enough

Recently,

John and I were running errands ~

trying to get everything accomplished

to leave the country

the next day

for a much needed 

family vacation. 

As we pulled in to the local pharmacy,

I vaguely noticed a well dressed lady

stopped by an indistinguishable person

sitting on the curb.

They conferred briefly

before the woman

scurried to her car.

I barely had time to process what I had seen

as we darted into the store

to retrieve sunscreen and bug spray

for the caribbean ~

not to mention notebooks for the inevitable

return to school

after Christmas vacation.

Perusing notebooks and relentlessly calling my teenage son

to be sure I chose the correct one,

I was surprised when I heard a timid voice on my left say,

"I'm really embarrassed to ask you this,

but I need $8 to pick up my prescription."

I looked over and there was the person 

from the parking lot.

She was poorly dressed,

in her 50's,

and looked sick.

Very sick.

Startled,

(and jaded)

I shot back,

"I don't have any cash."

She pleaded,

"Oh, no.  I don't need cash.

I just need my medicine."

Distracted and confused,  

I advised,

"Go find my husband.

He has on red pants.

He'll help you."

(If you know John,

you know my confidence was not misplaced.)

As she walked off I realized that she 

had not asked for cash.

She just needed help to pay for 

her medicine.

It was not a scam.

I quickly followed her.

We stood in line as John paid for her prescription

and I hesitantly asked,

"Do you need something to drink with that?

Do you need some food?"

The woman graciously accepted my offer for a drink

and explained to me that she wasn't hungry at all.

In fact,

she had just been released from three days in the hospital.

She had a severe case of the flu.

That's why she needed medicine.

She quietly explained

that she had no family.

She had been traveling with a friend,

a truck driver.

He dropped her off to make a delivery

and never returned.

She gestured to a small battered suitcase,

and proceeded to 

pull out a folded piece of paper from her pocket.

It was a list of two homeless shelters

the hospital had given her.

John attempted to call the shelters

to no avail.

Next, he called a taxi.

The lady and I stood in the cold December air

making small talk

while waiting for its arrival.

She thanked me profusely for all we had done

and I assured her that she was welcome.

 We paid the taxi fee in advance

to take her to the shelter

and gave her a little cash

so she would not be penniless.

Shortly after she departed,

John and I were disgruntled.

We wondered if we had done

enough.

John lamented that we should have 

gotten the lady a hotel room 

for a few days...

until she felt better.

We should have

given her our phone number

in case there were complications.

At the very least,

we could have

followed her to the shelter

to be sure she was accepted.

My regrets were of a less pragmatic nature.

.

I wondered if I was kind

enough.

Was I compassionate

enough?

Did I see her?

Did I truly see her?

Not as a problem to be solved.

Did I see her through God's eyes?

This lady

who found herself

sick, cold, alone, and homeless. 

Her misery palpable.

She must've been wondering 

how she arrived at that point 

in her life.

We had done the "right thing."

We could have felt self-righteous.

However,

we were left with regrets.

So often our giving is prescriptive and sterile.

We give to 

 worthwhile organizations.

But on this day,

we were faced

with reality.

And

we wondered:

Did we do 

enough?

meh

For you guys that have been checking,

I'm still here.

Just..

meh.

Long winter blahs

and 

not much to say.

I've been lost in some great books.

The End of Your Life Book Club

 was beyond wonderful.

I loved the writing, the topics,

the words of wisdom,

and everything about it.

Never have I marked so many pages in a book.

And since the book was based on a book club

consisting of the author and his mother, 

(two extraordinary individuals)

 I now have an even longer list

of "must reads."

I loved

The Fault in Our Stars.

CC received it for Christmas,

but I swiped it

and read it on vacation.

I thought it was a fast-paced easy read,

with some unexpected twists,

sharp dialogue, and 

a beautiful,  but tragic

love story.

I learned that some infinities

are bigger than others.

Another book I confiscated  

 from Lyons was

Miss Perigrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

It's a quirky fun read

and I can't wait to finish it.

I'm in the middle of 

Mrs. Kennedy and Me

which was written by 

the Secret Service agent

assigned to Jacqueline Kennedy.

I am intrigued for several reasons.

I love reading all things Kennedy.

My dad was in the secret service.

I relish reading about all of Mrs. Kennedy's travels.

The scenes are very descriptive and easily visualized.

I  recently chose several books 

off the  

"Best Books of 2012" list.

One was

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.

It's a compelling story

about a surreal day in the life of a young celebrated war hero.

The book is full of irony, satire,

and commentary on our society

as it relates to money, Hollywood, sports, service, and adulation.

 I just finished

The Yellow Birds ~

a haunting, thought provoking book 

about the war in Iraq.

The descriptions, thoughts, and story

could only have been written by a veteran 

who just happens to have a MFA.

He describes the complexities and banalities of war

as only one who has experienced it could.

Even the most disturbing scenes are beautifully and poetically written.

I couldn't put it down.

That's it.

What's up with you?

high

While Lyons and John were 

spending the weekend

in Ellijay

with the guys in our family,

CC was excited that we

were having a 

"Girls' Weekend."

On Saturday morning,

I woke to 

hazelnut coffee,
a comfy couch,

and half of

Wolff Hall to complete,

when I decided that I was lucky 

to have these moments

when  CC
actually
wanted
to spend time with me.
I decided to
get up,
get moving,
and
get engaged!

