Season of Slow

Tags

art, busy, creating, gardening, motherhood, painting, parenting, season, slow, summer, thoughts on life

I’m trying to shape this next season (our summer months) by calling it the ‘Season of Slow’. Mostly my intention is to delve into and enjoy the things that often get put aside for other obligations. Here’s a look at some of what my summer holds.

A Miniature Garden.

My personality is usually the type to GO BIG when I start something new. Not this time. Gardening is one area where I feel I must start small.

These are beautiful examples, but my garden will have a bridge, a troll, a wishing well, and lots of secrets.

Kokopelli Craziness

My six-year-old son and I will restore this Kokopelli fountain. Do you think we’re crazy? I’ll follow-up with a future post on the results.

Bird Nests and Strawberries

Every morning my strawberry-blonde daughter wakes up with a messy nest in her hair. What do those birds do in there? I ask her as I try to untangle the knots. She laughs and says I don’t know.

Two extra-large canvasses have been sitting in my art room for too long. Soon they will tell the story of what those birds get up to… I believe it involves strawberries.

Endless Ideas

I have other ideas as well. In fact, the ideas seem endless. And this summer, this season of slow, is a time to begin with the endless.

Season of Slow.

It starts today.

Personality of a Pig

Tags

drawing, fun, humor, humour, ice breaker, personality, personality test, pig

Draw a pig.

In a Board meeting last week, that was the only instruction we were given. Try it. Draw a pig. No peeking or reading ahead!

<insert pig jokes because people can’t help but look ahead>

Q: Why did the farmer call his pig ink?

A: Because it always ran out of the pen!

Q: Why did it take the pig hours to cross the road?

A: Because he was a slow-pork!

Q: Why should you never tell a pig a secret?

A: Because they love to squeal!

Okay, so here’s a little ‘personality’ test based on what you drew:

If the pig is drawn…

Toward the top of the paper, you’re a positive, optimistic person.

Toward the middle of the paper, you’re a realist.

Toward the bottom of the paper, you’re a pessimist and have a tendency to be negative.

Facing left, you’re traditional, friendly, and good at remembering dates, including birthdays.

Facing forward (or angled forward), you’re direct, enjoy playing “the devil’s advocate,” and neither fear nor avoid discussions.

Facing right, you’re innovative and active but do not have a strong sense of family, and you’re not good at remembering dates.

With many details, you’re analytical, cautious, and distrustful.

With few details, you’re emotional and naïve, care little for details, and are a risk-taker.

With less than four legs, you’re insecure or are going through a period of major change.

With large ears, you’re a good listener. The larger the ears, the better listener you are.

With a long tail, you have a good sex life. The longer the tail, the better it is.

So… what’s your pig personality? What do you think, were your results accurate?

Perhaps the Pig Personality test is not-so-scientific, but it’s fun nonetheless. Please share your results.

Daughter of Deconstruction

Tags

children, communication, daughter, deconstruction, linus, motherhood, parenting, personality

My daughter is a deconstructionist.

Nothing that appears put-together is safe from her scrutiny.

She picks things apart.

Piece by piece, she analyzes.

In a matter of moments she tore the faces off these feathered friends.

Flowers from our walk… the inevitable outcome.

One baubled bracelet is not so tantalizing when you can have plenty of pretty parts.

She’s exceptionally good at dissecting dialogue. You know how it is with deconstructionists, they have a tendency to undermine meaning.

“Don’t hit my face. I don’t like it.” So she swats at my shoulder.

“I said no more treats. Crying won’t change my answer.” So she screams.

As a parent, she certainly presents challenges… but I’m up for it.

Her unparalleled personality provides payoff!

After finding her faceless feathered friends, I found this.

A Stranger’s Friend: The Refugee

Tags

advocacy, Christianity, compassion, faith, Journey Home Community, justice, opression, poor, refugee, relationships

Refugee.

It’s a seven-letter word that conjures a wide variety of feelings and associations for those who hear it. Try it.

Refugee.

What do you think or feel?

