TWO FAVORS

Written by

HEATHER KING

in

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One: Is someone out there conversant with Adobe InDesign who would be willing to change the date on two flyers? I am balking at paying up to 100 bucks–though maybe I’m just being cheap. Or maybe I’m just asking in the hopes I will receive!

Two: A reminder about my newest book: HARROWED: Life Lessons from the Garden.

This is my usual sunny, carefree romp through the byways of life.

An excerpt:

April 16, 2018

Last night I was overcome with a sense of sorrow so acute it was all I could do not to cry out. For at least four years I’ve been contemplating making a will, figuring out whether I want to be buried or cremated, buying a cemetery plot.

Last night I suddenly realized the reason I have been dragging my feet on “getting my affairs in order” is that I haven’t been able to bear the fact that I will die alone, do not have even one person I feel I can ask to be my executor, must arrange for and pay for my own funeral, burial and headstone.

I am a grain of wheat that is dying.

Up till now, I simply have not had the strength yet to “die” alone.

May 5, 2018

I cannot believe how gorgeous the garden looks. It has surpassed my wildest expectations, especially in light of the fact that I’d never before gardened and had no fancy equipment nor tools.

The fremontodendron, after my practically daily prayers over the past year and a half, has produced one glorious deep yellow-orange-gold flower, cup-shaped with a scalloped edge.

The silver bush lupine that I planted last fall October is already beautifully filled out and is flowering, pale purple.

Likewise the showy penstemon, hummingbird sage, and two kinds of sticky monkeyflower. The toyon is taking off, the redbud is sporting small shiny leaves  and clusters of dark pink-purple buds, and one of the three coral bells has sent up a stalk with tiny round salmon-pink buds.

All, all, all glory to God. I did nothing. “I am the vine, you are the branches.”

Well, there’s one kind-a favor I’ll ask of you
Well, there’s one kind-a favor I’ll ask of you
There’s just one kind favor I’ll ask of you
You can see that my grave is kept clean…

Comments

9 responses to “TWO FAVORS”

  1. Laura K Avatar
    Laura K

    Greeting Heather- sorry I’m not able to be of assistance in your “first favor”. I’m not your gal for anything too “computery”. However- I have read and finished your latest book HARROWED and enjoyed it immensely. (Living in Minnesota we have much different plant life than California to say the least)…your musing on life and gardening were a wonderful gift each evening as I readied for bed. Blessings to you always.
    Laura

    Reply
    1. HEATHER KING Avatar
      HEATHER KING

      Yay for Laura K from Minnesota! I come from NH, as you may know, which is prob somewhat akin to MN re gardening (though I never had a garden there…). Anyway, I’m so glad that HARROWED has kept you company as you ready for bed–also my FAVORITE time to read. Blessings to you and thank you for supporting my work–

      Reply
  2. Tom Duffy Avatar
    Tom Duffy

    heather, i might be able to help with the flyer/photoshop amend… and I AM LOVING HARROWED… i’ve been telling michael that i want to go sit aside your prickly pear.

    Reply
    1. HEATHER KING Avatar
      HEATHER KING

      Tom Duffy! Omg, how are you?! You can come over anytime and set up camp beside the prickly pear…a dear friend with graphic designer skills has volunteered to make the changes, thank you, so you’re off the hook there. Of course I am sprucing up that damn workshop flyer–hey, it’s worked thus far! Let’s hope things are back to normalish sometime soon and we can all see each other once again. Thank you for buying HARROWED. Lisa Marr is working up some kind of little video as part of one of her trillions of projects: this one on OLD PEOPLE and the wonder that they are still able to get out of bed and pull a weed or two. Sending love to you and Michael–hearing from you has made my day. As the World Turns…

      Reply
  3. Eileen Oconnor Avatar
    Eileen Oconnor

    Heather, so good to read your blog – I only recently became aware of your work and have already read and enjoyed and learned from the St. Therese book and look forward to reading more. We have a lot in common – age wise, background wise, and other ways. I might though seem to be opposite in that I have 4 grown children (arguable) and 11 grandchildren but being alone and lonely has very much been my lot in life. In the past 5 years, I have had two cancers that have left me glad-to-be-alive and living already beyond my expiration date. Not sure why God still has me here – but it must be for some purpose. I can not tell you the many mornings that I awake early (part time insomniac) and have that existential loneliness and fear. Part of my cancer issue relates to my lungs (a strange lung cancer) and I have difficulties breathing which can put me into a panic attack which makes it harder to breath. There may be some folks at my funeral (but with the family disputes right now, I am not even sure of that), but that does not take away the loneliness and isolation that I think we all share as humans. It is my morning bible reading, my attempt at daily mass (for the past 10 years), and my putting one foot in front of the other, that gets me past the gloom of my essential alone-ness. So, I would like to ask you to keep going. Reading your work helps me through the day. The Good Lord is connecting us in many ways – we are part of the Mystical Body of Christ, as I was taught wayyyyy back. I have to remember that when I feel that loneliness, isolation, and fear. Lets all remember to keep each other in prayer, especially at times when we feel alone and frightened (I can get into panic attacks). You have helped me much already – and we are bonded together through Jesus, we are all part of His Mystical Body. I will be thinking about you when I am alone and lonely. Eileen

    Reply
    1. HEATHER KING Avatar
      HEATHER KING

      Thanks for this beautiful comment, Eileen…so glad you’ve come across my work and that you took the time to let me know…Existential loneliness is the sea in which every human being swims, so the times I feel it most acutely only put me more deeply in solidarity with the rest of mankind. I often think of people in prison, esp. solitary confinement, often for years at a time…what I feel is possibly more of a sense of exile (again, universal) than loneliness. Because too much human contact and I feel overwhelmed and invaded…”Poor in spirit” now that I think of it is perhaps the best phrase. And at the same time, I know I am living: alive, curious, alert…Everything is grace, as the dying priest says in the last line of the Bernanos novel…

      Reply
  4. glenda Avatar
    glenda

    ‘evening dear heather…..and ellen! on lonliness/being alone even in the darkest of times, the bestest book, sarah young’s “jesus calling”, cheap on ebay, brilliant! magnificent! daily prayers….exquisite unforgettable “convincing” daily useable “lessons” on how we are not alone’ ever, for He always! has hold of our right hand, teaches you how to look for Him! it ain’t catholic but purposeful reading for every human being!

    blessings of kindness to you both!

    glenda

    Reply
    1. HEATHER KING Avatar
      HEATHER KING

      Thank you so much, Glenda! Blessings back to ya!

      Reply
  5. glenda Avatar
    glenda

    oopsy, i meant eileen

    Reply

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