Thankfulness Event & Adele

You’re invited

Concert of thankfulness and poetry event

Wednesday, November 25 – 7:30 PM

St. James Presbyterian, 910 14th St, Bellingham

Music presented by the St. James Bell Choir and Chancel Choir.

Thanksgiving poetry & memoir provided by local writing community poets and writers: Susan Chase-Foster, Luther Allen, Darrell Hillaire, Janet Oakley, Shannon Laws, and Carla Shafer.

“Join us to pause and reflect on our blessings and give thanks for all that we have been given. The evening’s monetary offering will go to the Bellingham Food Bank.”

“Looks like a warm evening of reflection and music. Here is what I’m reading.” -SPL

Walking with Family

-by Shannon Laws

In the 1980’s I was a kid growing up in South King County. Two of my mother’s sisters lived nearby. These three sisters kept the family together by organizing the parties for holidays and birthdays. The aunts and my mother rotated the hosting chores, added new recipes to the menus, brought out the best china, crystal and extra tables for Thanksgiving.

My father and uncles seemed reluctant to dress up for it, after all, their football or baseball game was “always” interrupted by invading house guests, but they reacted kindly by adding “color” to every event. These were hard working men, they were a construction foremen, an owner of a plumbing company, a city building inspector and a mailman. They had plenty of jokes and stories to amaze the crowd of child and parent alike.

By the mid 90’s the two sisters moved away and family gatherings all but ceased. One family moved back to the mid-west for work, the other to Arizona for retirement.

When my two kids where toddlers, however they were able to enjoy a few of these events before everyone moved away. Returning home from an Easter dinner my son shared in his cute little five year voice, “Wow, we have a BIG family!”

Somehow after my family dispersed, I found the kindness of new friends comforting. My path has provided me with new aunties, uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers, sisters and brothers. Friends walk with me a bit on the path of life. Company is always welcome, whether there’s a Seahawks game on or not. Life changes.

People, even family, come and go in our world. Some people stay longer than others. It brings tears to my eyes as I type these words; tears of joy & happiness and most importantly—thankfulness.

heart leaf — “The Heart of a Leaf and My Feet”

This video made me laugh! I wish we had Adele back in day.

“A Thanksgiving Miracle”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2zyjbH9zzA

Published on Nov 22, 2015

There’s only one thing that can keep a family (Beck Bennett, Jay Pharoah, Cecily Strong, Aidy Bryant, Matthew McConaughey, Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer) from fighting at Thanksgiving: Adele.

Published by Shannon Laws

Like my writing? Want to hear me read my poetry? Please visit https://chickadeeproductions.bandcamp.com/releases and download some today. Only $1.00 a poem! Shannon Laws is a Pacific Northwest poet. Her story-telling poetry has touched many hearts and minds. She is the author of four poetry books, the most recent “Fallen” published by Independent Writer’s Studio Press. Shannon has received two Mayor’s Arts Awards and the Community Champion Award for promoting local artists on community radio and encouraging peace and understanding through community poetry events. She makes her home in Bellingham, Washington, USA. View more posts