Sunday Salon ~ school and other classes

SCHOOL DAYS

First, my five great-grandchildren.  Shelby and Jaxon were excited and all ready for the first day of school — preschool, that is.  It's his last year of preschool and her first.

Micah and Jonathan are happy at "school" — actually, day care — which they have just begun this week.  Raegan started first grade a couple of weeks ago, and lost her first tooth a couple of days ago.

Then moving up a generation to my seven grandkids.  This photo shows Cady's first day as a high school sophomore in mid-August.  She's my youngest grandchild.  A couple of my grandsons are still in college.

CLASSES

My children are busy working, rather than taking classes, so I'll move up to my generation.  At 75, I attend classes where I can have fun.  My best friend Donna ("Cool people care") and I (the presumed novelist) learned how to make root beer floats.  Well, we already knew how and have done it over many years, but it was a "class" with participation.  That basically means we ate what we made, and each of us got to keep the unusual glass that was provided.

Here I am with some of my friends and acquaintenances in an exercise class where we use ballet moves.  Left to right, Linda in brown, Joan in blue, Marlene, Bella, and Mrs. Chen.  Reflected in the mirror are Vanessa (who dances professionally) in pink, Bonnie (almost lost behind Joan's reflection), and Donna framed against the closet door.

Good news!  My blood sugar level (A1C) is down so much that my new doctor says I am once again "pre-diabetic."  The term simply indicates where I am in terms of controlling it with diet and exercise.  I'm actually down 60 pounds from my highest weight of a few years ago and feeling great.

BOOK

A Heretic's Guide to Eternity ~ by Spencer Burke and Barry Taylor, 2006

Distinguishing between religion and spirituality, Burke offers what he calls a new way of looking at God, one centered on the idea of grace. He emphasizes a God who is looking to save the world, not a God who seems more intent on condemning certain practices . . . . For Burke, God is to be questioned, not simply obeyed. His challenging thesis will appeal to many people today who have given up on organized religion but still seek some connection to spirituality.

Only one book to report today.  This one arrived in the office on Friday, but the notice taped to my mailbox in the lobby didn't appear until Saturday.  The security guard at the link desk opened the office and let me sign it out, so I was able to look it over last night.  This is the book my study group has chosen to discuss over the next few weeks or months.  In other words, this is a class of sorts.  You could say we teach ourselves by intense study and commitment to reading the sections we'll be discussing.  Donna has agreed to lead our reflections as we work our way through this book.

Bloggers gather in the Sunday Salon — at separate computers in different time zones — to talk about our lives and our reading.