kneeling in the divine dirt,ever in awethatseeds I have sownand nurturedand prayed over,like tiny miracles,take root.
tiny miracles
Tag: Peace
The First Thing
About five years ago I was invited to lead a drawing workshop for a group of teenage boys recently arrived to this country as refugees. I had never taught anybody anything and knew nothing about classroom management. I understood the workshop would be an education for all of us, but some of the lessons of… Continue reading The First Thing
Leading with Love
Every morning when we bring out the checks, Katie follows us. She watches and whines, urging us to be careful as we move the growing babies from indoor enclosure to box to the chicken tractor outside. She trails the Big Guy from room to outdoors and hovers as he releases the checks into the tractor.… Continue reading Leading with Love
Tree Noise
We may be the only house in Vermont where you can’t actually see a mountain. We carved our plot out of the middle of a hill, leaving as many trees as possible. The result is that we can see outlines of mountains through the branches in the winter, but most of our view is defined… Continue reading Tree Noise
Wasting Not
When I was a kid, my parents moved to Peru for a couple years. My father researched infant nutrition and worked with a clinic there that served malnourished children. There was a glut under-nourished children there, and, while my parents were never wasteful before, experience left our family, especially my father, with a strong aversion… Continue reading Wasting Not
Front Row at the Renaissance
I love special education because it’s all about finding the spark in someone and helping it glow. It’s an act of hope informed by evidence. I’m housebound now and spending too much time on social media. The temptation to give into fear or despair is great, but the same internet that serves up daily examples… Continue reading Front Row at the Renaissance
Sparkling Solitude
Someone on Facebook wryly observed that, unless you’re socially separating yourself in the Quarantine region of France happy, then you’re really only engaging in sparkling isolation. I’ve had to segregate myself somewhat from my family since being diagnosed with pneumonia earlier this week. I’m still close enough, however, to be able sit for a few… Continue reading Sparkling Solitude
Living in Lessons
I don't tend to be a mourner. I shed a few tears, maybe a sob here and there, and then the person I love lives on in my memories and, if I'm lucky, in the lessons I've absorbed from them. I'm blessed to have been born with a small army of Great Aunts. I don't… Continue reading Living in Lessons
Selfless self-care
One of the things I’m loving about teaching is that it takes every fiber of your being to do it well. It takes your creativity, your intellect, and your physical input. There’s no way to half-ass it and have any worthwhile outcome. One of the things I love about the place where I teach came… Continue reading Selfless self-care
Get Centered
The other day as we wended our way down the hill towards our house, wrapping up a walk that, for some reason, had caused Katy-the-Wonder-Dog many fearful pauses, the afternoon sun broke through the clouds, and we had something more than a walk. I wanted to step up the pace for the last quarter mile… Continue reading Get Centered
Wintry Road
Wintry Road, 8”x10”,oil on canvas, $125 Prints and originals (when still available), can be purchased on Etsy here. New Year’s resolutions are made to be broken, so the only ones I make tend to be diet related (something I excel at breaking). The end of 2018, however, marks what we hope is a new beginning… Continue reading Wintry Road
Saturation Point
Newsfeeds filled with atrocities committed by Americans against Americans as well as with the specter of Nazi banners and slogans taking center stage at the home of one of America's top universities this weekend made it easy for anger and worry to reach their saturation points. Anger is counterproductive. I believe it is… Continue reading Saturation Point
Rachel Barlow Art 