April 21 - From Zip line to Zip line - Across All Comfort Zones!

Last August my husband Jim and I went to Alaska. While there we did a zipline over the Alaskan rainforest. Heights are not my thing, but out of a sense of pride and adventure, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and go for the gusto! What an adventure!

That's how my life is today - one zipline after another.

Since the publication of my book - "Generation G- Advice for Savvy Grandmothers Who Will Never Go Gray", I have had no idea what to expect from one day to the next. Thus I have decided to enter the world of blogging. I have no idea how this will look or what form it will take - I've just stepped off the platform and am in mid-air racing toward the first station!

Since I have two blogs - I decided that one should be a diary of sorts, the other more of a commentary. This blog won the coin toss and gets to be the diary. So here goes.

Since March 11, 2008, the publication date of my book I have been on a real whirlwind. I feel kind of like a blind man in a large field. The wind is on my face, I hear voices coming out of the dark, I am moving forward but have no idea what is in front of me.

So far, my journey has taken me to Fort Worth, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Dallas, Rockport, and Houston. I will go to Austin and San Antonio in the next two weeks. Lucky for me that I am blessed to have so many generous friends about the state who have offered to have book signings for me. So far they have far exceeded their expectations.

I knew the signings would be fun, but I had no idea how much fun. The best and greatest is that I am seeing and catching up with friends and acquaintenances from high school to college from med school years to airforce. What a blast! And how great to catch up with so many amazing women who are doing so many amazing things. God is good!

I also have been privileged and blessed to meet so many new grandmothers. Women with grandmother names like Grandma purple, CC, Nellie, and Lovey. Each has a story. I am hoping to gather these stories and one day put them down on paper. I am so fascinated by the histories of the women I am meeting. We all are a product of our past - that's what makes us so unique and wonderful.

God has an amazing way of bringing things around full circle. So far I am more than enjoying dotting the i's and crossing the t's. I have also done some radio interviews. Talk about being blind - you sit in the comfort of your home, a telephone glued to your ear. Out of the silence comes a voice. "We are now on the air with Marty Norman author of "Generation G - Advice for Savvy Grandmothers" "Hello, Marty" and we are off! It's all very fast and furious! I have no idea how it's going but I have seen the traffic on my website marynorman.com pick up on those days - so maybe someone is listening. The internet is an amazing thing - out in cyber space - who knows with whom or what one is connecting. But it's all very interesting.

Well here's the end of the first diary entry. I hope to enter a couple of times a week, but we'll see.

Hope you all have a blessed day! I know I am blessed!

What You Did For The Least Of These ...

On the continent it is known as the “warm heart of Africa.” Internationally, it is known as the third poorest nation on earth. In the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, it is known as a companion diocese. To me, it is my family – brothers and sisters - dearly loved, in need of my help.

Malawi, a country poor by material standards, is rich in heart. As a people of generosity, they bless my day and grace my life. Last year this tiny country suffered a famine of biblical proportions. It is estimated that between 4 and 5 million people in Malawi (population 11 million) were in danger of starvation. Yet not much was seen in the press regarding this famine. Thanks to international relief efforts and existing infrastructure, emergency aid was able to save many lives, but so much more could have been done. And Malawi is not alone in its need. This scenario is played out over and over in third world countries.

One can’t help but wonder how such a thing could happen in this day and time. Everyday in America we discard countless amounts of food. We spend thousands on Halloween candy, millions on football tickets, and billions on Christmas presents while people around the world are dying of hunger?

How can this be?

When I reflect on the monumental task of feeding the hungry in Malawi and ministering to other third world countries, I become over-whelmed. After all, what can one grandmother do? Yet, that is the answer – one person, one grandmother - the power of one, the hope of the world. America is a land of abundance, so materially wealthy that most households have a car for every driver. Why then are we not able to transport food and support to these third world countries in their time of need? In a land where there are telephones in every home, cell phones in every hand, how can it be that we did not hear their cries for help? In a country where every household has a TV, why do we not see their pain and suffering?

It is a mystery.

I think the answer lies in sacrificial giving. My relationship began with Malawi ten years ago, when I visited this precious country on a mission trip. There I met a people that totally changed my life. Although they were physically poor, I found them spiritually rich beyond anything I had ever seen. Their hospitality and generosity were and still are unequaled. They taught me about sacrificial giving. I watched time and again as they gave out of their poverty. In every home visited, in every community center observed, our comfort was first. The best and often the only chair, bread, rice, and chicken were shared without question in love and generosity. Their gentleness and simplicity taught me a deeper meaning of humility. They opened their arms, hearts and homes to me. I slept and ate with them, visited in their homes and met their children. I became their friend.

I confess I am aware and ashamed of my excess.

