- There was much art displayed around the seminary that spoke to me last weekend and this painting by an artist named Watanabe is called "Unity and Diversity." "Though his faceless figures, (he) chooses to eliminate or minimize the particulars that so often define and separate us from others - age, race, even sex to show that we are all one people regardless of where we come from."- Loving my mother's funny expressions. She leaves a phone message for me saying she just wanted to chat and sorry she missed me and "don't take any wooden nickels!" Wikipedia says the saying "is considered a lighthearted reminder to be cautious in one's dealings." :) Whatever the case - it's something she has said lightheartedly for as long as I can remember.
- My cousin recorded my grandmother playing the piano and telling family stories more than 20 years ago, a couple of years before she passed away. His sister sends me a CD of it this week that I am delighted with. As my grandmother recounts one story, she laughs heartily while telling it and the story does not matter to me so much as hearing her wonderful laugh again.
13 comments:
Lynn, that artwork is beautiful.
I haven't heard that expression in years - lol!
Hearing your grandmother's laugh must have been absolutely beautiful...you must miss her so much.
Talon -
I call her at least once a day from my cellphone, and sometimes more than that, so it is unusual for her to call me. So her message was cute with that phrase.
My grandmother's laugh - so beautiful.
I love that painting and quote. I really agree with the concept of genderless images. :)
You know at out church on Sunday we were singing a hymn and the person leading said "Ok now just the women, and now the men". That spoilt that song for me. Why do people do that? You wouldn't say "Ok now the disabled people. Now the old people. Now the white people" so why is ok to separate people on what happens to be between their legs? I don't get it.
Rant over...
Oh, how beautiful about your grandmother's laugh and how it lives on and brings joy. Timeless, eh?
And funny -- I swear I said that wooden nickels thing to Jim the other day as he was leaving for work!! And it's not something I've said in probably a long time. Silly, the expressions that are with us forever. I guess I must've sensed you would be blogging about it! :)
xo
Neat painting and neat stories.
wooding nikkels is good to keep my teeths shorter. my jannie givs me them, and bunny chews.
Joe -
I do love the message of that painting, too. The practice of dividing the people between men and women for singing is odd unless the song spoke to that for some reason. Rant all you want here! The safest place to rant. :)
Jannie -
That says to me that everyone should record their stories, songs, poetry, etc. so your voice will live on.
That is amazing that the wooden nickel quote came out of your mouth, too. Wow. xoxo
Riot Kitty -
Thanks!
Blue Bunny -
Just don't get any splinters!
Oh, my goodness, what a treasure to hear your grandmother's voice and laugh and music again! The grandmother that I was closest to passed away when I was only 13, and it's getting hard to remember her voice. What a beautiful gift.
I'm not so into the artwork. I think I prefer to see the individuality, even if it makes trouble occasionally. ;)
I was thinking about Joe's comment, and sometimes it's nice to hear just the higher voices or just the deeper voices, to really appreciate the various tones and ranges available to the different sexes. What's between our legs does determine that, at least to some extent, and I'm not sure it's a bad thing to enjoy the variation.
But I hate that it ruined the spiritual experience for you, Joe. :(
That is fantastic that your cousin did that for you.
Sometimes, listening to a beloved family member that has passed on, is enough to bring that much closer to you.
My mom has my dad's very last voice mail that he left her, and whenever she gets a new phone, she always makes sure that that particular voice mail is there with the new phone.
Oh, that is precious to have her laugh saved to listen to :)
Nifty Art! Would make a great stained glass window someday-
I think your Mom says that cause she just called to hear your voice without another compelling reason...
That tape CD must be priceless for you!
I have some very old cassettes in the backroom- n somewhere my drunken Gramps is singing sea shanties when I was a pre-teen- Wish I had time to sift thru all my recordings! N videos too- Seeing n hearing my parents again always chokes me up for awhile tho.
Meredith -
Absolutely - and again, we should all record our voices so they can be heard later. It is a treasure.
That is one reason I love artwork so - that it speaks to different people in different ways. There is another view of The Last Supper hanging in the library at the seminary that I also like because it shows each apostle with a woman or female child.
G -
That is wonderful that she has that voice message.
I still have a tape (from when I had a answering machine with tapes) of my sister and her little girls singing happy birthday to me. When I heard it, I popped the tape out to save it.
Cookie -
It is so precious.
Snaggle -
I think it would, too - great observation.
That is cool to have your Gramps's singing sea shantie songs. Yes - I'm with you. I can still hear my dad's voice in my head. I sure miss him.
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