Shall We Dance on the Spiritual Journey?

As I celebrate the wonders of Spring with my upcoming Springsations Gallery, I ponder the beauty of nature and the strength of its Divine Creator. Each month, the Spiritual Journey writers join together to write on a topic suggested by the host. This month, Chris Margocs introduces us to a fascinating subject: Shall We Dance? Since my childhood, I have always been a lover of dance. I remember dancing across my living room while listening to Broadway musicals. My love for dancing continued into adulthood.

"The Dance of all the arts is the one that most influences the soul."- Plato

Nature also influences my soul as it moves in a flow from season to season. Leaves find their rhythm even in springtime when the wind stirs in the woods. Raindrops dance and glisten on the sidewalk as a sunshower tip-toes in for a quick step. Some flowers let their petals fall gracefully onto dark chocolate beds and evening sunsets layer the sky with rich layers of color or soft muted shades. 

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When a photo of a friend's trip to Cuba appeared on FaceBook, I appreciated the beauty of an eventide sunset. A majestic painted sky brushed with fiery golds, and reds danced among the clouds. I immediately wrote to Justin Stygles and asked if I could showcase his glamorous sunset at my Springsations Gallery Padlet and Springsations Gallery of Artistic Expressions. After many poetic drafts, I share the image poem of two joyous eventide happenings.

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Shall we watch in awe as a brilliant sun sets

praising nature for its glorious moments?

Shall we dance a high-energy salsa

filling our souls with contentment?

Stillness and energy

share the sky.

Bliss!

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Nature Nurtures Our Souls

Below you will see different movements of Earth's nature dance.

You can take a quick journey from land to sea.

Enjoy!

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Whether you find stillness in nature or energetic joy, be mindful that all things were made by the Divine. We need to honor Earth and protect it as we dance with hope and journey onward. 

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Whenever there is stillness there is the still small voice, God's speaking from the whirlwind, nature's old song, and dance ... - Author: Annie Dillard

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I now travel to two sites where writing is honored.

Spiritual Journey Thursday at Chris Margocs blog, Horizon 51

Poetry Friday at the wonderful and caring Linda Baie's blog, TeacherDance

Linda speaks about kindness as a vital part of our world.

Let's all find and spread kindness in all we do.

created by L. Baie, 2023

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Please see the new additions to Springsations Gallery Padlet here.

Celebrate the Words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The words of Martin Luther King, Jr. still ring true even though decades have passed. On this day of tribute, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a nation pays tribute to a man who held peace and hope in his heart and provided us with many inspirational thoughts. 

"With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair the stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."

-Dr. Martin Luther King from Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution

Are we ready to hold that stone of hope in our hands, open the doors to positive discourse, unite as a brotherhood of peace, and never lose infinite hope? Are we ready to be change agents and messengers of kindness. Beside paying tribute to a great man of peace and non-violent interactions, we need to consider random acts of kindness this week as an alternative to "me" thinking.

I am sending the Kindness Dove out around the globe to share the love of giving. Kindness leads to additional kindness. Let's stand in the shadows of Dr. Martin King, Jr., firm in our commitment, and quick in our conviction to be kind. I #choosekind! Do you?

Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tonight!

Abecedarian Fun

Did you grow up singing the ABC song like I did? Maybe you tried writing an ABC poem in school. This month, Michelle Barnes offers an interesting ditty challenge that stems from an interview with Carole Boston Weatherford-write an abecedarian poem.

What is an abecedarian poem, you may ask? Poetry Foundation says it is "related to an acrostic, a poem in which the first letter of each line or stanza follows sequentially through the alphabet."  

I decided to join the challenge and offered The ABCs of Summer that I  added to Michelle's padlet. Then, I started reading more abecedarian poems and was ready for the next phase of the challenge. Join me as I have some fun finding the right flow for intertwining words.

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Always beaching, 

creating digital delights, 

expressing feelings gratefully
held in joyful keeping-

life living moments

offered, nurtured

presented quietly,

renewing summertime's 

universal, valuable,
watershed eXperiences

yon zen zones.
©CVarsalona, 2017

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Accept boundless

creative diversions

examined faithfully,
gratefully generating-

happy investments in joyous,

kaliedoscope, 
"life living" moments.

