Outburst

Words are
Shimmering, simmering, glimmering
On the tip of my tongue.
Effervescent
Burbling bubbles 
Ready to burst upon the blue.

Some words 
Spoken too soon 
Are sour; simmering
Makes them sweeter.
So
I swallow.

Where I'm From

Last night, in my ED 692 class (Classroom Strategies in First and Second Language for Reading and Writing) we had a workshop presentation that included a lesson based on the work of George Ella Lyon. The lesson included a chance to write a "Where I'm From" poem, based on Ms. Lyon's work. It was a powerful experience, and one that I recommend to teachers everywhere.

Here's Mine (written from the perspective of my childhood):

I am from solitaire cards and chicken foot dominoes.
From dryer sheets and telephones.
I am from the nomadic
moving again and again and again.
I am from the coleus and the Christmas cactus.

I'm from sleeping in Christmas morning and playing Boggle.
From Kathy and "Cap'n Reese."
I'm from yelling and hugs
and from music.

I'm from strength and keep going
and Eensy Weensy Spider.
I'm from Oregon
My brother from Colorado
My sisters from Germany, New Jersey and Washington.
One sister left shortly after arriving.
From slideshows and Schranks
and pictures in forgotten boxes that now live at my house.


Where are you from?

What fun! Creating Keepsakes Convention and Suessical-Lite

J in her "Bird Girl" makeup. Although I like her expression, I should let you know that she was just very tired, not mad that I was taking pictures...

Last Saturday, I was a Teacher's Aide for the Creating Keepsakes Convention. I had a great time working with Sarah Milne of Scenic Route and Bev (I can't remember her last name, sorry!) the owner of Technique Tuesday. It was great to help them out. Although I learned that standing for over eight hours isn't fun, even if I am wearing my favorite pair of Danskos. Still, it was something I'd never done before, and always wanted to try, so I'm glad to have done it!

Also, if you are in my local area and want a fun date this weekend, come on over and see my daughter in her school's musical. It's a great show! She's on the right side of the picture, in the second row, in the dress with hot pink feathers that looks white even though it's light pink. She plays a "Bird Girl" in the production. The kids did a great job, and have some great singers in the lead parts.

I've been hearing back from you on your Stories for our "No Ordinary Stories" campaign. I LOVE IT! Keep them coming! If you leave a comment and put your story on your blog, I'll be sure to post a link to your story here. Let's take the internet by storm!

Speaking of stories, you really need to read Kelly Corrigan's "The Middle Place." I posted a video a while back of her reading one of her essays. Good stuff people! I couldn't put the book down and was sad when it was over. I originally got it at the library, but you can be sure I'll be buying my own copy soon!

No Ordinary Stories

gratuitous picture of the Oregon Coast just to get your attention and because everyone thinks blog posts are more interesting when there are pictures to look at and because I think that this blog post will be VERY interesting.

I promised awhile back that I would tell you more about a project that I'm doing for Stampin'Cat that is near and dear to my heart....and now is the time.

The name of the project is "No Ordinary Stories" and it is an idea that has been bouncing around in my brain and filling my heart for some time now. It's something I've believed in since I was very young. It's a simple idea, but one that is often overlooked. If you distill it down to one basic thought, it is this--in every life, in every person, there are No Ordinary Stories.

Some of you are confused--isn't that the name of the project? Let me explain with what I wrote to introduce the class. I think that it will make more sense then.

I believe we are significant.
I also believe that we forget this important fact.

Let’s talk about stories for a minute. Let’s talk specifically

about other people’s stories.

We can’t get enough of other people’s stories.

We read them in the news, in magazines,

in books, sometimes in the tabloids, on the internet,

and in blog after blog after blog.

We can’t get enough. We are riveted.

Yet when it comes to our own stories, we downplay.

We stammer and become suddenly shy.

We feel like we have nothing to say.

Some of it is that we are taught

not to brag or boast, we are taught not to be prideful.

We decide that our own stories are not worth telling.

I believe we are significant. I believe our stories are significant.

They deserve to be Celebrated, Lived, Loved, and Shared.

I believe that there are
No Ordinary Stories.
Your stories need to be remembered and written down. Your stories matter.
If you don’t tell your stories,
Who will?

I believe those words with all my heart. I believe that somewhere along the way down the road or path or superhighway of our life, we forget parts of ourselves. We get busy furthering our careers, or wiping noses, or going to class, or cooking dinner, or driving to the next destination on our list, or washing load after load after load after load of laundry that we forget to remember how great we really are. Sometimes we might even forget who we are.

This is what I propose: Let's start writing down these stories. I would love to see this blog post passed around and around and around and around. I'd love to see a whole grassroots movement of women remembering their significance in tangible ways. Let's link and share and link and tell and write and share and link again, until we are all connected with a web of words and stories and significance.

I'll provide a prompt here if you get stuck. But I hope that once you start telling your stories, they will just tumble out of you and one story will lead to another and another and another and you'll have a notebook or a folder or a journal or a blog just full of all of your wonderful stories.

I can't wait to read yours.