things change

SOME THINGS CHANGE...

It's been a long winter 

with lots of changes.

In a nutshell,

we sold our Hampton house

in December,

so this is the first summer

in seven years

that we are not there

full time.

However,

we did go up in June

and stayed at the cutest cottage

on the water.

AND SOME THINGS STAY THE SAME...

Not long after arriving,

the magic began.

We called Stephen and Christina

and convinced them to

take the boat out.

As always,

we laughed and talked

until sunset.

After the sun departed,

we docked the boat 

and ambled towards

Tutto il Giorno

for 

more laughs,

meaningful conversation,

delicious food,

and 

the feeling of being

 right back

where we belong.

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.

Browsing 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.

After she departed,

John and I remained unsettled.

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 face to face

with a person truly in need.

And

we wondered:

Did we do 

enough?

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 cozy couch. 

I quickly realized how lucky I was 

to have this time with CC 

and decided to make the most 

of our mother/daughter day. 

I quickly texted a friend

and we

made plans to 

visit the

High Museum 

in

Atlanta.

It was a exquisite fall day.

We enjoyed
looking at all of the art
~ especially the French Impressionists.
I was surprised when I asked CC to point out a Monet. 

She asked, "Who's Monet?'

Considering the number of times we visited the

Metropolitan in NYC,

I must say I was a little surprised.

Seriously? Who's Monet? Haha!

The girls were excited

 to discover

folk art

and modern art.

I love interactive 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.