Making Meaning of out Molehills

Hello again to my old friends.  I call you friends because if you are still reading my blog after my 7 month hiatus, you are awfully kind.  And realistically, most of you who read this already are my friends!

So, you may have noticed, I've had somewhat of a hard time writing on my blog lately. Well, okay - since I started!  But lately at least I can say, it’s Glennon’s fault.  Once I started to read Glennon’s blog, Momastery, I’ve felt somewhat frozen - like a deer in the headlights.  

“G” as her ‘monkees’ call her is so AMAZING!  Amazingly open, amazingly honest, amazingly heart-felt - all the time!  No matter what she is talking about.  She uses humor and humility and grace in everything she writes.  And her message time and time again is let’s just be kind to each other, let’s support each other and love those around us (and those not around us), because they need it.  I LOVE GLENNON!!!  Actually, I don’t really know her, but I love her message.  She writes the kind of stuff and with the kind of voice that I wish I had.  

So G - you have been so inspiring, but also so paralyzing for me.  I don’t have your story.  Of course, I have my own, but I haven’t been able to turn into this powerful vehicle, as you have.  Please don’t misunderstand me - I admire you, and cheer for you, and am in awe of all you do.  But I haven’t really found that voice - my voice - the way you have.  And sometimes that makes me feel stuck.

I did however find something interesting last night, which I feel is helping me to connect the dots that make up my writing life.  I was reading Lucy Calkins, The Art of Teaching Writing, (a little light bed time reading!), and here is what I found:

“We grow a piece of writing not only by jotting notes and writing rough drafts, but also by noticing, wondering, remembering, questioning and yearning. ...but it also comes from lingering with a bit of life and layering it with meaning.  Writing … is not a process of recording details but one of making significance of them.”  

Lucy Calkins also quotes Theodore Roethke, who said, 

“If our lives don’t feel significant, sometimes it’s not our lives, but our response to our lives, which needs to be richer.”   

Oh Lucy!  You are amazing too!  I felt like it all clicked for me.  I’ve been looking for the meaning ever since I can remember.  My favorite books are the ones that strike a cord of meaning for me.  My favorite songs are the ones where the lyrics really speak to me.  And the things I want to and like to write are ones that hold meaning.  Purpose.  That speak to the understanding or the deciphering!

What I love so much about Momastery is that she takes the most ordinary moment, and sometimes the most difficult moments and Glennon is able to tell about it in a simple yet profound way.  She finds the significance in it - the meaning.  She finds the humanity in it which is what connects us to the piece and to each other.   That’s what its all about, isn’t it?  Connecting.

One more Lucy quote that I love:

“Writing allows us to turn the chaos into something beautiful, to frame selected moments, to uncover and celebrate the organizing patterns of our existence.”

So… I’m not sure if this will help me write MORE often - but I hope it will.  Either way, at least you (and I) know where I’m coming from.  What my goal is, my direction.  My destination: Meaning!  

Now I just need to work on that annoying perfectionist who waits for the perfect , complete idea to fall into her lap!

         

Picture Book Picks

As some of you may know, I LOVE PICTURE BOOKS!  When I grow up, I want to be a picture book author.  Which is, frustratingly, so much harder than it sounds.  None-the-less, I’m an avid picture book reader in an effort to know the market, become inspired and mainly just because I enjoy it.  Here are my latest purchases and I must say, I am completely in love with all three.

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, Things About Me by Jenny Slate and Dean Fletcher-Camp (dig the hyphenated name by the way).  Sigh.  Love, love, love this book!!!  I know I keep throwing that word around, but it’s true.  Marcel, I’m in love with you!  This is a picture book rendition of their popular Youtube video of Marcel, which I’m embarrassed to admit I only heard about AFTER I got the book.  The illustrations are beautifully painted by Amy Lind, based on photographs taken by David A. Erickson and they masterfully lead the reader through Marcel’s world.  Marcel’s voice is evident through his words but also through the pictures and timing of the page turns.  Read it - you’ll love it too!

Mud by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Lauren Stringer.  This book will appeal to all your senses, as it perfectly depicts this eternal childhood fascination.  It’s the quintessential spring book.   “Winter will squish, squck, sop, splat, slurp, melt in mud.”  The lyrical language and lush, colorful paintings are a perfect match.  Your inner child will love it for sure! 

Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman.  Nancy Tillman is another one that I LOVE!  I adore the simple message of, what else, LOVE, that she conveys in all her stories.  Equally as appealing are her illustrations which combine photographs and painting, creating this magical feel.  It’s what every mother wants to convey to her children: I will love you, wherever you may go in life - and may you go far, knowing how much I love you.  Another sigh.  Dreamy.  Read it!

