Another Memoir

I just started reading this book. Continuing my interest in memoir reading. If you ever wanted a 101 version of Iranian 20th Century history, all you have to do is read the first five pages, and then you would probably want to just keep reading the whole thing.

Since Aidan is starting over in swimming lessons and they're not making him do hard stuff yet, I can now read again during lessons, instead of watch closely and then run down to the pool to save him from jumping into the deep end. "Can't you see my son is scared," I didn't have to say this to his swimming teacher this week.

I hope you are all doing well. Thanks so much for coming over to the liver blog. I'll catch you up on our heartbreak hotel soon. The long and short, Bob's open heart will likely be within the next few months or so, give or take, more or less, mas y menos, or whenever and whatever.

I've now given in to the idea that it's time to hang up pictures and actually settle in to this temporary apartment that we moved into last August. It's a great place, especially if the seminary lets us live here longer until Bob recovers from the heart break. Well, it's actually a rib break. Ok, they don't actually break the ribs but they remove them somehow, so basically it's breaking them. To fix the heart. So, I guess it's more like heartfix hotel. Because the weird thing is, this is routine. The liver is mysterious. The heart is routine. That's what it means to live in a rich country. Open heart is routine. I'll take routine.

Peace and joy, T

Everyone Needs a Good Wife

That's what my colleague Joanne said to me today. Some of you may remember Joanne as our Minister of Dirty Laundry when Bob was sick. An amazing woman to be sure. Anyway, today, I went to see her and the office we will soon share on the 15th floor of the Thrivent building in downtown Minneapolis. They are kind enough to donate space to LWR. I was feeling very anxious about moving my office there. Getting back into the commuting rat race and all. A dress code. But let me just say, I feel good. It's a stunning space and I am going to love working there.

Even got my security badge. If you saw that Night in the Museum movie you can imagine the security office and personel.

"Ma'am, I dot all my i's and cross all my t's," said the guy who evidently was the head security guy, and evidently wanted me to know that. "If you're not on the list, you're not getting a badge. That's just the way I am."

"Ok, am I not on the list?" I ask.

"Yes, you are," he said with authority. "But I just wanted you to know that if you were not on the list, you wouldn't get this badge."

Another security guy recognized the name Speirs as a Scottish name and hoped my husband wasn't a Yankees fan, when I told him he was from Brooklyn. He isn't. He said his best friend is Bobby Speirs of Chicago, who is also a Scot. I like him.

Friends, my new office is very tightly secure. And I'm IN. I'm out there. Downtown Julie Brown. Up there high atop Minneapolis with a 10-mile view of the St. Paul skyline. Yeehaw!

And what's for dinner? Tator tot casserole, of course, baked by my fabulous husband. Isn't this the loveliest table setting you've ever seen? Things are looking up, in spite of the puzzle of the heart. (More about that later for those of you not reading the liver care page site, from which I'm trying to wean myself.)

Peace and joy, T

They Made Me Believe

Hello friends and welcome to the liver blog. I really needed to get a much more beautiful picture up here and found this one with thanks to Allison Schmidt, Luther Seminary Photographer.

This is Bob and his diva liver's core team, Margaret, Elieshi, and Faith; Prophets, Pastors, and Healers, who made me believe in prayer.

Although I feel like I always want to qualify that by saying I believe in prayer not because Bob's liver healed, but because of the energy these women channeled into our apartment when they and their families would encircle a sleeping Bob in words with God. I say that as a prayer skeptic. Or as one who is really bad at it. Not my strength, put it that way. Then there's Victoria, Bob's cheerleader on campus and organizer extraordinaire. And the mama panda on a rare good hair day.

So there you have it. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you ever wanted to give your money somewhere, you could give it to the ELCA international scholarship program because it brings people like Margaret, Elieshi, and Faith to places like Luther Seminary. And I think they saved Bob's life. And if you ever wanted to have an international experience but can't figure out how to get overseas, enroll at Luther Seminary, live on campus, and make a special effort to get to know the international students. It is extraordinary.

With love, T

Just Another Soothing Evening

This is what bedtime around here is like these days.