For some, there are feelings of uncertainty. What exactly is a refugee? In what ways are refugees different from immigrants? Refugee = Foreigner: someone from the outside, someone different and unknown. For others, there are feelings of anger. Why should we allow these foreigners into our country? They drain our welfare resources or take our jobs. Refugee = Leech: someone who sucks the life-blood out of a nation. And for others still, there are feelings of fear. What if we let in the wrong person? What if they are not who they say they are? Will our safety and security be compromised? Refugee = Terrorist: someone who wreaked havoc in their own country and has come to do the same in ours. For a few, there are feelings of compassion, a sense of injustice. No one should lose their livelihood because of their ethnic origin. It’s not right that women and children suffer as people fight for political power. Something must be done to protect those in constant fear for their lives. Refugee = Victim: those who have been oppressed, poverty-stricken and denied their human rights.

Refugee.

For me, when I hear the word I feel guilt. I live a comfortable lifestyle. Refugees don’t. Add to the mix a sneaking suspicion my comfortable lifestyle is established and secured at the expense of some of these refugees. I feel fear. What would have to change in my life for me to create a positive change in the refugee cause? Am I willing to step beyond my comfort-zone, to make a sacrifice? I feel doubt. Even if I’m willing to try, what significance would come of my efforts? Can I navigate the political systems? Can I make a difference? I feel overwhelmed. There’s too much injustice in this world, please don’t talk to me about yet another social concern!

So what’s a person like me doing on the Board of Directors of Journey Home Community, an organization that assists refugee families and advocates on their behalf? Well…

My feelings of fear, guilt, and doubt certainly fail to motivate, but I’m called to action by what I know and believe.

I believe in a Creator, an Artist who designs with care and attention the deepest and most detailed aspects of a person’s being; and I believe in the inherent worth of every created being–of every man, woman and child.

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14

 

I know my history. Once, my own people, my ancestors, were foreigners in a strange land.

‘Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.’ Exodus 22:21

‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ Leviticus 19:33-34

I believe the following is music to the ears; a song to sing today and tomorrow as in yesterdays come and gone.

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4

I know what the Lord says.

This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3

I believe there are some things that can make God both sad and mad.

The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice. Ezekiel 22:29

I know Jesus was a refugee.

After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.” That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, where they stayed until Herod died.  Matthew 2:13-15

I believe Jesus fulfills these words:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,”

Luke 4:18

 

I know a question to ask him.

‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and show you hospitality or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

I believe his response.

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these you did for me.’ Matthew 25: 37-40

Refugee.

She smiles often. It’s a beautiful smile and I wish to seem as joyful as she. We talk as our sons play ninja, running up and down the hall. Two hours now and they show no signs of slowing down. Sweat-soaked and laughing, they kick and jump. Boys. We laugh at their antics. She talks of her husband. We share about the kids at school. But when she mentions her home country, sorrow steals the smile. There is pain. There is danger. There is no going back. And I hope she won’t have to.

It’s a whole different feeling when Refugee = Friend.

The P-Word

Tags

Bilbo Baggins, censorship, contest, flash fiction, publication, short fiction, writing

Have you ever gotten in trouble for saying a naughty word? What happened? What was your punishment? (Should I dare ask about the word!?)

Well, today I’m excited to announce I can officially strike the P-Word off my ‘censored’ list. That’s right, I’m a published writer.

Honestly, it’s nothing so grand as a book deal, but I’m happy with these first few steps. Gotta start somewhere! I even added a Publication/Prizes page over at Word Weaver. Here’s the scoop:

Duplicity, a flash fiction piece I wrote, won second place in the WOW! Women On Writing Fall 2012 Flash Fiction contest. You can read the story here and an interview with me here. The contest runs quarterly and, if you’re a writer, I encourage you to check it out.

ALSO

Inanna’s Song (short fiction) won second in the Royal City Literary Arts Society Contest and can be read online here.

At the moment, I feel inclined to quote Bilbo Baggins: “It’s a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” So, writers, don’t keep your work holed up at home. Send it out the door and be prepared to be swept away on an amazing adventure. The journey starts with small steps.

P.S. I really am interested in hearing your naughty-word stories.

Textual Frustration

Tags

communication, emotions, frustration, obligations, story, storytelling, thoughts on life, time management, writer's block, writing

Textual frustration.

