Bobby Bones has a segment on his radio show called "tell me something good!" I love this little blurb because Amy, Lunchbox, and Bobby all have to share something that they have heard somewhere that illuminates the good things folks do in this world. In a way, it is like a warm fuzzy that I get to feel each morning on my drive. PLUS, it reminds me that amidst the "stuff" there is still good news to share! I wonder if they ever find it a struggle to come up with "something good to tell?" Hmmmmmmmmm?
Today I texted Rah and said that we needed to "tell you something good!" Because our days yesterday left both of us a total bundle of frazzled nerves, team RahMama needs to refocus and generate some POSITIVITY where we TELL YOU SOMETHING GOOD that we saw amidst the chaos of our day!
I actually started out my day in a much better zone than I began with yesterday. The very first thing I saw, everything in the blog looked as it should! PHEW! Second thing, a message on Facebook teasing me about the "rev" saying "off like a prom dress" in my blog post last night. Hehehehe . . . I chuckled . . . the fact that he was calling me "naughty" CLEARLY illustrates that he was thinking "naughty!" I assure you that the only one that helped me "off with my prom dress" was my little sister Dawn, and then I threw it in a pile somewhere, probably heaped in the bathroom or my bedroom, where the once beautiful dress was crumpled and wrinkled as I hurried off to wherever teenagers bop off to on prom night. Hence the saying "off like a prom dress!"
Brrrrrrrrrrrr, negative 30 degrees as I headed out of the house!!!!!!!! Seriously! THAT did NOT make me happy, but homeless kitty did no come around and hiss at me, so honestly, that kinda did! Then life got even happy, happy, happier:) My sister Dawn, the photographer/nurse, mentioned that she was contemplating taking pictures of an actual momma and daddy having their little one. She said she was just thinking about it . . . not really sure . . . just thinking. TODAY in the wee hours of the morning, a mom, a dad, and an exhausted photographer welcomed a bouncing baby boy into the world! I was so excited to hear about how it went and I am waiting on pins and needles to see what images she has captured to celebrate his little life! To be continued . . . maybe we will get a peak . . . that would make me soooooooo HAPPY!
I know you are probably thinking "holy good news Batman!" but there is even MORE! I bought a train today for the little boy whose name I now know. I took pictures of him and he has the most incredible blue eyes!!!! He has a brother who also likes trains and has autism as well. Both little ones live with grandma who probably never imagined that life would land her two little autistic boys to deal with as her child struggles with the reality of addiction.
We have a student who comes in to chat quite often. He is a spiritual man who does all of our ceremonies, works in the community with healing circles, sweat lodges, and helps to connect people to their spirituality. His journey has also been a tough one; however, one would never guess that as he is always HAPPY! He was our Santa and remembered the little boy. He is the one who told me his name and mentioned a brother. He also shared about grandma. AND I am OFF. I discovered that we actually have 2 trains so both boys will get them. THEN we planted some seeds, they grew, and soon there will be a Christmas harvest where Santa and I will get the joy of delivering some well-deserved Christmas spirit! I am HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY! Man, I wish I had coined that phrase, but I am not nearly as interesting as Phil on Duck Dynasty!
NOW, again you might be thinking that there could not possibly be more, and I would have to tell you . . . WRONG! There is MORE! That same student did a ceremony honoring WETCC students that were on the President and Dean's lists. He has journeyed with us through some really tough times here at WETCC and he will be graduating this fall . . . he is also one that we honored today.
After we were done presenting awards, he called myself and our president over to where his ceremonial pieces were located. On the table sat an oblong metal box. He told us both a story. He said that he listens to the spirits when they talk to him. This morning that box fell open on its own and the contents were exposed. He knew there was a reason for it, and he listened . . . he did not know why, but he packed the box and brought it today for our ceremony. It was out in his car and we saw him leave, but only for a moment. He returned with the box and it was obvious that what was inside was something he honored and treasured. It came to him as he was sitting there, feeling the pride we feel for our students as this really is an accomplishment for them as life is TOUGH here.
In the box were Eagle feathers. He told us that white folks do not get Eagle feathers, and to get the gift of an Eagle feather is a great honor. He said that the Eagle feather is honored with great care and shown the deepest respect . . . it is not a wall hanging, but rather a spiritual gift. The Eagle is the leader and the Creator chose him to be the master of the sky. The Eagle has a different perspective than other birds as it can fly higher than they can bringing it closer to the Creator. He knew that we were here at the tribal college for a reason, that there would be challenges and obstacles, but also we are all forever changed as we work "together" for this generation and the next.
