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I Can Dance & I Can Play Written and Illustrated by Betsy Snyder Chronicle Books       9/01/2015 978-1-4521-2929-7 and 978-1-4521-2905-1 14 pages     7” X 7”     Age infant—2 “Readers make dancers disco, tap, or pirouette and athletes splash, sprint, or score just by wiggling their fingers. But wait! There’s even more …

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You may ask me, what has dancing got to do with funeral?  I will tell you that when you go to the funeral of your old dancing instructor you can think of almost nothing else. Such was the case with the service I went to this week.  It was for my dear Ethel Friel Barker.

It all began when I was in about third grade.  My older sister was taking dance and gymnastics and so I wanted to too!  My younger sister followed along after.  Each week we would tromp down her stairs in our leotards, set our dollar on her piano and begin our lesson.

Bring on the tap shoes!  What fun we had learning those dances.  The costumes came next.  Many times they were made by our mothers.  I remember the rumba costume the most.  The top was all gold sequins sewn on to satin.  The bottom was an open skirt that showed off your dancing legs!  haha!… a pair of green satin shorts underneath..and nothing skimpy!…then there were the ruffles of satin colors on the trailing skirt. I remember Ethel teaching us all how to shimmy.  We all laughed!

Each year Ethel would travel to New York to Dance Caravan.  She would learn all the dances and come back and teach them to all her students.  She had students of all ages from the tiniest little ones to the high school kids.  I remember two boys who learned a Russian dance.  Their dance number was mixed with gymnastic moves.

Besides the lessons,  Ethel would arrange for us to have shows.. at no extra cost to us. We traveled to girls homes, boys homes, a home for the mentally challenged.. and then even some Christmas shows for the American Legion.  As shy as we were, it helped us to learn how to be in front of people.  We learned about different people and the situations they live in.

When we got to high school, Ethel helped us with our gymnastic routines.  She rented out the Grange Hall, lugged all her black mats over and we tumbled and practiced for our meets.  All for that same one dollar bill on her piano.

Our lessons continued through high school and we occasionally went to see her for a class… just for fun.  My last class was when I was pregnant with my first daughter.  I remember going slow… I did a limber over… and then felt my daughter kick! That was the end of that!  ha!

Many friends gathered for the memorial service.  My sisters sat next to me and three other friends, all in the same row.  When the minister asked us to read something, I watched as ALL of us dug into our purses for our glasses.  Ethel would have laughed at that sight!  We all laughed and cried.

When the service was over and we sat at our tables for a small lunch, we talked and talked about our dances, our costumes and Ethel.  Before everyone left, we spread the word through out the room that anyone who wanted to, could participate in the performance of the Waltz Clog!  This was the dance that Ethel taught every student. ( My sisters and I do it periodically, even now for fun).

The people gathered… most dressed in black and white.  We almost looked like we were in costume.  .. and then we began.  We sang the tune as we stumbled though the dance moves laughing!  Our last steps were always … just as Ethel taught us,  ”step cut the pie” with our feet.

What a wonderful remembrance. What a wonderful person she was!  We will always celebrate Ethel!

This brings me to this thought.  I have been thinking about it a lot in the last few weeks since I know four people who have died recently. There are many people who live life helping others. It’s such a wonderful thing.  They give and give and give until it’s time for heaven. Their memorial services are happy sad, but often joy filled.  Others take and take and take until their last day. Those services are sad. … almost tragic.

I prefer happy! I like the thought of people dancing at my funeral. .. and singing loud!

Here are three pictures of our Ethel!  She lives on in our hearts always!

Filed under: Inspiring, Kicking Around Thoughts

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Gabrielle Douglas
Raising the Bar

Monday May 06, 2013 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
The Americana at Brand
210 Americana Way
Glendale, CA 91210
event page | purchase from bn.com

Special Instructions
This will be a wristbanded event. Wristbands will be distributed with purchase of Raising the Bar starting on May 6 at 9:00 am. She will not be signing any other memorabilia.

About the author

Gabrielle Douglas is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she made history, becoming the first US gymnast to take home a team and an individual gold medal in the same Olympics. 

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So I don't know if you know this about me, but I love gymnastics. I don't follow it as closely nowadays (the drama gets to me--ick, drama!) as I used to when I was 12 and still trying to do cartwheels in the back yard. However, I still admire and aspire to the kind of discipline and dedication that gymnasts  (like my cousin Tash, who is a member of the cheer team Team Pilipinas Coed) need to keep their minds and bodies in shape.

I'll be giving away a signed copy of Gabby's book to a lucky winner in the US or Canada. Good luck!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My father turned the very big nine-0 yesterday so I’ve been in South Texas spending time with him and other family members. So far it’s primarily just been a time of enjoying hanging out together. Today I had my first opportunity to watch my niece (who lives in Pennsylvania and came down to see her [...]

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Okay, I've been getting veerry little done because...I've been watching non-stop Olympic coverage! Swimming! Beach volleyball! Gymnastics! Rowing! :)

Okay, everything. I watch the morning coverage while I work and then I'm watching from eight to midnight to catch the primetime coverage.