There you have it!  Those are my picture book picks.  I would of course, LOVE to hear about any great books you wish to share!

Spain - part 1

Barcelona

The thought of one day living somewhere warm, coastal and European has been a lingering dream for my husband and me.  Spain was one country neither of us had seen, so we packed up the three kids and five suitcases and off we flew.

We spent six days in Barcelona, staying at the Roger de Lluria Hotel.  It was a lovely hotel and centrally located.  The hotel clerks were always helpful, especially Hakim!  We were in walking distance to La Rambla, Passiage De Gracia,  the Gothic quarter and the Cathedral, as well as many of Gaudi’s famous buildings like La Peddler and Casa Batllo.

We didn’t get to do all the things we would have liked, based on the fact that we had an 8 year old, a 10 year old and a 12 year old to feed, transport and entertain.  Being that there were five of us, taxis were only an option if we wanted to take two and pay a fortune.  The busses and subways were fairly easy to navigate and buying a ten ride pass made it much more manageable.  Mainly, we relied on walking, and walking we did!

Highlights included spending the day at Montjuic: taking the gondola (or Funicular) up to the fortress at the top,  finding a playground in the park with gigantic slides (the kids favorite part), and visiting the Olympic Stadium and grounds.  

Museums were not really on our list, due to the amount of walking we were doing everyday.  It was a balancing act of keeping the kids busy and moving, but not getting too worn out. 

We also had fun visiting the waterfront areas called La Barceloneta, Port Vell and Port Olympic, and enjoyed a sunny lunch on the beach.  

Visiting one of the many markets was high on our list so we stopped at La Boqueria for snacks.  The fresh fruit smooties were a hit!  

There were other sights that we did visit but not listed here, and even more that we didn’t get to.  Keeping the troops happy required a laid back and flexible approach and meant seeing a little less.  Just one more reason to travel to Barcelona again!  

Next we headed to Grenada… Spain Part 2

Back in the Saddle Again!

‘Think back to a pivotal moment from your childhood.  One where the emotions are still raw and fresh.  It could be good or bad.  An epiphany or a turning point.’  This was the question posed to eleven of us by author and editor Rich Wallace at the Highlights Foundation workshop this past weekend in Pennsylvania.   

The answers varied greatly: shop lifting, foster siblings, bicycle accidents.  My moment was from middle school when I first realized my older brother did not in fact hate me, but actually cared for me - as evidenced by his ‘roughing up‘ a classmate of mine who was mean to me.  (Ah, the good old days!) 

No matter what the subject matter though, the moments and more specifically the emotions were powerful.  After spending three and a half days with this group children’s writers and the amazing editors (and authors) who ran the workshop, several of us had an adult epiphany.  Heather was the one to express it at our final Q & A session:  She had tears in her eyes as she explained that this weekend had really been a defining moment for her and her career as a child’s author, her adult turning point.  I think she spoke for many of us.  It was a powerful, informative, fun filled, inspiring weekend.  

The workshop presenters also included Lou Warnycia, Rachel Buchholz and Paula Marrow, as well as special guest Darlyne Murawski.  They shared the ins and outs of getting published in the magazine market: how to write a good query letter, what the revision process looks like behind the scenes, how to really study the magazine market and so much more!

In between these packed sessions were amazingly delicious meals and entertaining conversation.  My favorite was sitting next to Cristina Kessler and Darlyne Murawski, listening to them swap stories of snake encounters in the rain forest and lion attacks in the African bush.

The weekend also included lots of one on one sessions with the editors and a chance to have our work evaluated.  The entire experience was invaluable.  It has given me such renewed purpose and energy.  If you are interested in writing for children and have not yet had the chance to attend a Highlights Foundation Workshop, I beg you to look into it and GO!  And I thank Kent Brown Jr. for his dedication to the art of writing for children and providing such amazing forums!

Giddy up!  Gotta go write!

My Poor, Neglected Blog

Have you ever had a friend to whom you owed a phone call, and for what ever reasons, you hadn’t called yet?  The more time went by, the worse you felt, and the more you avoided that phone call.  Well… that’s my story here with my poor, neglected blog.  I’ve wanted to write.  I’ve been meaning to write.  I’ve been feeling terribly guilty about NOT writing!  But I just haven’t sat down to do it.

