March Musings #18: Pot of Gold

In my town, St. Patrick's Day brings out the best in everyone. From the morning yoga class to our friends' gathering, green was everywhere. The joyous spirit of St. Patrick's Day was infectious as it brought lots of smiles and happiness throughout the day. 

I found my pot of gold last night as my friends and I celebrated life, friendship, and husbands' birthdays with a delicious corn beef and cabbage dinner party.

Sending an Irish Blessing your way!
May you always have...
Wall for the winds.
A roof for the rain.
Tea beside the fire.
Laughter to cheer.
Those you love near you
And all your heart might desire.

********

 

Day 18 of  Two Writing Teachers' March Slice of Life Story

March Musings #7: Have You Ever?

Have you ever had one of those days? You may know the type, the one that that leaves you wondering  why you forgot one more thing.

Backtrack to March 4th. I was rushing around (seems to be a normal pattern lately) trying to put the finishing touches on my professional development presentations for the week while preparing the dessert table for my friend's first neighborhood Oscars' party. 

I thought I was in full swing, being so organized and prepared. It was close to 11:oo a.m. when I finished my March Slice of Life Story Challenge blog, Oscar Gold. My husband called out to me. "Time to go carpet shopping." In my rush, I closed the computer but forgot to hit the send button. Once in the car, I realized that. "No problem. I have time to do this when I get home."

As life goes, time passes on and distractions happen. We got home later than I thought. I still had to pack my computer bag for an early morning presentation. I then, had to pack all the desserts and glam accessories for the party. All that was done but I was late for the party and wouldn't you know I forgot to hit the send button. "No problem, I can do it when I get home."

Of course, the Oscars ended later than I thought. I rushed home, tried to reorganize myself, and pushed the send button. Oops, I missed the deadline by 10 minutes. I guess I just had one of those days!

 

Day 7 of Two Writing Teachers' March Slice of Life Story Challenge

Celebrating Community

As a connected educator, I celebrate community. I honor all aspects of it. From online Twitter chats to written word to face-to-face communications, I feel the joy of being a member of a thriving tribe of passionate colleagues. What powers this feeling? Perhaps, the gifts I receive and the contributions I make that fuel my joy. I receive new knowledge, collegial support, and inspiration and in turn, offer positivity, creativity, and engaging opportunities to share voice. It is a win-win situation in which I can retain my individuality while being part of a greater whole.

Communities foster togetherness, as noted by the new hashtag, #bettertogether2018, and honor all members. From isolated voices to a collective chorus, community members move within a trusting culture toward risk-taking, difference making, and growth as unique individuals with heart. 

This week, I celebrate community, those I write, converse, and chat with on a daily basis. I honor the mentors, colleagues, writers, poets, and leaders in my community that have helped me develop my skills as one voice among many.

What else have I received from my community partners:

• #NYEDChat, #satchat, #whatisschool, #G2Great for instance provide knowledge and current information that supports me in becoming a better educator
• #SpiritChat, #DareToBe, #INZpirED, #ImpactMatters, and #PeopleSkills offer inspired conversations and listening ears to grow as a caring and authentic individual
• EdCampLI, EdCampLeadershipLI, LiteracyEdCamp offer professional development to hone my leadership skills
• @Wonderopolis and the Wonder Lead Ambassadors spark my curiosity and celebrate wonder with me
• Celebrate This Week (#celebratelu), Slice of Life (#sol18), and Poetry Friday offer spaces to develop my writing through blogging, whether it be small moment narratives, poetry, or positivity texts 

As you can see my communities provide me with a range of topics to become a better practitioner of life. Within these communities, I push myself out from comfort zones, moving me toward becoming a risk taker of thought and actions. It is within communities that I grow as an authentic human open to feedback to move forward. It is also the place where I encourage others to enter. 

There are many more communities that I belong to in life beyond the ones mentioned. Family and friend communities are vital to my well-being and growth as well as my professional communities. When I reflect on all of my communities that I belong to, I am grateful for being part of such a vast array of personal and professional communities where collaboration counts.

This post is dedicated to one of my writing communities that fosters a sense of positivity while reminding me that writing about my weekly celebrations are important. Thank you to Ruth Ayres for creating a space, Celebrate This Week, for sharing weekly moments and thoughts. 

This message honoring my one word for 2018 came from a member of my Poetry Friday community, Mary Lee Hahn. I pass it on to all as a reminder for 2018.

End-of-Summer on Fire Island

Labor Day took its bow last evening, marking the close of an eventful summer and the beginning of school on Long Island. While still in summer mode, I prepared for an end-of-beach season day on Fire Island. One more day of easy living in summer mode is what I was looking forward to before gearing up for the year ahead. What better way to spend it than with friends.

The day started out with lovely "beach" weather, warm with a sky full of sunshine, making travel to Bayshore for the ferry ride to Fire Island delightful. Since beach season "slowed down", there were few travelers on the ferry so there was plenty of room on deck to capture the beauty of the Great South Bay until the wind picked up. 

