As I post, I'm watching a squirrel carry leaves up the birch to construct a winter shelter. While squirrels are not my favorite critters, signs of seasonal changes comfort me. This past Wednesday was a reentry day and so I'm posting today.
I am thinking about Jane Hirshfield and her poetry. Lately, I bookend my days with her poems. In the morning I read from a large collection, The Asking and in the evening I read from The Beauty. In an "On Being" interview, Hirshfield stated she continually asks questions of herself and the world. Her way of looking at the world makes me stop and think. After listening again to the interview, I hear her voice in my head. I wish I could hear her read more extensively. The subtle inflections of words spoken by the poet make for a rich experience.
I am grateful for my visit to Connecticut. Both traveling days were uneventful. I spent four glorious, ordinary days with Kate and her family. The weather was gorgeous. Kate and I walked the three younger ones to and from school. The mornings they were in school, my daughter and I walked trails along the Mianus River and Long Island Sound.
I bought her a coffee, hung out at home, attended Trunk or Treat on Saturday and church on Sunday. Patrick was in charge of the event so he didn't make it into many photos but he was the perfect 1950's Dad in a white shirt with a pocket protector/pens and black pants. The days filled my heart.
Back to the Future costumes |
I am inspired by Kamala Harris and her campaign. However this election turns out, she has made a difference in our world and inspired a new generation of women. Once a long time ago, I listened to a keynote address by a nationally known early childhood educator. I can't remember her name but I do remember one of her remarks. "Somewhere a future president of the US attends preschool and she could be sitting in your classroom tomorrow."
As for fun, nothing beats an October day playing in the leaves with kids. Norah and I made some leaf rubbings with crayons. I helped Micah and Norah gather leaves into a pile. They wore shorts, I had on long pants and a sweatshirt. Go figure. In their joy, I see hope.
You've written a delightful post that gives me hope, whatever the election results. There will still be laundry to do and dinner to cook, and hearing about poetry and the magic of ordinary days helps to put it all in perspective. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI love the leaf pile jump! We have done that in the past but this year our leaves are very wet. I love reading your thoughts and I am all here for those ordinary days.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane. So glad that you had a nice visit with your daughter and her family. Like you, I am also inspired by Kamala and pray that she will win the election. However things turn out, we must never give up hope of a better tomorrow. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteJumping in leaves is simply joyful! I queued up that On Being episode to listen again (gosh, 2021 seems like forever ago). We have just four weeks of Ordinary Time left, and I'm savoring every bit of it. So glad you had such a wonderful visit to CT. Happy Weekend!
ReplyDeleteThere's so much joy in this post! Sounds like it was a great visit, and I just love the Halloween costumes (did they know they'd get to pose in front of a Delorean?!). I love the energy and hope that are coming from the Harris campaign, and I do certainly hope she wins. I hope we see many more girls and women inspired to run for office in the years ahead.
ReplyDeleteYour visit sounds so wonderful..."the magic of ordinary days". Love the pictures of your family...they all look so happy. I bet they loved having you there to visit. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteI love that Jane Hirshfield is on your mind as well these days. I just listened to a beautiful conversations between Jane and Emanuel Vaughn-Lee on the Emergence Magazine podcast. She is one of the most calming forces I have ever listened to! You are in that "calming force" group as well because this post is working its magic! Welcome home!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you were with family and had a good time AND had uneventful traveling, what could be better!!!
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