It’s when you’re in a crowded room and a character catches your attention. You’re curious about this stranger. Who are they? What’s their story? You are intrigued by the mysteries and determine to know more. Throughout the evening you steal brief glances in their direction, but are never able to look for long. Others direct questions at you and you answer half aware, distracted by questions of your own. What colour are those eyes? Is it confidence or arrogance you sense in them? And then, finally, an introduction occurs. You learn basic details, name, job, interests–all of it’s enticing. As conversations continue around you, the character whispers words in your ear. You’re teased with secret glimpses into their soul. You desire more. To be alone. To be free to explore every feature, every nuance of their nature.  But sneaking off to a quiet room is impossible. Your presence is required here.

Textual frustration.

It’s when you wake in the night, restless. Your emotions are stirred. Passions inflamed. You replay conversations over and over in your mind. There’s so much more you want to say, so much more that needs to be said. But time censors you. All the words must remain bottled-up inside. If only you could spill them onto sheets of paper. Those sheets would wrap you in comfort, would bring sound sleep. Instead, the bedding tangles at your feet as you toss and turn, longing for that sweet release.

___________

Never mind writer’s block, have you ever been textually frustrated? This past month I’ve had endless words and stories and ideas bouncing around in my brain. The problem? Zero time to write! And that’s not just the typical cop-out. Circumstances beyond my control have co-opted my time. And, boy, is it ever driving me crazy!

I’d love to hear your thoughts, stories or advice!

Creative Space: A Beautiful Mess

Tags

art, Christianity, creating, emotions, motherhood, parenting, sewing, thoughts on life, writing

Creative space.

It’s when you have a vision of something yet unmade. Unmade, but complete. The whole picture is in your mind. You know with exact detail what will be the outcome of your efforts. You know unmade and you know made. In between, though? Maybe you are not so sure about the in between. Even still…

You begin because you see the end.

Creative space.

It’s when you have an idea. Something you want to try. You are not sure what will come of it, but you know it needs to be done. Then one thing leads to the next. You explore further, still not 100% sure where you are going. Each step is the right step, even the ones in which you back-track. You are never lost. You never go the wrong way. Because eventually you find what was waiting to be discovered.

You arrive because you journeyed.

Creative space.

It’s when you can’t don’t want to sleep. When you forget to eat. It’s when there’s excitement over the possibilities and an ache at the thought of not making an attempt. It’s when time passes unnoticed, but when every moment matters. It’s when you are in your own little world because the real world’s too crowded. Or too busy. It’s when there’s a beautiful mess of emotions. A staggering assurance. Loving rage. Bold insecurity. Kind envy. It’s where chaos and construction collide. It’s in the beginning and it’s without end–almost. You can put a stop to it if you don’t enter.

Creative space.

For my daughter, my most recent beautiful mess.

My daughter in her creative space, another beautiful mess.

Farewell February

Tags

blues, depression, February, humour, illness, motherhood, parenting, rainy days, thoughts on life

Each year I welcome you with high hopes and expectations. After all, the celebration of one of the most momentous occasions in my life–the birth of my son–awaits on your arrival. And that celebration alone is enough to forgive you of all your other faults. I’m usually willing to overlook the constant overcast sky and rainfall. I’m a homebody and I do like the excuse to stay in and read a good book. Plus, you are usually gracious enough to allow for a few days of bright sunshine and blue skies.

Even still, you and I know we don’t live well together– not for very long anyway– so we’ve set limits on the length of your stay. (If I recall correctly, last year we got on so well we extended your stay by a day). Not happening this year, February! Not only did you swoop in with your cloudy mood and rain-on-your-parade attitude, but you brought with you some uninvited and unruly guests: Cough, Cold, Fever, Sniffles, Ear Infection and Impetigo. It’s enough that these bullies have to harass by husband and kids once, but to go at them for round two and round three?? We very nearly missed the birthday celebrations (one of your only saving graces) because of you and your thugs.

So while you have yet to dare attack my physical self, you sure have been messing with my mind. It’s hard watching loved ones suffer! And do you have any idea what it’s like to be holed up in the house for weeks on end against your will? Even this homebody has had enough.

It’s time to move out, February. March is moving in and she and I have all sorts of outdoor adventures planned for the family.

You have until midnight.

To My Son– My Superhero– Age 6

Tags

art, books, comics, motherhood, painting, parenting, storytelling, superhero, writing

This gallery contains 13 photos.

You are wonderful. I know your dad and I say these words to you each and every day, but since you were born …

Continue reading »

Cinderella, Cinderella!

