Reflections on love for Valentine’s Day

by Anne Lamott (gifted author interpreter of the human spirit)

Love springs from new life, love springs from death. Love acts like Gandhi and our pets and Jesus and Mr. Bean and Mr. Rogers and Bette Midler. Love won’t be pinned down.

Love is often hard, ignored, or hilarious. But one thing is certain: Love is our only hope.

On the road again…

The past two weeks have been terrible for bike riding: temperatures mostly in the 20ºs and 30ºs and then 8″of snow that just started disappearing two days ago. The cold I could deal with; the ice and snow on the streets were a no-no. But today the sun was out, the sky was clear, and the thermometer rose to the low 50ºs so I rode to the Maloney Center, the former St. Vincent de Paul School turned into a diocesan office building.
The riding was great after such a long absence. The large majority of the snow has melted. The snow that remains is in piles where parking lots were plowed—like above at the Maloney Center–and on really small streets untouched by sunshine.

68 Years Later

In May, 1958 the eighth-grade class of St. Columba School in Louisville’s West End graduated and we all moved on to high school and the rest of our lives. That didn’t end all contact, though, and some of those classmates have continued to meet through the ensuing 68 years. Today 12 classmates and their spouses got together at an Italian restaurant, continuing bi-monthly lunches together. Because I just came back from Cambodia, it was the first time I had seen some of them since graduation. It was great! [Notice the restaurant ambiance! It is quite exotic with all sorts of Italian memorabilia and photos. Of special notice: a bust of Pope John XXIII on the table and his picture on the wall.]

Bike Recall

When my brothers and sisters and cousins decided to buy me an e-bike for commuting around Louisville, they chose a brand-name, high-end model for me. I became more aware of that when I received a recall notice from the manufacturer about a defective part, just like what happens for cars. The notice said that a bolt holding the back wheel can fracture because of a faulty casting process for the bolt and that I need to bring in the bike for a replacement bolt. It turns out they have to order the replacement bolt but won’t do it until I bring in the bike and leave it for the three days required for the bolt to arrive. I asked them to order the bolt and let me know when it arrives but they said they had to have the bike first. For legal liability reasons, they don’t want to appear to be supporting my continuing riding of the bike while there is risk of the back wheel falling off.

More from Oregon

One powerful realization for me when I was wandering in the forested area of The Grotto in Portland, Oregon was how much I had missed forests of large hardwood trees while I was in Asia. From my days in the Boy Scouts and from our Dittmeier family camping trips (the only vacations we could afford), I have loved being out in the forests. At The Grotto I was able to be with huge, old trees that brought back good memories and renewed my love of nature.