Darth Maul from Star Wars.
Sandy and Danny from Grease.
Darth Maul is training to rule the universe.
Summer lovin' happened so fast.

Reading the book in the little boy's room.
Singing the song in the little girl's room.
Should I worry about Darth Maul's looks and motives?
Trying to explain how Sandy and Danny actually have conflicting values.

Another back and forth. A chapter. A verse.
Good thing our apartment is small and I have my sneakers on.
Prayers.
Goodnight.

Time for the papa panda and me to settle in with the JAZZ series by Ken Burns we just checked out from the library. What the hey, with a glass of wine. For me, not the diva liver guy.

With love, T

Meet the Rosa Family

Hello and welcome to the liver blog. One thing that happened when Bob's organic bile binder booked a one way ticket out, is that a lot of people came to us. For example, the Rosa's. That is how we saw God at work all around us.
Is this the most beautiful family picture you've ever seen? Bet you can't guess which one is Janet, the mom. Janet and Richie knew Bob from Trinity in Brooklyn, way back when. We bumped into them when we were lonely and looking for a church after just moving to Catonsville, Maryland. Signing up Amanda for Sunday school, in comes a teacher for supplies. "Janet?" Bob says to her. "Robbie?" she replies. Being new in a church is the hardest thing in the world and it was soooo nice to find the Rosa's.

Anyway, to cheer us up, which it did, Richie sent us this family picture while we were holed up waiting for Bob's liver to return. Left to right, Elena, Raquel, Richie, Ivan, Janet, Veronica. On the occasion of Raquel's wedding with the spectacular Shenandoah Valley in the back. Just a day's drive from Catonsville.

Speaking of good things from Puerto Rico. I just finished this book, "The Turkish Lover," by Esmeralda Santiago. A third installment of her memoirs, a genre which I love. Ms. Santiago was introduced to me via a PBS movie that was made from her first two memoirs, the story of how her mother moved her and all her siblings from Puerto Rico to Brooklyn, New York, and how she learned English by immersion at age 12. I wanted Amanda to watch the movie because she is learning Spanish by immersion, albeit a more gentle one. For the most part the film, called "Almost a Woman" worked for her too. (Aidan was too young at the time.) Anyway, good book. Got it from the local library.

Take care out there! With love, T

Captain Underpants

Hello and welcome to the liver blog.

I wanted to tell you all that we have finally found a book series that Aidan likes and I have to say it totally cracks me up too. It's Captain Underpants and I just discovered that it has a pretty good website too. Even with a guide for adults. Captain Underpants Website

We are currently reading "Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People." It makes us laugh to watch Aidan laugh as we read about Captain Underpants, his evil twin Captain Blunderpants, and other characters like the Bionic Booger Boy, Super Diaper Baby, Wacky Wedgy Woman, and Granny Girdle. The very clever author, who calls his books 'epics,' must have come right out of Aidan's brain.

Anyway, the liver lizard crawled back in its hole and we enjoyed a lovely, lovely spring day. Quiet time. Good friends. And another episode of the Grease auditions show. Go Laura from Minnesota!

Hope you are all well. Peace and joy to you.

With love, T

The Problem with Promises

Just when you think everything's all honkey dorey, the liver lizard creepy crawls into the car and mama panda has to go off and drop the F-bomb on her own cubs.

"Remind me to never f--- promise anything again," mama panda seeths into the backseat.

Mama panda actually didn't promise anything because even she knows that promises are paper thin when you never know what comes next, inside or out. But to baby pandas who were told to bring their swimsuits because they were going swimming with friends, well, I suppose that looks like a promise.

Lots of yelling back and forth. Tired ten-year-old. Parents who are not altogether there in terms of constructing a logical sequence of problem solving methods that involve strategically diffusing emotions gone wild. Little Donald Rumsfeld mostly puddles up in the crossfire and so we cuddle in the backseat after parking. Raining outside, of course. Isn't it always raining in the dark when everything goes down the drain?

So, there you go with a little Saturday night special. Melodrama for the masses. Live and let liver rule your lives. Ruining all the fun all the time, as some of the baby pandas would say.

See y'all after 12 hours of sleep. Time to get the penquin pajamas back out. T