Lynn M. Dixon's Blog, page 11

Searching!

During my summer reading, I have noticed one theme moving through several of the books as well as in personal conversations. Characters, as well as people, are searching for clarity about their roots. They continually wonder, “Who am I? What was my parent’s real story? What were they worried about on a daily basis? Why were they moody at times?”

With the new advent of genealogical searches and databases such as Ancestry.com, many are looking for answers. Much has been buried or not discussed at all. The wise ones will interview their elders before they pass on to the next plane and see if they can get a handle on what actually happened in their loved ones’ lives.

In A Saint for the Summer by Marjory McGinn, Bronte’s father Angus asks her to visit him in Greece. They had been estranged, but she wants to support him as he ages and has accumulating health challenges. But he has a hidden agenda. He wants her to use her investigative journalism skills to help him find out what happened to his father (her grandfather) who was a Scottish Allied Forces soldier hiding out in the Greek mountains. He had missed his transport and a family temporarily took him before his death during WWII.

In Legacy of Mercy by Lynn Austin, Anna is a wealthy adopted socialite who wants to know the truth. She has found her maternal grandmother and she wants to know what really occurred in her mother’s life. As in many situations, she has been warned to leave the past alone, but she cannot and will not. She secretly makes trips around 1900’s Chicago in the bitter cold to find answers about her mother and stumbles upon the identity of her real father.

In Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, Benny and Bryon, a sister and brother, are left a lengthy audiotape by their deceased mother. In slow detailed, increments, their mother tells them who she really is and gives them the circumstances that forced her to live as an alias. Her circuitous journey causes them to cleave together and eventually find their own personal paths and missions.

And I am now hallway through Summer on Sag Harbor by The View’s Sunny Hostin. Olivia has recently inherited a home on Sag Harbor from her godfather, Omar. But she has questions about her father and his family. She started asking the oldest person in the small village and again, she has been warned to leave the past alone. Yet, she continually digs because the story that her mother tells does not seem to add up. The missing pieces are causing confusion in her own life choices. I wonder what she will discover.

People hide the truth for multiple reasons. Some do it to feel powerful. Some do it because they are embarrassed about their circumstances such as a baby born out of wedlock, or a baby sired by a married person. Some think that they are being protective. And then there are the adoptive parents who adopt for many reasons as well. Regardless of the reasons, a child will search and search and some find answers, and some will grapple with the unknowingness for an entire lifetime.

Lynn M.
August 1, 2023

Jumpin’ July: A Poem

Oh, Jumpin’ July filled with storms,
Caught us off guard, against all dorms.

Still getting in that special trip,
As roasting temperatures do rip.

Picnics, parties, concerts, galore.
Those shrills of laughter help us soar!

Getting the fun in before the Fall,
When chilly weather makes its call!

Lynn M.
July 22, 2023

Which One?

While reading Lynn Austin’s Legacy of Mercy, I thought of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s question, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” This novel is told in two voices and both are in first person. The Dutch grandmother, Oma Geesjae, lives in Holland, Michigan and her granddaughter, Anna (Anneke) lives in Chicago, Illinois at the turn of the century.

Both Holland, Michigan and Chicago are familiar to me so I am truly engaged in this book. The yarn unravels with many interlocking pieces as each storyteller seeks solutions to daily dilemmas. The grandmother and the granddaughter recently found each other. Anna’s mother died on a shipwreck on Lake Michigan and she was adopted by a very prominent Chicago family.

They live in a mansion where she has butlers, maids and a sizable wait staff.  She is about to marry William who is from an even wealthier, well-connected family. Privately she knows that their union will save her adopted father from financial ruin and put her mother into a higher social class. She feels somewhat indebted to them, yet not so sure of the new lifestyle.

 Chicago in the 1890’s was interesting as we see the cabs then horses and buggies, taking Anna to different places. She is secretly searching for answers about her mother’s life after she eloped and left her family in Holland. Also her father’s true identity is unclear and her reputation is on the line as she seeks to fit in with the class of her intended’s family.

When Anna becomes extremely ill, her grandmother rushes from Holland, Michigan on a train and a young man named Derk, who Anna had met a summer earlier, also travels from Holland and makes a scene at her home until he is allowed to see her. Derk almost knocked the door down, risked being arrested and highly embarassed but he had to see Anna for himself. Interestingly, her fiance never came to see her and stood back quietly until the storm passed over. I thought of Forest Gump and though he was declared to be slow, he assuredly said, “But I know what love is.” 

