getting my marvel fix at asbury

As I told Kimmi and Deborah, down in Costa Rica, as well as Ryan and Katie, up in New York City, "Where else can I get Marvel at church?"

We were all gathered together on fb for Reverend Billy Hester's sermon, "On The Left", gleaned from his watching of "Avengers: Endgame".

He had advised the congregation to see the superhero movie during the week, just to be familiar with the story.

I had no need to do that.

The movie is crystallized in my mind.

Yes, even six years after seeing it, I remember all the grief undergone by superheroes, mortals, and even gods.

I'd like to say that I paid attention to the sermon, but I had the sound off most of the time.

I would turn it on for the songs: "Cuando El Pobre", "You've Got A Friend", "We Shall Overcome", all favorites of mine. 

I had the video on the entire time, watching out of the corner of my eye as I took care of business on that social media site, cleaning out 'memories', as I have done every day this past year.

Then, a familiar image popped up! 

Even masked in the Captain America suit, I knew that was Rabbi Haas!!!

Sure enough, it was him, and he gave the closing prayer!

Then, when it was time for the final number, suddenly the stage was full of costumed superheroes, both Marvel and DC!!!

All were singing, and pantomiming, along with Cheri for "Here I Am, Lord".

What a fabulous closing number!

I just may have to actually listen to the sermon.... but not right now.

I have "Father Brown" and "Sister Boniface" awaiting me.

Then there's "10 Streets That Changed America", including Woodward Avenue in Detroit, so that should be nice to hear about.

Plus, they need to be viewed so I can clean them out of my "recorder" to make room for more shows.

Comcast only allows me to "tape" so many, and I have "Will Trent" coming back on Monday and Tuesday.

(smile!) 

sisters of the new year!

Not even the cold temperatures outside could keep me in today!

This was the designated day for the Sisters In Faith luncheon and I had volunteered to bring two prizes for the bingo games.

I had to be there!!!

And so I went, bundling up in two sweaters and my Cracker Barrel poncho-coat for the drive to Asbury Memorial, bag in hand. 

Thankfully, I was met with a plethora of others who'd turned out and turned up for this friendship gathering - hooray!

We each had a tinfoil tiara awaiting us, as well as a gilded tooter to blow when we had a bingo - TOOT!!!

Charlene was the first at our table to get a bingo.

That was on the second game, too.

So she was the first of us to get to choose a prize from the gift table!

Soon enough, I had a bingo on one of my two game boards!

"TOOT!!!"

I was the first one to actually do that instead of saying 'Bingo!", of course!

Linda Combs was elated that I followed her directions!

I chose the wire basket of fancy soaps - I know four little blondes who will like those 'eggs'!

(smile!)

I was the third person at our table to win.

I resolved to not take any more prizes.

Then I noticed that Pam was only playing one of her cards, trying to keep up... and I had another b-i-n-g-o about to happen... and when it did, I pushed the card in front of her and said, "Pam, you have a bingo!"

She perked right up and was thrilled!!!

I thought only my tablemates caught what I did.

Nope!

Tim Steinhauser, our bingo caller, saw it, too.

He alluded to how nice it was to see us 'sharing the wealth' instead of being like August.

Apparently, August had won three games the last time bingo was played!

I guess that's why he left today before the games began - Tim and Linda were both teasing him!

I stayed until the ginger ale toast!

First, we all sang "Auld Lang Syne", led by Michelle Meece - I may have been the only one who knew the words.

Then I clinked glasses with my tablemates - Charlene Branan, Pam Kress, Robin Eifler, Shirley Horovitz, Kay, and another Kay - then took my leave before the last round of bingo.

I have a new event, starting at 2.

Better go while I'm out!

(smile!)

read united, y'all

I debated whether to write this post here or over at another blog.

After all, it's about something that will benefit children of Chatham County, so that should be function of Fliss of Nerdfighters, n'est-ce pas?

Then I realized I'd been part of a similar effort before, many years ago.

The year had been 2011 and the Armstrong Alumni Association had decided to celebrate Dr. Seuss Day as part of a reading initiative at elementary schools. 

I volunteered to go with a group to East Broad Elementary, where I read "Green Eggs And Ham" to a group of second-graders.

What fun that was!

Times have changed in the decade-plus since.

Now, volunteers are required to undergo training before interacting with children, just as I'd had to to before being part of VBS.

Speaking of which, this training was held at Asbury Memorial Church, in Holliday Hall, by Cheri Deans of United Way.

The group is called Read United, and my friend from Thomasville, Sherry Giddens, is the one who has encouraged me to join in.

She has been a Reading Buddy for a while, having joined last year after hearing Helen Downing witness about her experiences with the program.

August Alderman is to be commended for getting the word out about this training session for Reading Buddy Backups.

We had at least 20 people show up!

I'm far right, sitting in front of the window closest to Ms. Virginia's painting. 

I've had a hard day managing the pain with my right leg, due to the still untreated inguinal hernia, so I'd hobbled over to the bench seat there instead of sitting on a metal chair.

August even came and sat with me for a while!

He really is a dear man.

The training carried on for about an hour, ending with a QR code so we can sign up online and get the background check started.

Yes, that's right: to work with children, a background check is required.

No worries have I!

I've even already signed up to volunteer on Read United Day!

That will be January 30th.

I sure hope it will be a warmer day like today!

Now, time for the new season of "Will Trent".

I sure hope my first niece will be watching 'with' me!

first day of 2026!

What kind of weather song does WSAV have?

Sunshiny start, with near-normal temperatures for this area!

Couldn't ask for a nicer start of the year!

I celebrated with Gouda and the bread from yesterday's Carrabbas feast!

 

Then it was time to kick it, Elvis style, and take care of business in the kitchen.

Not washing dishes... getting my cabinets outfitted with a spiffy new Elvis collection, ready to make sure I stayed on track!

Believe me, I have appointments with others already to post onto them!

Busy, vibrant, woman!

The first of those is the 3 PM "Anticipation Ceremony & Bowl Burning" over at Asbury Memorial.

This will be the 16th time for me, but at least the letter is already written.

That's right.

The yellow SASE I'm using will have the exact same letter I wrote in anticipation of this year, as I didn't accomplish a single thing I'd written back then.

As I told Cheri Hester, I didn't even recall writing any of those goals!

She thought that was funny!

So, since I wouldn't need two hours there, that gave me some much-needed time here at home.

Dawn gave me a new calendar, one I really like, with much larger spaces for each day.

More room for birthdays and anniversaries!

FB may remind me of birthdays, but it doesn't yet have the ability for the other.

Now, I just need to remember to look at the calendar on a regular basis!

While I was doing all these other things, I was also cooking my mustard greens for my New Year's Day dinner.

Didn't they turn out beautifully?

The hoppin' John used Rotel diced tomatoes, NSA, and the brown rice is a better fiber choice.

Those set off the contents of the cornbread from Food Lion, which was sweet enough to call dessert!

It all went quite well with "The Age Of Adaline", which I regard as a New Year's Day scifi romance.

This time, I found myself bawling at the end and missing Mama something fierce.

Once I was under control of tears, I drove over to Asbury to give my letter to Cheri.

I didn't stay long, though.

Greenwich Cemetery closes its gate at 5 PM, which means I had about 5 minutes to spend with Mama.

That was all I needed.

Two others drove in as I was leaving.

I guess they needed a touch and go, too.

After that, I had time to stop by home and pick up a gift card for supper with Carolyn.

We were to meet for a 6-ish PM movie at AMC, and I was going to surprise her with the meal.

And lookee there!

I had four 4's in the mileage on the odometer! 

Right place, right time!

Or not, as she never did show.

I'd waited an hour before calling to check on her arrival time.

Oops - she thought we were getting together tomorrow.

 

Back home I went, with visions of Positano leftovers in my head! 

Peacock had a delightful Pakistani movie, "Polite Society" from 2023, which had a girl who wanted to be a stunt woman.

Very nice!!! 

Right place, right time, after all!

four calling birds!

That was the line that Virginia and I and a silent singer had to sing and pantomime.

Fortunately, I'd seen the People's Youth Choir in action two years ago, so I could coach the others on what to do.

"We just place our hands to imitate a megaphone at our mouth!"

That worked out just fine all nine times that our part came up in "The Twelve Days Of Christmas"! 

The table beside us were tasked with "partridge in a pear tree".

What a cute act they choose for that line!

That was good, as they had to perform for all twelve stanzas.

However, the group that got the most crowd reaction was the table right in front of us.

Here they are, doing the squat of "six geese a-laying"!

It was such a hoot!!!

Bird pun intended! 

I'm so glad that Michelle Meece asked us to do that song for her!

It was a favorite in her family that her dad always led.

Here, she's performing "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas".

She truly has such a nice voice and a great stlye!

I think she looked like a cross between Cindy Lou Who and an elf for our Sisters In Faith Christmas luncheon party.

Very cute!

Yes, we were all gathered at Asbury Memorial, in Holliday Hall, and I'm sure Miss Virginia was there celebrating with us!

Linda Combs had called out the big guns for this event.

That's Huxsie Scott on that throne!!!

She's been a well-regarded songbird of Savannah for several decades.

She was there to sing "Because It's Christmas", a favorite song of Linda's, and one that I had never heard before.

What a treat!

Speaking of such, there was lots of good food!

There were several different kinds of tea sandwiches, reminding me of Aunt Linda's birthday celebration - good times!

I also enjoyed the sweets - so many different desserts, including that cake with coconut and pecans and dark chocolate chips!

 

I arrived late, due to the noon appointment with Dr. Urban at Savannah VA.

Noon was also the start time of this soiree!

Still, I'd been waiting six months for the eye check, so that had priority...

but I so wanted to go to the party...

and when he heard my dilemma, he let me go!

It helped that I'd not yet had the neurology meeting that he'd wanted me to have before this visit.

All told, I made it to the church while Dottie Klutz was telling a story from her youth in Germany.

Perfect!

I was able to grab a plate of food and the empty seat beside Robin Eifler with no one paying any mind to me!

Hallelujah!!!

Afterward, I helped put away the chairs and tables and decor, as I'd promised to do.

And I ended up with two goodie bags instead of one!

That's because Virginia's bag had a Christmas card in it that started out, incredibly, with "Dear Tina"... so she insisted that I take it and wouldn't take my bag in trade.

Whoever wrote the card didn't sign it, so I have no idea who to thank.

I'll be sure to enjoy the lavender hand soap, given by a secret Santa.

i thank You, God!

asbury christmas party for all!

Here we are, waiting our turn at Table 14, to be called to get in line for the annual Christmas feast!

I sat with Karen Townsend and her adopted son, B-man as he's called.

I also had Ruthie Deffley and Linda Socks, as well as a bunch of excited kids!

Ray Ellis is up there on stage with Rev. Billy, but he eventually sat with us, too.

Ray, that is, not Billy.

Billy led us in the blessing of the food, then Ray provided some comic relief in the form of jokes.

Yes, I said jokes!!!

"What does a Christmas tree do before it goes out?"

Spruce up!!!

"What did one Christmas tree say to the other?"

Lighten up!

"How do Christmas trees get their email?"

They log in!

"Where do elves go swimming?"

At the north pool!

Hahahaha! Hahaha!

We were the sixth table to have our number drawn - hooray!

I had no fewer than four types of meat!!!

There was fried chicken breast, marinated pork loin, baked ham, and smoked turkey.

The Grinch would certainly have been thrilled, I do believe!

I was also one of the few who made sure to grab a few desserts before returning to my seat there at the head of the table.

That Asbury cake, with the honey and pecans, was truly quite divine!

I made sure to take some of that home with me!!!

But the biggest treat for me wasn't the visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

No, the best part was the pineapple casserole that someone brought.

It had been surmised that it was squash, but it certainly was not.

I knew from the very first bite: that was a dish Mama used to make.

I've never known anyone but her to make it.

What a wonderful surprise!

Right place, right time.

Some of that went home with me, too.

i thank You, God.

so many choices... but i chose asbury

I wanted to try out a new venue for me...

Johnson High School, once attended by my niece Emily and nephew Jason...

as it had a 5:30 PM event that was holiday-themed and promised music...

billed as a "Winter Spectacular"!!!

There was also another new venue for me...

Hesse Elementary School, once attended by my nephew Damon...

as it had a 6 PM event which promised several stories in one show...

billed as "Folk Tales"!!!

Then the date for the annual meeting for the members of Asbury Memorial and Wesley Oak had been announced at the beginning of December.

No time had been announced, just the date.

That would again be on Tina Tuesday, a day I reserve for fun.

I hoped the meeting by ZOOM would either be early enough for one of the other events, or late enough to not interfere with either.

Instead, the time was set at 6:30 PM.

That meant both of the new events at the new venues were out.

As a member, my choice would have to be with the church. 

As it was, I was a little late to the ZOOM.

The link sent yesterday had not worked, so I had to check my email to see if a new one had been sent today; yes, of course, there was a late change.

Still, I was there, as can be seen here.

I'm in the top row, second from the left, right next to Rev. Billy.

I was right in time for the report on 'Property', that spoke of the deal the church got on the solar panels installed on the roof.

It also mentioned the need for work on the windows that face Henry Street.

No one mentioned the elevator that had been on last year's agenda.

As the meeting was drawing to a close, I brought up the topic; that led to a lively discussion with Roy Hill of the Finances committee and Tim Steinhauser, with the upshot being that the reason driving its need had been - movement of theatrical props and set pieces from the second floor - had been resolved.

That was because the cost had doubled for the elevator to be retro-fitted to this historic old building.

Good to know!

I also found out the church finances have been bolstered, both by Miss Virginia Holliday's gift ($190 K) and judicious investing of $500 K with Charles Schwab.

Good to know that, too!

All the staff received nice raises and we have a new assistant minister position which is costing about $50,000. 

In fact, the majority of the church's expenses seem to be payroll.

I had not realized that before.

Apparently, it was good that I was there, along with 57 others.

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.  

luncheon with sisters

"You don't have any sisters. You only have brothers."

I have Sisters In Faith! Today, we had our monthly luncheon at Asbury Memorial and there were 71 of us attending!

"Wow. That's twice as many as last month, isn't it?"

I think there might have been over 40 at that one.

"Such a pretty place setting!"

Linda Combs had a program at each of the six tables. Ceecee made the pretty little bracelets for each of us!

"Very nice! And who was the guest speaker this time?"

It was Dawn Rodriguez of The Living Vine. That's a home for up to 6 teen mothers and their babies, to teach them how to live on their own.

"Oh, that's the place that's associated with Blessingdale's Thrift Store, tight? And the home is located where the old Florence Crittenton's house for pregnant girls was?"

Good memory, though it hasn't been called that for many years. As for the thrift shop, they had comedy going on, pre-pandemic. I was glad to hear it was still active. Now that Home Again has closed, I should take the stuff I'd culled to go there over to Blessingdale's so someone can get use from it. You know - it would be good for my excess to go home again with a new owner.

"Very punny, dear! And what have you there?" 

Two last bites. I wasn't sure which food I wanted as the final taste in my mouth. The pecan pie or the mac-n-cheese, which would win out?

"The battle of the sweet versus the savory! Such a decision to make! So, which bite won?"

I chose the savory as the final, though I certainly made sure to savor the sweet beforehand. Such difficult choices! (smile!)

why 2005?

Oh, what a beautiful day!

 

I might have thought I was

in Oklahoma 

had I not known better.

 

(That's an inside joke for those 

who know musicals!)

After letting all that lovely warmth into the house, out I went to get the third movie for this week: the remake of "The Running Man". 

 

I must say, Glen Powell is certainly a handsome 37-year-old man, with all the right bits in all the right places, to paraphrase Meghan Trainor.

However, he's already done that shtick in his movies.

The man best be careful lest he be typecast as eye candy and not a person of substance.

Without Edgar Wright at the helm of this latest version of the story, Powell's antics might well have derailed the scifi movie into comedy.

In fact, none of this week's A*List dances have been quite in step.

"Die My Love", though well-acted, was a bit jumpy in its presentation, which could have been a cheap shot at reinforcing Grace's post-partum descent into madness.

"Now You See Me: Now You Don't"  was certainly full of the magic I love, but it seemed a bit rushed, like they were determined to cram too much movie into too short a running time.

One thing all three movies shared: a fabulous supporting cast, even though many of those actors with street cred - Nick Nolte, Morgan Freeman, and William H. Macy, in these three films - had hardly any screen time.

Enough already!!!

Time for Thanksgiving this evening!

Yes, this was the last Wednesday Night Supper of the fall and that meant: turkey!!!

Plus there were mashed potatoes, green beans, an cranberry sauce!!!

Several folks at Asbury Memorial supplied the desserts, like Danny Lewis and his pumpkin pound cake - so good!

I sat with Pam and Walt again, as well as Lynn Hoerlin and her son and granddaughter, both visiting from Ohio.

I really enjoyed talking about Las Vegas with Meko - she was a delight!

I sure am going to miss these meals with other Asburians!

 

And when I checked the time, 

I found out I could still 

do laundry after all.

 

The last wash at Suds Laundry 

has to be started by 7 PM, 

and it was 6:47 

when I pushed the button.

