Storytelling Sunday - February

When i was growing up, my family had a tradition of each member giving a handmade gift, as well as a storebought gift, to everyone at Christmas.  The handmade gifts were always the most anticipated and we opened them first on Christmas morning.  One year my sister gave me this "bank" - she must have been in about second grade (7 or 8 years old.)  She decorated a jar with some glitter, gift wrap cut-outs, and Mod Podge.  I have kept this jar in my underwear drawer with emergency cash in it ever since, which is about forty years!  It is a treasured possesion that I know I will keep forever.

Sian, who is a gifted storyteller and a sweet, creative soul, has a series titled "Storytelling Sunday" on the first Sunday of each month.  Please visit her blog to read about other treasured items and the story (there's always a story!) behind them.  I am off to read about other precious picks right now!

Here - a word list poem

 

 

Here

 

clear skies, white covered mountains, frozen glitter in the air

 

Here

 

snowpacked trails, mittened fingers, the smell of woodsmoke

 

Here

 

a setting sun, alpenglow in shades of pink, the sound of waves

 

Here

 

eagles swooping over water, cold cheeks, the far-off whistle of a train

 

Here

 

the first twinkling lights across the water, nightfall, the promise of a rising moon

 

Here

 

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Liz Lamoreux suggested this prompt in one of her lovely newsletters so I just had to try it myself.  She is a nurturing soul with so much goodness to offer - I always get something valuable from her posts.  Please visit her (if you haven't already) and take a moment to write down your own "Here" poem of where you are in life right now.

Ten Years Later

Ten years ago today my mom died as a result of breast cancer.

Ten years.  Sometimes it seems like so much longer that my family has been without her.  Some days I have an urge to call her up with news to share before I remember that I can't.  Ten years expands and contracts and remains the same on any given day.

Last month, I made this portrait of my mom through Bank of America's Everyday Portrait fundraiser.  It required a downloaded photo and a list of words that you associate with the person you are honoring.  Bank of America donated $5.00 to breast cancer research for every portrait made and you could download your own tribute.

I don't know how many words I came up with for my mom but I do know it made me go back in time to remember what kind of person she was and how she lived her life.  I got to really think about her in a constructive way, sifting through and choosing adjectives that described who she was during her 56 years on earth.

We all expect to lose our parents at some point in our life but knowing this does not make it any easier.  Many of you reading have lost your own mother or father and know exactly what I am talking about. There are no words, no preparations, no hiding spots to retreat to, that will lessen this sadness.   Our comforts lie in the memories we cherish, the legacy we were gifted, and the way this shared experience binds us to others.

Measuring Time

photo by Kristin Repp

 

There are so many ways to measure time:  seconds, minutes, hours, days, years....  and events.

Some events mark time in a way a clock or calendar could never do.  Some events define entire decades, movements, generations.  And they give us touchstones to refer to as we look back on our lives.

These events place us in an exact moment in time.

Yesterday, 49 years ago, John F. Kennedy was assasinated.  Can you picture where you were when you heard this devistating news?

Some other significant events include:

- The assasination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (April 4, 1968)

- The assasination of Bobby Kennedy (June 5, 1968)

 - The day Elvis Presley died (August 16, 1977)

 - The night John Lennon was killed (December 8, 1980)

 - The Space Challenger Shuttle Disaster (January 28, 1986)

 - September 11, 2001

These are some of the events that tie us together as a generation.  We suffered and grieved together.  Then we managed to move forward because we had each other to hang on to and provide for. 

If you have a moment, I encourage you to jot down a few notes about how you experienced each of these significant happenings, for yourself and those who follow.  Our stories matter.