Some excerpts from Scrapbook of a Year and a Day

Karen Molenaar Terrell's Scrapbook of a Year and a Day is, essentially, a compilation of Facebook posts written between January 19, 2020 and January 20, 2021. If I were to collect my FB posts, it would be very, very dull indeed, but Karen eliminated the silly cat videos, if she ever posted any, and has instead put together a moving and coherent account of the tumultuous year we all lived through and her personal experience of the year following the death of her father, Dee Molenaar. What I particularly love about Karen--and this book--is her perspective on things and her constant striving to live up to her ideals.

I'm really not a dog-earrer--I find it a vile habit--and yet I folded down the corners on several pages. For example:

August 25, 2020
Please do not tell me what I believe, feel, and think.
-Do not assume because I am a progressive and tend to vote for Democrats that I don't believe in God, "hate the Bible," and want to kill babies and take away your guns.
--Do not assume because I believe in God that I am anti-science, believe the earth is flat and the world was, literally, created in seven days.
--Do not assume that because I'm white, middle-aged and named "Karen" I am racist and want to talk to your manager.
--Do not assume because I identify as "Christian" I am conservative, opposed to LGBTQ rights, opposed to women's rights, travel heavily armed, and am voting for you-know-who.

I think that if we see each other in terms of stereotypes we miss out on some beautiful friendships and kinships with our fellow humans.

My biggest challenge right now is myself. I guess that's always my biggest challenge, isn't it? Stay kind, Karen. Stay true. Keep loving. Look for ways to bring humor to those in desperate need of a good laugh. Don't hate. Never hate. Be wise--but don't be cynical. Be discerning--but don't be cruel.

Love, help me be what you need me to be.
Amen.

October 17, 2020
{A lot of anecdote, involving buying shoes for a guy on the street, deleted here because there's only so much typing I'm willing to do. But it's a beautiful story.}

People WANT to do right by each other, don't they?

I felt like I was walking on holy ground today. I think . . . I think it all balances out, you know? --Good disperses itself throughout the cosmos--and I know that I'll always have what I need--there's no lack--there's no competition--there's no need to go through life clutching and afraid and feeling like Good is limited and finite, and if someone else has enough then I won't have enough.

Solace at the Cemetery
In these panicked times
In these fretful, frenzied, frantic times
I have found solace at the cemetery.
The shells of those who've lived
here and moved on
to whatever comes beyond
no longer need to distance themselves
from anyone, from me.
I find peace with them--the chrysalises
of my friends--Mike, Rachael, and Debby.

I wander amid the tombstones, snapping
photos of them, and the spinning wheels--
the bright spinners are the only movement
in the cemetery and I feel
drawn to the movement of their rainbow
spinning, faster and faster as I approach,
in a show just for me.

I'm allowed to be here. In the sunshine.
In the peace of the cemetery.
And no one disturbs me as I wander
through the final beds
for the shells of those who
are no longer scared of what lies ahead.

I'm not saying it's a flawless book--there are a lot of commas I'm itching to add to these excerpts--but it's a truly beautiful book, full of genuine goodness and kindness. These days, I'll really, really take that.