Her grandmother is not impressed with the three story house where her granddaughter resides and thought, “But it is not home.” Oma Geesje lives a very simple life in rural Michigan where the Dutch immigrants bonded, helped each other and had a very tight-knit community. It was a far cry from the immense wealth that her granddaughter has but she loves her and hopes that she will make the right decisions.

As Tina Turner so beautifully sang, “What’s love got to do with it?” In this case, it may have a lot to do with it because Anna’s life, well-being and happiness are at stake. Again, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Derk sprang into action, took a train to Chicago, and missed his theology classes to see Anna for himself.  William, her husband-to-be, pulled his head into his turtle shell and waited until the rough stretches were over and then cozied up to her when things looked doable.

How will this turn out?  Well, let me keep reading and see if love will win or if duty’s call will take precedence in Anna’s life. Though there are several sublplots playing out quite like life itself, Anna’s choices take center stage as we root for her all the way!

Lynn M.
July 15, 2023

Books Are Spiritual!

I believe that books are spiritual in many ways. Sometimes, I may have a wondering or question in my mind and the perfect book seems to fall into my lap. The character has similar quests or dilemmas and I always walk away from the reading with new insight or perspectives about something.

Recently, I had been looking into a former endeavor of my father’s to gain a greater understanding of what was troubling him at the time. Coincidently, I happened upon a book titled A Saint for the Summer by Marjory McGinn where the main character’s father was also trying to get closure on what happened to his father. His father had been a young Scottish soldier in his 20’s, unaware that his wife was with child. He was with the Allied Forces and caught up in the Battle of Kalamata in Greece. The soldiers had been abandoned and some ran into mountains of Greece when their expected transport was unable to safely retrieve them.

Characters Bronte and Angus spent countless hours in the mountains of that particular village interviewing and locating people who could help them with the missing pieces of the puzzle. Ultimately, some very elderly gentlemen guided them and they were able to hear about the young soldier’s final moments, locate his bones and retrieve his hand-written journal.

Once again, here was a case where a book not only reminded me of man’s universality, but helped me to know that being able to give things closure, frees us up to, “Get on with it,” as Prince Phillip said. People want to know what happened to their parents, if there are some vague, unanswered circumstances.

Another book seemed to magically fall into my lap as if a genie had dropped it out of the sky. The Expats by Chris Pavone opened the doors of my mind as I learned of the many reasons some chose to live abroad. Some wanted to merely live in warmer, dryer climates, but there are some that are trying to escape some of the shadows from their past.  It appeared as if too many were living dual lives in the book and had secret identities. Several were involved in some hidden work where people as close as their own spouses were unaware of what they actually did for a living. It was a true eye-opener!

That is the beauty of reading. It not only calms the spirit but it may subtly help unravel some of life’s mysteries and help us to get ‘unstuck.‘ Then, we can continue to row, row, row our boats gently down the stream. Books allow us to have those aha moments as they free us up to move on.  Emma Thompson said it best when she said, “I think books are like people in that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them!“

Lynn M.
July 8, 2023

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny- A Movie Review

I remember showing the Indiana Jones movies to the children in our summer day camps while working with the Memphis Park Commission. On rainy days, those movies were a Godsend as the children sat there spellbound back in the 80’s. So, on its premiere day, I went to see the latest new movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

In his interviews, Harrison Ford, vows that it is his last one. He is now 80 years old, but this one starts out with a younger version of him. It moves into the present-day Indiana Jones who is an aging professor about to retire in 1969. Before I knew it, I was deeply engrossed in the action. Of course, there are two opposing forces both looking for the missing half of the dial of destiny which is believed to be at the bottom of the Aegean Sea.

With producers such as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, high flying acts are guaranteed as the retired professor ventures out into his last escapade. Indy embarks on a wild goose chase with his goddaughter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) who is a good-girl-gone-bad and her new, young accomplice (Ethann Isidore), It takes us to locations filmed in England, Scotland, Morocco and Italy. They try to beat the other rogue astrophysicist (Mads Mikkelsen) to the missing gears of the dial which supposedly has supernatural powers.

Without giving away the plot or divulge any real spoilers, I would say to go, go, go. Go to the theatre and catch it on the big screen. It is a great way to spend about two and half hours on a lazy summer day. Enjoy scenes from other lands while witnessing high action on land, in the air and beneath the sea. Indy does what he does best while displaying his signature brand and brandishing his famous, reliable fedora hat!

Lynn M.
July 1, 2023

Nantucket!

The other day I was reading a book where a young couple had a short ministerial stint on the island of Nantucket. The wife had a difficult time on the small island which is only 14 miles long and about 3 to 5 miles wide. She had to take the ferry to the mainland to continue her college classes. It inspired me to look at a short 27-minute video on YouTube called Nantucket by Ric Burns, the younger brother of Ken Burns.

