Life

..so many changes in 2015; too many. Each, significant. ..but all are part of a fabric of affirmation: these lights mattered; these stories continue; the wit and spark and warmth of easing folks forward remains the ripple they wished for us to ride.. till, thereby, we leave our own. Many stories to share will come in reflection of time spent in her company, but, for the moment ..a few moments of Billie Allen-Henderson, theatre godmother, mentor, comrade, insouciant bon vivant, sassy witness, and edifying headlight..  

..’creating’ family is a process we all come to at some point to form the sustainable and nurturing relationships that embolden us to reach into our dreams, and manifest exceptional events.. The circumstance of making this occur connects friends in a tighter bond of interrelationships, that deepens through listening and advising –and, on occasion, allowing for not being heard, and not being understood; but always, ever, with undeterred support, engagement, embrace and ..a gravitational commitment to being ..family.

It’s funny, but when the days are in the freezing rip of winter, there’s little thought of “chill”; it’s too cold! ..But the days are now doing a dervish sport of tag, and hurtle from one extreme temperature to its opposite.. Blasts of arctic winds sweep along the streets; green buds brace, clasped tight to naked sticks. And then, perhaps even a few hours on, the day changes- pivots into a warm working sunlight; the air seems to expand, gain weight, heat, and suddenly a shiver goes up the spine as the thermometer wrestles out of cold..

..last week I attended S.C.A.M.P., an opening at Gallery Plan b that included the works of friends of mine; each, visual artists. Standing in that gallery I enjoyed their success as much as their work, and felt a cathartic joy at seeing the walls of the space hosting such a diverse and complimentary collection of completed thoughts.

..time has been hurtling; the school year has been an adventure of journeying with my classes through Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, and it has brought surprising connections. In general, the students (independently, and from different schools) did not agree that the men of the piece should have forced their girlfriends into ‘proving their love and faithfulness’; by and large, students felt that deceit was deceit, and not a good trait of friendship.