Tags

book review, books, children's literature, Cinderella, cultural narratives, fairytales, reading, storytelling, writing

Could you collect ten bottles of bird tears? From slippers to diamond anklets to shawls, from talking turkeys to talking fish to a pari… these women from around the world share similar stories. Same difference? Not always. I thought I’d share with you some ‘Cinderella’ narratives and highlight a few of the distinctions in each of the texts. Please note: this is not an exhaustive list.

The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo (Author) and Ruth Heller (Illustrator)

Book Description: Poor Rhodopis! She has nothing – no mother or father, and no friends. She is a slave, from the far-off country of Greece. Only the beautiful rose-red slippers her master gives her can make Rhodopis smile. So when a falcon swoops down and snatches one of the slippers away, Rhodopis is heartbroken. For how is she to know that the slipper will land in the lap of the great Pharaoh himself? And who would ever guess that the Pharaoh has promised to find the slipper’s owner and make her queen of all Egypt?

Additional Thoughts: I appreciate that what sets Rhodopis apart as ‘ugly’ and ‘unworthy’ in the minds of her competitors is what the Pharaoh declares as worthy-making.

“She is not even Egyptian.”

“She is the most Egyptian of all,” the Pharaoh declared. “For her eyes are as green as the Nile, her hair as feathery as papyrus, and her skin the pink of a lotus flower.” 

 

The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin (Author) and David Shannon (Illustrator)

Book Description: In an Algonquin village by the shores of Lake Ontario, many young women have tried to win the affections of the powerful Invisible Being who lives with his sister in a great wigwam near the forest. Then came the Rough-Face girl, scarred from working by the fire. Can she succeed where her beautiful, cruel sisters have failed?

Additional Thoughts: Absolutely lovely! (Sadly, that is my only comment on this version… I didn’t make extensive notes at the time because I thought the value and uniqueness of this version warranted purchasing the book… which I have yet to do).

The Turkey Girl: A Zuni Cinderella Story retold by Penny Pollock (Author) and Ed Young (Illustrator)

Book Description: To a young girl who tends turkeys for a living, an opportunity to go to The Dance of the Scared Bird seems but a distant dream.

In this sobering Native American variation of the Cinderella story, the focus is not on finding true love but on remaining true to one’s promises. To repay the kindness of the poor orphan girl who tends them, the tribe’s turkeys dress her in a fine doeskin robe so she can attend the Dance of the Sacred Bird. So enthralled is she with the dancing that she breaks her promise to return to the turkeys before dawn and consequently loses her friends forever.

Additional Thoughts: A not-so-happy-ending; “the hard truth that when we break our trust with Mother Earth, we pay a price.”

The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story by Rebecca Hickox (Author) and Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator)

Book Description: An Iraqi version of the Cinderella story. Known in Arabic as “The Red Fish and the Clog of Gold,” this is the story of Maha, a fisherman’s daughter, and her
tribulations with her step-mother and step-sister. Maha finds a small red fish in a basket one day. Releasing it back into the water, she is told that no kindness goes unrewarded. The fish becomes her source of help whenever life becomes too difficult.

Additional Thoughts: This Cinderella story stands apart from others in that Maha begs her father to remarry. It also uses the “fish that grants wishes” motif.

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie (Author) and Ed Young (Illustrator)

Additional Details: Dates to the T’ang Dynasty (618-907 AD), one thousand years before the earliest recorded European Cinderella story (1634). The fish plays a large role in this version as well.

Little Gold Star: A Spanish American Cinderella Tale retold by Robert D. San Souci (Author) and Sergio Martinez (Illustrator)

Book Description: Blessed Mary rewards Teresa’s good deeds with a shining gold star. Later she punishes Teresa’s unkind step-sisters, Isabel and Inez, with hideous horns and donkey’s ears that they try to hide under heavy veils! But will Teresa outshine her step-sisters at the festival?

