I Will Pull Up Your Socks for You

Tuesday we went to a "knee class" designed for those facing knee replacement surgery. It was a very interesting day--they told us everything you would ever want to know about knees. The nurse/educator even passed around a model of the knee with the replacement part. Every detail was covered including what to expect with the surgery, the time you will spend with the physical "terrorist," the participatory nature of the rehabilitation, the hospitalization, the do's and don'ts post surgery. On the advice of our daughters, I took my laptop (they know what a copious note-taker I am) and typed more than three pages of notes (thank Heavens for a summer school typing class in the summer of fifth grade). She also told us that rehabilitation facilities are reserved for those with extenuating circumstances, so rehabilitation will be done at home (The teacher said "Hospital beds are for sick people, and these are just knee replacements").
She also talked about assistive devices--crutches, walkers and the like. There are also long sticks with sponges on the end to facilitate bathing, long sticks to pick things up and reach in high places. Then she showed a device which would help the person put on socks. When I saw this, I whispered to my husband "I will pull up your socks for you." I didn't give this phrase much thought until I mentioned it to a friend and she told me (she fancies herself a nurse), that touching is really important during any rehabilitation procedure.
Life is a combination of so many intertwined events--I facilitated a class at church Thursday night and the subject was "Extravagant Love" (Bible readers can go to John 2: 1-8). As I talked
to my friend, I realized that "pulling up socks" is an example of that extravagant love. It is a gesture of humility and love. We all need to engage in "pulling up socks" for all whom we love.

Finally Awake at the Wake

I was talking to a very good friend tonight and she told me a story that I thought was worth sharing. She went to the wake of a friend she had known since second grade. She was driven to the church and she signed the guest book (she signed "From your beloved friend of 75 years"). She and her sister proceeded to the front of the church. She told her that she would not view the body until she composed herself, as she sat wondering why she didn't recognize any of the people there. Her sister, however, viewed the body and told her that it was a man (her friend was a woman). Her first thought was what would the man's wife think when she read the guest book. After the minister finished his prayer, they left the church, but before she left, she scratched out what she had written in the guest book (that couldn't have been pretty). Then they asked someone and found out that the church they wanted was a block and a half away. Another thought was that the friend had been sick for a long time, so maybe she had lost her hair.

Grandmas and Grammys

Last night I stayed up until after 11:00 P.M. (that is like an all nighter for me) in order to watch the Grammys because I wanted to see Lil Wayne (he actually is lil at 5'6''). This cross generational musical mingling again reminded me that there is, indeed, a new day on the horizon. Last year I barely knew any of the musical groups on this award show. This year there was such a combination of the new and the old, that I have a new appreciation for the new. There were the Jonas Brothers with Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake with Al Green, Radiohead with the USC band, Neo and Jamie Fox with Smoky Robinson and an original member of the Four Tops, Lil Wayne with Toussaint and musicians and dancers from New Orleans. They all sang together as if they were in the same generation. That is really what this new day is all about--we must all "sing together, " across all lines.
P .S. I also found out that Kid Rock is not a kid

Lil Wayne is Not Lil

This morning I watched the Early Show rather than my usual Good Morning America because a friend flew to New York to be interviewed but unfortunately, she was not on the show. All was not lost, however because I saw a segment by Katie Couric featuring Lil Wayne. When the segment appeared, I was multitasking as usual, speaking to my former student and friend who calls me every single morning to make sure we are fine (my, how I appreciate that) AND watching the show. As I was talking to her, I began to tell her about this face-tattooed young Black man being interviewed. I had no idea who he was. As I began to talk to her about the segment, she told me that it sounded like Lil Wayne. As I listened, I found out that she was right--OMG, I thought Lil Wayne was Lil. I found out once again, that we can never judge people by what they look like or what we think they should look like. I found out a lot about this young businessman /rapper, a graduate of the University of Houston.
Later in the day, I decided, on the "spur of the moment" to go see Gran Torino even though I'm not a Clint Eastwood groupie. I had heard so much about the movie--most people talked about this old man with the racist comments. It was oh so much more than that. I saw young and old beginning to understand one another. The old man, from another time, when his neighborhood was different, learned to accept others much unlike himself. He had judged them as they could have judged him. I saw the old learning from the young and the young learning from the old. Behind his gruff exterior, there was love. It reminded me once again that love is an action word--not defined so much by what we say, but by what we do. True Love is Do Love. I hope I never get too old to appreciate the wisdom of the young and I hope that the young will never become so narrow that they think they cannot learn from the old.
I loved the movie--I loved the lessons--I loved the love!