Wildflower Writes

Continued from 5/22 post… Wendy jumped, dropping her father’s hand as if she had been caught doing something wrong.  Her mother looked perplexed, then smiled.  “Hi Wendy.  You changed your mind?”  Her mom set her cup of coffee on a side table.  Wendy shrugged and looked away.  There was a sharp rap at the door.  Again, Wendy startled.  “What’s wrong with me?” she asked herself.  A gentleman with white hair and a stethoscope around his neck peered around the door.  “Good morning.”  His voice was soft but strong.  “Will you ladies excuse us please?”  he asked. Wendy followed her mom out of the room and down the hall to the lounge.  “Is that your bike?” her mother asked in disbelief.  Wendy hid her face behind an old issue of Glamour.  A moment of silence stretched into several minutes.  “I’m glad you came,” said her mother finally.  “I know your dad has missed you.”  The words on the...

If you’ve never seen Rene Hicks on Comedy Central, you have missed out on one special, hilarious young lady. Born to a Pentecostal preacher father and equally devout mother, Rene ran cross country in college, earned a business degree, and became an accountant in a large firm. On a dare she improvised a routine on amateur night at a comedy club, and the rest is history. As an otherwise healthy woman, her diagnosis of lung cancer baffled her. She had never smoked, but had been exposed to second-hand smoke in the hundreds of clubs and venues she performed at. She made an appearance at the Women’s Council luncheon here in Elkhart today, to talk about the dangers of smoking, and I laughed so hard… well, you can guess the rest. A self-described cultural sherpa, history lover, and cancer survivor, Rene has a lot to talk about. Her unique perspective allows her to see little incongruities in what people say and do, and the results are a riot. Most people wouldn’t think that cancer could b...

Where can you be yourself? Is that a silly question? Isn’t it healthy to always be yourself? At work, I am not myself. I have to wear dress-up clothes and make-up to look professional. I have to say “good morning!” whether I believe it’s a good morning or not. I have to smile and nod even when someone asks me to do something I don’t want to do or don’t feel is my job to do. I have to bite my tongue when someone at the corporate level says or does something utterly ridiculous. When I say I have to do something, I mean I have to do it in order to keep my job, which happens to be a priority to me at the moment. I do believe everything is a choice in life. At church, I am more myself. I still try to make myself presentable. I feel I can be more sincere in my greetings, because I care more about the people there. I can be a little more honest about my desire or ability to take on new projects, although I hate to say no to anybody. I do struggle to let people know my true feelings… At club, ...

After our Truth Project study group last night, Gary said to me, “I wish I could figure out a way to take all that energy your son has and bottle it up.” My son is six years old and hops out of bed in the morning and doesn’t stop moving until we strong arm him into bed at night. His blessed kindergarten teacher says he is “kinesthetic.” Even at church he bounds into the fellowship hall, ripping off his coat, making his way to the nearest plaything. I found him after choir practice Sunday morning making hand shadows on the wall. He bounces from Sunday School somewhat like Tigger, bounding after one of his seven cousins. They say youth is wasted on the young, and I always thought that was lame. I guess I was young then. I guess that’s why The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is such an interesting movie. Imagine having the energy of youth and the experience of age. I think we can tap into the Fountain of Youth by taking some time to enjoy the things we enjoyed as kids. We...