Meet with Carol and Lise (“Lisa”) today at Carol’s church—the First Presbyterian on Bellevue Way. We found a table with room for three, sat and chatted for a bit while waiting for Lise to make it down from Everett.
Lise arrived with a round of hugs for all. I made-up a gift bag for each of them consisting of Seligman’s Flourish, a green half-page card with gratitude enhancing techniques in a red envelope, both placed in a small brown shopping bag tied shut with a rose-colored ribbon. The rose-colored ribbon served as a reminder it is best to see the world through rose-colored glasses, i.e., the glass is half-full. I have my issues with gift-giving and was glad that went well.
we headed over to the buffet. It was a simple line-up of Thanksgiving staples: rolls; salad; regular and cornbread stuffing; mashed potatoes; sweet potatoes; gravy; roast turkey; deep-fried turkey with Cajun seasoning; a tart cranberry sauce/relish; and apple & pumpkin pie. The food was good, the company was great. After a full meal, we chatted some more and went to movie.
We got to theater nearly an hour early. Lise forgot her purse at the church and had to go back for it. Fortunately, it was less than a mile from the church to the theater. Carol and I were so early that we got chased out of the theater by the clean-up crew. Carol sat on a bench in the corridor while we talked and waited for Lise.
When Lise arrived, we talked about what we were grateful for. The last year or two was rough on both of them in terms of employment and economic security. Their spirituality had carried them through with a faith that they were both pleasantly surprised to enjoy. It could have been much more stressful for them.
Carol got a AA degree in Business and now has a job that is a reasonably good match for her background with design and textiles. It would be more secure if their internet, email and phone service had not gone-down for most of the day yesterday. She works for a national furniture and design franchise. It is not unreasonable to expect a higher level of IT support.
Lise was laid off earlier this year and has gone to school to be a dog trainer. The classes are over. The just missed passing the 480-question certification test last week and will take it again next week. After that, she will be a certified dog trainer. I find that a bit ironic since she three cats at home. There is no such thing as a cat trainer.
All three of us are now cat people. Today’s movie? Puss in Boots which was an animated prequel of Puss’s life before the Shrek movies. It had great video, good dialogue and a decent story of friendship gone awry and getting back together.
After the movie, we went downstairs to Tully’s coffee shop to chat some more. That was probably the first time this year I spent time chatting in a coffee shop. Since I don’t drink coffee, it is not something I am compelled to do. It was nice to talk more with friends about our recent past and where we hope to be in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment