Come, summer!
We’re sheltered by a mantle of cool, rustling leaves, enjoying companionship of birds, breeze-tempered sunshine, and good books. It’s a Sunday afternoon reverie with Richard that I’m hoping to create again tomorrow on Memorial Day.
This yard is a perfect spot to relax.
Photographer
I’ve taken on the role of photographer and videographer for the year-end slideshow. This means that I get to focus my lenses on the life of fifth graders.
I’ve observed many things. I am NOT a fan of the new curriculum with evidence-based grading, no great literature or history, endless testing, grouping children only according to their vintage, and classrooms without windows.
I AM a fan of Timothy and his friends who are resilient and kind. I am a fan of teachers who care more than they need to. I am a fan of times like today when they get to spend the day outside. I am a fan of good friends that we wouldn’t have met outside of school.
Time to play
Mark asked to stay after school on the playground and explore the areas that are off-limits to second graders. The day was sunny and the playground was empty. I watched the boys swing and climb and then take off running up the grassy hill. I watched them play on the verdant hill on our lovely mountain frosted with snow, and it looked like we could be in Austria. Mountain air is a blessing. The green of the hills and the intensity of the blue sky make me think that the Creator must love the colors green and blue. We live in a beautiful place.
Three more Wednesdays
Only three more Wednesdays until school gets out. Each Wednesday I don’t have carpool or volunteer responsibilities at the school. It’s a day for “myself” but I usually spend it cleaning the house, and rarely move beyond cleaning to creative projects.
I’m not good at having a day to myself. I feel guilty if I indulge in a day of reading; I don’t enjoy shopping; I have less creativity when I have too much silence. Cleaning and other maintenance work is what gets me though each Wednesday.
The other night I found the list of house projects I was going to accomplish during the school year. I was going to paint the whole house, decorate every room, and landscape the yard. Ha! I sheepishly checked off the handful of projects I had completed and resolved to check off more things in the coming weeks after school gets out.
I work much better when the family is around. They would probably say that it’s because I enlist them to help me. And they would be right, but they might not realize how a house full of my little people enlivens me.
Timothy the Baseball Player
Timothy is a great baseball player. He loves playing catcher, but he’s a good pitcher, too. He’s got a great attitude on the field. He doesn’t get ruffled and grumpy by mistakes like so many boys do at this age. He is happy to play, happy to be on the team, and happy to SMASH that ball when he gets up to the plate.
One of Richard’s best friends from Pine View High in St George is the coach of Timothy’s team. What are the odds of that?
Prom 2014
These are some of the kids from our trip to Escalante; they are in the same Sunday school class and they are delightful people.
We found Paige’s dress in Provo and the girl at the shop told us that it was one-of-a-kind. Paige didn’t love the dress at first, but finding a dress her size was a challenge, as was finding a dress with sleeves. She loved it by the end. I think the blue dress looked lovely on her. I had to do some hemming in the front so she could walk. My sister Susan did her hair.
Most of the parents gathered to take these photos. It was nice to send our daughter with kids we knew and to enjoy the photo shoot with our friends, their parents. One of the parents told me that she thought that this low-pressure, friendly date would probably be more memorable than others they will have. Who knows, but I don’t think you can forget how beautiful those girls look in their dresses and how happy everyone looks.
Happy 8th Birthday, Mark!
Mark was born in the desert 8 years ago and longs to return there. His early and idealized memories include playing in fine, dusty dirt, chasing lizards when they tried to sun themselves on the fence, and catching toads when it rained.
He has always thought of himself as one of the big kids and has followed them everywhere. He’s well-traveled in museums, parks, baseball games, and dance and music performances.
He is my only child who ever wanted to snuggle in my lap.
His birthday wish list included only Legos and a watch. (Easy!)
Remember when he was 4 and wanted to be called “Zoomer-Smasher-Dune Buggy?”
Remember when he was 3 and he wore that sombrero all over Nogales, Mexico?
Little memories of my redhead dash across my thoughts today. Little boy body dressed in a Superman cape, chasing brothers up the street… Little studious boy with his own desk in the corner of the home school room, working on math problems… Little boy jumping around on his base during the baseball game because he can’t hold still… Little boy with a closet full of red shirts…sweet baby in the crib, making a nest of blankets and stuffed animals… little boy driving around the grassy field in his jeep playing hard rock music on the radio… little boy snickering under the covers as he reads Calvin and Hobbes books at bedtime…
I can’t imagine life without our Mark, Markie-boy, Marco Polo.
Flight
Being a parent means that your hopes and thoughts fly along beside your children wherever they go.
Daily departure time wishes, hugs, and prayers are important because they give the kids a glimpse into our hearts. My Evangelical Christian friends use the phrase “covered in prayer” which I think is beautiful, and describes my belief that prayer is a gift from God to bring protection, comfort, and power to His children. So, we send them off each day with our best wishes, covered in prayer.
Some thoughts about writing
What would a blog by Emily Dickinson look like?
Would she be interested in writing a blog? I think so, but I think she would probably post anonymously. She would write because it made her feel better. That’s the way I think it should be.
I think that Emily Dickinson would agree that blogging introduces some different challenges than writing privately. The audience, the pace, and the focus on the present are some of the challenges and blessings of writing a blog.
Challenge #1: The Audience
My audience can influence what and how I write. I know how many people visit the blog each day. This is not a good thing to think about. Numbers aren’t always a good measure of merit. They are a measure of my lack of publicity, my non-trendy voice …. and the number of female siblings that I have.
I know my audience, so I post lots of pictures of the kids. I care about my relationships, so I tread carefully though certain topics. This is a good thing. I have avoided many topics because I have an audience. Authenticity is one of those terms that people present as an ultimate goal. Many people think being authentic means sharing everything that comes into our heads. I think authenticity comes when we have carefully considered our words. If I wrote a negative post about something bad in my life, this would not be authentic to the person I spend most of my time trying to become. If I wrote negative things, it would be a little bit like a celebration of these things. It’s more difficult to root out behaviors and ideas that we celebrate.
So, an audience is both a help and a hindrance, but I’m grateful to have one. It’s more fun to write to someone other than myself.
Challenge #2: The Pace
Now and then I do an experiment and post a link to this blog on Facebook. This produces many visitors, but most don’t come back the next day. The pace of the internet requires something new all of the time and a quick link to get there. That’s just the way it is. I acknowledge it and remind myself that I don’t write to be popular. I write because I want to write.
Recently I saw a comic in a newspaper with two old guys sitting together and one says to the other, “One thing that I have learned from the internet is that there are precious few original ideas.” How true.
How many paintings does one artist really have inside? How many poems did Emily Dickinson leave behind? Would your favorite author be interesting as a blogger?
Challenge #3: The focus on the present
Something in human nature is drawn to the never-ending story, not because it’s great, but because it changes. I have learned to write with an awareness of this and with an understanding that blogs are an incomplete record and measure of a person.
Many blog authors that I read have given up trying to write frequently. Some feel guilty and sad about it. I think it’s good to remember that writing about the present is limiting because we lack perspective when we’re busy living through something. Also, life is repetitive and full of events that aren’t interesting to write about. No one has something amazing to add to the world every day.
On the other hand, writing almost daily has helped me to find my writer’s voice. I have improved in my ability to express my thoughts. When I began, it would take me hours to write a few paragraphs. Now I spend much less time and I use fewer cliches. And I have some company along the way. Thanks for reading.