Michigan's "voice of summer" silenced

Famous recognizable voices can bring to mind certain movie characters, historical news moments, or specific memories from the past. Each spring from 1960 to 2002 Michiganders thrilled to hear the "voice of summer" - the voice of Detroit Tiger baseball, Ernie Harwell. Ernie called the action of Tiger games for 42 years, creating one of my favorite childhood memories. More recently that voice informed us how to prepare for the transition to digital TV and spoke out for fitness and healthy living.

Last year Ernie was diagnosed with incurable cancer and died yesterday at age 92. Ernie was set to receive the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting in New York - today. Al Kaline will receive the award on Ernie's behalf - which is poignant for me because Kaline was "my" Tiger, playing his entire major league career with Detroit.

It is not unusual for radio personalities to begin to feel like part of the family; that was probably never more true in my family than with the beloved Ernie Harwell. I hope my dad has had a chance to welcome him to heaven.

On this early day in May, I join the crowd saying good-bye to Ernie. Thank you, Ernie, for all of those wonderful days of summer.

Happy Star Wars Day!

May the 4th be with you.

Celebrate life!!!

On Easter week-end I declared that I was going to observe a "celebration of life" ritual. Instead of giving something up as some do during Lent I was going to add something each day to celebrate life. I got the idea from a friend but wasn't sure I would have the creativity or consistency to follow through. I had fun brainstorming a list of ideas and tried out a couple of them, but then I got "too busy" and dropped the ball for a few days. Ironic, huh? how life got in the way of celebrating life?

I watched my friend play out his Lazarus Experiment, asking what Lazarus might do after being given a second chance at life. He came up with some really cool stuff and documented them each day on Facebook. His list began to look much more spiritual than mine. He looked for opportunities to serve while I had been thinking more in terms of what I would selfishly enjoy.

I could be tempted to be sad - either that my experiment didn't become a grand thing or that my ideas weren't as meaningful as his. But then that would be just silly to be sad about that. I suppose that my old self might have seen this as some kind of failure or cause for discouragement. But no, I choose to celebrate.

I celebrate life.
I celebrate creativity.
I celebrate joy.
I celebrate fun.
I celebrate health.

I celebrate the fact that I have slowed down to smell the roses. AND to smell my favorite perfume. Yep, during & after chemotherapy, I abandoned perfume because of the constant low-grade nausea. So now, to celebrate life and health, I wear it again & let every whiff remind me how good it feels to feel good again. That's celebration.

Thanks to an early spring, my shoulders are already a bit tanned - and it's barely May! I have watched for chances to catch some rays - again because I CAN - something I was unable to do during chemo & radiation. Not only CAN I sit in the sun, but I'm SUPPOSED to - getting my daily dose of vitamin D to combat the toll that cancer drugs have taken on my bones. So, yay for sitting in the sun. I celebrate sunshine.

I've done only a few ideas on my list, but they have been joyful.

I spent a whole week-end with my daughters and celebrated those amazing women!

I've gone an extra mile on my morning walk - just because I can - and rejoiced that I am able to do it.

I have made some decisions that were healthy and fun for me, and I've made some sacrifices to serve other people.

I have eaten some of my favorite foods and look forward to many more. Yes, I'm going to try a peanut butter and banana sandwich!

I celebrate being alive and healthy.

I celebrate who I am - that I am willing to try new things and establish new rituals.

Most of all I celebrate that I live by grace now instead of by a list of rules.

Let the celebration continue!!!

Leadership, flow charts, & relationship

John Ortberg articulates well something that I have often thought.

"...when it comes to getting leadership right, 98 percent of the ballgame is relationship. I believe where there is a relationship of joy and commitment and mutual submission and trust and authentic love — then the division of labor issues can flow freely and effectively. But where the relationship is broken, all the org charts in the world can't save it."

Thanks, John. Now I don't have to figure out how to say it.

(The above lines are from the article - “How do we hire?” – LeadershipJournal.net, posted 3-29-10)

A better idea

In my last post, I mentioned friends who had given up things for Lent. This morning I heard from a friend who has decided to add something every day from Easter to Ascension Day - May 13 - to celebrate life. He calls it an "anti-Lent" ritual, but some people don't appreciate that.

Now this is something I could get excited about. Think I might jump on that idea. Will I be able to think of 40 different things? It sure will be fun to try! Maybe I'll start my list of ideas today...