INTELLIGENCE FILTERED THROUGH THE HEART IS WISDOM

A few years ago as I was driving through Illinois, I spotted an unusual bumper sticker that I’d never seen before.  I was intrigued by it and wrote it down in my little Dr. Seuss notebook—INTELLIGENCE FILTERED THROUGH THE HEART IS WISDOM.  Along with that bumper sticker wisdom, I wrote a story right next to it about an extraordinary lady named Doris who embodied that message.  She was our next door neighbor in Minneapolis for nearly ten years and my friend for many years beyond.  It was a sad day when she was no longer a part of my life.  Here are some thoughts I included shortly after her death:

The little cardinal perched itself on a nearby ledge outside my ground level apartment in New Hope, Minnesota.  It looked right at me for the longest time and then started to sing.  I knew Doris, the cookie-lady and bird-lover was nearby.  I just knew it! 

my special friends Doris and Wilbur

I remember the first day that I met Doris, having moved in next door to her and her gentle, kind husband Wilbur.  That day though I was a little nervous about how we’d get along.  One of the first things she said after she introduced herself was, “I’ll get along with your dog as long as she leaves my birds alone.” My mother remembered it well too and we laughed about it for years.  Ulli, our gentle basset hound-cocker spaniel mixture won her over quickly though, and Doris would often say, “Oh Ulli, she was a good dog.”

Years later when I visited Doris in an assisted living home, we had good talks, and even at 90, she seemed “forever young.”  She was the lady with the indomitable spirit—gracious, kind, and caring beyond measure, as well as having a wonderful sense of humor.  She was truly my idol, and I loved her dearly.  She came from another generation, but she embodied “the goodness of life,” treating all of life, (people, animals, and nature) with immense respect. Often she would invite our young son Kai over to sit at her kitchen table and enjoy juice and cookies while watching the cardinals, her favorite birds. Many times she would take care of Kai while I made short trips to deliver food to elderly folks who couldn’t get out. Doris laughed at life and soaked it up at the same time. She had an especially good laugh when Kai came over to her house one morning. He told Doris and her sister, who had brought her poodle along, that “my mom doesn’t like poodles ‘cause they sneak up on you.”  Oh, the embarrassment upon hearing that re-telling.

I often felt the spiritual side of life just being around Doris.  She inspired me by her insatiable curiosity about everyone and everything and her amazing ability to really “tune in.”  She was also a woman who had immense compassion and tenderness. 

My tears at her memorial service represented great sadness, but also overflowing joy at having been a part of her life.  The bumper sticker which declared, “Intelligence filtered through the heart is wisdom,” was made for Doris.  She was a woman of limited education, but immense wisdom.  She had many heart connections and she touched people everywhere with her gracious and gentle spirit.  I miss her greatly, but whenever I hear a cardinal, I know that she’s nearby.