A Wild Night in Irasburg

Ryan and Thomas meet the famous Paul Vachon.


Thomas and Aaron Fire.....YEAH!!

Squished! Right at our feet!

Pushing someone into their burying box...the CASKET MATCH!

Victory!

The old garbage can lid attack...

More at our feet....a mess!
Yikes!

My life is especially blessed by the friendship of a wonderful Vermont family of five. The two boys, Thomas and Ryan, invited me last summer to go to the next live match of the Eastern Townships (Quebec, Canada) Wrestling Association.

Saturday, October 25, we three headed for the Irasburg town hall for three hours of mayhem....as about a dozen ETWA wrestlers in various crazy outfits bounced in and out of the ring. We decided to wear our Halloween masks, and hidden anonymously behind our scary identities (I was a Cyclops!) we screamed and laughed and hooted the night away. Our ringside seats became the place where a lot of "injured" wrestlers flew or were pushed over the ropes, only to collapse at our feet. Let the pictures here tell the rest of the story!

p.s. Did I mention it was all in fun, all just a bunch of actors pretending to attack one another? Did you guess that the blood was out of a bottle? Knowing no one was really being hurt made it easyfor us to enjoy an exciting evening... we could, "walk on the wild side." Being the mother of a now-grown boy, Iunderstand how and why my two escorts loved the night. While we know it isn't realistic to handle our disagreements with our fists or feet, there is something very basic in all of us that can imagine kicking our way out of a problem. Having vicariously participated in such a rowdy event, we went home to our families, determined to NOT use fighting as a way to manage our disagreements.

Lovely Harvest Dinner

Live from Glover, Vermont, it is Saturday Night!

We enjoyed a beautiful meal at the Glover Community Elementary School, sponsored by the Parents' Club. My friend Roberta (in pale blue jacket) from Union House and I sat with the Hill-Barnes family, while husband Thurmond and pianist Janice Gluck entertained the crowd. Here are two pictures of our group....can you see the cello and keyboard in the background?

The menu included squash, potatoes, turkey (for the meat eaters) rolls and plenty of homemade pies.

Driving home, the night air was chilly, the stars bright. We can feel the final season of the year is coming.






p.s. Yes, I am growing out my hair....and daughter-in-law-to-be Ali is helping me tame the wild beast....I love the butterfly barrette she sent me.

Life Waiting in the Wings

"What in our lives needs to fall away like autumn leaves so another life waiting in the wings can have its turn to live?" is what my friend and fellow writer Macrina Wiederkehr asks in her book, The Circle of Life.

Letting go of the belief that working in a nursing home was

confining and limiting, I was able to begin a wonderful adventure. Today, I complete my third week of an Administrator in Training (AIT) internship at Union House in my town of Glover. Ultimately, I intend to spend upwards of 1000 hours at this homey facility, where close to 100 people live (44 residents) and work (50+ staff). A year from now, I will take national and state exams to become officially licensed as a nursing home administrator.

Waking up to a glorious sunrise several mornings this week, I was reminded of Macrina's words:
"As one by one the leaves let go, a precious emptiness appears in the trees. The naked beauty of the branches can be seen, the birds' abandoned nests become visible...This is an important autumn lesson---when certain things fall away, there are other things that can be seen more clearly."

A dear young friend wrote me last night about dealing with her father's death, funeral and now, the division of his personal estate. In this most dramatic experience of letting go, she has become much more awake and aware about what it means to live an authentic life. She writes: "Through all of this I have found that I work in a wonderful place. I have kind and compassionate co-workers who have been nothing but supportive. I've had meals brought to me, cards, bubble bath, hugs, thoughts, stories, prayers, and it just doesn't stop! For once, I feel just really accepted and appreciated...I've learned to trust people again, and even let myself count on others. I think that in itself is a big step."

Perhaps, in some fashion, I am also letting myself trust more and count on others. I so enjoy the rhythms of a Union House day, getting to know the strong and fascinating personalities, appreciating the deep and unique relationships. While we all carry labels, such as kitchen staff or maintenance crew, we are, first and foremost, caring individuals.

One afternoon, I caught Jim and Janice sitting quietly in the hall, playing cribbage. I didn't see a resident and the activities director. I saw a a cute couple at a table for two. Isn't this a precious scene?