Nature offers prospects,

quotable reflective sightings;

encouUrging valuable, 

wished-for eXperiences

beYond zen zones.

©CVarsalona, 2017

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Dreamtime Travel

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at

bedtime

curl-up.

doze.
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dreams

earmarked

for grandeur

unleasH heart's

inspirational

joys.

keep

aLL cLose. 

lovingly linger.

knOwingly observe.

openly pass quiet roads. 

saunter through tall thickets,

under 

verdant-covered vines,

whimsical xystus*, 

gaZebos.

GaZe.

 Zephyrs zip.
©CVarsalona, 2017

*a type of covered walkway or portico

My Dreamtime Travel poem turned out to be in the shape of a candle burning bright.

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Did the words used in my last poem, Dreamtime Travel 

paint a picture in your mind? 

Did the poem take you to a place of rest and serenity?

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I am continuing to enjoy summer-like weather
and sunkissed moments. 
Celebrate summer a bit longer with me.
Stay tuned for the unveiling of my Sunkissed Summer Gallery.

This week Poetry Friday is being hosted by my poet friend Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. You can join Michelle's Five for Friday Peace party at Today's Little Ditty. Here are my contributions.

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Five for Friday Peace Poem

(using only 5 words)

Kindness Dove

Soaring-

a beacon

of peace.

©CVarsalona, 2017

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WANTED

only

peaceful,

quiet,

restful

serenity

©CVarsalona, 2017

Poetry Gifts

There are those thankful moments in life when you stop and reflect on the power of friendship. Writing is one way to keep in touch with friends but over the years the art of writing letters and postcards got lost in the shuffle of tweets, messaging, and text messages. Recently, notecard and postcard writing, a past practice of the 20th century world, is being revived as a non-digital way of communicating with poetry friends. Lately, I have been receiving written poetry gifts from friends through the mail. This is a delightful way to be on the receiving end of kindness.

After celebrating acts of kindness over the past weeks, I sit back to recall the poetry gifts I received that provided moments of joy.

Michelle H. Barnes sent me a copy of Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong's marvelous new Poetry Friday Power Book, Here We Go, with a personal note. Michelle said that I won the book and this pleased me so much because I have been eager to read Here We Go. I have read many reviews on it by other Poetry Friday friends, have been happily reading each of the power packs in the book, and tweeted out my excitement for receiving the book. My quick thought is: Educators, this book is a Must Have for your classrooms and a fun resource to encourage students to write poetry. 

Beside that wonderful gift and card, other Poetry Friday friends sent me poetry postcards from Jone MacCulloch's New Year #PostcardXchange.

Thanks to Linda Baie, Brenda Davis Harsham, Jone MacCulloch, Bridget Magee, Diane Mayr, and Donna Smith for their beautifully-created digital postcards and notes that brightened each day that I received one. 

The last treat arrived a few days ago from my poet friend, Laura Purdie Salas. She has written an imaginative children's book, If You Were the Moon. Keri Lewis's review was the first one I read and I was immediately intrigued. My response to Keri was "Keri, your review of Laura’s book makes science come alive with a poetic touch". You can quickly become immersed in this captivating book that lets you see the moon through the lens of science. Check out the book trailer below. Then, let the book have a prominent spot in your children's bedtime library or in your classroom's library corner.

While I believe what Carl Sandburg said about poetry, "Poetry is a packsack of invisible keepsakes", I have a visible place of honor for all of the poetry gifts I have received. Lasting memories will be stored in my heart. 

Please join me for the Poetry Friday Round-up at Karen Edmisten's site.

Relationships

There are many types of relationships in life, once fostered, that bring joy to life. Last week, during Random Acts of Kindness Week, many people willingly gave of themselves to bring a slice of happiness to others. Relationships were developed or broadened and those who gave also received benefits. Building relationships with others is a gift that leads to a healthy lifestyle at home, work, and in school.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation offers research on the benefits of kindness to one's health. Studies show that continual acts of kindness reduce stress, pain, health, anxiety, depression, and blood pressure. It is no wonder that acts of kindness are publicized. Imagine this: if all parents and teachers offered guidance on how to give from the heart then, acts of kindness could become the norm, not the exception. 

