EMMYLOU

CRAZY BRAVE

EAST

East is the direction of beginnings. It is sunrise. When beloved Sun rises, it is an entrance, a door to fresh knowledge. Breathe the light in. Call upon the assistance you need for the day. Give thanks. East is how the plants, animals and other beings orient themselves for beginnings, to open and blossom. The spirit of the day emerges from the sunrise point. East is also the direction of Oklahoma, where I was born, the direction of the Creek Nation. 

NORTH

North is the direction where the difficult teachers live. This is the direction of cold winds. The color is white, sharp and bare. It is the direction marked by the full moon showing the way through the snow. It is prophecy.

WEST

West is the direction of endings. It is the doorway to the ancestors, the direction of tests. It represents leaving and being left and learning to find the road in the darkness. 

SOUTH

South is the direction of release. Birds migrate south for winter. It is flowers and food growing. It is fire and creativity. It is the tails of two snakes making a spiral looping over and over, an eternal transformation. 

- Joy Harjo

SHE IS FIVE AND SHE IS FIERCE

Since I am a Libra I will look at this accomplishment with the scales in mind. FIVE YEARS. I'm pretty sure I went from dirty Golden Light Dancing Feet and not being able to keep a cactus alive to being the mom of one pretty amazing FIVE year old.

The good:

I.N.D.P.E.N.D.E.N.T.

Bright, man is she bright.

Kind. Sweet. Loving.

Beautiful. Although, I stare into those piercing blue Calvert eyes 24/7 and see nothing but Calvert (hard to do if you know what I mean. Wink. Wink.) She is beautiful on the inside. She is beautiful like all of the Calverts I know.

Hi-larious. Funny beyond my comprehension (another dad trait). I don't really have a great sense of humor. She does. She laughs at herself most importantly.

A leader.

Strong.

Willful.

Compassionate.

The bad:

I.N.D.E.P.E.N.D.E.N.T.

Sassy, man is she SASSSSSSSSSSSSY.

Hard headed. This is another way of saying all of the above but Betty Calvert will argue with a fence post or the sacker at Lowes about paper or plastic.  Not sure where she gets this from. We are working on it or not.

The ugly:

A smidge boy crazy. Too early for this RIGHT? YES IT IS. But she is and it terrifies me. She has been talking about one of Cody Mac's groomsmen since the wedding and I want to cry.

All girl. All pink. All nails and tutus and glitter and hair and ALL FRAKIN' GIRL. I know nothing of this.

Advanced. She's just old beyond her years and that also terrifies me. She is 5 going on 20 which is what my mother (and other people) have always said about me. We have a tough road ahead....blessed and TOUGH.

All in all, man oh man, what a gift I have been given. This list is truly ALL good except for the boy crazy part and I thank God every other second for her.

She is me.....only better....

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY TO THE MOST AMAZING FUTURE PRESIDENT AND SMALL TOWN LOVELY LADY!

After I tucked my sweet girl in I decided to sit outside and soak in the almost full moon (tomorrow).  And in all of my deep thought I came up with this:

Marry who you want to marry. Eat what you want to eat. Do I think God loves gay people and chicken? Absolutely.

Michael Phelps is not paying the taxes on all of those medals.

July is my least favorite month.

You should never have to chase want you want.

Use the gifts God gave you. So you can't paint or sing or play the piano? Write a kind thank you note.

I change my mind 1,000 times a day. I have changed my plan once. God changed the rest.

Living in a wet county CHANGES your life.

Home grown, hormone free steaks make your heart happy. Create meals that make you proud to serve.

You will never love anything as much as your mother loves you unless you are a mother.

Speedos are fantastic on divers versus Greek men at the beach.

Michael Phelps is still smoking pot. 

My sister is the best best best best best best friend a girl could ever ask for.

Don't spank Betty. Take bedtime books away.

Have faith in the impossible. Have faith always.

LL.

POPPY+BETTY=LOVE

As I crept onto this scene I could hear my mom whistling like a cardinal which she does often. She is Red Bird afterall.