I quickly texted a friend

and

made plans to 

visit the

High Museum 

in

Atlanta.

It was a exquisite fall day.

We enjoyed
looking at the European art
~ especially the French Impressionists.
However,
asking CC to find

Monet

was somewhat
disappointing,

considering the number of times we visited the

Metropolitan in NYC.

As in,

"Who's Monet?"

Seriously???

The girls were excited

 to discover

folk art

and modern art.

CC found a horse,

but she knew 

not to touch it!

We were 

Obsessed

with 

Howard Finster

and hope to visit his house

sometime soon

since it's

right here

in Northwest Georgia.

We had a great time,

moved by art

and so fortunate to

have it

accessible.

Hopefully,
we enhanced the girls' appreciation
for art
while spending
some fun quality time together.

If you haven't been to the
High lately,
get movin'!

really good stuff

On Friday,

my mom and I 

went to Atlanta.

First,

we shopped at 

Scott's Antique Market

where I found an 1895 map

of Long Island.

I've been looking for one 

that wouldn't break the bank 

for years now

and was beyond thrilled to find one.

Next,

we had lunch at JCT Kitchen

where we devoured some

parmesan truffle fries.

I thought the day couldn't get any better

when we 

saw this sign:

Only in the South...

Of course,

when you see a sign like that,

you must follow it.

So we did.

We walked across this bridge

and on the other side was...

I had heard

Calypso had opened in Atlanta

and here it was!

We had unwittingly

stumbled upon it.

We had a marvelous afternoon shopping.

I ended up with some things off the sale rack

and talked mom into some

AG Jeans that I hope she doesn't regret.

Some days,

if you are open 

to following unexpected signs,

you just might find some

"really good stuff."

oh sandy

Years ago,

I remember watching one of those

"It Could Happen"

tv shows

about a potentially devastating hurricane

hitting Manhattan.

It was fascinating, 

but I didn't think it would

ever really happen.

Sagg Main Monday Morning

Watching it come to pass 

with Superstorm Sandy,

has been surreal.

On Monday afternoon,

(before the arrival of Sandy)

John left our house to go check on the stables.

He had traveled about a mile,

when he was forced to turn around 

due to a huge fallen tree in the road.

Upon turning around,

he discovered he had been trapped by

this tree.

At that point,

he realized

it was time to 

get home

and

"hunker down."

There was no more to be done

for the businesses.

I was glued to the news, Facebook,

and Hamptons.com

looking for pictures of Sag Harbor.

I couldn't believe Bay Street had become

the bay

 or that Long Beach,

my favorite place to walk,

was flooded.

Christie Brinkley

posted pics of Noyac,

right down the street from my house.

I lost touch with John about 3:00 p.m. on Monday.

I knew we had lost power in Sag Harbor,

but assumed we would keep in touch by cell.

Of course,

 he lost cell service next.

I spent a long night worried about his safety

and our home.

On Tuesday morning,

I finally heard from John

and he reported that it had been 

a "wicked" storm,

but (Halleliujah!) he and

our house were fine.

On his way to work,

he sent some pics 

I was crestfallen

to realize many of my friends

will be faced with 

rebuilding their homes

and businesses.

c.brinkley

The Hamptons sustained serious damage,
especially on the coast.
However, we escaped the utter destruction 
of whole communities
such as Breezy Point,
Fire Island,
and parts of New Jersey.

My thoughts and prayers 

are with everyone

affected by this storm.

The Morning After
c.brinkley

Praying for blue skies,

and

 brighter days ahead.

"if heaven ain't alot like dixie..."

We had a wonderful time in Alabama.

Mornings were spent

watching the sun rise

and enjoying coffee on the dock.

Days were filled with

sun and sand,

empty beaches,

clear water,

 feathered friends,

fun,

and family.

Nights were spent

fishing down at the dock,

and reveling in quiet peace

under the stars.

The only things that could have made this break more perfect -

would've been
more time

 and one less 

   broken arm...

*quote from Hank Williams Jr.

gulf shores

Last week,

the kids had a couple of days off 

for fall break.

We debated 

what to do 

and 

where to go.

We considered going to

"the happiest place on earth,"

but it tends to be

"the most expensive place on earth."

We looked into all the 

"last minute"

deals

on the internet,

but just couldn't find anything

that made sense

with our time constraints.

And then

I remembered...

While living in New York,

I vowed that if I was ever back in Georgia,

I would take full advantage of being so close

to the Gulf.

We loaded up and left for one of our favorite places 

in the world,

Gulf Shores, Alabama.

When we arrived late Thursday afternoon,

we found

the view from the back of Grandmother's Beach House, 

 to be just as beautiful as 

the Gulf 

across the street.

The kids scampered down to the bay

to see what they could find

and it didn't take long until the kayaks

were out.

As the sun began to set,

we got dressed and headed for dinner

at Lulu's -

an enormous local restaurant 

owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister.

The kids were thrilled to see something new -

 the "Mountain of Youth,"
a four story climbing aparatus.

After dinner,

we agreed to let Lyons and CC

attempt

the mountain.

Having no fear,

both kids quickly ascended.

At dizzying heights,

they bravely navigated

the ropes course.

I could barely watch,

but was glad they were having fun!

It was clear,
we were
exactly
where we needed to be.