Don’t Forget

Wednesday was tough. Lots of days have been lately. I find myself heartsick just seeing the world and what’s happening to people. Intolerance and discord are constant. Censorship, name calling, hostility, and misunderstandings are commonplace. People are afraid and hurting.

Also on Wednesday, I was to lead our multi-age after school writing club in a lesson on using art in their notebooks. I didn’t feel ready and yet, our session proved to be the most perfect way to spend the late afternoon. Sharing with students lots of ideas for using collage, sketching, creating lists of favorite words, exploring mixed media, and unlocking possible means for expression turned out to be an enormous blessing. The kids — in grades 3-8 — were enthusiastic, diligent, and incredibly creative. When they started working on their own, I decided to create something along with them. I pulled a page from a very old book that had been discarded, and, through a series of folds, I was able to make a tiny volume of my own. Then I blacked out all but one word on each page. The result was astonishing.

The world can sometimes be a dark place to navigate but there are always opportunities to find and share a little magic. Doing something creative, alone or with others, is so healing. I’m very grateful.