I absorbed it and I thought about its beauty and history as the whaling center of the world. Herman Melville called it an elbow of sand and I was reminded of his masterpiece, Moby Dick which I taught to high schoolers. Whaling is permanently documented on the island and it required strong and sturdy ships to survive the whaling expeditions.

Great speakers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, Henry David Thoreau, Absalom Boston ( a black whalesman), Lucretia Coffin Mott and scientist Maria Mitchell all found their voices on a variety of issues on the island of Nantucket. Though I spent four years in Boston, I did not make it to Nantucket so I decided to take a vicarious trip there.

I did make it to Maine, New Hampshire, Upper State New York and Rhode Island while staying in New England. I took several bus tours where each trip normally lasted one full day and the closest I got to Nantucket was a trip to Cape Cod. We had very fresh cod fish at a restaurant which sat on a pier and we took a brief yet scenic ferry ride out onto the water. I had on my headphones and listened some really good music which added to my peaceful memories.

I could not see all of the places as I worked to keep myself afloat, but I saw what I could. So thanks to YouTube, I can now catch up on those places I did not get to see in person. The whole intrigue of living on an island peaked my interest when I read stories by Sarah Orne Jewett, a coastal Maine writer. Her book, The Country of Pointed Firs shared multiple stories of people who lived on the small islands.

The tide could determine whether a person made it home safely or not while others chose island life to live as a hermit. So, if summer travel is limited, don’t forget to enjoy colorful, historical documentaries with grand filmmakers like the Burns brothers to take an online visual trip to new paradises!

Lynn M.
June 24, 2023

The Little Mermaid: A Movie

The Little Mermaid movie (2023) reminded me of the Cinderella movie of 1997 with Brandy (Cinderella), Paolo Montalban (Prince Christopher), Whoopi Goldberg (Queen), Victor Garber (King) and Whitney Houston (Fairy Godmother). It was one of the first movies with a highly diverse cast and interracial couples. The new Little Mermaid also has a diverse cast and is sprinkled with interracial unions.

It shows the growth of those in the casting of movies and it mirrors the real world in our ever-changing society. People are just people and Ariel (Halle Bailey) proves this to be the case as the first Little Mermaid of color. She is a typical, defiant teenager who pushes boundaries and challenges her protective king-father (Javier Bardem).

The wonderful colors and great music show Disney being Disney. The deep and rich scenes the animated characters teach subtle lessons about sea life and add wonder to both child and adult viewers. Most adorably are Ariel’s close companions – Sebastian the Crab (Daveed Diggs) with his Jamaican accent, Scuttle the Sea Gull (Awkwafina) and Flounder the Fish (Jason Tremblay).

But as in life, there cannot only be good and happy forces so Ursala, the resentful Sea Witch (Melissa McCarthy) sits back and waits to wreak havoc on her brother and his children. Ariel swims right into her net and the drama begins when her aunt casts a spell on her. At the height of Ursala’s rage, it’s almost laughable how she becomes so gigantic in size as she stirs the ocean as if she is stirring a pot of soup or brew of deep trouble.

Ariel saves Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from drowning and he struggles to remember her face which is quite reminiscent of how we attempt to recall the details of a dream as it rapidly fades away. Again, the couples are of mixed races as are Ariel’s sisters and it expands the scope of beauty of humanity in all of its myriad forms.

The movies was memorable and it took risks but the length of over two hours may be a tad too long for the very young child. I heard a few whimpers during some of the combative scenes which may have been too scary for the younger ones’ sensibilities.

Yet, I am happy that I saw the new Little Mermaid and I was fully immersed in the story of love, courage and of good winning over evil. And, I might add that Halle Bailey has a beautiful singing voice to top off her superb acting skills!

Lynn M.
June 17, 2023

Chicago Tap Theatre!

The other day I was watching WGN-TV (Channel 9) here in Chicago when they showed a young black man tapping as a preview to a performance called Synesthete. The station gave the information and said that the Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) was staging it at The Den Theatre. Afterwards, I immediately went on-line and bought a ticket knowing that it would be a great way to start the summer.

Why was I spellbound?  It dawned on me that I too had taken tap as young child. It’s interesting how we forget all of the things our parents did to try to mold us into well-rounded little people as they exposed us to the cultural arts. Out of the four girls in my family, two of us took tap and the other two took ballet.

So my next feat was to figure out where The Den Theatre was located. I decided to do a dry run a few days before the closing show on Sunday. After mapping it, I found it with a level of ease down in Wicker Park. I am so glad that I chose to do that practice run because when Sunday rolled around, it was rainy and gloomy outside, so I did not have to look for the location.

