THE ROLLER COASTER WORLD

"You can't stop the Beat!" Go Kate Go!

61 and nothing slows down. I cannot speak for the folks who decide to retire and just let the world go by as I might have been one of them had it not been for my kids, friends and husband. Now-the view changes every day.In my last blog, I reflected on my step-daughter’s beautiful wedding and John’s trip to Haiti. Ying/Yang. In this blog, it is Katrina’s success in Hairspray Houston, changing leaves in the mountains, the $10 million Medical Education Partners Initiative award that will take us back to Moshi, the new community initiatives with our CAB, the granddaughter and her determination to be independent, and the struggling recorder practice. Is that enough?

I am exhausted. These kinds of exhaustion are said to keep our brains working; yet, this morning I sat in the car wondering if it were Wednesday or Thursday, and if it were Wednesday, did I have a Ryan White meeting, or was it on Thursday, and if it were Thursday, did I miss the Ryan White meeting, did I have a lunch “date”, and how did I miss a fundraising meeting? Most of my family would agree that I have always had a bit of mix up in the brain area, especially around dates, times and events; but this one seemed significant.

Since I couldn’t resolve the issue at hand—Wednesday or Thursday, I spent a moment thinking about the past week. A crazed spontaneous flight to Houston and return back to NC in 36 hours included seeing Katrina in Hairspray and spending the night at a best friend of a best friend’s house. Katrina was awesome as Tracy, and her leading cast was as well. In the theatre, on the plane and in the car, I thought about what brought Katrina to Hairspray. There was a cell phone call from Katrina as I was walking to my car from work in 2003. “Mom, if I took a break from college, what would you think?” Well, I thought I would kill her, but managed to say, “what do you mean?” The conversation went from there. This spunky girl had managed over multiple auditions to get the attention of the producers of Hairspray, and they took a virtual unknown to Toronto to start what would be several years as Tracy. I remembered cleaning out her dorm room in a blizzard, meeting with her program director at school who had a much more glowing look at this girl than he had had even a year earlier. I remembered the tears, the bitterness, she had felt many times and the joy that she had and has every time she sings. It was quite a night for me to section her off for a few hours from the rest of the family and think about our life together and apart. It also made me feel incredibly nostalgic and not a little bit old.
Best Friend Austin and Katrina
A lucky exhausted bedraggled mom with equally exhausted Katrina and Austin after the show
My fav outfit-the Prison outfit, but sadly missing the prison keds tennis shoes.
So, thank heavens just a day after getting home, we dashed to the mountains and watched the leaves change right in front of our eyes. From no color to lots of color in 36 hours. Amazing. And nostalgic. Soon it will be the 12th anniversary of my mother’s death, and just past the 10th anniversary of my father’s. Both loved the mountains, and though mother never saw the completed house, she was thrilled that we were building a retreat that would give us quiet and peace.
The trusty maple tree below the cabin
A view from the cabin
Our great dream cabin
As we watched the leaves, we thought about the huge grant that was just awarded to KCMC, and that will take us back to Moshi for several months a year. As John toiled day after day writing, editing, re-writing, contacting key players all around the school and the world, and working diligently with KCMC leadership, he continued to say, “This is an incredible long shot”. When the grant was submitted, he looked at me and said, “That was the best that I could do.” The grant was funded, the work now begins. Will the grant be successful? What is the meaning of success in the impoverished world of Northern Tanzania? As I listen to the work that now goes on, the promises of support from our colleagues, and friends in the US and in Moshi, it is a bit awesome. And, I cannot wait to see friends and breathe in Tanzania as we walk out of the plane. And, to see Carol waiting when we come out of customs!
Colleagues who helped with the grant + our beloved Congressman David Price
Carol enjoying Arusha National Park
Perhaps the most difficult part of focusing again on Moshi, is watching my granddaughter grow and demand independence, and in watching our AIDS Community Advisory Board branch out into areas that we had not thought about doing before, and doing it well.
Miss Independence Lyri drives her car!
Jacquie works her magic.
Little Lyri wants to do everything herself. Soon enough, she will come to find that she will have to depend on others for something, and learn about working together. That is our experience, all of ours. As Tracy and Link say, “It takes two of us, it takes two.”

Hopefully, at the end of the day, I will be able to play a low F on the bass recorder and a high D and E on the alto recorder. That would make the Feathered Fipple reprise just a bit better. (and keep SWMBO from yelling at me).