I'm cheering on Michael Phelps as he continues to rack up wins. The dude is a force of nature. Seriously.

I was sad that our female gymnasts got second to China, but China's team did SO well. It seemed that after Alicia Sacramone fell off the beam--the team just fell apart. Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin both stepped out of bounds on the floor exercise. That gave China enough room to squeak by for the gold. At least there's still a chance for individual medals later in the week.

I'm waiting for the equestrian events, since I haven't seen any of those yet.

When I'm not watching, I'm reading. I picked up Savvy by Ingrid Law and Family Affairs (Secrets of My Hollywood Life) by Jen Calonita. I've also got A Horse of Her Own by Class of 2k8 member Annie Wedekind. Can't wait to read them!

Anyone else watching the Olympics?

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Yep, I got it.

The cure?

Hours of swimming, diving, gymnastics, beach volleyball, track and field, basketball, soccer. Heck! I even got engrossed in a badminton match! (Is that what it’s called? A match?)

I love the Olympics! Always have. Guess I come by it naturally since my dad was such a fan.

If the opening ceremonies are any indication, these Olympics should be among the best. I’ve heard many commentators say that they don’t expect to ever see another live display to equal what was witnessed last Friday night in Beijing. It was pretty darn good on TV, too!

The swimming competition has been phenomenal! I sure enjoyed the U.S. “crushing” the French swimmers in the 4 X 100 men’s relay! And, how about Cullen Jones!

(From the official Olympic website) When Jones was five years old, his parents took him to a water park. Before he went down a big slide on an inner tube, his dad made him promise not to let go of the tube, no matter what. When he got to the bottom, the tube flipped over, leaving him trapped underwater but clinging to the tube. Jones actually lost consciousness before his father spotted him and pulled him out of the water. Lifeguards performed CPR, and Jones coughed up a pint of water before taking his first breath. But Jones had no idea at the time that his life had been in danger -- he immediately asked his parents what the next ride was.

We should be so grateful that this talented swimmer didn’t develop a fear of water. A good lesson for us all. Too many times, we let fear paralyze us. One bad experience and it’s our excuse to avoid getting into a particular situation for the rest of our lives. Not Cullen Jones. He got right back on the horse...er, into the water!

Got me thinking that, just because my brother used to stuff me in a footstool and sit on the lid is no excuse to avoid elevators and closed spaces! Right? Right??

Sorry. Will finish this later. Gotta go open a window!

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Talking about figure skating has got me thinking about the upcoming Beijing Olympics in August. I still can't believe that it was four years ago that I watched Carly Patterson win the gold in Athens. I remember wishing at the time that my book was published. I thought the Olympic tie-in would be very timely. Four years later, I'm still thinking the same thing.
It used to be that television was the best place to watch gymnastics, but today, it seems like the computer is. I watched the entire World Gymnastic Championships via my home computer last Fall. It was fantastic not only seeing gold medalist Shawn Johnson win the title but lesser known gymnasts as well. I watched the competition relatively unedited. Always a beef when watching the Olympics.
I've been watching Olympic gymnastics since 1976. And no, it wasn't Nadia that I connected with but Karen Kelsall from Canada. She was just 13 when she competed in Montreal. The age requirements have changed significantly since then. Now gymnasts (and figure skaters) have to turn 16 in the year of the Olympics.
I don't remember much of Karen's routines, but I do remember what she looked like the moment she began her bar routine. She was running around, adjusting the mats, talking with her coach and generally looking like it was just another training day and not the all-around finals at the Olympics.
She seemed to be having so much fun.
I wanted to have that much fun, too. So, the next day, I retrieved a fairly large 2" x 6" from the wood pile, placed it between two sawhorses and began my life long love of gymnastic.
I've been a huge fan ever since and every four years, I find myself glued to the television watching great Olympic moments.
Best moment ever? 1992 Barcelona Olympics. All-Around finals. Shannon Miller's fabulous 9.975 vault securing the silver medal in the closest second place finished in Olympic history. I literally jumped from my chair when she stuck her landing. I loved her. She embodied great gymnastics. Dedication. Grace. Style. Power. technique. Hitting it when it counts.
Such a great sport.

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Stuart P. Green, author of Lying, Cheating, and Stealing: A Moral Theory of White-Collar Crime, is the Louis B. Porterie Professor of Law at Louisiana State University. His book navigates the ambiguity of white-collar crimes by examining the underlying moral fabric and illuminating what conduct is worthy of punishment by criminal sanction. Below Green looks at the case of Lord John Brown.

Earlier this month, Lord John Browne, once hailed as the “Sun King of the oil industry,” resigned from his post as CEO of British Petroleum amid allegations that he had lied to a court about his sexual relationship with another man. The 58-year-old Browne, who is viewed as one of the most accomplished business executives of his generation, had brought an invasion-of-privacy suit seeking to enjoin the Mail on Sunday tabloid newspaper from publishing reports about his four-year relationship with 27-year-old Jeff Chevalier. (more…)

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