Delight

Delight is something I pay attention to. It's what I find when I speak to my grandchildren or I hear stories from their mom's about their latest escapades. These are what inspire me, make me laugh and wake me up to the wonder and beauty of life.


On a recent visit with Victoria, who is 2 1/2, I was surprised and delighted to witness her spend an unexpectedly large amount of time looking through my Park Seed catalog! She went through page after page exclaiming on the pretty flowers, pointing out her favorite on each. When we got to the herb page she calmly noted without hesitation that the cilantro was a weed.

When I told Laney, who is 8 about hearing a strange sound when we were hiking in the woods recently, she exclaimed, "Oh Grandma, think about what a great story that would make about some odd creature making weird noises in the woods!"

And then there's the time I was having a "vibrant" discussion about something upsetting with my daughter as we were driving along the highway. Lola, who is almost four was listening from the backseat when she reminded me to --"Calm down, grandma. Everybody's friends."

Oh to be able to retain the freshness of a child's perspective! To access the innocence and clarity of wonder before it is blunted and burdened by the weight of time and the expectations of others.

Posted by Unknown | at 5:12 AM | 0 comments

New Eyes

Creating Children's Picture Books with Elizabeth O. Dulemba opened these naïve eyes to what it takes to write for children. This rich and potent weekend program was offered at the John C. Campbell Folk School. Being one of those ignorant and arrogant people who suffers from the delusion that it would be a piece of cake, it was a major awakening. It feels like opening the door on a vast, subterranean complex where nothing is as it appears on the surface. Those happy, funny, appealing pages that sing to me in the children's book section arrived there due to immense skill, endless determination and raw courage, not to mention amazing talent. These eyes now see them with the impressed and respectful gaze they deserve.

Posted by Unknown | at 4:47 AM | 0 comments