Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

God’s love
Radiates when
Attitudes of gratitude
Take over all thoughts
Instantly replacing
Tense nonsense;
Underlying worries
Disappear and
Eternal peace reigns

@laurie kolp

Read more poems on gratitude at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads' A Word with Laurie

Gratitude A-Z

A- Apples, although Pete would disagree. You'll have to ask him why.
B- Boys. My boys are the best.
C- CARDINALS, of course. And caramel, coffee, chocolate...
D- Dogs. My dogs, Jake and Snowy, or as I sometimes call them Joey and Snake.
E- Exercise, even though I don't do it much. I've already exercised for a lifetime.
F- Family and friends. They're the same.
G- Girls, giggly girls... especially my wonderful daughter.
H- Husband. How did I get such a good one?
I- Inspiration. What inspires you?
J- Justin Bieber (just joking)
K- Kids; they see everything with unbiased innocence, and live in the moment.
L- LOVE always. Love is GOD.
M- Music, music, more music.
N- Nephews and nieces. You know who you are.
O- Oak trees, cloud dreams, summer days and moonbeams.
P- Poetry, of course.
Q- Quip; Keep It Simple, Stupid
R- Relaxation on a sandy beach.
S- Sunshine; it makes me smile.
T- Treading water.
U- Utopia. I wish!
V- Vegetables, but not Brussels Sprouts!
W- Windows and wishes
X- Xmas, although I prefer Christmas.
Y- Yellow; I love the color, plus I couldn't come up with anything else.
Z- Zoos, especially zebras. Black on white or white on black? Who cares? Remember love!

Lessons with Food on Peace and Acceptance

 

When I taught children with the reading disorder dyslexia, we broke down syllables and studied word origins. It was easier for them to understand the words if they could be dissected and analyzed. With every new group of students the same question arose; why is the English language so complicated?

I'd explain to the children that America was like a big pot of spicy stew. Through the years different countries have added special ingredients, or words, to create the language we know today. For some reason that metaphor was good enough for them, especially after we made our own special olla. Each student would bring a certain item to add to the mix: meat, chicken, sausage, potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, seasoning. Whatever they chose to bring we'd mix in. We'd listen to the crock pot making funny gurgling noises as we coded words using colored markers. And at the end of the day, when we were able to taste our delectable creation, all was good.

I used food a lot when I taught in a regular second grade classroom. It was like fish bait for learning. I mean, what better way to teach kids how to write "How To Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich" than by having them make one using their first draft as their guide? They quickly learned that if the sandwich was going to turn out right, not one step could be omitted or they'd have a sticky mess. After they succeeded with the sandwich we moved on to banana splits; and I had a classroom full of enthusiastic writers mixing vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream with caramel, chocolate and whipped cream. Everyone's dish looked different, but each child loved his/her unique sprinkled-to-goodness treat.

From last year's garden (we're in a drought)

Each year when we reached the not-so-beloved vegetable study, we had a sampling at the unit's culmination. Students would bring in raw carrots, mushrooms, radishes, tomatoes, broccoli, peppers and more. I would bring a big bottle of Ranch dressing or other type of dip. They mostly drank up the dressing and nibbled on the "oh, my gosh, this came from the ground" and "gag me with a spoon" vegetables; but they were being exposed to a palette of healthy food they might not have been willing to try at home. The children also learned that the vegetables weren't as bad as their preconceived notions had built them up to be once they gave them a try.

Of course, at Thanksgiving we had the infamous pilgrim/Indian feast. We talked about how the two came together in peace and gave thanks for their bountiful harvest and many blessings. Half of the kids dressed up as pilgrims and the other half as Indians. We all sat together around the bulletin paper table and enjoyed the meal.

At Christmas, we studied holidays around the world and sampled food from each country. The kids were able to dress like the culture they represented and travel from table to table (country to country). Never was a word uttered about disgusting tastes or flavors; rather, a greater appreciation for different ethnicities was garnered. Each country was represented in that one room. There was no fighting or name-calling. A good time was had by all, and the common denominator was food.

Wouldn't it be nice if all the countries in the world could gather in one room and celebrate each other's heritage like children do at school? We sure could learn a lot from our nonjudgmental innocent kids.

Exposure to different kinds of food not only enriches our cultural awareness, but it also brings us together for a bigger purpose; peace.

A magnet my daughter created when she was in preschool

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Read more on food in the 12th issue (November-December 2011) of language/place blog carnival hosted by Linda Hofke here.

I thought I could and I did

This little engine thought she could.  Up, up the hill she went, moving slowly at times, yet still persevering and never giving up.  She made it through the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge-- to write a novel in one month's time-- never giving up the hope. 

Endless obstacles she encountered: daily chores, tending to children's school and extra-curricular activities, weekend madness, Thanksgiving feasts at schools and a week without school for the kids; yet she kept on chugging along.  Yes, this little engine wanted to accomplish her goal so badly that she pushed through, even when she didn't feel like it. 

At one point near the end, the going got tough; her head began to hurt, her eyesight got weaker and her neck and shoulders became so stiff, she thought she might fall off course.  But wonderful friends, especially her angel Pearl, cheered her along.  At times, doubt crept in and she thought she was insane to attempt this feat in November (of all months).  Sometimes she even felt it was all for nothing.  Still, she continued forward with a vengeance.  Why?  Because she needed to; she needed to make it across the finish line.  If you are a writer, you will understand.


Yesterday, November 23, 2010 at approximately 10:00 p.m., I finished my novel.  I was a close second to my writing buddy Pearl who, because of my brain hiccup (when I thought the word count was only 45,000 instead of 50,000) thought I would finish on the 22nd and so typed furiously away in order to finish on the same day.  And she still continued to cheer me on.  Thank you, my dear Pearl. 

I also could not have finished last night if Pete hadn't taken the kids to the Harry Potter movie.  It was difficult for me to miss that movie, but I was able to complete my goal.  And guess what?  It felt great! 

Now comes the hard part of editing, revising and polishing, but I'm in no hurry on that... today.

              HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Please Don't Spread the Germs

What I don't get is why, in this scary time of H1N1 flu, parents must bring their little ones to school parties and allow them to cough and sneeze all over the food? This really happened Friday when I was helping with a taco party Andrew's class had as a reward for learning their multiplication facts. And guess what? Andrew is home sick again because he had a fever of 101 last night. Thanks whoever you are, for sharing the germs. Oh, and will you please be more considerate this holiday season and stay home during the Thanksgiving and Christmas parties if you or your toddler is sick? Thanks!