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| ... flowers for Bonnie's third AA birthday ... |
The long table at the front of the room was covered with a green table cloth. On it sat cards for her and some presents. One gift was three hydrageas from her friend’s garden. “My mother gave me this bush,” said her friend.
One family brought a small colourful bag as a gift and inside was a peach from a tree in their back yard. “It is not quite ready to eat. Wait a few days.”
Bonnie had arrived early with a large slab cake from Askews as well as a small round carrot cake. She also brought a small broken piece of cake that had no icing on it. She held it up and told people this was the cake she made for them, but then last night, she and her son had consumed it. This was all that was left.
Her deepest wish was to make butter tarts for them. When she told that to her sponsor, Brenda, then Brenda sent her a recipe via email for the best filling ever.
As well, since the topic was self care, and Bonnie ran out of time, she just bought a cake for the event. No use doubly wearing herself out and giving only lip service to the topic.
Bonnie had chosen the topic “Self Care”. Someone knowing this ahead had brought her a tube of lipstick. She had meant to put it on before the meeting, but forgetting that, she put it on right there – hard to do without a mirror but the skew of colour on her lips was soon forgotten as she began to talk.
Moments like this are sacred in any meeting. Open hearts, everyone in the room giving and receiving.
Bonnie was well prepared with her speech. She was nervous but that didn’t show through. She paced herself slowly enough that the audience could identify with her points and take what was good for them, leaving the rest behind.
They were wrapped with attention, as was I.
Bonnnie made them laugh. Bonnie made them cry.
She also knows how to wrap the laughter around to her underling point, which was, I think, to explain to them how again how complicated all of our lives are and how we need to hold each other up.
Many said it was the best birthday talk they had ever heard. I agreed with them.
Bonnie says she takes those words with a grain of salt.
I told Bonnie today that I tried to implement the message of her talk – the importance of self care. So last night I gave seven minutes to the care of my feet after I was warm from a shower and ready to really dry my feet. I ended up taking 7 minutes – 700% more time than usual.
And that, dear friends, is how powerful Bonnie’s talk was.
Arta
i bet this was a talk worth stealing!
ReplyDeleteI am seriously laughing out loud. A talk worth stealing indeed.
DeleteI hope Bonnie keeps her notes and then uses them when she gets to talk at her fourth birthday party. Notice that I didn't offer to make the butter tarts. But I might do it for some family gathering. Or maybe even make some for myself. I wonder if Bonnie will share the recipe she received, just in case she wanted to go through with her dream. How about it, Bonnie? Give me the recipe and I will put it up on the Larchkitchens.blogspot.ca blog. Doing that will be so close to being like making them, that you will loose your desire for them and go onto something else. Just my prediction.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the report. I would have loved to be there. Bonnie, thank you for sharing your journey with me. I have laughed and cried as well. You are one spectacular woman taking it one day at a time. Hugs.
ReplyDelete