Saturday the 14th

I guess if Friday the 13th is considered unlucky, Saturday the 14th must be just the opposite.

And it was.

Had an early start heading out to help at the garage sale. I was appropriately bundled up in a turtle neck, sweatshirt and winter coat. Why yes, it DID get to 70-some degrees today. But it did take awhile! After a slow first hour, we didn't really have time to be cold, though. It was really busy. By the end of yesterday, I'd already sold the big items I'd put on the sale. So today and tomorrow are about accumulating quarters and dollars in books and Carter clothes. Hopefully, I'll get rid of stuff. With 13 families in on this, there is plenty of get rid of!

I worked the sale 'til 1 p.m., came home and changed and we headed into town. Carter was home from his overnight at his friend Tyler's house and then we ended up dropping him off there again so they could go golfing.

Hubby and I went to a fundraiser party for a scholarship organized by some dear friends of ours. So glad to see a nice big crowd there. We had a great time. I put my name in several raffle baskets -- a lot in the scrapbooking one and designer purse one, and yes, even one ticket in the Packer basket. (I have sisters with birthdays coming up). When I had one ticket left to put in, I saw one basket that had the movie The Help and some mint chocolate Bliss candy. So I put the ticket in there.

One little ticket and guess who won that basket? Lucky me!

Later, I put in 9 tickets in a golf package raffle. They drew someone else's number and that person either lost their ticket or left. So they had to draw again. I turned to the guy next to me and said, "I'm gonna get this. I firmly believe in second chances." Guess whose number they called? MINE! Whoo-hoo! Four rounds of golf at The Ridges, plus some food and pizza gift certificates, golf balls, Budweiser gear and hair products (that are valued at $70 themselves)! Lucky me!

Guess who was not so lucky?

Carter got dropped off at home after golfing. The house was locked. Guess who didn't have a key?

We were still at the party so when we did connect with him via someone else's phone, we told him to hang out with the neighbors'. Good thing it was a nice warm dry day!

Since we knew he was in no danger of suffering (too much) we stopped with a bunch of people at the saloon down the road from the party, where of course, we saw even more people we know. Visited there a bit, but the guilt of our latch-key kid overcame us (me anyway) so we didn't stay long.

As designated driver, that was my first trip driving all the way through Rapids in 2012. That's 11 stoplights for those of you counting at home. No anxiety sitting at red lights this time. Felt pretty good.

In fact, felt darn lucky.

Black & White

I didn't know it then, but I was born during a turbulent time in the late '60s. As a nation we were fighting enemies in other countries and fighting each other on U.S. soil. Sadly, it was more than 100 years after the Civil War and we were still treating Blacks like second-class citizens.

And getting away with it.

Any time I read or view news coverage or stories (fiction and non) about that time period, I am ashamed at our behavior. Really ashamed. And sad. Sure we've made progress, but we have so far to go. We are still so judgmental. Maybe it's not Black & White now, maybe now it's Rich & Poor or Gays & Straight or Republicans & Democrats.

Trust me, I'm not casting any stones. I was just reminded of all this again tonight.

My girlfriend and I went to see the movie The Help. We've both been wanting to read the book but haven't gotten our hands on it yet. So to break from our usual behavior, we saw the movie first.

I won't spoil it. All I can tell you is that it is all kinds of excellent. Really excellent.

Without giving it away, the previews will tell you, too, this is a story set in the 1960s when Black people were hired to work in White people's homes as "the help." One of the main characters is a girl like me, working as a journalist but aspiring to be a novelist. She decides maybe her big story is actually their story.

That's all I'm going to say. Just see it. If you do anything before Summer draws to a close in the next week or so, go see The Help.

The only thing about it you might not like is what it does to you. It makes you think. And makes you wonder. Are we still judging people by the color of their skin? Do we judge people for other reasons?

Can we stop?

I don't know, but I had a good talk with God on the drive home. It's certainly something I'll strive for.