This Reminds Me

Archive for June, 2009

Summarizing your life in six words.

Can you do it?

Lois read this book last week, then insisted I read it.  Hannah quickly snatched it.   We alternated reading our favorite six-word memoirs aloud before deciding to compose our own.  Drum roll, please – here are our original creations:

I didn’t let you depress me. Keith,  a Ronald Reagan conservative who insists on working hard and being happy

People think they know.  They don’t. Rachel, mysteriously collegiate

And she played like never before. Lois, who treats play like work and work like play

Family.  Friends.  There to the end. Hannah, always 9 oz. in an 8-oz. cup

Asked my sister and niece, too:

Never what I plan or expect. Judy, my Houstonian sister who knows we only think we know what we’re doing tomorrow

Aimlessly wandering.  Deepening faith.  Boundless joy. Sarah, my brilliant niece who’s a stay-at-home mom and Junior League volunteer

And a few friends:

Laughed lots.  Licked Cancer.  Loved Always. Shelley, a healthy San Antonio business professional and devoted wife/mom/grandma/(great)friend

Excited to see through her eyes. Kate, a blogging buddy in St. Petersburg and mom-wanna-be who’s just been matched with a six-year-old girl

Procrastination, silly jokes overwhelming good intentions. Konen,  an AT&T survivor, wife/mom/grandma/(great)friend and generous volunteer extraordinaire

Living to be worthy of life. Brooke, a friend of Lois’ and president of her sophomore high school class

Molded by parents.  Loved by God. Mike, a Christian community Service Center volunteer in Houston

Self:  How did I get here? Eileen, a Chicago MD, wife, mom, and Sarah’s friend of forever

The greatest thing about aging?  Grandchildren! Johnnie, the face/voice heart of our church

Life imitates art.  Mine is finger-painted. Rachael, a Michigan blogging buddy MD, wife and mom of three bios and one from St. Pete

And finally – mine.

Got the write stuff.  Thanks, Mom.

More about the book here.

And now – please write your own!  Click the blue comments link below.  Then come back and let’s read each other’s six-word memoirs.

That’s what Lois calls him.

He started off as “Papa” to Julia, then morphed into “Daddy,” like Hannah still calls him.  Rachel usually sighs an exasperated, “Dad!”

He doesn’t pick them up every-other-weekend.  He doesn’t try to buy their love with expensive junk and phony praise.  He doesn’t have to ask what they like to eat, or what grade they’re in or who are their current best friends.

Before church this morning.  Lois – 15; Rachel – 18; Julia – 9; Hannah – 13.

On Sister’s Day, we saw the new Disney movie “Up,” and we all loved it.   When little Russell was expressing how much he missed his dad, he described counting red trucks, and eating ice cream on the curb in front of the store and said, ” Sometimes it’s the boring stuff I remember the most.”

I’ll bet our girls will remember that he was never too busy to fix a printer, or return a text, tie a shoe or watch a cartoon.    You know – all that “boring stuff.”

Happy Father’s Day, Keith.  We love you.

My 12-year-old niece Miriam is in for a visit, and as is my custom, I promised to take her shopping for a combination birthday/Christmas gift from Sarah, Judy and me.  I expected to go online to America Girl, like last year.  Or possibly zip over to Target, like the year before.  Nope.  She wanted Build-a-Bear.  And that meant a trip to the mall (shudder.)

The girls, of course, loved it.  Rachel and Lois immediately headed for the mid-summer sale signs, leaving Miriam, Hannah, Julia and I to wander Build-a-Bear.

Miriam left her original rabbit “Hoppy” at home, but new bunny “Jumpy” will be joining him next month, along with bear “Sherbet.”

And how was I going to escape without getting Hannah “Rainbow” and Julia “Tony Parker?”  Plus some outfits.  The family behind us really wished they’d been a minute quicker.

Julia is behind me right now, making Tony Parker’s home more colorful.  Must say – their packaging and online games are pretty cool.

Rachel – who turned 18 on Saturday – found two gray hairs today and promptly plucked them, bemoaning this new development endlessly.

But hey, Rachel – you have nothing on me.

I raced to a parking garage.  Inhaled the samples of crazed perfume barkers.  Dodged ill-placed kiosks and squirming toddlers.  Outpaced strollers.  Gritted my teeth at  the cacophony of dueling Muzak systems.    Wolfed a cardboard dinner in the food court.   Trotted back out to the car with carefully-balanced boxes and bags.

Baby – you found two gray hairs.  I earned at least four tonight.   I was malled!

That would, of course, be Fiesta Texas, where Keith and I spent the day with the girls.  And this year – I have a waterproof camera, thanks to my wonderful husband.  Of course – I need to learn to use it.  (sigh)

Must.  Love.  This.  Guy.   Rachel’s not here because someone (ahem) forgot her season pass and had to go back home to fetch it.  I wore Crocs because (1) They are soooo comfty and (2) they work in the water park, where they keep my feet from frying.

Mom’s favorite ride, so it’s a “must.”

Cute of Julia – but still overexposed.  I need to learn what I’m doing with that waterproof Olympus.

We all like the wave pool – but again, I gotta get better with my new-at-Christmas toy.  It was freaky to drag a camera through the water.  I’ve spent my whole life keeping “wet” away from my camera.  You can see my reflection in Lois’ lenses.

Back to work tomorrow….dang, it won’t be as cool as this….