Seize the Moment: Make a Difference
- At October 12, 2020
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
8
“A teacher affects eternity, he (or she) can never tell where his influence ends.” –Henry Adams
I see it in the flushed faces of children, talking in great bursts of energy, flinging their arms in the air. They are painting smooth river rocks with the name of their favorite presidential candidate.
Photo by Mike Stinson
I connect with a retired nurse who said “My heart is just broken and burdened for this country.” Kathleen realized the importance of honoring those who have died from Covid-19 and organized a national collective mourning time. Honor. Hope. Heal.
I witness the perseverance of Rex for keeping on, believing in the sanctity of the human spirit and promoting fairness, working with love towards restorative justice at a state penitentiary for men.
Read More»Ivan the Gorilla Wired for Creativity
- At August 31, 2020
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
- 4
“To every thing there is a season…”—Ecclesiastes
Ivan the Gorilla
“The One and Only Ivan,” is a book and a movie about Ivan the Gorilla, a beloved Silverback Western Lowland gorilla, who captured the hearts of everyone who met him. Ivan lived in isolation in a 40-by-40 concrete enclosure for twenty-seven years in a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington; didn’t go outside for all this time, touch grass, nor see another gorilla. But, in spite of these bleak circumstances, Ivan continued to delight children and families with his daily antics. He loved to play games, teased his zoo keepers, and was always full of surprises. Ivan especially loved having books read to him.
Read More»Hunger
- At July 20, 2020
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
- 6
A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. —Brene Brown
These are challenging times. We are being asked to shoulder all the sorrows, surprising sweetnesses and unsettling machinations that cycle through what we now call the “new normal.” For me, dealing with what seems like insurmountable problems, the pandemic and effects of systemic racism, creates an emptiness in my stomach as if little food has passed my lips.
JoySpace
- At May 04, 2020
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
- 6
Your art is a place you always return to. — Pat Benincasa
The pandemic has caused a shift in our daily lives and we are forced to think and behave in new ways. What can we as writers hold on to during these challenging weeks? How can we spark joy? Be open to exploring? Find JoySpace in what we know best and return to the love of line, words and stories. Yes, it’s possible to be “graced” even now by our love of creating. Creativity grabs our attention in a blessed way—it feeds us, nourishes our soul, and brings us joy. But we must be willing to depart from routine, explore a little and stretch ourselves. I was reminded of this lesson when my two youngest granddaughters Zoomed with me this week.
Read More»Persevere and “Keep Me Playing”
- At April 10, 2017
- By Write in Community
- In Blog
- 3
“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sometimes artists hit walls, real ones, like those life-altering physical ailments that take up space and keep us from our art, and from doing other things we love. It’s real, we’re dealing with the aftermath of illness or injury, while the process of creating moves to second place, third place, or is forever left in the closet. Yet, if we will our art to re-emerge and take some form, it can re-energize us offering an outside-the-box perspective and the joy of connection again. Persevering may help us find that spark again, and asking ourselves, “How can I keep me playing? What can I do to get rolling again in spite of the aches and pains that are part of what I now call me?”
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