Blog Archives

George Eliot Country Journal

2/26/2014

John Burton of The George Eliot Fellowship and Freda Chaney at the George Eliot statue in Nuneaton Square, February 2013.

"One year ago today, my husband and I were in the midst of our Eliot country tour. Today I read my journal to refresh my mind of the details of our trip. We had a long and taxing journey from the US via Canada to London. The winter weather was frightful! At Heathrow, we learned our luggage had gone missing. Even so, we quickly bused our way north to Coventry and then taxied down to Nuneaton to stay at The Griff House (Premier Inns). We dropped into bed in the wee hours of the morning. After a few hours of rest, I went to breakfast alone because Norm was desperately ill. I took his breakfast to the room. He managed the tea. I called a taxi and whisked him off to George Eliot Hospital. You heard that right! We'd come there to find George Eliot, and landed in the emergency room at George Eliot Hospital on our first full day in Nuneaton! We stayed at the Griff House for three days. Our luggage arrived on the third day of our stay.

While my husband took his antibiotics and recuperated, we toured the Griff House, and then sniffed around Nuneaton and Coventry with John and Lynda Burton of The George Eliot Fellowship. This was not particularly easy with my broken big toe forced into oversize riding boots to accommodate the bulky bandage. A folding cane was stowed in my purse just in case. Wearing double socks made the boots a bit more snug so they wouldn't slide off. I clip-clopped around the Midlands, daring the toe to stop me!

Following our whirlwind tour, John Burton was kind enough to drive us all the way to Stratford to spare us the cost of a taxi. Norm and I had grown fond of John's company and his indefatigable spirit, so we were happy to accept his offer. It seemed appropriate to wave him off in a back alley of Shakespeare country. You see, John works behind the scenes to elevate Eliot, and is a kind friend to anyone who wants to learn about her and her work. Even Shakespeare seemed somehow diminished after having spent time among ordinary, extraordinary, living heroes of Eliot country!" ~ Freda M. Chaney, KARMA ROAD

0 Comments

Karmic Dreams

2/24/2014

0 Comments

KARMA ROAD book cover, 2014 by Freda M. Chaney

"Sleep is the great restorer of body, mind, and spirit. We can't begin to know the extent our dreams play on our individual lives. But can dreams help us sort out our karma?

Yesterday, I took a long nap after working on book edits. I dreamed I met a thin woman who was to instruct a class I was attending. She was in an outer room. Inside the classroom, a man walked to where I had seated myself. He handed me 2 pieces of shaped glass. I raised them to my eye level and looked through them. They appeared to be very old glass, no specific coloring, but a bit cloudy. I assumed they were vintage paperweights. On further inspection, I noticed that there were printed words inside the glass.

I passed the glass shapes to my left where another man who obviously knew me was sitting. He had a look, and then passed them back to me. 'Did you see your namesake in there, Freda?' he asked. I lifted the odd glass pieces to my eye level again, and saw the name 'Eliot' along with many other words! As I lowered the paperweights, I discovered that there was a third one on the table that I had not yet seen. It had a very curious shape like a petite woman's dress form. I rolled the three pieces around in my hand. Suddenly our dog, Rocky, stood barking at me as though he sensed something, and I awoke from the dream. I remembered every detail.

What strikes me about this dream: the woman in the outer room who will instruct us, the two men who seem to guide me in the process of discovering that my namesake is attached to the two paperweights, the words inside the paperweights, and the fact that a third oddly-shaped one appears out of nowhere, and bears a similar shape to the woman who is in the outer room waiting to instruct the class. I can only sit in the classroom of life and learn what it all means, and perhaps in the process, my own karmic direction will become clear as glass. " ~ Freda M. Chaney, KARMA ROAD

0 Comments

Talking Heads?

2/8/2014

0 Comments

"Talking heads? We spend so much time each day listening to others talk, watching their texted 'speak' on social sites, hearing the 'baaahhd' news from around the globe each evening, and the chiming in of children in the background. But are we really communicating? How important is it for one's voice to be heard? How much does the content matter? I, for one, guard the content selfishly. I will not become a rubber stamp version of talking heads. No, I am the sheep that went astray and sat in the quiet of a meadow, hearing only from a safe distance the 'baaaahhd' news about how I'd gone wild.

George Eliot tucked herself away and begged-off on visits from family and friends bringing the 'baaahhd' news. Her writing reflects reality, but the reality is that there is good news, and that people can evolve-can change over time. I am much like George E. in that way."
~ Freda M. Chaney

0 Comments