As the wealthiest nation on earth, we are often the most generous. As a people and as individuals, we have poured out upon the victims of 9/11, the tsunami, and Katrina. But we have poured out from our abundance not our poverty. We have supported numerous causes, individually as well as corporately, locally as well as inter-nationally. But to whom much has been given, much is expected. We need to give more – more as individuals, families, grandmothers, more to make the world a better place for the least of these. We need to teach our children and grandchildren to give. We need to learn to give sacrificially.

That's where grandmothers come in.

My goal is to learn how to give sacrificially as I address this need in Malawi and in other parts of Africa. It is not part of my make up, but I can make it so. My hope is that as a grandmother I will exercise the power of one to exhort my family and friends. I am not a well- known voice. I have no platform, no forum or support group. I am only a lone voice crying out to those who have ears to hear, a voice that has the potential to exhort others to act in the power of one.
I pray that from my abundance, I will open my heart and give more. But more than that, I pray that I will begin to give at some cost to myself. It is estimated that $12 will feed a family in Malawi for two weeks. Think what a gift of $120 would do. Perhaps I can give up my weekly latte or cancel a standing lunch date. Maybe canceling the newspaper and sending that money to Africa would help.

There are more nations in Africa than one can count on one hand that exist in extreme poverty. Their ears need to hear our compassion, their eyes need to see our love. Their hearts need to know we care. But even more than that. We need to know we care. Only if we give at some cost to ourselves will we truly experience a generous heart.

Can we not do for the least of these? I think not only we can, but we can do so exceedingly abundantly. In this Christmas season, a time when the ultimate gift was made manifest, it would suit us well to determine how we each can give more to the least of these. Whether it be Malawi, our neighborhoods, cities, nation or world, surely there is “one more” that stirs our hearts to compassion.

Malawi is that for me. I would wish that it were for you. If not, I challenge each of us to search our hearts and identify that which is ours, that one sacrifice that we are willing to make for the least of these. In every community there are people without hope. My prayer is that this year, as individuals, wives, mothers and grandmothers, we will give generously, sacrificially as a thank offering for our own blessings. May we give generously and then go a step beyond. May we as grandmothers go the extra mile and give sacrificially to those whom God has placed in our path. May we model and teach our grandchildren to do the same. This year I am exploring new ways that I might give to Malawi and others that might be a sacrifice to me, and I am encouraging my family to do the same.

What better way to demonstrate love than to offer hope to a world in crisis. What better way to grow a nation of sacrificial givers than to demonstrate the spirit of Christmas by sacrificially giving to the least of these….

Over 60 And Loving It

Who said that aging is a bad thing?

Isn't the cheese that has been aged the best one? Don’t we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the aged wines? Doesn't wisdom come with age?

Most definitely, aging has its benefits. The problem is that the world doesn't recognize that wisdom comes with years.

It's up to those of us in the know to tell them. It's up to us to show them.

I can say with certainty that the sixty-year-olds I know are pretty hip. Most are computer literate, email on a regular basis, have palm pilots and listen to ipods. Many are going back to school, learning foreign languages, and getting new degrees. Many still work out or at least walk and exercise on a regular basis. Some still ski, hike, ride bikes, dance regularly and are basically in really good shape. Most of us have a vocabulary that would rival a grad student, common sense that brings sanity to confusion, and a living knowledge of history that needs to be told.

So what's the big deal? Why does aging have such a bad conotation?

It is because they just don't know. If they did - they would all want to be where we are.

Look what we know. Look what we have experienced.

There is not enough money in the world to make me go back. I love where I am now. I have two great sons, two amazing daughters-in-law, four unbelievable grandchildren. My life is full. I work part time and get to pick and choose my social activities. I don't do luncheons or big meetings. I just get to spend quality time with family and friends, doing what I love most, contributing in ways that were not possible before. What could be better than that?

One of the best kept secrets of turning 60 is the fact that we carry a plethora of life, joy, laughter, and experience in our containers. There is no greater gift to leave our families than to pour ourselves out upon them, breathing life, giving hope, offering encouragement, being there for them through thick and thin.

It's time for the silver generation to stand tall. To speak up and make a difference. To be seen and heard. With the baby boomers coming of age, our numbers are increasing. We are a formidable force. Let's stand up and be counted. There are so many positive ways we can leave a mark on this world.

In this blog, I will address issues and challenges common to most 60-year-olds. My goal is to encourage those of us who are approaching 60 to hold our heads high. To challenge us to think abou where and how we can impact the world.

We need to quit buying into the aging mentality and be proud of where we are in life. It is vital that we find ways to mentor our children and grandchildren, identify our passion and perfect it. It is time to build on our faith and pass it on, preparing a legacy that we can share down to the fourth generation.

The challenge is for each of us to accept who we are an embrace it.

The sixties generation is on the move. I say bring it on.