Then, it was time to keep my hand on my hat so not to have it whoosh away into water. 

When we landed on Fire Island, we were greeted by our friends at the small but inviting ferry station. There are no roads on Fire Island so travelers leave the dock by walking, biking, or in our case, riding in the courtesy cart that looks like a surrey without the fringe on top or a larger version of a golf cart. The afternoon was slow-paced, enjoyable, and full of friendly conversation and picture taking. 

Finding Serenity at the Beach 

Listening to the Waves Roar

Watching the Butterfly Flutter

The end-of-summer outing was a truly special time to enjoy the lure of the beach with friends. 

There was good food and drink, good conversation, and good memories to be had on Fire Island.

While I did not capture a fiery sunset, like my host,

Photo by Dennis Brady, 2017

 I did watch the sky turn colors at twilight,

see a magnificent full moon over the Great South Bay,

feel the wind blow my hair until it felt like sticky cotton candy, and remember Long Island's summertime magic.

🌻

It is Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers,

a time to share a slice of my day.

Stop back please to view more sunkissed moments of summer

when I unveil my global, online Sunkissed Summer Gallery.

End-of-Summer Thought:

Summer drifts on by

leaving its footprints in the sand.

From Light to Dark

It all started with a beautiful Indian Summer day. You know the kind. An autumn day that you calls you to celebrate with family and friends outdoors. I started to look at my Halloween Weekend checklist and realized that I could pull together an autumn gathering in six hours (with a little help from my husband and son) and so the day began.

The aromas from the grill outside and the baking oven inside were blending just right and added to the anticipation of guests arriving at 3 o'clock. When all who were able to attend joined us on the patio, we  gave thanks for decades of friendship and marveled over the end of October weather. We quickly mentioned those those who could not attend and set out to begin our pre-Halloween fun at what we later called our progressive dinner.

Tinkling of glasses started the autumn afternoon at the appetizer table. Next, we traveled to the outdoor dining table to enjoy butternut squash soup and kale-apple-onion salad. The candle light was glowing, just for effect since it was mid-afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly. 

Then, off to the north we caught a glimpse of a grayish touch to the sky. 

News flash: 

A storm was brewing but it was an hour away. 

We all laughed and wondered how could that be. As soon as we dipped into the salad, a leaf storm kicked up so suddenly that the group just watched and stared at the phenomenon. Quickly, we scurried to grab as many items as we could to move inside.  Too Late!  The cloud turned dark and the rains pelted us. By the time we got inside, we were all soaked. Our hair, clothes, and napkins took quite a beating. 

That incident did not dampen our spirits. The glow of lit candles, fall decorations, and the sight of a significant storm gave us pause to celebrate memories. We reminisced about the progressive dinners when we first moved into the neighborhood. 

Who would have thought that a day that started out so bright would turn so dark? A round of continued laughs made for four hours well spent at our various venues, outside and inside.

Final reflection: I must admit that I have never been in a storm that arrived with gusto like the one on October 30th. 

Positivity and laughter are essentials in life.

Were you affected by the quick turn of events in weather?

PS: My daughter told me that the storm hit Virginia while she and her husband were bicycle riding. They, too, got soaked.

It's Slice of Life Tuesday so please turn to Two Writing Teachers to read what other slicers are writing today. 

Celebrating with Friends

When life comes 

a calling with celebrations, 

what do you do?

You

THANK GOD.

You

SMILE.

You

SHARE.

You

CONTINUE TO

BELIEVE.

Last Sunday, I celebrated the bridal shower of a framily member whom I watched grow up since she was a baby. I was also fortunate enough to help decorate for the event.

On Tuesday, I was interviewed by Larry Jacobs of Education Talk Radio on my perspective of the upcoming International Literacy Association's 2016 Conference. You can read about that wonderful experience here. 

During the week, I noticed, wondered, created digital compositions and image poems, and wrote blogs and poetry in between shopping for additional plants for my gardens. 

*New Celebration Added: I celebrate poet friends who are keen on finding the right accreditation for images. When I found the above vintage piece of artwork, I did not have the name of the artist. On the internet it is listed as Norman Rockwell but Michelle H. Barnes thought it was not. Since the poem was being placed in her persona poem collection for Today's Little Ditty Challenge, she decided to use the label, vintage painting, artist unknown. Diane Mayr, librarian/poet, solved the mystery. The artist is Jack Welch, an illustrator for The Saturday Evening Post. The artwork is actually a 1946 ad for Air Lines of The United States.

All week long, I enjoyed corresponding with colleagues who were sending in their offerings for my upcoming spring gallery, Spring's Seeds. If you go to #SpringsSeeds on Twitter, you can start to see my growing virtual garden of poetry blossoms.

It was a full week of celebrating and now there is more celebrating to do with the start of the Memorial Day Weekend. 

Remember, "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is to celebrate."

Please visit Ruth Ayres at Celebrate This Week, a place where weekly celebrations are posted by the blogging community.