Finding the time to offer and celebrate kindness is not difficult. A smile, statement of praise, and a positive attitude are the first step. It is a wonderful feeling to give to others and it improves one's health so developing relationships should be a priority beyond Random Acts of Kindness Week.

Margaret Simon opened DigiLit Sunday yesterday with the theme "Relationships" and provided a look into a student-led act of kindness project that is one the news feeds should pick up on. You can read about this here.

#DigiLitSunday

Celebrating Acts of Kindness

This week I have celebrating kindness during Random Acts of Kindness Week. While I believe that kindness should be a normal occurrence throughout the year, it is wonderful to have one week and a special day set aside to celebrate different ways to reach out to others.

Ways to Promote the Act of Kindness:

Send inspirational messages, either digitally or non-digitally to add some sparkle and warmth to others' lives.

=>My first step in celebrating kindness this week was to dip into my stock of digital inspirations and send one out on social media. 

Share your writing with social media friends to celebrate the art of writing. 

=>The digital inspiration below accompanied my recent post, Heartfelt Creations.

Spread kindness throughout Twitter with kindness tweets.

=>I sent a kindness dove around the globe that I created to key connected educators and asked them to spread the message. They agreed and the dove circulated bringing messages of kindness.

Share blog posts on kindness with members of your PLNs (professional learning networks.

=>I created a post for the Wonderopolis Wonder Ground, Kindness In 5 Words. It featured a poem, How To Love Your Little Corner of the World, in English and Spanish by Eileen Spinelli from The Poetry Friday Anthology of Celebrations, compiled by Sylvia Vargas and Janet Wong as core texts in a lesson on kindness.  

Bake for family and friends because baked goods are a great way to bring happiness to others.

=>Ruth Ayres reminded me through her picture of a cake to add this thought to my blog post. Tonight, I baked my coconut almond cookies dipped in chocolate for a celebration of friends. 

Promote kindness through smiles, a random act, or listening intently to another.

It is easy to give of yourself if you practice the art of giving and being hospitable. This is important so that we can model for our students, children, family members, and all those we come in contact with.

Be kind to yourself. 

Tonight, my yoga teacher reminded us that we need to let go when involved in yoga meditation. This is an important act of self-love that contributes to our well-being.

Kindness can go a long way in promoting peace and understanding. When days are gray, like they have been on Long Island lately, keep finding the joy in life. Continue to spread kindness through notes, tweets, and random acts. 

Ruth Ayres opens her space each weekend to Celebrate This Week with fellow bloggers. I am joining her to add my thoughts. You may be interested in joining in the conversation. You can access the site here and at #celebratelu.

Let Kindness Spread

Media headlines have been full of political issues and concerns lately, so much so that writers are turning to the pen to uphold their beliefs on social justice. Students are also confronted with headlines, sometimes with full knowledge of the issues and other times, only through hearsay channels. Exploring ideas to bring balance to the classroom is an important step these days.

At the beginning of January, #NYEDChat discussed the topic, Tackling Tough Issues, with Ted Palenski and Newsela guest moderating the chat.  Educators from many different locales gathered to discuss issues that have arisen and traded ideas on strengthening classroom culture as ways to bring balance to the classroom. 

Providing the forum for students to discuss terms like tolerance, patience, sharing, and kindness through storytelling, essay writing, and opinion polls is an idea I throw out to all. Relationship building exercises are steppingstones to cementing a culture of trust that help students see each other as peers and partners in learning.

Further ideas on spreading kindness can be viewed at my recent post at my #WonderGround site. It features a Wonder of the Day,  from Wonderopolis, and a poem, as core texts in a lesson on kindness. You can access that post here. 

The following quote, "A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees," by Amelia Earhart provides a beautiful visual. It would be interesting to see what images students sketch before a discussion or follow-up activities. In addition, it would make a great bulletin board in the foyer of a school or administrative offices. 

Plant seeds of kindness for kindness' roots grow and spread. 

Today is "Slice of Life Tuesday" at Two Writing Teachers. There is a sense of urgency as I write this piece for world news is moving at a fast pace and will have a growing impact on the lives of students.