It's Never Too Late To Be Who You Might Have Been...G. Eliot

Welcome friends...thanks for coming by. We're seeking beauty in all of creation... in our faith and our families; our art and our music; our crafts and kitchens, and even in our own backyard. We'll share a poem or a recipe, a picture or a memory; maybe a dream of how we wish our life could be. And though we acknowledge that the world can be harsh, we're keeping it pleasant in our little corner; endeavoring to keep the words from the Book of all Books: ...Whatsoever things are lovely; think on these things.

I so enjoy hearing from you...so leave me a comment; it'll make my day!

Photo: Bee and thistle: Taken high in the Cascade Mountains where there is a bee buzzing on every thistle. by Debora Rorvig

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

It's Never Too Late To Be Who You Might Have Been...G. Eliot

I stopped by to see an old friend this week. A friend I shall never forget.

How can I tell you what this friend means to me? The one who gave me another chance. Who, when I doubted myself...said "Yes, you can!"

A friend who saw me overcome with emotion and weeping in my car after reading Shakespeare's Macbeth'...and understood.

Who helped me find balance in my life and regain something I thought I'd lost...

Who showed me that art is not something that's only for the gifted few...

Who gave me a place to grow...

and permission to take time to reflect and ask questions of myself and others.

Whatcom Community College.

As a young person, lack of money and poor personal choices had prevented me from going to college.

I married, had children, got a job, then another and another. I was making good money; but never felt happy with what I was doing. And there was always that nagging question in the back of my mind..."What if?"

Through a series of what I call miracles I enrolled at WCC. Now I've heard people scoff about going to Community Colleges. But they are a godsend for some of us! Never let someone belittle an opportunity that you are taking to better yourself. What a gift WCC was for this 40-something woman! Some people go to school for money. Some for their parents. I went for me. I went to learn about Shakespeare and art...to do calculus and to write poetry. To find out what makes people think the way they do. I went to learn about myself and quell the nagging doubts. I went to change my life.

I believe that we are all born to be something. Some are teachers, some are nurses, some are lawyers, some are mechanics. Schools don't make us these things...God does. He's the one who gives us the aptitude and desire for certain vocations. Schools give us the tools we need to fulfill our passions.

It's never too late to be who you might have been.

George Eliot

Note: Charcoal drawings are not mine. This is a photograph taken of a display in the art department at WCC. I did however, take that very class and enjoyed it immensely!

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2 comments:

Linda O'Connell said...: Debora,
This is so very true! It is never too late.; August 4, 2011 at 4:10 AM
joanne said...: we all need that special one in our lives that gives us a little push in the right direction.; August 4, 2011 at 5:03 PM

I Am From

I Am From...

by Debora Rorvig

I am from a lumber mill worker’s company house
with peeling paint and a sidewalk made of two by fours.
From faded flannel shirts that smell of pine and cedar boughs.

I am from Mason Jars of homed-canned pears,
from Dairygold milk with cream on top
in bottles on the porch.

I am from a garden plot with rows and rows of golden corn
that always wanted hoeing,
and from atop the highest branches of the Gravenstein apple tree in the Attolini’s orchard-
with apple juice dripping from my chin.

I am from saurkraut and wooden shoes-
the Millers and the Youngedykes,
and from the lively Scottish clan
who wear the McKinnon tartan.

From farmers and woodsmen
plain folk all,
who’s hands were calloused hard
but who’s hearts were tender-soft.

I am from ‘what will the neighbors think’
and ‘if you can’t say something nice,
don’t say anything at all.’

From saints and sinners who didn’t see eye to eye
but loved each other anyway,
and in their own way.

I am from the Western shores of Washington
strewn with agates, kelp and driftwood,
from Steelhead salmon, salty smoked
and chowder made from clams we dug
at Semiahmoo spit.

I am from my mother Ruby,
who taught me how to sew
on the old Singer treadle machine;
and told me all about my heritage.

And from my daddy, Raymond Claude
who took me nightcrawler hunting in the moonlight
and showed me how to bait my hook
and fish along the Nooksack River’s edge.

I am from an ancient, tattered Holy Bible kept safely on the upper shelf
with pictures of Jesus Christ
and a letter edged in black- carefully tucked inside.
There are births and deaths recorded there,
and a poem by great- great grandfather Alexander Laughlin Mckinnon
who I never met--and yet I know him
better than some I’ve met.

Precious is that Book to me.

And that is where I am from.

My Life List

*Seek first the Kingdom
*Never stop dreaming
*Make a difference in my students' lives
*Create alternate streams of income to fund my goals
*Dress with flair
*Master virbrato on my violin
*Try cross country skiing in Eastern Washington
*Lose those extra pounds and be healthy
*Be more active in my church
*Stop fearing things, people and confrontation; say what I think
*Stop Hurrying
*Inspire my grandchildren
*Own a Cottage on the Beach
*Live the Word
*Memorize the Book of Hebrews
*Find the perfect hairdo
*Be myself
*Look up old friends and make new ones
*Remodel the kitchen and bathroom
*Make my garden lovely
*Sleep under the stars in the desert and hear coyotes howl
*Write and publish a book(s)
*Travel toRio de Janiero, Cape Breton, South of France, Italy,Scotland, Wales, UK, Ireland, Norway, Turks & Caicos, New York City and the Eastern Seaboard; The Deep South, Africa

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

It's Never Too Late To Be Who You Might Have Been...G. Eliot

2 comments:

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