Just a few more days to get those love letters ready to go. Here's a little photo tutorial for making an eight page book card. If you begin with standard 8.5 by 11 cardstock, it will fit into an invitation size envelope for giving. You can write a letter, create a story, build a collage, or whatever strikes your fancy. Happy Valentine making!
The weight of the long winter was just beginning to lift off of our shoulders when the news of the quakes and Tsunami in Japan interrupted the groove toward spring. Deep sadness washed over me with every headline. As I was doing all I could to maintain positive thoughts for humanity, incredibly sad news also arrived in my family. My mother's cancer is no longer stable. For three years, she's been winning a struggle with lung cancer. It was discovered recently that the cancer has spread widely. From a medical standpoint, there isn't much more that can be done...
Naturally, the boys and I have been spending a lot of time with her. We are so grateful for the time we have, perhaps even more time than we think we have, to laugh and love. Her light of hope is bright and inspiring. Her will to live is strong. She will be mostly home now, surrounded by the love and support of family and friends. We lost my father to cancer five years ago, and though I cannot say I am prepared for what lies ahead with my mom, I do have a sense of how this will go.
Moving into this new season certainly isn't as care free and light hearted as it might have been, and I'm met each day with an awareness of my choices. How will I choose to perceive devastating changes both globally and personally? How will I move through the painful process of letting go? How I respond to what life brings is up to me. I have been thinking of A Year of Choice over at Bluebirdbaby and feeling really grateful for this web of interconnection we all have at our fingertips. In my beginnings as a blogger, I have discovered that this online life is what we make of it. It can be virtual reality or we can co-create a virtue-full reality. Connection is everything. Dear Erin, Thank you for the inspiration to keep remembering this--our ability to choose.
I welcome all that will come. As Rumi tells us, "This being human is a guest house."
Story + Art = Healing
Just a couple weeks before the recent tragedies, I put this book on reserve through our library website. I had forgotten, as I'm always adding to my not-so-little bibliophile pile. When I eventually stood at the hold shelf to pick up my weekly stack, I glanced at the cover of this one and lingered long. I was immediately struck by the awareness of how quickly life can change. I wanted to turn back time to the moment I was sitting at my laptop on the library website weeks before, back when all was well and fine with Japan. While the boys and I lived in Seattle, we met many new friends with Japanese roots. Japanese language classes at school were favored, and both boys became increasingly interested in visiting Japan someday. It has come up frequently in our family conversation the past couple of years, usually beginning with, "When we go to Japan, let's..." Yes. Let's. Now, more than ever, I look forward to our "someday" trip to Japan. For now, these drawings and stories bring smiles and allow us to feel closer in a way that un-numbs the reality that is there now.
So here we are in uncertain and changing times thinking of a lucky rabbit in the moon and inhaling peach blossoms. I am choosing to keep dreaming of more connection between people and countries, of greater love, and of new beginnings.
This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
~Marcus Tullius Cicero
We are really enjoying our groove with homeschool life these days. Not too shabby, especially considering we started out as "accidental" homeschoolers. I took a leave from my decade long career in Waldorf education shortly before beginning this slowly emerging blog. What's been an unexpected discovery is this "connection" garden that can be grown in the family with homeschooling. It isn't likely to take root on any campus anywhere, not even in the richness of Waldorf.
Our home lessons started out very structured with Oak Meadow middle school curriculum for Finn, and traditional Waldorf methods for Indigo. Both styles are incorporated into learning at home now, but our greatest support is simply the library. A somewhat eclectic, library centered, style of doing things has emerged as right for us. There's just nothing quite like showing up at the library with our curiosity, wisdom, and cards at the ready.
Here's one middle school stack of our own books mixed with library resources. The traditional block rotation of the Waldorf early grades (focusing on a single subject for weeks at a time) wasn't really working for Finn, an 8th grader this year. He prefers to do a little math, a little language arts, and a lot of literature every day. Other subjects alternate in and out throughout the week. I choose assignments for him based on what he already knows and what he seems to be ready to add on to it. I value his opinions and remain open to his choices at all times. When something doesn't work for him, we pitch it. There's no need or reason to follow a crowd.
Though I've lightened up, things are still fairly structured at home. So, when the boys have free time at the library they indulge in comic books. Yep. A typical interest for boys, but I don't personally value many styles of comic books. The way I roll with it is to choose to let go a bit while we're at the library. ehem. This gives the boys some freedom to indulge their own interests while allowing me to keep my finger on the pulse of maintaining what I hold sacred in our home. After all, I'm the mom.