Happy tears are streaming down my face as I write the next words. He gingerly opened the box and asked us to choose a feather. The one that called my name was tucked under the others and had a blue light that reflected on the end of it. When I tenderly took it out, it had little baby feathers attached to it . . . kind of reminded me of little kiddos, full of spirit and yet still growing.
The feather is not mine. I do not own it any more than one can own the spirit of giving which brought it to me. It is a spiritual gift that I am honored to have in my office, as it is symbolic of discovering oneself amidst the chaos of this world. Sigh . . . I am happy . . .
Sarah Day 14: My guess is that mom is happy?!
After I posted the link to our blog on Facebook last night, I decided that mom and I had the exact same sort of the day. We weren't feeling real inspired, we were a little crabby, and we both needed to "sleep our sorrows away." It's funny how quickly that actually happens. If I'm having a bad day, the one cure is sleep. I was thankful to wake up this morning in a better mood. Every day is a new day.
I was hard at work when mom texted me saying today we need to "tell you something good." I agreed, and then I went on with my day. I figured that mom would be writing something fantastic because she sounded pretty inspired. I started to really watch and think about the good in my life, and especially, the good in my life today. Unfortunately, mom's job probably makes it a bit easier to feel inspired by others. She works in an environment where there are always people around. Her students, her coworkers, her superiors . . . mom is very easily inspired by her surroundings. She is a happy positive person who can find good in almost any situation.
Later in the day, mom called to tell me a bit about what she was writing because she was so excited about her day. I'm speaking for the both of us when I say that we really love those days. Those days that we know we have something great to write and we can hardly wait to do so. After mom read what she had written, I believe my exact response was, "well what the heck am I going to write about?" I didn't talk to my aunt about her potential photography session, or buy a boy a train, or pick an eagle feather. I didn't do squat.
I was on my way to Bismarck when mom called that time. After we got off the phone, I spent even more time thinking about the good things I can tell you. I always get quite a bit of thinking done on long car trips . . . I find them therapeutic. When I made it to my hotel, my phone started to ring. Yup, it was mom again, for the fourth time today. I was confused because after I said hello, all I could hear was her pushing buttons. "HELLO??? HELLOOOO!?!" I yelled. Mom finally answered and said "I'm transferring the happy over to you, is it working???" "Nope" I said crankily. When she realized that I was busy and in a rush to get to my dinner, she said "well then we're going to laugh."" Ohhhh noooo" I thought to myself. So mom started to laugh the most ridiculous laugh, and she kept laughing, and then she laughed some more, until finally I found myself laughing. Shortly after our giggle session, we hung up the phone and I was of.
Dinner was fantastic. I was anxious to meet and see all of the people that I work with, and some that I work for. I've talked to these people on the phone many many times, but most of them live a ways away, so it was exciting to put a face to the voices. Some of the people I actually have met in person before, but I haven't seen them in a while. It was a great opportunity to have a chance to reconnect.
Throughtout the meeting, I found myself smiling and laughing and really enjoying the company. There was very little work talk, which was nice. I like to think that we're saving that for tomorrow. I was sitting towards the middle of the table, so I was hearing multiple conversations at one time. It seemed like everyone was trying to get to know one another. It was great to talk about where we grew up, what we like, what we don't like, etc. We were in great company.
Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) one of the main people I have been working for announced that she would be leaving the state in a few months. She was promoted to a rather prestigious position in Memphis. My initial reaction was "Wow! That's great!" My second thought was "Actually, I'm not really sure how I feel about this." Or maybe, it was the other way around. Regardless, I was torn between being happy and sad. It's hard to see people leave that I've become attached to, and especially this one particular person.
As I've said before, change is hard and I don't adjust to it the best, but I'm working on it. I'm (slowly but surely) learning to embrace the changes and try to make the most of every situation. Change makes people better, and I need to try and remember that. Change is good for me, it's good for me job, and it will be good for my boss. In fact, I really ought to embrace the change and just move with her. Memphis doesn't sound half bad! I'm sure I could adjust.
Although I didn't get the honor of being a white person picking an eagle feather, I did get the honor of being a part of this work gathering. It was an honor to see everyone laugh, tell stories, talk about our past, present and future, have good drinks and great dinner, and spend some quality time learning about the people we talk with every day but don't really see. There's only so much connection that can happen over the phone and computer, and it was really important for me to have that chance to connect on a deeper level. The good conversation was much needed for me today, and I can't help but think that perhaps mom actually did transfer her happy over to me . . .
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