Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Fierce winds do not blow all morning;
A downpour of rain does not last the day.
~ Tao Te Ching, 23rd Verse

The kitties have the right idea on a rainy Wednesday. Sleep. 





What else is there to do when the meadow is quiet due to the flood? 


In the storm of the night I went out to check on Hobo in the lightening and thunder, most displeased with the conditions. He was trying to make himself comfortable by curling up on top of a towel I’d placed on the trunk. He still refuses to go into the little house, defiled as it is by racoons sniffing it. As I stepped outside, I heard the pathetic mewing of a fawn, calling to his mother in the storm.This morning I saw a deer swimming across the flooded meadow. I wonder if the fawn was rescued by his mother in the night. 







I am moving in slow gear myself today. I could take a nap except for all the tasks that call to be done.

Nature and life teach us that nothing lasts forever. Be patient and the storm will pass. The waters will recede. 


The sun will shine again soon. 

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Wake Up, Explore, Repeat


One must ask children and birds 
how cherries and strawberries taste.
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


My first year as a preschool teacher/director has come to a close. What an amazing adventuer I’ve had with these three to four year olds. The entire experience is so different than teaching in the inner city for so many years. Each day with them has been a blessing. Truely, this is what teaching is really all about. The excitement of learning, maybe not following a lesson plan because they needed to find out about something new. It didn’t matter what I, a simple adult, had planned. There were more important things to discover!




The last day of school was spent on a field trip to a local zoo. It brought back so many memories of having been at the same zoo with Derrick on school field trips or family excursions. Families came with us to drive, enjoy in the fun, and celebrate their children’s growth. We enjoyed lunch together in the shade. It was a perfect day.




At one point, I was with two of the boys and their families in a jungle camp. They were truly scientists in an exotic setting. They showed me lizards, snakes, and were fascinated by the skeleton of an elephant. A father shared a fascinating fact about the iguana. I was standing close by, observing, as I often do with the children. The father turned away, talking to one of the other adults in the group. But the boys weren’t done learning yet. One asked the other a question, who honestly answered, “I don’t know. Read about it here to find out!” 


This nearly answered the question I’d been asking myself about this year. Did I teach them enough? The right things? I’ll continue to reflect on that. But I do know with certainty that they have the thirst for knowledge. And more importantly, they know how they will go about finding their answers. 





I am blessed to have such meaningful work.

Winter Birch

Winter Birch

Books Recently Read

  • Grace (Eventually) Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
  • Think Like a Freak by Steven Levitt
  • Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
  • The Red Tent by Anita Diamond
  • The Dinner by Herman Koch
  • The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • The Lake House by Karen Morton
  • Memories of Heaven by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
  • The Whip by Karen Kondazian
  • Purity by Jonathan Franzen
  • The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
  • The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
  • The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
  • The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
  • The Rosie Effect by Graeme Samson
  • The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
  • My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
  • Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
  • Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
  • I Can See Clearly Now by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
  • The Best Part of the Day by Sara Ban Breathnach
  • Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
  • The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
  • Chanel Bonfire by Wendy Lawless
  • The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
  • Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
  • Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
  • Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris
  • Five Quarters of the the Orange by Joanne Harris
  • Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris
  • The Girl With No Shadow by Joanne Harris
  • Chocolat by Joanne Harris
  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - A Novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
  • There Are No Accidents by Robert Hopcke
  • You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay
  • We Thought You Would Be Prettier by Laurie Notaro
  • The Vein of Gold by Julia Cameron
  • Room by Emma Donoghue
  • House at Riverton by Kate Morton
  • Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
  • The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
  • Peace and Plenty by Sarah Ban Breathnach
  • The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
  • On a Day Like This by Peter Stamm
  • Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
  • Brida by Paulo Coelho
  • A Stopover in Venice by Kathryn Walker
  • Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho

Cats don't belong to people. They belong to places. - Wright Morris
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