Heyokah The Trickster

Heyokah

The Trickster

For me, this month of April has been one where Heyokah has come for a visit. Heyokah is the Divine Trickster, so called by the Plains Indians. The Trickster has often come to visit with me and I have, at last, learned to laugh at the lessons. Today I dealt happily with the latest lesson.

I was Artist of the Month for Halcyon Store & Post Office in Arroyo Grande, http://halcyonstore.com/  for the month of April. Lisa, https://plus.google.com/u/0/110594799494645719905 has her jewelry and our tie dye shirts. We had planned on participating in the Mother’s Day Craft Show next month, but Lisa got the opportunity to become Camp Host for Jamala Beach so we no longer could do the show; not a problem. I wrote a letter to the Halcyon Store advising them of the change. I sent it on 4-5-15.

Three weeks later I get this letter back in the mail as undeliverable! My goodness, it was a Post Office! No problem. I went there, bringing the letter and they took me off the sign-up sheet. I assumed, (which is a very silly thing to do because the Trickster often takes advantage of ASSumptions) that the $10.00 check I had given to hold our place in the show would not be cashed.

The check was cashed! Last night I received an email from Chase Bank, my account was overdrawn – I had paid all my bills and very often, I don’t have anything left. (Starving Artist that I am : )

Today I went to Halcyon Store and was graciously given back my $10.00 which I took back to Chase Bank, who graciously removed the charge! Such is the Way of Heyokah! It really was not anything to get upset about, it was a lovely drive and best of all, while waiting at Chase Bank for a representative, I read this weeks Sun newspaper.

In the “Arts Brief” I saw an ad seeking submissions for the Art of Recovery to be held at the Recovery Learning Center at Rancho Hermosa. The exhibit will be free and open to the public May 13th through 16^th, and May 20^th  through 23^rd from 2:00pm to 5:30pm.

A Reception event is May 16^th from 4pm to 7pm. The Center is located @  235 E Inger Drive, Santa Maria.

If I had not gone to Chase Bank; I would never have seen the ad. I could hear the Trickster laughing loudly and I joined in!

Now for some more of “The Journey Within; A Child’s Memoir”

9/10/72 Sunday

Today was the worst day of my life.  We didn't sing in church today, only the adult choir sang.  We all had to sit together in front of grandma in church because mom and dad were singing.  Kathy and Lisa were pushing each other next to me and when I tried to tell them to stop, grandma knocked me on the back of the head with her cane, telling me to be quiet.  It didn't hurt really, but it was real embarrassing cause we were sitting in the front row.  Of course everyone had already seen my black eye and they all really believed I was stupid enough to stick a hanger in it, now everyone saw me get whacked by grandma's cane. And that was just the beginning!  Every Sunday after the last song, I love to rush over and watch Mrs. Mount play the organ.  She's fantastic!  I wish I had talent like that.  It's a huge pipe organ; I think it's the 3rd largest in the whole United States or something like that.  There's all kinds of pedals you have to push with your feet and like 3 or 4 rows of piano keys you have to play with your hands.  Sometimes, not very often, if all of us kids worked real extra hard at choir rehearsal, she would play the Batman theme song.  It was so cool listening to her play that song in church, it sounded great on that pipe organ.  Especially if we're standing up in the balcony!  Anyway, I went over and watched while Mrs. Mount played the recessional hymn like I always do, and then went outside to find my family and watched them drive right by me.  Kathy even stuck her tongue out at me.  I don't understand what I do so wrong that my family hates me so much.  I felt like a huge rock was stuck in my throat and I knew I was going to cry.  I hate crying, it always makes things so much worse.  I ran from the parking lot and took the forbidden short cut through the woods, and I didn't care if I stepped on a nail again or not.  I was already in trouble and I didn't know why; I figure I might as well do something bad.  I stopped myself from crying and tried to cover it up with some dirt.  I knew I had better hurry up and get to grandma's house.  I hated going there every Sunday after church, I mean I love the fresh, hot, hard rolls with real butter from Baldanza's bakery that dad always gets, but I'd rather be home eating it.  As soon as I opened the front door, guess what happened?  Yep, both Kathy and Walter ran to tell my parents I was there.  I got called into the kitchen where all the grownups were sitting, eating and talking.  Grandma looked real mad, but when I looked at Pop, he was smiling and my heart sank down to my sneakers.  I was going to be sent down to the basement to help Pop again and that was the worst punishment anybody could ever get.  Since I knew I had to go, I ran down the steps.  Pop always locked the door real high up where none of us could reach, so there was no escape.  I really hate the black opening that's halfway down the stairs.  It's the crawl space under great grandma's apartment, but it's all dirt. I know Pop buries all the animals he kills there, and it really scares me.  I quickly went in to his workshop and saw a little kitten in a box.  At first he let me play with the little kitten and for just a little while I thought maybe today Pop had a real job for me to do. But when I looked up at Pop, he was rubbing himself and I knew.  Pop smiled at me and quickly grabbed the little kitten from my hands.  The kitten lashed out with its little nails, but it didn't help. Pop made sure I watched as he broke its neck.  Pop threw the dead kitten on his work bench, then he picked me up and put me right next to it.  He made me watch him cut off the kitten's paws and laughed when I started to cry.  Pop grabbed my hand next and put it in the vice on the table.  He told me he was going to cut my hand off if I didn't do whatever he said.  Well, I'm writing with my hand now, so he didn't cut it off, but I hurt so much down there and in my heart.  After he was done with me, he unlocked the door and told me to go on to work at Mrs. Pennsy's house.  I ran up the steps and out the side door, so glad to be free. 