How very fortunate I was! 

 

This has been a very messy two weeks for me, so messy that my long pants and my fuchsia sweater were both rendered unwearable.

 

As good fortune would have it, the weather has been in the upper 70's, allowing me to wear shorts today.

 

All the more reason to do an emergency wash - 

and go ahead and do the bed linens, too.

 

As I was waiting for the flannel sheets to come out of the dryer, I spotted a penny on the table by my basket.

 

It was not there while I'd been folding clothes.

 

Right place, right time.

 

i thank You, God.

 

Now, time to watch "Wicked" on ABC!

concert w longhorn

Hallelujah!

I didn't feel up to going to church this morning, but I did watch from fb.

I also told Carolyn about the Fall Concert by SING! scheduled for 3 PM.

I also let her know it was free... yeah, that worked for both of us!

I was glad Asbury Memorial was quite full for the three choirs' performance.

I just loved "On Top Of Spaghetti" - the take-off of "On Top Of Old Smoky" - and it was clear the K-2 singers loved it, too!

Not to be outdone for humor, the 3-5 grade singers were sure to ham it up for "Trolls" - rawrrr!!!

Then the Illuminate Choir, made up of middle and high school students, sang and performed two dance numbers!!!

Yes, very much a welcome event at the church!

After, she and I went off to Longhorn Steakhouse for a nosh.

That was her suggestion, as there was a strawberry Greek salad she liked.

I paired the Spicy Chicken Bites appetizer with the House chopped salad and made the absolute perfect meal for me!

She got a kick out my using slices of the House Bread to make little sandwiches - yum!

We spent two hours there, indulging in each other's company and good food.

Hallelujah! 

turning japanese at asbury memorial

"Girlfriend! No you didn't!!! At the church???"

Don't get your panties in a twist. I just wanted to reference the song by The Vapors that I so enjoy! But of course I didn't masturbate there during Wednesday Night Supper. Hold up, I can see you getting in a tizzy! Just calm down. If there has ever been any of that going on there, it certainly hasn't been by me. Better?

"Yes, better. It's just too weird to hear the words "masturbate" and "church" juxtaposed so. I'm not understanding the song choice at all."

Well, it all started with the movie this afternoon. To finish up my AMC A*list, I chose "Little Amelie or The Character Of Rain". All I knew of it was that it was French anime, so I made sure to select the screening with the spoken French. To my surprise, I also was treated to spoken Japanese, as the Belgian family in the story had a stint in Japan. How wonderful!!!

"That does sound very nice."

It was! Amelie is the baby, who believes herself to be a god, since everyone spends their time attending to her needs. When she is two years old, she is further convinced that she is a god, since she can make flowers bloom and rain fall. Hahahaha! I've been saying for decades that every child thinks they are the center of the universe! This delightful movie depicts that so well!

"Hahahaha!"

Even her older siblings, a brother and a sister, kowtow to her needs! Well, until she turns two, then her brother starts teasing her. But its her Grandma that the baby adores. Grandma introduced her to the joy of chocolate!!! Like I said, it truly is a delightful story. But what I liked best was the relationship the child had with the Japanese nanny, Nishio. That's when I recognized that the child's name, Amelie, had something in common with a film festival I attended a decade ago. That had been called "Ame No Hi" -  "A Rainy Day".

"I remember that! A SCAD student had organized it as her departing gift to Savannah! As I recall, it just happened to fall on a very rainy day indeed."

You recall correctly! That had been so much fun! I even learned the Japanese symbol for "Ame" - "rain" - is a window with four diagonal raindrops, one in each pane. Very cool! And the nanny taught the baby how to write her name in Japanese.

"Nice! So, you went out for  French film, but got a Japanese anime along with it. What a great bonus for you!"

Hey, right place, right time, truly. You see, I knew the WNS dinner tonight at Asbury Memorial was to be Beef and Broccoli Teriyaki, a Japanese dish. How splendid to have started my afternoon with that language in my ears!

"Awesome, my girl! And whose company did you share this evening?"

I sat with Pam and Walt again! There was also a couple I didn't know, named Bob and Carol. Naturally I brought up the 1960's movie, "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" - which they knew of but didn't think they'd ever seen. Of course, I have to wonder if that was an inside joke on Bob's part, as he is blind. (smile!) All I can say about the movie is that it had Elliott Gould.

"Wasn't that about swinging couples? That's an odd one to bring up at church."

