A month ago, life was ho-hum, and my biggest concern entailed working Conrad and Whitney out of the big plot hole I created.
Fast forward one day. 🌤️
My co-sponsor pulled me in for a chatty chat. This one brought a little surprise.
Our school had permission to host a limited prom. Meaning only the students from our school would attend. Our high school has roughly fifty students. We decided to have a Casino Night event. There would be music, games, some snacks. We’ve had a game night before. It sounded like fun.
🌤️ 🌤️ 🌤️ I kid you not. Three days later, I was pulled in for another chatty chat. The board decided it was safe to have a full prom.
I had never been to prom. The class we sponsor has six boys and three shy girls. No big deal turned to a big “What are we going to do?”
Picture ten people on laptops sharing Pinterest Pins. We moved quicker, from one computer to the next, than a cowboy in front of a stampede. What do you think about this? Can we pull off that? Oooh, I wonder if my mom can make these cookies.
Calls went out to anyone who had a wedding in the past five years. Trips to farms for mason jars, wagon wheels, hay bales, deer antlers, and burlap broke our routine. We were living in controlled chaos and loving every minute of it.
🌤️ In one day: I made a run to Great Falls to purchase the supplies for a country chic swag bag. The class stayed behind to transform our high school gym into an interpretation of “Under the Big Sky.”
I had to clean my ears and make sure I heard correctly after overhearing the football players discuss how to perfect the placement of stars on a picture frame. My heart burst with pride at the confidence in the shy girls’ voices when they designed the graphics for tickets and key chains. The flurry of activity started a buzz of conversations about tuxedos and gowns.
We pulled off in three weeks what others had done over the course of a school year. It was a night to behold. It was a reset of sorts for all of us.
For the kids, it blended the past and the future. We were safe and had fun. (I left out the parts about the safety measures because they are dull.)
For me, it sparked what was burning dimly—my belief in what can happen when a community pulls together. We recreated the experiences I had written about in my novels but none of us had lived since 2019.
It took me a week to physically recover. The kids had a lot of makeup work. I know I speak for all of us when I add that it was worth it.
And this is where I’ll close this week’s note. First, to let you know, there will be a slowdown in my correspondence. I have to focus on finishing Conrad and Whitney’s story. When I am confident that it will make you happy, I’ll post excerpts on the blog.
Lastly, I close with wishes. Wishes that spring will bring you delightful surprises. Hearts and Smiles.
🌤️ Merri
🌤️ 🌤️ 🌤️
Miles paced around the room. He’d pick up a paper and settle into the chair to read it; only to jump up, exclaim something to the effect of, “In my day, people didn’t talk to their elders like that,” and take another stroll around the room.
Aunt Tee, focused on keeping Miles calm, never had time for her confusion to transform into feeling offended. “There has to be more to this than we are seeing, Miles.”
“I see what he needs.” He waved his fist in the air. “A swift kick in the you know what.”
“Normally, I’d agree with you.” Aunt Tee blinked away the humorous image of Miles who was at least two inches shorter than Rick waving his hands in a fist to cuffs motion. “But I think the man was just overwhelmed. A good kick won’t help him adapt to the changes he clearly isn’t ready for.”
“No, but it would make me feel better,” Miles admitted.
She allowed her giggle to slip. “That would be a sight to behold.”
Miles frown gave way to a grin and his chest heaved with soft laughter. “You are an elixir for my spirit Theresa Darling.”
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