Random Acts of Gratitude 041113

Outside Raleighwood
March 2013

Three Bits o' Gratitude for Today

1. Yesterday I had lunch with a most remarkable man. Gene Lehman is a former UNC Professor whose life began in Hunan Province of China. Born of Methodist missionaries, he and his family escaped in the middle of the night to escape the Cultural Revolution. They landed in rural Kentucky where he grew up during the Great Depression. He's a lover of English history, biology, and laughter.

Last year one of my co-werkers (who interacts with Gene on a regular basis) asked me if I could help him with PDF issue he was having with the biology textbook he wrote and illustrated. The request was a simple one and took me about 10 minutes. A second project took longer, but was one I found fascinating. Since then he thinks I'm a computer genius and now, apparently, he even enjoys my company. Yesterday I took the chance to ask him about his life growing up. He has a very grounded sense of culture and history as he lived his life. I feel honored to have been able to speak with him.

2. Last night was one of those rare nights where Spring is holding on just enough to keep Summer's heat and humidity and mosquitos away. After grilling Bonn some chicken for dinner (and to take to her lynx today) we had a candlelight dinner outside on the upper porch to the barn, accompanied by a few cats eager to share Bonn's chicken.

3. It's a beautiful day outside & Bonn is picking me up early from werk so we can enjoy a bit more of it together. : )