Remembering

I remember growing up and listening to the stories about World War II. My uncles both joined the war effort when they were teens. One became a marine and the other signed up for the US Navy. When Heidi Mordhorst announced that the word of the day for the Forward...March Poetry Challenge was crouch, I envisioned my uncles crouching with other soldiers in trenches or on their ships as they valiantly engaged in their missions. This poem is based on my memories of conversations with my one of my uncles years after he returned from World War II. 

I was just a little girl
when I heard the stories-
naval exploits
in the Philippines.
He was barely a young man,
not old enough to graduate
from high school,
but the call to fight was
a passionate one.
He lied about his age,
told his mother,
and left his home 
to join the Navy.


His mission in the Philippines
was filled with horrors,
too difficult to explain,
but he came home.
A long sword in a case,
trinkets, a photograph,
and stories about the island
came home with him. 


The story I heard was
about soldiers in the navy 
with little food to eat,
crouched over with pains
from disease-racked bodies.
I imagined what kind of
sounds broke the silence
during his time at sea,
away from home.

I wanted to hear more,
but I was just a little girl.
The sword remained 
as an untouchable.
I favored the trinkets 
given to my grandmother,
but they were not mine.
It was the photograph
that remained with me-
a remembrance of 
a young man who wanted
to fight for his country.

He may have crouched
in fear in the Philippines,
but he would not 
tell that story.
I asked for more,
but I was too young 
to hear those stories.
I had to be content
with studying history
to uncover the stories
that were left untold

and collecting 
artifacts to 
build rich stories
of my own. 

CVarsalona (c) 2015 

This story evolved from a childhood recollection. Intrigued by artifacts from far away places and different times, the curious side of my nature lured me to learn more about historical events. With an eagerness to uncover stories, I became a lover of antiques and vintage items. This passion spilled over to teaching and the desire to build knowledge for children that could not be obtained other than through hands-on examination of artifacts and research. With hopes to provide the same love of learning as I grew up with, I collected artifacts from the turn of the 20th century to the 1960s and stored them in antique and vintage chests. These repositories of the past became the stimulus for many students to notice, wonder, examine, and discover another time period and make connections to their lives. From these experiences, imagination and creativity combined to pen stories that linked past to present.

Two Writing Teachers' March Slice of Life Storytelling Challenge is on Day 24 now. Please visit the site to read other slices.  

Clutches of Hope

From the refugee town, Masese in Uganda beautiful paper beads are crafted into clutches. Women work daily to design and weave the beads into multi-colored bags that are fashionable purses for daytime or evening wear. These bags are not the Red Carpet clutches that you see, but they are the livelihood of the Mothers of Masese who craft beaded jewelry and bags for a global outreach program, H.E.L.P. International. These bags are clutches of hope in a town that has seen much disease, illiteracy, and poverty over the years.

H.E.L.P. International.  was founded to bring hope, education, and sustainable living to mothers and children in Masese, Uganda. Through the selling of beautifully crafted jewelry and bags, a school for 550 children was built and continues to thrive as a center for literacy in the refugee town. The young learners receive education from their Ugandan teachers and headmaster, two meals daily, and fresh water while in school. Professional development for the Ugandan educators is provided several times a year by the founders of the organization who travel to Masese several times a year.

You can read more about the fundraiser efforts that I am involved in through a series of blog posts, the most recent one being Giving Tuesday Offers Hope to Others. 100% of the proceeds from the various fundraisers on Long Island go to the sustainable living and education programs in Masese.

Today is a double offering post. 

#1. 
I am participating in Heidi Mordhorst's March...Forward Poetry Challenge. Today's word is clutch. The poem created talks of the difference in the types of clutches there are in the fashion industry. 
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For fashionistas, a clutch
is a must that cannot hold much.
It is dainty and sweet,
compact and petite-
a place for lipstick 
and mirrors to meet.

Glamorous stars clutch 
their Red Carpet clutch
that doesn't hold much.
They stop and they pose
but it is not their clothes
that tiny cameras seek.
What is wanted is a peek
inside the Clutch Cam
that cradles the clutch
where fans look, not touch.

Advice for the stars
on Red Carpet Day
when in a clutch
get a soft mani touch
so your lovely hands
can showcase the clutch.

Advice for everyday shoppers:
Look for the Mothers of Masese clutch
fashionably crafted by women's touch.
Carol Varsalona (c) 2015. All Rights Reserved
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Thank you for allowing me to inform you of a service learning project that reaches into the heart of Africa to bring education to Ugandan children and a sustainable living cottage industry to the mothers of Masese. Creating Hope from Paper was my original post written about this outreach program. 

#2
Not, it is time to turn your attention to Day 23 of the March Slice of Life Story Challenge at Two Writing Teachers to read slices from many different writers.  

Mother to Child - Healthy Eating

Every child needs a balanced diet to keep their body healthy and their mind sharp. "Studies have shown that if you equip your children with healthy food to eat at school, they will be better prepared to study and learn." (http://www.eatingwell.com/) Because childhood obesity is a prevalent problem, First Lady Michelle Obama created the "Let's Move" program to bring awareness to the issue. Her program centers on four pillars: providing parents with information to make better choices about their children's nutritional habits, getting healthier foods into school lunch programs, bringing focus and accessibility to healthy foods, and increasing physical activity for America's youth.

