Final Friday; A Tribute to Molly Ivins

Four years ago a handful of us in Sonoma County were fortunate to spend the weekend with Molly Ivins. The occasion was the First Annual Sonoma County Breast Cancer Symposium, where Molly was the event’s evening inspirational speaker and fundraiser.  Molly arrived a day early where host Jean

Arnold Sessions re-created a Final Friday salon in Molly’s honor.  Back in Austin, Final Fridays were Molly’s signature events.  Held the last Friday of each month, Molly turned her home into one big performance art stage.  Storyteller, poets, authors, actors, singers had their 15 minutes of fame, not to mention the proverbial political rants and raves, along with her shenanigans that fueled Final Fridays.

Now as our guest, Jean threw a Final Friday Sonoma style for Molly—a wine-soaked, foodie event, full of laughter lasting until the wee small hours—one of those nights you will remember your entire life through and through.  A night you bond with people you’ve never met by divulging secrets and stories (some of us are still keeping a secret or two about the evening) – something oddly personal, yet oddly familiar was told to everyone in the room.  I had the feeling though, that Molly had many of these evenings during her life.  She created them.  She was a master storyteller who made memories.  She had the uncanny ability to make you feel so very welcomed in her world, wherever her world was.  Even the most reserved souls found themselves opening up around Molly.  (I remember her cautioning me, “Always watch out for the quiet ones they usually have the most interesting things to say”)

By sharing herself, her deeply personal self, she took you in and out you came ready to commit to the connection, the conversation, and share.  Molly wanted to know about you and about everything really.  In the true spirit of a Final Fridayshe was able to get us all to listen and get us all to talk while we sat around the dining table that evening.  She kept it human.

Just before dessert she said asked, with her long Texan drawl “Do y’all mind if I take this damn thing off?”  Pointing to her wig we said, Of course not,” and within seconds Molly plopped the wig on the dining table.  “Now that’s better, this thing has been bothering me all day!” she smiled.  Even during her battle with breast cancer she made us all smile.

The next evening at the benefit event she began her speech with a hilarious take on attempting to find a prosthetic breast, la grande mama, while in Paris.  Due to a luggage delay and a fancy dinner later that evening her quest began.  She cracked us all up with what they French thought she was asking for—and our laughter did not stop there.

You might want to host a Final Friday in Molly’ s honor, a playful salon were voices can be heard, stories told, where laughter reigns as the best medicine.  Make a memory and bless Ms. Ivins.

Thank you Molly for the great memories, for your courage, your playful high-jinks, and for making us all laugh. . . .  and George W thought you were trouble while alive, won’t it be fun to see what mischief Molly inspires from the other side????????