Desert Messenger

May 6, 2015 www.DesertMessenger.com 17 800-656-HOPE First locally-owned and operated music station in Quartzsite, Arizona. Proudly serving the communities of Quartzsite, Bouse, Brenda, Rainbow Acres, La Paz Valley and beyond, since 1988. Quartzsite Radio • Quartzsite's Favorite "CLASSIC HITS" • Local Information • Weather • 24 Hours Day / 7 Days Week! KBUX 94.3 FM 928-927-5111 http://kbuxradio.com To honor all mothers on Mothers' Day 2015 I am at the laundromat now. There is a family next to me folding clothes at the counter -- a mother and three children (two boys and a girl). I would guess the oldest boy is a young teen, the girl maybe 11, and the youngest boy about 8. I am mesmerized by how they work together and can't help watching them for a while. They don't see me there; they are focused on their task. The mother folds the sheets, towels, and household items. Each child pulls his/her clothes out of the laundry basket and either hangs them on hangers or folds them neatly in piles. No complain- ing, no talking back, no loud voic- es, no running around the laundro- mat -- all just quietly concentrating on the job before them. I started to write this in my journal. Then I thought I'd better speak to the mother before they leave. I walked over to her and said, "I am so im- pressed by you and your children. You are raising them right." It was clear to me she didn't understand English; so I asked the oldest boy to translate. When he did, her face lit up with a big smile. Traveling with Gypsy Jane This little scene gave me great joy. It fi lled me up inside; I know because my eyes are tearing up as I write this. Who would have thought that doing my washing, something I was not looking forward to (a had- to kind of thing), would allow me to be part of such a lovely experience? That's exactly where my book title comes from Wanderings: Living the Ordinary Extraordinarily. I am fi lled with -- what is the word? I'll just say "awe" because what I feel is really indescribable. Like spirituali- ty -- hard to explain. Once in a while something happens in our lives - - however small, however simple, that reaffi rms that life is good. We need all that. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Becoming responsible adults is no longer a matter of whether children hang up there pajamas or put dirty towels in the hamper, but whether they care about themselves and others -- and whether they see ev- eryday chores as related to how we treat this planet." ~Eda LeShan Jane's book is WANDERINGS: Liv- ing the Ordinary Extraordinarily (Stories from the Road). This col- umn consists of stories from her book (email: janefi nley@yahoo. com, website: janefi nley.com). by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) RAISING THEM RIGHT The family at the laundromat in Lincoln City, OR Free Classifi eds Desert Messenger offers FREE Classified Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com By Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) DESERT AT TWILIGHT At twilight when the bunnies are the exact color of the evening, one moves cautiously toward the rabbit dish where leftover bits of lettuce and carrot await. I watch it nibble on the vegetable feast until all that's visible is its white cotton tail. I sit on my porch and wait until even that disappears, then a while longer, taking in the beauty of the desert night. Quartzsite, Arizona Jane's book is WANDERINGS: Living the Ordinary Extraordinarily (Stories from the Road). This column consists of poems from the book. Email: janefi nley@yahoo.com, website: janefi nley.com ~ Poems from the road ~

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