the score

Amy - 1
Mouse - 0

And that makes it OK that he woke me up at 5am on a weekend.

mouse in the house

there's a mouse in my house and I'm NOT happy. Two words: PANIC ATTACK.

how much can one heart hold?

Just found the lyrics to the Kate Campbell song I referenced here back in February.

How Much Can One Heart Hold

Heard about a man from Birmingham
Went down to Selma to take a stand
How much can one heart hold
He sang some songs about peace and love
And took a beatin’ from a billy club
How much can one heart hold

How much can one heart hold
A pound of dirt or a pound of gold
We may never know the truth be told
How much can one heart hold

I met a woman who lost a son
On a chopper in South Saigon
How much can one heart hold
I couldn’t tell you all the tears she’s cried
I guess she’s gonna ‘til the day she dies
How much can one heart hold

If the heart is a bottomless pit
You gotta watch what you put in it
How much can one heart hold
Before you know it you’re carrying around
A ton of stuff that’ll weigh you down
How much can one heart hold

holy week?

It's Holy Week, but it feels anything but to me. Thursday will be the first day of spring. Yet my heart feels it is the dead of winter. As the week progresses towards Spy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, on to Good Friday, I wonder, "will I be able to feel the goodness of it under a cloak of grief?" May it be so, even for a few tiny seconds.

in memory

Jimmy P. Clifford
September 8, 1938 - March 8, 2008

We buried my Daddy on Tuesday. It still doesn't seem real. Saturday night I received a phone call from my brother that I'll not soon forget. It was a shock to all of us. Twelve hours later I was at the airport, on my way to Tennessee.

We've done this drill enough times that I planned the funeral on the plane and had a list of pastors, pallbearers, and songs by the time I was on southern soil. Folks in our hometown were super gracious, providing us with places to stay, childcare, and plenty of fried chicken and sweet tea.

While it was sad, and I still feel like I've been punched in the stomach, there were some funny and some surreal moments. Maybe I'll write about some of them in detail in the days to come. But, oh, the stories I could tell.

Like the lady who apologized for missing the funeral due to a monthly dog grooming appointment. And the dog wears little girl baby clothes. But he is a boy dog.

Or the close-talking man who I don't really know who asked to be a pall bearer not long before the service. I had to delicately turn down his request - because he had asked one of my brothers, who told him to talk to me because I was making those decisions. Yeah, thanks.

Or the cousin who had his camera at the cemetery and wanted family pictures.

Can't really top the preacher who mentioned (and not just in passing) my parent's separation in the course of the eulogy, though. Coulda gone all day with airing that, I think. Maybe I'll send him a therapy bill, cuz that's just bringing up too much old baggage.

We're 0 for 2 in the parent department now.

denise, this one's for you!

What a small world we live in. Right before I headed out the door tonight to go to the Dry Bones Denver Photography show I checked email very quickly. My friend Denise had commented on my last post about how the church she goes to in Abilene is a huge supporter of Dry Bones and that she had played Bunko with Nikki (who is one of the staff leaders) last month.

Long story short, I sought her out at the fundraiser tonight and we made the connection, which was really cool.

The show was very well put together and hopefully raised several hundred dollars for the Dry Bones folks. It was set up as a silent auction and there were some wonderful works. I walked away with two nice urban photos of Denver.

Urban Skye Art & Design First Friday event

What: Urban Skye Art & Design First Friday event

When: Friday, March 7, 2008, 6pm

Where: Temple Events Center, 1595 Pearl St, Denver, CO 80203

Join Urban Skye Art & Design as we support the budding photographers of Dry Bones Denver in their first ever Photography Exhibition.

Dry Bones Denver is an outreach to homeless teens and young adults living in downtown Denver.
*
Afterwards, we’'ll check out The Shoppe @ 3103 East Colfax for some tasty treats. The Shoppe specializes in cupcakes and cereal! What's not to like about that?

books I've read in 2008

February
The Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs
The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron
God's Silence, Franz Wright

January
Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Warren St. John
Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint, Angela Parlange
Simplicity, Kim Thomas