The front of Mrs. Pennsy's house was on Broadway, but the back faces my street so I only have to cross the street to get there.  Today I dusted all her knick knacks and boy does she have a ton of them.  I have to walk real slow or the floor shakes all the glass cabinets holding them.  Then I washed the dishes in the sink.  She has a really neat, huge, double sink, and I actually had a little fun washing the dishes.  It sure beat working for Pop.  Later when I got home, I went right upstairs.  A few minutes later, Karen came into our room and found me crying.  She's such a good sister, she didn't ask me anything, she just gave me a really big hug.  I didn't have to say anything.  We both got up, holding hands and  went outside to try planting the garden again.  Maybe it won't work, but Karen said we must never give up trying to be like Jesus, so we can't stop trying, not ever.

9-30-72  Saturday

Good News!  Pop didn't get Karen last night!  He drank so much he passed out before he could hurt anyone.  Prayers do work if you pray hard enough!  I had a good time at the bowling alley, but there sure are a lot of angry bowlers.  One woman, mom said she always loses her temper, began kicking the ball return when she missed a split.  She broke it and both teams had to move to finish bowling.  Mommy was the secretary of the league so she had to deal with most of these crazy people.  I just tried to stay out of the way and become invisible and watch all the crazy, drunk people.  No one paid any attention to me and I liked that very much.  I watched mom bowl; she is a very good bowler and she never gets mad if she misses a pin.  Dad is funny when he bowls 'cause he'll try all different things, like bowling left handed or rolling it through his legs when he's facing backwards.  Dad likes to bowl, but he's not addicted to it like mom is.  I over heard him say to mom that he was thinking that he might want to quit bowling!  She got a mad look on her face, but I was overjoyed.  If he doesn't go bowling, we don't need a babysitter!  I'm going to pray really hard for that to happen.  I woke Karen up when I got home, first to make sure she was okay and then to tell her what I heard dad say.  She was overjoyed too.  We just hugged each other; so happy to think the worst might be over.  We fell asleep hugging.

10/1/72  Sunday

I really loved church today.  Marc sang a beautiful solo, he has a wonderful voice and he's so cute.  Lisa's always flirting with him, but then she flirts with all the boys.  I feel bad sometimes for Kathy, because her twin picks on her so much.  Well, back to Marc's song, it was called "Joy is like the rain”.  The first verse is:  "I saw raindrops on my window Joy is like the rain.  Laughter runs across my pain slips away and comes again.  Joy is like the rain." 

I like rain.  Me and Karen both think God is crying for us when it rains and it's nice to know that God is sad for us.  Maybe one day, God will save us from Pop!  Maybe. Me and Karen talked about the song, she said she sure understood the pain slipping away and coming back again, but I'm not sure if that's right or not.  But I know all about the pain she's talking about, so maybe she is right. 

Guess what - Rev. Jobe announced in church today that there will be a Halloween party downstairs in the churches basement, complete with a contest for the best costumes, dancing and refreshments!  I gotta talk to Walter 'cause he knows all about make up and costumes and stuff like that.  He says he wants to be a make up artist when he grows up or  maybe a clown, he doesn't know yet.  I want to go as Cornelius from Planet of the Apes but I'll need his help.  I don't want to just put on an  old stupid plastic mask.  Walter's a lot older than me, he's a teenager.  He knows a lot more stuff about makeup than I do.  I'll ask him at dinner when everybody's there, that's the safest way! 

Still 10/1/72 but later

You're not going to believe this, after I asked Walter to help me with my costume, and mom and dad said he had to, he asked if he could make a haunted house in grandma's basement and they said yes!  It's not grandma's basement, it's Pop's Basement!  It's already scary enough.  I don't want to have anything to do with it, but mom and dad said if I wanted his help, I had to give him my help.  Now what am I going to do?!?  

Later still

Karen saved the day!  She volunteered all of us to help Walter, not just me and her, but Kathy and Lisa too!  With everybody helping, Pop can't hurt any of us, at least not while we're making the basement in to a haunted house, he can't.  Now I can get Walter's help and I can help him back without getting hurt!  That works for me, but I'm still gonna be scared, probably.  When we take our bath tonight, I'm going tell Karen that she's the greatest sister there ever was!