Saturday night in Tujunga.

I went to a memorial service for a friend this morning. While I knew Michelle from our work on the Board of McGroarty Arts Center, it seems there was so much I did not know about her. I did not know, for instance, that she had a son who did not live, She touched so many lives in her therapy practice and her other community work. The room was packed. My take-away was something someone said.. I have forgotten the exact words but it was something to the effect of "That stuff doesn't matter. Go and live your life" Ok. I will try to do that. There are things I have been fighting to change, but realized that I have to let go and let the Universe, of God do whatever it is supposed to be. Everything in its' time.

Living up here in the Foothills is a mix of peaceful and crazy. I swear "Tujunga " is the Tongvan word for "bad driver" Driving down Foothill, sometimes you take your life in your hands. People either tailgate you or swerve around you, even if you are going above the speed limit. There are so many accidents,one of the local papers has a "Wreck of the week" column. This is the same paper who prints local recipes and I kid you not, once had a recipe for Squirrel stew. I believe it was NOT a satirical piece.

This week, for personal reasons, I resigned from all volunteer duties at my beloved McGroarty Arts Center. I had dedicated close to twelve years of working to keep the Center healthy. Now it's time to step away and focus on me. Selfish of me, but I need more time to focus on what my goals are. I wish the Center well. It is an important place in our Community, the goal I strove for was "affordable arts education for all" I hope this will remain the purpose, as so many people in this community do not have access to art classes. Creativity is so important to healthy people. We focus so much on Math and Science, we forget that art give balance to a scientific mind. We devalue artists as being a drain on society, when we need beauty around us. Good art, of any sort, whether painting or drawing or theater or poetry, heals the soul and opens the mind. We pay sports figures an astronomical amount to "entertain" us with their feats, but someone who paints is just "dabbling" and the cost of a painting is unrealistic. When you buy a piece of art, you are buying someone's hard work as well ( except for Jackson Pollock, that looks like a drop cloth to me- ah well to each his own)

I'm going to try to bake this weekend. So much has been happening, I am not sure I want to have Christmas at all. I will try to get into the spirit by baking and listening to Nat King Cole. It's not Christmas till he sings.