Immersion Weekend

Pictures from the weekend- thanks to Ari, our guest photographer.

The group was super attentive and very responsive to the drill sergeant approach to learning the principles (What are the three aspects of muscle energy? the teacher asks. The group shouts back, " Three aspects of muscle energy, sir: 1. hug to the bone, 2. draw to the mid line, 3. move from the periphery to the core. Sir, yes, sir." ) Like that. What fun!

It was also great to talk about Spanda this weekend after the very deep exploration we had with Carlos Pomeda last weekend. It was certainly a bit daunting to try to convey the depth I know exists in the teachings in a general way that was brief yet accurate. Anyway, I think the point got across by the end of the weekend and I enjoyed continuing to play with the theme. And ins ome ways, the Spanda theme is really every theme. More on that another time.

We meet again in 3 weeks for our final session before the two groups combine into one big happy family. In the second section of the Immersion we can look forward to some anatomy classes with Mark and some philosophy lectures with Craig Williamson, both of which I am am looking forward to.

Thanks to everyone who was there this weekend- for the laughter, the smiles and the hard work. Please comment and leave a note with your impressions of the weekend.

Funeral Notes

The Casket The whole family
Mom and The Girls
Dad and The Girls

The Grandchildren/The Cousins

Anne and I arrived back in Austin late Friday night and spent the night at her house in Austin. The weekend was quite remarkable. We had a really great time together as a family, celebrating Grandmartha's life and contributions. We all kept commenting that she would have loved how much fun we were having and she would have been so pleased that we were all together and enjoying one another's company. All in all, it was a rally great time, believe it or not.

This is what I said at the funeral. Each of the four grandchildren spoke and somewhow, without planning it, we each managed to address a slightly different aspect of who Grandmartha was. I think we did a pretty good job.

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My mother says that people live on in our memories of them. I have many fond memories of my Grandmother. As a child, whenever we visited she made sure that we had great food to eat and fun activities in which to participate. She made us treats, arranged outings and play dates for us, she taught me how to paint my fingernails and toe nails... I could go on.

As an adult, however, I remember her for different things. I remember her now as a woman of faith who loved her family and her church deeply. She was a woman who honestly, sincerely and tirelessly sought the truth and did her best to abide by her understanding.

In her faith, she did not pray for her life to be made easier. She prayed instead for us. She prayed that she might understand what troubled us. She prayed that she might help us. She prayed that she might be made useful.

I looked up the word useful in the dictionary this morning. It means valuable, beneficial, serviceable and helpful. I know that each one of us- whether we knew March Cheek as a grandparent, a parent, a Sunday school teacher, a friend or a fellow citizen of Lavonia, would agree that through her life and her actions, her deepest prayer- to be made useful- was answered.

Whatever your memories of Martha Cheek are- from Sunday school lessons to pecan pie- I hope that your memories keep her alive as a woman that God used to help, to encourage and to serve others.

Georgia On My Mind

Well, Georgia is on my mind because my body is actually in Georgia. As I was starting my day yesterday, my mom called to tell me that my Grandmother had passed in the night. Grandmartha (what we have always called her) was 91 and had been in a steady decline with Alzheimer's/dementia for quite some time. So while the news was a bit a sad, and expectedly unexpected (like my mom told me on the phone, "Well, I knew it was going to happen, I just didn't know it would be today) in many ways, I feel a certain measure of relief and gratitude as she hasn't really been "Grandmartha" for quite some time.

So Anne and I hopped on a plane together and made our way to Georgia. (Thanks to all who are helping with the subbing and sorry to any who are inconvenienced by my absence. But here is something fun- Kelly is subbing tonight in San Marcos so anyone who wants to come a support him in San Marcos tonight is welcome to drop in to the series tonight ($10) and give him a boost of support for his teaching debut!)

Also- if you need me by email while I am gone, send it to christina@sanmarcosschoolofyoga.com. I am having trouble getting my other program to work right now and this one is web-based where my usual address is computer-based.

So back to my Grandmother, who, if I dare to say to say so, was kind of radical. Now this is a family story (and not appropriate to share in the eulogies in rural Georgia) but my Grandmother married her first husband twice. The first ceremony was private. No one knew about it. Then a little later they had the public ceremony which had already been planned. Now, keep in mind that whenever that happened, the social mores about things were really different. Her first husband was the love of her life. So you can fill in the blanks for yourself about why a woman, with a date already set to be married, found it necessary to get married ahead of time without telling anyone. This is great thing to ponder and truly one of the best doorways into who Grandmartha really was- a woman of great passion.

Her first husband died tragically of a brain disease, leaving her widowed with a child, John. She remarried my Mom's father, Dan, who was also widowed with a child, my Mom, Andrea. So back in the mid to late 1940's, they were a step family. We do not think much about that now, but back then, this was quite unusual. So, Grandmartha was a stepmother before this was a common occurrence and I think of her as a kind of a pioneer in this.

Grandmartha also was college-educated. This was quite uncommon at the time as well.

There is a lot more to be said about the specifics (at least I am hoping there is more to be said because I am supposed to say something about her at her funeral and as I have already said, the most interesting story is "inappropriate" to share at a funeral. But certain themes definitely emerge:

1. She was a religious woman whose faith brought her strength in times of adversity and loss. She was a long-standing member of the Lavonia United Methodist church and was a beacon of moral and religious support to the members of that church.

2. She was dedicated to serving others. She made steady efforts to remember what other people liked and enjoyed and to provide that for them. One of my most deeply etched memories of her is Grape Jello. Our family would drive 18 hours from New York to Georgia to visit in the summers and when we arrived, bedraggled and tired, she would set out bowls of Grape Jello with Cool Whip for me and Anne to eat. Now at that time, our family was on a pretty strict budget and things like Cool Whip were not part of our life except at Grandmartha and Granddan's. Very fond memories of this.

3. She was a great cook. Not to get stuck on the food theme but she was such a great cook that once when Dad was visiting Lavonia he ate so much during the trip that he couldn't fit into the pants he brought when it was time to go. So on the day he was supposed to leave, Mom had to let out the seams in his pants so he could fit back into them! (Southern Food is not so "light, nor were we after any visit to Lavonia.)

4. She loved to travel. Grandmartha didn't ask for much. She wasn't raised to be someone who expressed her wants and needs readily but she did tell my Grandfather that she wanted to travel and see the world and so they did. They went everywhere- India, China, Japan, Europe, etc., sometimes begin gone for a month at a time.

5. She practiced Gratitude. Her life brought her lots of loss but she really was not one to complain. More, she was one to pray in Thanksgiving and to recognize her Blessings.

Well, there is more but that is it for now. I am tempted to erase the first story but I figure that while she might be blushing in Heaven somewhere, she would understand that the story about her and her first husband is meant with the utmost respect and celebration. And I figure no one in Lavonia, Georgia who wouldn't see it that way is reading this anyway. (DO NOT WORRY, MOM! I AM NOT GOING TO SAY IT IN THE FUNERAL. I do know better.)

SPANDA

So here are pics from the weekend. I will write some of my impressions soon. But in the meantime, I invite comments and reflections from those of you who were there. Please share!