The library can be a gold mine! I don't really buy as many books and curriculum resources these days because I remember to always check the library first. If the book is so good I don't want to give it back, then I think about buying it. It can be tricky to keep my priorities straight and really carve out that time for myself, but let's get real. I'm a single homeschooling mama. I just do it. There is no doubt my life would be thrown out of balance quickly if I didn't make time for my own work, my own learning and creativity, and my whole health. It's not simple to balance it all, but I love this old saying that came from some good wisdom somewhere: If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. This time for mama is a must. One great thing about sweet little boys growing up is that mama can step out a bit more. Say it with me: "aaauuummmmm..."
If the boys were in any school, they wouldn't likely be engaged in things like wilderness survival lessons at a nature center, drawing and observing plants at the greenhouse conservatory, two or three hour recesses, weekly field trips that pop up when there's something new happening, abundant free time for instruments, or immersion in new ways to interpret the alphabet. There's a lot to be grateful for in this time we have together.
I'm also enjoying the risks we can take. For example, I wasn't sure how the writing lesson was going to go this morning. I even had some last minute doubt about my choice to take this new alphabet on. I wondered, "Is this really necessary, or is this really just too much?" I was a bit concerned one or both boys would think it was a chore, or another thing on the list. Not so! So far so good! Conversation buzzed around the table about the alphabet, the evolution of human consciousness through writing, temperaments, personality, and Vimala's unique perspective. At one point during quiet writing someone even said, "This is cool mom!"
This is cool. All of it.
Aa :: Spiritual stardom; Transforming ego into spirit...
I'm getting some materials ready tonight for a new homeschool project. I'll be teaching the Vimala Alphabet to both of my boys while I also learn it myself. The Vimala Alphabet was designed by Vimala Rodgers, an Alphabetician and handwriting expert. Her many years of research and development of this method claim to support independent thinking, engaged willing, balance, tolerance, honor, and intuition. I first checked her popular book out from the library to get a better sense of what to expect. I enjoyed what I read, so I ordered the user friendly handbook that also comes with a set of cards, guiding cd's, and a practice journal. Both of my boys need some support with handwriting for different reasons, and I'm hopeful this is the just the ticket. I happen to have some pretty spiffy Palmer based handwriting, if I do say so myself, but Vimala asserts that the Palmer method is outdated and can kinesthetically keep an individual stuck in old forms and patterns. Hm. Makes sense. We don't want that now, do we!
We'll be giving this practice a fair go for forty days. I love that there is encouragement to write without lines in the direction of the landscape! I always want to do that intuitively. I purchased new landscape sketchbooks for all three of us, and created a personalized cover on each from the font I installed on my computer (for use a visual guide).
What happened to my creative edge? In this time of increased technology I've noticed that both my handwriting and my drawing skills has been affected by all the screen time and typing I engage in. Time to do something about this. I am also sorely missing the plant world. After all the yummy melting of last week, we got slammed with another blizzard here today. I resolve to get through to to the tulips by drawing and painting them. For starters, I've dusted off these form drawing oldies for combating techno fog. I will then be revisiting a drawing reference book I once enjoyed by my consciousness studies teacher Dennis Klocek. Ongoing commitment to a daily yoga practice will come into play soon too, but more on that later... *flex* Spring IS coming!
"The alphabet is a spiritual tradition. Every letter has a history, like a rune." ~Vimala Rodgers
We had big plans to head to the downtown library today, but woke up to more snow. I'll need to dig out of the driveway, and the overflowing coat closet, before we go anywhere. Hm. I'm still thinking about that. Maybe after one more cup of tea. In the mean time, there's a busy quiet mood here. The middle school-er has successfully found his way to the end of some challenging block work. Though some computer work is appropriate for a fourteen year old, his time has been a bit too filled with screens. Even for academic work with good content, it's a been a bit much. He's contemplating off screen project based learning for the remainder of his year. The third grader is enjoying the unschooled feel of our long winter days. We complete his learning in the morning. The rest of the day he explores freely, joins me in household tasks and errands, plays with neighbors, and he and his brother read up a storm together. I have yet to capture a good image of the two of them reading together. I have to beg a little to be the reader when I want to read them something. They sit for hours together reading and talking about the story lines of the books they are into. I have to remind myself to savor these present sights and sounds. I hope this part of our days, whatever seasons and challenges, will last a good while longer.
