Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Random Glamour

I'm sick today, felled by a cold and headache and scratchy throat. Sophie is in bed, felled by Diastat. Last night I attended the Epilepsy Foundation for Greater Los Angeles' Care and Cure Event -- a grand dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel where hundreds of impeccably business attired people gather and schmooze and honor one another and donate money to The Great Cause. I'm a reluctant participant, at once grateful for the attention given to the scourge of epilepsy, the generosity of the donors, the work put into making it all happen but repulsed by the means to get there. People are honored, immensely influential, Hollywood-types are lauded and applauded, they sit next to me and I want to crack a joke, feel light, defensively sarcastic but I murmur a platitude when congratulated on the work I've done, being a mother to a child with epilepsy and I think of you, readers, and feel less bitter, less ready to stand up on a chair, a silk-covered one and wave my champagne glass, my napkin overhead, a scream, a shout, a surrender.



driving west

15 comments:

  1. How delightful, that Sophie was honored in that beautiful photograph. How awful, that it's a back-slapping, wonderful-me occasion. How super, that those industry people, who have $$$$, will all come out and donate. What a mixed-bag of an evening.

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  2. I cannot state it better than Karen. The photo of Sophie, as always, is lovely. I so wish that her quality of life could be as lovely.

    I hope you aren't felled too long with your cold

    The last two trips I've taken, I've contracted a cold. I leave tomorrow for San Francisco and am hoping to avoid the bug!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  3. The photo is beautiful. I share the same feelings about philanthropy, having been at the receiving end of generous "gifts".

    Greetings from London.

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  4. That last line- ah. Perfect.
    Oh baby. I wish you didn't have to be honored in this way but since you do- I'm glad you are.

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  5. It's a bitter- sweet situation. Someone's gotta do it. We need their support. They're kind and they say nice things even if it does make us feel awkward. It doesn't reflect the reality they will never know. At least they appear to be on our side. I'd rather have 'that type' of support than none at all. I think most people genuinely feel sorry for us - not exactly what we want. It kind of helps with the general consensus that they'd rather not have to deal with disabled people.

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  6. it's a show exemplary character to surrender when you know in your heart the surrender is to a conquerable force. I believe it was a professional knife sharpener who advised me to surrender to love if I refused to give reigns to God.

    there are worse things to be than the one to surrender. Myself for instance, have been known to deliberately park across the long side away from Borders. As if to give doofus a whole new level of hyper-meaning by wearing a dockworkers heavy knit beanie, black T-shirt of some loud band, complete with sagging brown pants and chain drive wallet, yet not believe I would look suspect taking pictures on my long walks.

    To Borders, to buy gum

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  7. The stuff out of which equanimity is birthed - the scream, the shout, the surrender.

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  8. colds suck. honor yourself whatever way you can. ox

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  9. I'm sorry you weren't able to let the jokes out, I bet they were really funny :) I hope you feel better soon.

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  10. If I had a glass of champagne to raise right now, I'd toast you and Sophie both.
    I hope you feel better sooner than soon.

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  11. we live in a strange world... karen's "mixed-bag" sums it up well.

    feel better soon. i love that photo of sophie.

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  12. I love Sophie's turn as model! Beautiful.

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  13. Something about the right hand and the left hand comes to mind...sigh.
    Feel better, sending you love and healing thoughts and I wish I could bring you some roses and peonies from the garden and read you Neruda's poems in Spanish and then translate them word by word. Wishing for right now will have to do.

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  14. The photo is breathtaking...

    Hope you are on the mend soon.

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  15. I don't think I could stand an event like that. There is one every year (fancy, but not Hollywood fancy) for Owen's birth defect and I doubt I'll ever attend.

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