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Celebrating our own timelines and “my-ness” moments

Hello Friends,

The crocus. The daffodil. You can never hold back spring. I always loved Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “The earth laughs in flowers.” Even in a pandemic, the world blossoms and with it, a renewed hope and optimism. One of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver, always comes to mind when winter thaws and the spring birds return. The red-winged blackbird. The robin. Mary Oliver once wrote out her simple instructions for life: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”  I hope each of you has a spring break that allows you to pay attention and be astonished. I can’t wait to hear about it when we return.

This week, our (6-9) community has been sharing timelines of their lives with their peers in class. Pictures pasted on poster boards with dates and descriptions.

  • “I was born on March 3, 2013.”
  • “This is a picture of my baby sister.”
  • “This was the first time I saw the ocean.”
  • “My first fish.”
  • “My family on a ferris wheel.”
  • “A broken arm.”

These glimpses of the first 6-9 years of their lives were on display throughout the week. I looked at each of them like little novellas. They drew attention to the preciousness of tiny moments. Polish-American poet, Czeslaw Milosz got close to what I was feeling when he wrote:

My-ness
My parents, my husband, my brother, my sister.”
Having breakfast in the cafeteria, I listen.
Women’s voices rustle and fulfill themselves
In a ritual we clearly need.
Out of the corner of my eye I watch their moving lips
And feel such sweetness, being here on earth,
One more moment, together, here on earth,
To celebrate our little my-ness.
 

Have an amazing week together, and don’t forget to celebrate your own “little my-ness.”

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