Sunday, August 12, 2007

In the beginning.....

She was just a shed. 48 hours later she takes slow learning-how-to-breaths. Her old skin, the one riddled with hooks and nails and plywood shelves has been peeled away, tossed in a giant heatwave to the side

An army came. The tiniest little feel-good soldier 4 years old, digging, painting, sweating. The oldest, 73, hauling, carrying, digging in the dirt and digging in his pockets. We had hippies and hippies, redneck loves, 3 piece suits in blue jeans, a nursing Mom, three generations of Chey's family. We had wayward sons, daughters home from college, neighbors, and friends from the bar. And they never stopped.

I watched for a moment, an orchestra in the Saturday heat:
One on a ladder pulling wires, hanging boxes...
two toting drywall again and again, another piece, appearing from nowhere,
One pouring concrete,
One hanging a door,
Three digging ditches,
Two cutting out new doorways and window spaces,
One right behind them framing.
Two on the barbeque grill.....jerk chicken juice mixing with sawdust in the wind....


Night came hard and fast. Just like the beer. At dusk we partied and told stories and the sweat turned to sweet dust, powdering our skin. We wrote in the concrete. Because we could. The children colored there. Because we let them.

And we all watched. The little shed slowly coming to life.

"You should name her"
Eric said....."Gimme Peace".....and I smiled. This morning with my coffee, I sat on the deck and she smiled back at me through her new window to the world. Her walls are insulated and her cieling hung. 12 sheets of drywall are up, only 4 left to go. Her new doorway is waiting on visitors to knock and her old doorway, waiting for it's new face. Outlets are ready for Christmas trees and microwaves. Water is just inches away.

On Monday, Ronnie starts his next round of treatments. The pink stuff. The bad stuff. Hopefully the good stuff here will make it all a little better. And he'll have a place to hang his cowboy hat.

Thanks to all you all for cheering, clinking, sending good thoughts our way. We're tired soldiers today.....

25 comments:

eric1313 said...

it was an army of friends climbed down the beanstalk from the gray. Giant hearts in all of them. And the biggest one was blue.

Just beautiful, friend--and very just, and compassionate and real.


Gimme shelter, gimme grace
gimme a place to live
that is not alone

gimme peace, gimme time
gimmie love
gimmie a chance

to again know a home

gimme a wide open doorway
to good luck
built right into the walls

Gimme a smile
to get the time
of our life
gimme peace
and lets work on the rest.

skinnylittleblonde said...

Absolutely beautiful...everyone wins... four year olds & chemo-patients, hippies & this old shed ... They can call it a shed or whatever they will, but there's no place like home, sweet home, especially one insulated with fiberglass & most importantly, love, good love.

Anonymous said...

Oh does he feel the love!! He will be at home comfy cozy, surrouned by peace, and unconditional love. Mama is already shopping for Ronnie. You know a mothers touch!! love to all!!! Unreak what all has been gathered and done!!! love to all!!!! PS Eric just beautiful!!!!!

Scott from Oregon said...

clink*

Todd Camplin said...

Nice improvement.

singleton said...

eric....gotta love the garden....

"gimme a wide open doorway
to good luck
built right into the walls"...
leaves from the magical beanstalk, reaching, climbing, touching stars...

you soooo get our every step....

slb...insulate those walls with love notes, poems scribbled on loose leaf blue lined paper, faces on paper napkins, peace and love, insulate those walls with sweat and Cher Fitness muscles, heart shaped rocks, budweiser cans, and feathers.....
Insulate those walls with all we are......and ever hoped to be....and ever dreamed of...
ILYSVVFM!

Kimbies...I knew she would be! Making her list, and checking it twice. Little elves dancing on the rooftop! And I know he feels the love, saw it....And it grows... ILYSVVFM!

Scott...Clink, baby, clink!

singleton said...

camplin....I'll post the after pictures when we christen her....when our friend hangs his hat....and the circle, ever growing, is clinking! to the healing!

SHE said...

you restore so much more than you know

-like faith in humanity.

blessings to everyone who helped; everyone who enters

love/prayers in abudance, all around

JustRun said...

Good work. :)

eric1313 said...

I know it only because with writing so much in this best writer's group I've ever had, writing back and fourth like this and seeing your art and words and songs woven between, I've been allowed to know you as well as anyone here does.

Accept for Kimbies and Skinny. They know know you. Almost three 'knows', but know know know would look ridiculous, I'll try not to type that...

too late!

eric1313 said...

clink!

singleton said...

she....humanity has restored my faith! over and over again, may the circle be unbroken, ever growing....
moving mountains on the wings of Angels....
peace~love, girl, you're an angel!

justrun....just wait til you see the After pictures, These people are amazing!

Eric..it's just so cool, that you always get it, that we can all share a language and without a camera, a voice, music....just a chain letter etched in the concrete of the steps, understand....

peace~love

Lola Starr said...

That's awesome. I'm glad so many people came out and helped and so glad you guys got it all done. :) Love the pics too.

mindy said...

i can't wait to see the finished pictures!!

SpongyBones said...

I'm so glad to hear that you brought it back to life with the help of those that love you! Restores faith in hearts.

Unknown said...

Good thoughts, many blessings, and healing vibes to Ronnie.

singleton said...

karma....thank you so much for the good karma.....we really have about 100 man hours left to go, but we do it sync....so we should wrap next weekend....:)

mindy....coming soon to a blog near you! :)

spongy....they are the bomb! Ronnie just stopped by and he's in awe.....soon he'll be sittin' in his own little place, havin' peace....

justme....thank you! From all of us, the circle, and I know those vibes work miracles!

peace~love~to all

eric1313 said...

You home there, Lady blue jeans?

david mcmahon said...

What a sense of achievement. We can sense the pride, and feel the fatugue.

Great work - and great memories to cherish.

david mcmahon said...

Er, sorry, that should have been ``fatigue''.

Like military fatigues!

singleton said...

eric...I miss you!

David....fatuge is good! And actually I'm feeling a phenomenal second wind, Ronnie just took his first tour since Saturday afternoon and he is so animated and alive and I just know it's gonna be good, for him, and for the world around us, and for me...For everyone involved. As SLB says, a win~win~

Peace~love boys

eric1313 said...

I'm here! Just writing a post, a long post. Talk to me if you're home, still. Although, I know you're busy, so I'll just miss you, too, until whenever...

peace~love
clink! tink!

singleton said...

eric...on!
peace~love~new walls to scribble on~

karoline in the morning said...

'grace' turns the smallest blessing into a miracle...

{{{singleton}}}

K
:)

singleton said...

karoline.....I'm watching a miracle unfold......
one 2x4, smile, heart at a time...
it's beautiful...
the "feel the love" thing....