Diary of a Chapter Leader

Winter starting to turn to Spring

I know it's been a month. Sorry. We have been busy trying to get everything done before school started. Dentist, doctor and orthodontist appointments intertwined with dance and martial arts classes while trying to run a business. So many times I wanted to call Greg and tell him to make some deliveries or pick up the kids. Somehow we have finally made it. School started last Wednesday. I am taking a gym class at the community college, but will have to take work around taking both kids to school an hour apart. My teacher loves me, so it won't be a big deal.
Today we finally finished the kids rooms. My friend came over and helped clear our Leia's room. Then we had both rooms painted and carpeted. It has take a week, but we finally finished this afternoon. After going to dinner with my mother, we started putting their rooms back together. We took Leia's bookcase out of the bathroom and her desk out of the hall. Her room is light purple with dark purple trim and a couple of orange and white stripes. It might sound bright and loud, but somehow we picked colors that don't glow. It is actually very pleasant. She still has half the hall filled with stuff, but it's much better.
Kaela cleared her room about 2 years ago. Her room is pink and blue with yellow trim. That also sounds loud, but it's not that bad and she loves it. A few years ago we put our old stereo components in the attic (we didn't use the stereo any more). Kaela wanted that stereo in her room so we took it down tonight and I hooked it up. A CD player and two big floor speakers. The both of them sat in Kaela's room listening to CD's for over an hour - singing at the top of their lungs and laughing. Kaela wanted to plug her ipod into the stereo. I remembered talking to someone about that years ago and knew that we needed this Y-cable. I kept telling her we would have to get one tomorrow. She kept bugging me so I looked in the "Electronics Drawer" and found this really nice Y-cable that worked. I have no idea where that cable came from, but then I don't know where most of the stuff in that drawer came from. But that's why we decided to have an "Electronics Drawer" - a place to put all the cables, cords and plugs.

Now that school has started and summer vacation is over, I need to get back to Buddhism. I have wandered away for a month or so. We have a discussion meeting tomorrow. I invited our WD region leader and the next morning I got an email that another WD leader is coming, too. I need the support. Our district needs the support. This area is spiraling down. The lack if unity is overpowering. I listened to the Vice-WD leader argue with the MD leader about the language that should be used when showing PI's video. It was dismaying that she would argue so vehemently in front of the chapter leaders. I don't mind an argument. In fact we tend to start them, but this one exposed the very problem here. Is it an American organization or a Japanese organization. These women have been in the US for 40 years or more and still barely speak English. How can that be? I always thought Greg and I would be the ones to clean this up and unify the area. Boy was I wrong.
So, winter is beginning to turn to spring. I notice more laughter and we include Greg in things we do.We spend more time with my brother and sister-in-law and with Greg's brother's family. I always wanted to spend time with family, but just didn't. Now I call my brother and brother-in-law weekly and make time to spend with them.
Last Saturday we went to the SF zoo with Greg's family for his mother's birthday. On the way, we remembered that we didn't buy a card. We stopped at a bookstore to get a card. We looked at several and Kaela said this is the one. It had some ballerinas on it and said something about aging gracefully. Fine - get it. Then we thought we should get a book for her so we went to the bargain bin - 75% off. We laughed so hard we cried. We finally bought everyone a book. For Greg's mom - 2007 Personal Horoscope that Kaela took a marker to and made the 7's into 8's. For Chris - How To Swear in Yiddish. For Chris's wife - Stop Dressing Your 6 Year Old Like a Skank. For Greg's dad - a book about Indian battles (he actually might read this one) and for my 2 year old niece..."Are Men Really Necessary?" After leaving the book store, I took a good look at the card. The ballerinas were drag queens. Again, I was in tears. Greg was with us the whole time.
I'm doing better so I'll write and comment more.