April 5, 2007 Newsletter (Exerpt referring to a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt)
Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints on your heart. To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. Anger is only one letter short of danger. If someone betrays you once, it is his fault; if he betrays you twice, it is your fault. Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses much more; he who loses faith, loses all. Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself...There is no beginning or end. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

The line that made an impression on me was, Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. How do I train Camden as he grows up to creatively use his brain to invoke thought in his discussions? Even today as I was driving with him he made a comment about another child he knows that was whining at the grocery store. I then said, "Let's try to use our brains and talk about something more interesting than annoying kids." I don't know if we necessarily came up with a great topic, but at least we tried to think about something instead of just talk about nonsense that didn't matter. I have now spent 39 1/2 years trying to not talk so much (smile!), but with this idea in mind, I can at least check myself as I do talk away - to see if my words are edifying, up-lifting, encouraging, and thought-provoking. Doesn't hurt to try, now, does it, my friends?


Turning to One Another by Margaret Wheatley
August 9, 2007 Newsletter
Good morning! It is absolutely beautiful outside this morning. Almost "springy" since we've had showers all week. I'm not sure if I'll write very intelligently, though, because Camden had a "slumber party" with me in the living room, so I can't grind my coffee or he'd wake up! I'd like to write for you an excerpt from a book that was recommended to me by one of you (smile!) a few weeks ago called Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future by Margaret Wheatley on the importance of actual conversation with each other. Here is the section that made the greatest impression on me, causing me to once again look into me to find - who is important enough to me that I need to restore the relationship? The Courage of Conversation: It's not easy to begin talking to one another again. We stay silent and apart for many reasons...I find it takes just one person to have the courage to begin a conversation...When we humans don't talk to one another, we stop acting intelligently. We give up the capacity to think about what's going on. We don't act to change anything...I think the greatest source of courage is to realize that if we don't act, nothing will change for the better. Reality doesn't change itself. It needs us to act...

In a separate chapter When Have I Experienced Good Listening she writes: One of the easiest human acts is also the most healing. Listening to someone. Simply listening. Not advising or coaching, but silently and fully listening... Why is being heard so healing? ...because relationships form... I really liked this part: A young, black South African woman taught the healing power of listening. She was telling a story of horror - her families village being overrun & her family slaughtered. Many of the listeners were women, and in the presence of such pain they instinctively wanted to do something. They wanted to fix, to make it better, anything to remove the pain of this tragedy...The young woman felt their compassion, but also felt them closing in. She put her hands up, as if to push back their desire to help. She said: "I don't need you to fix me. I just need you to listen to me." She taught many that day that being listened to is enough. If we can speak our story, and know that others hear it, we are somehow healed by that.

I am not going to keep writing or try to put my thoughts on what I've read out there for you. I'll let you think on your own of the importance of you being part of relationships. It's easier to close off. It's easier to not let our guard down and make the first move. The most effective word she used for me was the word courage. An entry by Anne Lindberg this week in her diary used the same idea describing a woman she'd met that day..." She is like a bird of Paradise, absolutely no fear, no inhibitions, great zest for life, adventure, mystery. Warmhearted, impulsive, but uncompromising." Another of Anne's lines that I underlined read, "Late supper. Cookie and I talk and talk. I like her very much and think we have many of the same problems. Always that great temptation to unfold her - but you have to do it by unfolding yourself too. A man for a man, like a game of checkers." This was the same idea - courage, unfolding of yourself, if you want to try to move forward with your life and have a meaningful life, not one where you develop so many walls you no longer have your zest for life, adventure, and mystery of the unknown - how you taking the first step with courage could possibly change your life.

I hope this made sense! See why I keep trying to implant on your minds the importance of picking up books that get us to think, to try to develop a lifelong love of learning. Courage. I just love that word. Have a great day. The little whoseit still isn't awake, so I still know I have that wonderful first sip coming to me - late this morning!!! Come to the store when you can, may you find peace, quiet, a place you can leave your personal world at the door and sit. We want nothing from you, we appreciate as you know your business, but the store being a haven for you means more. May God give you a peace that passes your understanding in ways only you know this week. Susan