Remembering "Letters from Jenny."

Back in my early teaching days I came across a book called "Letters from Jenny." As I recall, it was a collection of letters written by an aging woman to her son's friend. What's that got to do with anything? Well, some time ago I started a document called, "Mona's aging diary." I thought it would be interesting for my survivors to observe the changes as they occur. Of course, I expected it to be boring, since I plan to hang around for another twenty-five years at least. (My children are kind enough not to reveal their horror when I say that.) And what does that have to do with this blog? Well, point number one, I realized I don't need that document, 'cause this blog serves the purpose I intended for my "aging diary."

And these days, I'm quite wrapped up in reviewing my life. So many things have provoked that. One is the fact that my former husband is suffering from a terminal brain tumor. I have no direct contact with him about that, which proves to be frustrating, but I do get the news from my son and daughter and friends in New Haven. Do I need to say more? The purpose of life is farther toward the forefront of my thoughts than usual. To summarize, it becomes even more real that our journey here is limited, as is the time for us to be making our [hopefully helpful] mark on the world. The funny thing is, given those thoughts, I find myself doing things like getting rid of unnecessary paper, and even books, in my study. It seems like I'm doing anything to avoid getting down to writing. I think maybe I'm in a waiting mode.

There's another reason I'm thinking these thoughts. Walter Cronkite. All the reviews of his life bring back memories of so many major events that have occurred during mine. I won't bore you with all the images and emotions that come to mind. Just this -- with every one of those crises I lost sleep over the direction we could or could not be taking as a nation and as a people, and guess what -- we (including me) are still here. So many of those things I've lived through make sense in the backwards view. Now I try to hang on to the patience to realize that wherever we're going (with my little bit of help, I hope) will make sense twenty years from now when I look back.

Those thoughts of patient confidence that there is a purpose evolving, along with acupuncture, keep me sleeping pretty soundly. And verging on getting back to writing "Riding in the Back Seat."

If only more people would discover Mrs. Job. Those who do read her, are almost lavish in their praise. (Try "Mrs. Job." You might like her.) There, I even got in my marketing licks.

What a wonderful cruise to the Baltics! I've been back since July 2, and it's taken me this long to get back in the groove. Oh, I've done what I really had to do, like reminding people of our up-coming JustFaith+ meeting at church on July 14, but for the rest, what I have really wanted to do was win the lottery so I could then just hang out and read. The lottery hasn't materialized, though, and I am beginning to feel the energy again. I have Dr. Dimitri Didaskalou to thank for that. He is the acupuncturist on the Eurodam (Holland America). I've been afraid to say it out loud, fearing some kind of jinxing phenomenon, but today I'm feeling confident enough to come out with it. Yes, on shipboard it cost top dollar, but I do believe my three acupuncture sessions have freed me of my insomnia. And if for some reason it doesn't hold, I am confident I can go to a local acupuncturist and get a booster pin.

I need energy, 'cause I've got to keep following up on the press releases about Mrs. Job. I really want people to know about her. I continue to get really nice compliments from people who have read her, and I know of book clubs and bible study groups who will be exploring her in the Fall. But nothing will happen if I don't get on the marketing stick.

I'm pleased to have had a couple of requests to do interviews on "When to Forgive." Of course I don't see clearly, but as far as I'm concerned, it is one of the best books on forgiveness, incorporating so much of what people have said and researched. I believe, also, that my book is the only one that has a chapter on "The Case Against Forgiving." I keep hoping...

As for the cruise. There are some highlights. First, I think I bored Doug to the point of exasperation in Copenhagen and Stockholm with "I have a picture of that." The fact is, much is still the same as it was in 1955 when I made the trip to Sweden and Denmark with my folks the summer before I got married. It's not really surprising that buildings survive, like the stock exchange in Copenhagen. What did surprise and please me was the fact that the Nordiska Companiet is still one of the largest (or the largest) department stores in Sweden. That's where I bought my stainless steel flatware in 1955. Unlike Dayton's in Minnesota, or G. Fox & Company in Hartford, Connecticut, that store has not disappeared into another name. It's hard to explain, but it gave me that accordion feeling -- so far away and yet so near.

We saw some stunning palaces. I was particularly interested in the enthusiasm with which the Russians showed off those remnants of the Czars. I also boringly repeated my travel theme -- "You've seen one palace; you've seen them all." It strikes me that, with all the beautiful things in the palaces, its occupants must not even have known what they really had. I can't imagine how, even if they spent a day going from room to room, they could finger or eye every one of the beautiful things on display. By contrast, I was warmed and thrilled by the visit to Sibelius's home in Finland. It was a very nice wood structure on a lovely lake. What I loved about it was that he and his wife lived there, raised a family, supported each other, even as he wrote his beautiful music. I don't know any other way to say it, except it felt so "real." I had the same feeling when we visited the home of the Finnish artist Hekka Halonen. (Wikipedia says his name is "Pekka.") I confess I had never heard of him, but again I had that feeling of real people expressing their talent in a beautiful lake atmosphere.

The visit to Estonia was one we had eagerly anticipated, having seen the DVD on the Estonian people's winning their freedom from the Soviets without violence, but through song. It was impossible not to be moved by the visit to the music shell where some 5000 people had dared defiantly to sing their national music at the once-every-five years festival.

Of course, the cruise in general was sheer luxury -- the kind of thing that makes me aware of how very fortunate I am, and how I wish life would improve for all the suffering people in the world. And I didn't even spend all of my $20 gambling money set aside for the cruise. With Doug teaching me how to play poker (on the machine), and the ups and downs of fortune, I had fun winning up to $13.50, ultimately losing it after several days of gambling fun, spending only $5.00 of the $20.00.

I want to do it again. Somehow I've got to see Italy. After all, the Italian heritage has enriched my own Swedish heritage, and made my children 50% Italian.

Thanks for listening/reading. I wish for all of us continued energy to do what we can to make the world a better place.

Oh, and I'd love to see some comments.