The more I thought about it, the more I doubted what I had to say.  I didn’t want to write about sad things (already did that), I didn’t want to write about the weather (already did that), didn’t want to write about ideas inspired by other blog pages (already did that), didn’t want to write about books I’ve read (did that too!) AND I didn’t want to write about complaints or gripes (I think I did numerous times!)  So what in the world do I want to write about??????

Here is the main thing on my mind.  I’ve been a little hesitant to share it, but alas, the time has come.  I’d like to start a blog dedicated to children’s literature, specifically to middle grade chapter books, as well as picture books.  So - here I am putting my intention in writing.  Putting it in motion.  Starting the ball rolling.  Maybe by telling all of you about this idea it will put a little fire under me to carry it out.  Maybe by putting this out there, I will find some others who might be interested in doing this with me!! 

I’ve seen lots of these types of blogs for Young Adult literature, but not so many for middle grade lit.  Most of these sites have several authors who take turns writing and reading.  Sometimes they group books by theme, or review new ones, or just discuss recent reads.  I’m completely open to the format and direction - so if you have any great ideas, please do let me know!  I like the informality of the blog, and the idea of joining forces around a topic that is close to me heart.  

There you have it.  Stay tuned for more…  

Clarification

Okay, my Ode to Autumn was obviously NOT referring to this weather, which, despite my love of fall and easy to please nature, depresses me! 

Ode to Autumn

Looking for blog ideas, my friend Luke Giroux suggested this:

“Maybe some of the joys, excitement, and anticipation of going back to school? Or changing of the seasons; life marches on.  I've always felt that the seasons, here in New England, force us to move on with life. No matter how much we lament the end of a hot summer, or how much we want to capture the essence of our kids or our lives at any given moment in time, mother nature will always inform us that there's a much higher power at work here, marshaling us through time and space.”

Fall being one of my favorite seasons (I have a few!), I thought this was a wonderful suggestion.  I still get a flutter of excitement in my stomach with that first breath of crisp air.  I LOVE buying new notebooks and pencils and backpacks.  Not just because it means my kids will be back at school - offering me much needed peace and quiet, but because it excites me!  My mother used to cover my textbooks in this thick, clear, rubbery plastic, and it had such a distinct smell.  A back to school smell.  Just like new pencil cases with those plastic sliders.  I loved brand new workbooks, never before opened - where I got to ‘break the spine’.  (Does it surprise you that I became a teacher?)  

Fall brought all new possibilities: new friends to be made, new adventures to be had, new experiences as someone one ‘year’ older.  A new locker, a new class schedule, new teachers.  And of course there were back to school clothes and brand new school shoes!  Aunt Genevieve would take me to Dayton’s Oval Room and buy me designer clothes off the sale rack (back when I wore a size 2).

  I love the cooler temperature, the crisp air, the earthy smell of wet leaves.  I used to seek out the brown, brittle leaves trying to find ones that made the loudest crunch (I still do!).  The sky looks bluer to me on a gorgeous October day.  It’s the beginning of apple picking, mulled cider and butternut squash soup.  Fires in the fireplace and cozy sweaters.  Football and tailgating (Yes, believe it or not, there was a time where I did this.  Regularly!).  Indian summer - that last little tease of warm weather; I can still hear my grandmother explaining it to me.  Raking leaves and diving in piles (not so fun for me anymore but my seven year old still loves it).  Halloween!  I remember trick or treating with my friend Lee in Brooklyn Heights, under the street lamps, kicking leaves as we walked, thinking ‘It doesn’t get any better than this!’  I still think that every year, as I walk my kids around our West Hartford neighborhood.  As corny as this makes me sound, every time I see one of those huge maple trees with golden-orangey yellow leaves, so brilliant it looks like its lit from within, I smile.  It brings me joy.  True, simple joy.

However, as Luke said, it’s also about Mother Nature herself.  There is an ushering-in of what’s next.  Time marches on, which sometimes is a relief.  Life and its cycles keep moving forward, and we follow suit.  As Eckhart Tolle discusses in “A New Earth”, there is a natural expansion and contraction to life, a rhythm.  Autumn to me, is like the grand finale of the fireworks shows.  The trees give this amazing display of color - the last hurrah before they wind down for winter.  The final breath of expansion before contracting.  Not only do I like the guidance that nature provides with this cycle, but I’m okay with contracting for part of the year.  (Maybe I’m part bear?)

I’m not always the eternal optimist, but I guess with seasons I am.  There is always something to look forward to, a change just around the corner.  The anticipation of that change is enough to keep me going!  By the time fall winds down, and the air is permanently chilly, then its time to watch for the quiet magic of that first snow fall.  For now though, I am going out to enjoy this gorgeous fall day!