Master sent the following:

In the Asian ways, I learned to step back, be quiet and still
within myself so that I might more clearly hear the unspoken
lessons.
When a geisha went to her dancing school, she would kneel and
spread out her dancing fan. She would then lower herself in a
deep bow, asking for the honor to learn from her teacher. Many
forget today it is an honor to learn at the feet of one who is
willing to teach you.

First I would like to start by saying Master has made references to geisha’s before. I do not know much about the idea of being a geisha, the process or the expectations. I think, however, that the next book I read will be about geishas, so I can learn a bit more about the concept. Now, on to my thoughts on the about selection.

There is much to comment on in these two small paragraphs. First, there is the idea of being quiet and listen. My first reaction is to say that I do that, but do I really? There have been times when Master has told me to slow down and concentrate on him. Perhaps it is true that I don’t do this enough. Sometimes I do it well, but sometimes not. It may be that I give up too easily. If I don’t hear the unspoken lesson quickly, I assume there is none, or that I am incapable of hearing it. This is something that I could work on more, along with the virtue known as patience.

The second paragraph I especially enjoy. You have a teacher and a willing pupil. This can describe the Master/slave relationship. Notice that it is the teaching and the learning that are emphasized, more than the bowing down before. That is simply a show of respect and appreciation for what the teacher has to share. This is true of my relationship with Master Bennet. Master dearly loves to teach. He specifically loves to teach those who wish to learn. In many ways, O/our relationship is one of Teacher/student.

I also find it enlightening to notice that, although the student bows down before the teacher, the teacher is also honoring the student. How? By sharing knowledge. The teacher need not do this, but sees the student as a worthy recipient of what the teacher has to give.

The teacher and the student have very different roles, yet they honor each other.

Although I wrote yesterday’s piece a while ago, I find it funny that I posted it yesterday. I had to remind myself again that things happen as they should.

I have a tendency to get in a hurry. I get an idea and I want it done RIGHT NOW! For example, with Master’s upcoming visit, I plan to put a sleeping area downstairs. There are several ways this could be accomplished. We have a futon, but the mattress is awful. I could simply get a new mattress. Or I could buy a full sized mattress for it and just make it into a bed. I could buy a bed or a sofa sleeper. There are probably other options that I haven’t listed here or even thought about.

But, like most people, I don’t have an unlimited amount of money. Therefore, I will be furnishing said sleeping area with second-hand things. This is more challenging. You don’t just put in an order for a used, cheap bed. You have to look around to find what you want.

A nearby town had citywide garage sales, and I went. There was one that advertised a mattress and box spring. Unfortunately, it was sold by the time I got there. Only $20!!! It would have been great! But, apparently, it was not to be. Although I was disappointed, I have to remember that this is just the first of many opportunities. Other towns will have garage sales, ads will appear in the paper and online, and there is always the staple, Goodwill. This is not my “last chance”.

I just have to remember, things will happen as they are meant to. And remember my successes. I did buy a TV for that room, so I am making progress.

My job is in flux again. With changes within the schools, this is happening to a lot of employees. The outlook seems to change daily. I want to stress that I WILL have a fulltime job, but currently the specifics are fuzzy.

Despite the stress this causes, I have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. First of all, I still have a job. Not everyone has been that lucky. Secondly, I have known that down the road, when my youngest graduates, I intended to change things anyway. Who is to say that the current changes aren’t leading me to where I want to be 4 or 5 years down the road? Perhaps they will point me in directions that I had never before considered?

I must remember that things may not always happen as I think they should, or as I thought they would. But I do believe that things happen the way they are supposed to.

Things happen the way they should.

Yes, we seem to be in the middle of a heat wave here in Iowa. Yesterday the high was a balmy 72 degrees! We haven’t seen that for, well, months, I’m sure. Today, although not forecast to be as warm as yesterday, will still be in the 60s. The slight possibility of precipitation, if it does materialize, will NOT be white and frozen. We could actually get April showers instead of April snow.

In the mean time, I seem to be experiencing my own personal heat wave. After getting out of the tub this morning, I felt like I was in the tropics. If not for the presence of my 14 year old son, I would have opened the bathroom door and stood naked in the cooling breeze. I wanted to dig out at least a short-sleeved shirt, if not a little top with spaghetti straps. However, spaghetti straps are not appropriate for my place of employment. Besides, who knows how long my internal furnace will blaze at full power? I may well need my sweater before the day (or hour) is over.

At this point, my body seems to be even more fickle than Iowa weather.

Yesterday I wrote about a book I was reading entitled, Dear Senator. It is a memoir from the biracial daughter of Strom Thurmond. In it, I sang its praises, mostly because I was impressed with the integrity of the people in the book.

Well, I finished the book today, and I learned a lesson. Don’t review a book until you finish it. The ending revealed a less then noble side to Ms. Washington-Williams. Of course, the book was “co-authored” by a gentleman by the name of William Stadiem. Often, when someone has a story to tell, they write a book with a co-author. This can mean that the person tells their story to their co-author, who actually does the writing. It is impossible for me to know how involved Ms. Washington-Williams was in the writing of the book. How much of the words are his? How much are hers? It’s impossible to tell.

So what did I learn that turned me off to the book? After the senator’s death, Essie Mae, at the urging of her children, was encouraged to come out and declare the relationship that existed between her and the senator. I have no problem with that. It seems that telling the world the truth was very freeing for her. That’s great. I’m glad it was a healing experience.

Contesting his will and asking for part of the estate, however, was unnecessary. And that is exactly what her daughter and her lawyer encouraged her to do. The parties were still in negotiations when the book was published. From what I have read on the Internet, it seems that some sort of settlement was arrived at, and the issue didn’t go to the courts.

I do understand that part of the reason for the threats of going to court and for coming forward to the media was an attempt to get the family to acknowledge that she is his daughter. And, in all likelihood, the settlement went into the pockets of lawyers. But I was so VERY disappointed to find that Ms. Washington-Williams had made a claim against the money in the senator’s estate. I had thought she was bigger than that.