Mothers need to be aware of the effects of healthy eating to help their children make wise food choices. Below is a conversation that shows different reactions to healthy food choices. 

Mother To Child:
MUNCH. Crunch!
A healthy lunch
packed with veggies
and Mom's strategies.

Child #1 to Mom
MUNCH. Crunch!
Mom's healthy lunch-
healthy foods to eat-
where are the sweets?

Child #2 to Mom
MUNCH. Crunch!
Mom's healthy lunch
I crave some celery sticks-
with yogurt dip to lick.

Start today to help your children find the right foods to lead a healthy life.

Heidi Mordhorst's Forward...March Poetry Challenge word of the day is lunch. 

Turn your attention to her site, my juicy little universe, to read other writers' word weaving using the word lunch.

1960's Nostalgia

When I read that the Heidi Mordhorst's Forward...March CH Poetry Challenge word of the day was lurch, I immediately thought of the Addams Family's butler, Lurch. He was such an odd fellow, majestic in height with Frankensteinish looks. Besides being a strange and rigid type of character, he was a devoted guardian of the Addams' children with sudden breaks of spontaneity, albeit few and far between.

I thought I would take a step back into time and bring back the 1960s to life for a bit of humor as winter is making its departure. You Rang?  Yes, Lurch, I'm calling you forward.

As a devotee of school, college, and social event popular dancing, I never remember seeing or dancing the lurch. The movements in this 1960s dance popularized by the Addams Family's butler look as though they could be modern day dancing steps at weddings. Check it out! Lurch is flanked by young dancers in white sneakers, straight legs pants,  and sleeveless tops.

Are you ready to lurch forward into my inventive integration of the word lurch into a poetic form?

Lurch around the floor tonight.

Line dance moves holding tight.

Teenyboppers dip and sway

doing the lurch, the 1960s way.

Wondering about the monster groove.

It's boss, groovy, and on the move.

Don't stumble, stagger, reel, or roll.

Follow the pattern-make it your goal.

No wobbling, weaving, or tottering.

The lurch is a professional posturing.

For those still young at heart, a bit of 1960's nostalgia:

TV Highlights:

Book Lover Choices:

Valley of the Dolls, Silent Spring, In Cold Blood, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Dr. Seuss, Where the Wild Things Are, Little Golden Books

Fashion:

A-line dresses, mini-skirts, shifts, jumpers, bell-bottoms, turtlenecks, sleeveless tops, palazzo pants, pant suits, hiphuggers

Inspiration often comes from a curiosity about a subject - a desire to learn more. Today's inspiring quote on Two Writing Teachers allowed me to reflect on the process I used to find out more about the word lurch and the character called Lurch who played a role on television in the 1960s.

The essence of writing is to know your subject.    - David McCullough

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To read other slices written for the March Slice of Life Story Challenge, move over to Two Writing Teachers for Day 17's offerings.  

Monday's Musings

Sunday mornings can be a lazy, contemplative time if I attend Mass the night before. Yesterday was like that. I spent the first hour of the morning engaged in an engaging conversation on the topic of Spiritual Lightness with one one of my favorite contemplative communities on Twitter, #SpiritChat. What exactly does that mean within the context of daily life? My Twitter colleagues and I pondered, personalized, and shared responses. I released this thought for others to respond to: "Writing is another remedy for restlessness. It can be a spiritual healer when heaviness comes in." 

Writing can be seen as a cathartic act, a cleansing of the soul, a release of emotions. It is the act by which we can interact with our thoughts and allow our voice to emerge. Sometimes prompts can be the trigger to awaken feelings and allow words to swirl around until they solidify into nuggets of writing. One such prompt today adds flavor to my Monday's musings. Heidi Mordhorst's Forward...MarCH Poetry Challenge asks writers to explore the word inch. 

The first step in the process of creating a poem based on CH prompt word is to read what Heidi and other writers have created. Next, is to think deeply how this word, inch, could fit into my Winter Whisperings Gallery of artistic expressions that I am designing.  A photo I took of one my vintage treasures passed on to me by my mother catches my interest. I reflect in the quiet of the early morning and let thoughts of the years my mother spent with my family float in my being. Inch by inch, words solidified and an expression of love unfolded below.

You inch your way into my heart
with movable eyes and memories.
Inch by inch, I scan your petite frame,
reminisce about your history, 
and recall when you were lovingly
given to me once upon a year.

Each winter, you grace my home.
With 20th century charm, 
you find a way to bring back a time 
when a mother passed on a treasure
to her child for her children's pleasure.

The hearts you wear emote feelings
of love once released upon a tender,
heart-filled moment on a winter's day.
Your tiny hearts fill the room with a
lifetime of thoughts as you inch 
your way back into a drawer
to rest in memories. 
2015 Carol Varsalona. All Rights Reserved

Whether it be a memory, a new thought, or a vivid emotion, writing can provide an avenue to explore life in a positive framework. Let today's thoughts swirl around so that you can create one lasting image to bring a sense of peace, calm, and lightness to your day for within our psyche lay a multitude of memories and joys that need awakening.  

To hear the words of the bloggers of the March Slice of Life Story Challenge, move over to Two Writing Teachers. It is hard to believe that we are already on Day 16 of the writing challenge. At this halfway mark, an appropriate quote was offered today: "Never, never, never give up." -Winston Churchill

May you enjoy this beautiful March morning. The sun is shining brightly as winter transitions into spring.