The evening before this picture we sat on her front porch and chatted while Betty Beatrice rolled around in the freshly mowed grass. My mom asked me what I remembered most about Betty Jean as my grandmother and comforting things automatically came to mind....pies, aprons, washing dishes, kind words and open arms. My mom remembered her Granny Bea as clean sheets and church hymns. Poppy said she wants Betty to always think of her comfort and softness but to feel the fun hip side of her.

Rarely a day goes by without Betty seeing Poppy and I am so incredibly greatful for that. She teaches Betty bird calls and flower names. She shows her how to bake bread and the importance of bees and their hives. She makes her sprinkle holy water and hug the dying trees at 822. Poppy is not only earthy, she is soulful. Betty spends afternoons in her chapel reading about saints, learning hymns or Bible verses or lighting prayer candles. They sing together, they laugh together and most importantly they love together. If Poppy has taught Betty one lesson, it is to LOVE ALL THINGS. Love yourself. Love your God. Love your mother. Love your father. Love nature. LOVE.

I don't think a mother could ask for a better Poppy. When I lack patience or feel overwhelmed she is always there to step in with an abundance of imagination and love. I always think of relationships as a well. In friendship, spirituality, love, motherhood, you cannot let your well run dry. It has to be replenished and restored so that you can let your well flow into other's lives. As a mother, it can be so hard to keep your well from running dry. I think that is why God made grandmothers. Her well is always overflowing and ready to make her relationship with Betty better than it was the day before.

Betty is so fortunate to receive the very best of my mother (and by that I mean all the good stuff without the discipline). She is touched by her comfort, her worldliness and her spirituality. She is Red Bird afterall.

To become a grandparent is to enjoy one of the few pleasures in life for which the consequences have already been paid.  ~Robert Brault

BETTY FOR PRESIDENT

Not too long ago Betty and I were on our usual evening walk home from dinner at Poppy and B's. We passed a couple I did not recognize on a walk with their baby and Betty gave them a wave and a huge smile. They returned with HEY BETTY! HOW ARE YOU? I meekly waved still having no clue who they were. I thought my child knows more people in this town than I do.

This week I took her for an afternoon snow cone. I sent her up to the stand with a couple of bucks and she marched right back, snow cone and couple of bucks in hand. I didn't recognize the car but knew it must have been someone WE know to be so sweet. The following afternoon we went again and I decided to pay closer attention this time. The high school girl, who I have never seen in my life, opened the window and she talked to Betty as if she'd known her for years. I could see her lips moving and her head bobbling...Oh hi Betty. How are you? You look so cute today. Betty just smiled and ordered her snow cone, tried to pay and marched back to the car money in hand. I had to chuckle. Once again someone quite smitten by her who knows me as Betty's mom.

She knows not a stranger. It's a bit of a scary thing. I feel as if I have to have an extra watchful eye in some situations but in Spearman it is easy to let her be free. She rolls down the window and yells HELLLOOOOOO to people walking down the street. She runs outside to tell Dr. and Mrs. Latta she likes their outfits and do they have any daugthers. She talks to EVERY.SINGLE.PERSON. at the grocery store. She tells Verna Lee she loves her nail polish. She stands on top of her playhouse and yells over the fence. HEY LADD AND KATHY, WHEN'S YOUR POOL GONNA BE READY? She just has a way with people.

I've always said she is an old soul and has this special light about her but as she gets older it has begun to bubble over. She is spirited and capable of really connecting on some plane especially for a four year old. As my friend Elaine says, "Shakin' hands and kissin' babies."

I told my mom last night I think Betty for President 2050 t-shirts are totally in order....

CHEERS TO THE CLASS OF 2024

She told me the night before her graduation she was nervous about singing songs in front of everyone but sang she did and LOUDLY too. Her little hands were nervous as she marched out but she relaxed and sang her little heart out. Sigh. Such a precious little soul. I try not to brag too much on this magnificent little individual but let me tell you what. She does have the sweetest personality and the kindest heart. She is loving and warm and caring. She is tender and polite and thinks of others. She is a million things but kindess is certainly in the Top 5. I adore her and could not possibly be more proud. She is good. She is kind. We are blessed beyond our wildest dreams.