for everything under heaven.

but today, i want to shout your name from the rooftops.

1967

melody floated on perfumed breezes
vibrant colors and patterns swayed from winds and hips
daisies haloed gentle people
cut grass and locusts
watermelon
cloud illusions and pipers at the gates of dawn
ella whispers not
it's easy
diamond cherries groove
are you a believer?
i'd like to know if summer is here.

kizkalesi

turkey august 1997

i walked the shores of the mediterranean on a peaceful august eve. it had been a long week. i had a byzantine style bug after drinking something funny. i had walked the streets of adana alone shocked by the number of women and children begging. in mersin, an albino turkish woman and her two children dry and parched, begged me for food. for drink. for life. they will forever be etched in my memory like a tattooed soliloquy of the truest woe. the toothless man and the woman with one leg also stretched their souls out for filling. frail planet. frail love. frail compassion. failed mercy.

i carried the weight of the world as i pensively stepped forward in contemplative wonder. i stepped forward past the pounding tide and the castle of ladies. i moved unaware of what was in front of me, unaware where i was going. and then an image stole my gaze, caused my chest to stop heaving, stilled every thought, every worry, and sighing ceased. she danced one way and he danced the other. their movements fluid and profuse. graceful. gentle turkish folk music guided their plights as they traveled away from each other. and then for a brief moment around this circle of independent tarrying, they would move together. just for a moment though. and when they would move together, the dance became more brilliant, more captivating, more. after several rotations, the music stopped. the man, the woman together in an understood embrace, a sigh-filled pause. when the music began again, this time they moved together. he led forward. she followed. and their movements were in unison. it was the most beautiful dance my eyes have ever witnessed. and i was stunned by the quiet elegance.

has the arabesque ballad begun?