Hey, train of thought. The two couples at the table with me are both older than I am, and I doubt they have led sheltered lives. No one took umbrage, so no harm. It was, as I said, just part of a train of thought.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time with them tonight and met some new folks."

Me, too! It's so nice to sit with people I know, but part of the reason I go these suppers is to meet new people, too. Hey, let me wrap this up! Rob Lowe's show, "The Floor", is about to come on and I want to see what topics come up this time. Such a lively show! 

h2o meter and WNS

This past bill from the City of Savannah for water, sewer, and trash was the exact same amount as the bill for the previous two-month period.

The note on this bill claimed the reader was "unable to reach the meter".

Okay.

Well, they won't be able to claim that again!

Today, the long-awaited digital reader for the meter was installed.

Looking carefully, the fellow in the neon-yellow vest crouched over the yard is putting it in place!

This morning, he was across the street, doing their meters.

He made it to mine right after his lunch.

He warned me that the water would be off for about fifteen minutes, so I made sure to not take a shower right then.

(smile!)

I look forward to the next bill being more accurate than the past one.

I also looked forward to the Wednesday Night Supper, as I knew it would be Beef Stroganoff - that isn't something I get to eat anywhere else!

 

It was every bit as good as I recalled it being in the spring - yum!

I fixed myself a nice side salad, grabbed a couple of spice cookies for dessert, and sat down with tennis-playing Linda of the choir!

She was all alone, but soon we had others. 

Reverend Billy himself sat right between us and kept up a lively conversation about tennis and pickleball! 

Linda asked if I had seen any good movies, so I told her about "Good Fortune", telling her I kept wanting to call it "Good Karma".

That got us talking about he PBS show, "Good Karma Hospital", as well as the various mystery shows I watch with Madame Blanc and Miss Fisher and the "Marlow Murder Club" trio of women. She likes that last one, too.

Carmen and her hubby, Bill, as well as their 4-year-old grandson all sat with us, too.

Then, at the next table, was Sherry Giddens and her hubby, Lowell!

So good to see her again!

She always spreads plenty of good cheer!

(smile!) 

back to back meals with asburians

Last night, the first Wednesday Night Supper was held!

The meal was Chicken Tetrazzini, made with penne instead of linguini.

Pasta is pasta, right?

Still tasted just fine, with or without opera singers in attendance!

I sat with four members of the choir, though, so music was in the air.

(smile!) 

I got to visit with Ray Ellis and his mom, Deloris, as well as Beth Balance.

Then, when they went to choir practice, I had time with Pam and Walt!

Somehow, talk went to her daughter's death, so I made sure she knew that I had known Nichola and Dan.

I think it eased Pam's heart to know someone still remembered her.

I'd hoped to make it downtown for the tenth anniversary of Cafe M, but I did not.

I would have enjoyed having some of that French pastry!

 

Then I was back at Asbury Memorial for a luncheon today!

Sisters In Faith were together again and it took six tables to hold all!

I'm glad Linda Combs made sure to pass out reminders on Sunday.

Today was all about soups and sandwiches - perfect for this cooler weather.

That's Taco Soup, hummus sandwiches, and pumpkin cake!

Plus, a pretty little bag of Halloween candy to take home with me -

many thanks, Linda!

I sat with Michelle Meece - we keep running into each other in the halls! - and she mentioned that she wanted to work with Jayme Tinti.

I'll have to pass that along to the SavStageCo founding member!

And who was the guest speaker for our women's luncheon?

Chris Kinkade, the man who keeps the youth group running on all eight cylinders, that's who!

The topic was providing a safe space for children, whether they have parents at Asbury or not, whether they are straight or LGBT - the important factor was making them feel safe.

Safe spaces.

Afterward, I talked with Chris about my office being an official Safe Space at Armstrong State University while I was there.

My students knew they could speak to me about anything, always.

I had needed a safe space after my divorce and the monthly lesbian potlucks provided that for me, as all there knew I was "strictly dickly". 

I was talking with Chris also about the trans man I had known through his transition from Daphne to Phoenix to Dustin.

He knows him, though by the name he finally settled upon: James.

I think of Dustin often, as he is the one who painted my living room and my bedroom, transitioning them from "mine and his" to "mine".

The living room always welcomes me home with its Maize Gold walls, Lifevest Orange accent wall, and Surfboard Yellow trim. 

Safe spaces.