Additional Details: Teresa’s father gives her a lamb. Her step-mother slaughters it and sends Teresa to wash the fleece in the river where a fish takes the fleece from Teresa. The Virgin Mary appears and tells Teresa to go to a cottage and to care for the man and baby she will find there. Teresa does so with kindness and Mary blesses her with a gold star on her forehead. Mary also returns the pure white fleece to Teresa. Back at home, when the step-mother touches the fleece, it turns muddy. The step-sisters must go and wash the fleece but the same thing happens to them as it did with Teresa. However, the step-sisters are unkind to the man (Joseph) and the baby (Jesus). One is given horns and the other donkey ears. At a celebration, Miguel falls in love with Teresa and searches after her. The household cat speaks and tells Miguel that Teresa is in the house. Teresa agrees to marry him if her step-mother permits. The step-mother withholds permission until Teresa 1) collects 10 bottles of bird tears 2) fills 12 mattresses with bird feathers and 3) makes a feast. Teresa is helped by heaven’s bird to accomplish these impossible tasks. The step-mother sees that Teresa is blessed and grants permission for Teresa to marry Miguel. Gradually, the step-mother and step-sisters become nicer and everyone lives happily ever after.

The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo (Author) and Ruth Heller (Illustrator)

Additional Thoughts: In this story, the step-mother gives Pear Blossom impossible tasks to accomplish. Pear Blossom receives help from a frog, sparrows, and a black bull (togkabis). The step-mother often states: “You’ll get what you deserve!” to Pear Blossom. These words prove true. What Pear Blossom deserves, however, is far different than what her step-mother intends. It is also significant to note that the magistrate falls in love with Pear Blossom without there being any disguise or fancy dress. It is her plain old shoe that he finds.

Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story by Tomie de Paola

Book Description: A long time ago there lived a beautiful  young woman named Adelita. So begins the age-old tale of a kind-hearted young woman, her jealous step-mother, two hateful step-sisters, and a young man in search of a wife. The young man, Javier, falls madly in love with beautiful Adelita, but she disappears from his fiesta at midnight, leaving him with only one clue to her hidden identity–a beautiful rebozo.

Additional Thoughts: In this story, it is a shawl rather than a slipper that marks Adelita as Cinderella. Here, the Cinderella fairytale is known within the text.

Cinderlily: A Floral Fairytale by David Ellwand and Christine Tagg (Illustrator)

Book Description: For hours beneath the velvet sky they dance without a care, until the clock chimes midnight… then she’s no longer there! Just a single lily petal and her fragrance in the air.

One magic night, a poor cinder girl is granted an impossible wish. It may be the most familiar of tales, but under the inimitable wand of David Ellwand, this timeless story blooms as never before. Here, the innocent heroine is a delicate flower, a lily whose faded petals spring to new life as she arrives at the Sultan’s ball in a butterfly-drawn coach. When the smitten Prince sets out in search of the shy, retiring flower who has vanished into thin air, leaving but a petal behind, it’s clear that Cinderlily’s comically garish, pansy-faced stepsisters won’t stand a chance.

The Persian Cinderella by Shirley Climo (Author) and Robert Florczak (Illustrator)

Book Description: Magic enables Settareh to outsmart two jealous step-sisters and win the heart of a prince. But where most Cinderella stories end, poor Sattareh’s troubles are
only beginning!

Additional Details: With a mother who died in childbirth and a father who’s mostly absent Settareh lives with a step-mother, two step-sisters and a large extended family. But she is lonely. Jealous of her beauty, the women in the house ignore or mistreat Settareh. When her father gives each woman a gold coin to spend on a new dress for No Ruz, the New Year to be held at the palace, Settareh gives most of her money to a poor old woman and then uses the rest to by a cracked jar. She decides not to go to the celebration. However, Settareh discovers there is a pari in her cracked jar. The fairy will grant whatever she wishes. Disguised in a beautiful new dress and diamond anklets, Settareh goes to No Ruz after all. There she captures the attention of the Prince. Fleeing the celebration in order to arrive home before her step-mother, Settareh loses one of her diamond anklets. The Prince determines to marry whoever will fit the anklet. Once Settareh is found, a wedding is planned. In the meantime, however, Settareh, unwisely tells her step-sister about the pari. On her wedding day, the step-sisters steal the cracked jar and wish for Settareh to be gone forever. The jar bursts and leaves behind 6 hairpins which the step-sisters jab into Sattareh’s hair while dressing her for the wedding. Settareh turns into a turtledove and flies away. Stricken by grief over the loss of Settareh, the Prince remains in his room and is comforted by a turtle dove. After some time, hairpins are discovered in the turtle dove and removed, thus restoring Settareh to her true self. Settareh and the Prince are married and live happily ever after. The step-sisters, however, are so filled with rage that their hearts burst.

With that I conclude.

Do you have any Cinderella stories to add or recommend? I know there are more out there!