Those who know Chicago understand that parking on the north side can be a real challenge. Once I was close by, I ended up parking about four blocks away. I did not want to take any chances and miss this event. I made it inside of The Den Theatre about 15 or 20 minutes before it started and I let out a big sigh of relief after a 45-minute drive.

The inside seating area was small and quaint and no matter where a person sat, they still had a good view of the tap stage. We waited and then four musicians entered the back of the stage. There was a xylophonist who calls himself a vibraphonist; a guitarist, a keyboard player and a drummer/percussionist. And they began.

The first tap artist, Mark Yonally (Founder and Artistic Director) appeared as a solo act and the loud, pronounced action took over. Soon, more tap artists came onto the stage and the stage was live and in motion. They all wore white outfits and their movements were emphatic, confident and self-assured. They knew that they knew their art and it showed!

The entire performance lasted 70 minutes without an intermission as the tap artists went through 12 vignettes. Music such as Boogie Nights by Heat Wave or Everybody Wants to Rule the World by The Bad Plus or People Make the World Go Round by the Stylistics had the artists moving and the audience swaying, cat-calling, whistling and loudly applauding!

The choreography was highly creative and sometimes all twelve tap artists were on the stage, then three or two or sometimes just one. One highlight, though there were many, Sterling Harris (Choreographer/Director) tapped on a white canvas cloth after he had squirted paint on it. He added more paint at intervals and continued to tap as he created a design with his shoes. He ended by hanging his masterpiece on a backdrop on the wall. Amazing!

As I sat there, I thought of Shirley Temple and Bill Robinson (Bojangles) as they tapped up and down the stairs in some of those movies from my childhood or how she tapped across the top of a piano. Tap is a difficult skill. I remember the words, shuffle, ball, change from my childhood and that was a not an easy maneuver. But these artists made it look easy. Their smiles and enthusiasm were contagious and they brought much joy to their viewers.

Back then, we only had black tap shoes but these young people had green tie-ups, silver and black laced shoes, tan, white or maroon ones and even boot-styled tap shoes, to name a few. One would never know that they were tap shoes until the artists made that unmistakable sound to alert the listener that there was metal on the soles.

Tap is a definitive art! It is not for the timid nor faint of heart. It takes a degree of boldness, yet humility as they anticipate the applause. I am so happy that I made the trek to a new neighborhood to see this grand and jubilant talent on display!

Lynn M. Dixon
June 11, 2023

June 2023!

Trees are in glorious bloom,
It’s the scenic month of June!

School’s out and cool pools open,
Parents have ways of coping.

Day camps, picnics or road trips,
Some play in the water rips.

Flipping tassels with great pride,
Into the sunset they ride.

Viewing concerts or ball games,
Having much fun all the same!

Lynn M.
June 3, 2023

Remembering!

I recently read a short story called The Memory Keeper by Amy Maroney. The main character Elena had an astute memory that saved her and her companion up in the Pyrenees Mountains. He has been attacked and to escape those hunting them, they entered a dark ice cave. She remembered how to navigate the cave from time spent there with her mother when she was a young child. She and her injured partner find the exit on the other side of the mountain after Elena leans on what her mother had taught her.

I too am blessed with a great memory. I believe I inherited it from my father’s side of the family. His cousin Irene could tell the most vivid stories based on her memory of past and shared experiences. She painted clear images and others within earshot could envision her stories.

As a writer, my memory has helped me because if I run out of story ideas, I can simply recall former events. Several authors write full and multiple novels or memoirs based on things that have happened in their lives. Similarly, every day is a story. Something as small as a trip to the grocery store can serve as the basis for a new storyline. There could be a chance encounter with an old coworker that can inspire a tale housed with happy memories.

It amazes me when people tell me they do not remember. I’m thinking, “But this is your life.  You only get one and you do not remember parts of it?”  Or maybe, it is selective memory. Let’s face it, some people remember what they want to remember.  As Barbra Streisand sang. “What’s too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget.”

Just think if criminals like Lizzie Borden said, “I do not remember.”  Hmm. She may have had a blackout, but her victims and their families truly and painstakingly remember. The bottom line is not remembering does not excuse the occurrence nor its induced sting. It happened!

So, for those with either selective memory or memory loss, try leaning on the artifacts from the past and perhaps they can help with the recall. Conversations, discussions and pictures can assist in remembering what truly took place in the past. Or apply the lyrics from the song, Try to Remember. It sings, “Try to remember and if you remember, then follow, follow, follow.” A good memory of instructions can save a life or two!

Lynn M.
May 27, 2023