Monthly Archives: April 2013

ASL Walk banner

Walk for ASL

Next week I’ll be joining around 20-people to walk from San Francisco to Los Angeles over the course of 30-days.

Why are we doing this?

To raise awareness of American Sign Language and how vital it is to our shared culture.

But Sj, you’re not deaf; why are YOU doing it?

Because I want to. I love language and have always wanted to learn ASL; I even took classes with my dad when I was in high school.

But the real reason? My heart practically leapt out of my chest when I learned about the walk last Fall. My new friend Sharon and I were exploring a few Kaua‘i hikes when I caught the bug, the ASL bug. Be careful, you might catch it too. : )

SJ w_Sharon hike

Sj and Sharon are both walking from SF to LA.

I’ll post when I can; we’ll be in remote areas and most probably will have limited access to electricity and wi-fi.

It’s going to be an amazing experience. I know a l i t t l e sign (yes, I know how to sign “little” : ), but only a little. I’m literally jumping off the cliff of communication and will be flying with my wings of love, hope, and optimism. Yes, I have 3 wings. Only 2 just doesn’t cut it.

Drop me notes when you get a chance. I’d love to hear your stories of deaf friends or family who you adore. Yes, I only want to hear about people you adore. : ) I want to hear your passion . . . no, not the sexual kind, but the kind that pulls at your heart strings. The kind that makes you smile when you’re alone. Hmm, I can hear the chimes already.

Toodle-oo for now!

-Sj

Susan Jane's Journey

Susan Jane’s Journey is morphing into sjlehoven.com land . . .

Sj's Journey photo with DadIn the way that one thing evolves into another, I’m not renewing my url for Susan Jane’s Journey but rather merging it into my new website and blog glob.

She was a good friend as I traveled to Asia and Europe in 2011 and 12. : ) Good times were certainly had by all.

The journey’s continuing, but now as Sj’s this and that. I see it as a culling down into the essentials. The essentials of who I am, Sj. And also, when you see the site, you’ll see that it has all that I am, as in all of my names. The personal tags that tell the world who I am.

But does that really say who I am? No, those are just labels. To find out who I am, and who everyone else is, we need to read between the lines. See the unsaid. Listen to the unshown. That’s where all the tasty nibbles lie, in the silence.

Like a good friend of mine said last week, silence can be very, very loud. Shrill even. Or peaceful. It’s as varied as we all are.

I invite you to join me on the journey. Or not. I’m going regardless. I enjoy the surprise of seeing what I bump into along the way. I especially like the bumps which turn into giggles and smiles. Even that bump in Railay, where I stubbed my toe, brought an unexpected surprise — one of my favorite days during that trip.

So, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!

Green owl with jewels

Testing the waters . . .

“Hi There,” said Who. “Where are you?”

“Over Here,” replied There.

“Help me!” cried Here.

“I’m right behind you, Here, ” said Someone. “I’ll be happy to pick you up and take you home.”

“Can you meet me, There?” asked Who.

“Sure,” said There. “Let’s just wait over Here until Someone comes for him.”