The picture below was not taken today. Winter arrived. In some parts of our fair province 10-15 cm (3-5 inches) of snow fell. The insight is that it will be back up about 15 C on the weekend. Behind each cloud lays blue sky. I only have to wait.
Behind sullen clouds;
Insight awaits
In spaciousness.
Effortlessly
Be present
Hear silence.
In refuge
Rest heart and mind
Drift with the current.
Behind clouds;
Blue sky
Be patient.
Kathy and I went to the farm yesterday and shared Thanksgiving with Kathy’s niece. We took advantage of a nice day for a walk to the old house and down to a slough on the property. Along the way, we came across a doe. She was skittish and it took time and effort to get a picture. It is hunting season in Alberta so that might be part of the skittishness, but, also this doe has a young one. We did not see the spring fawn, but the mother would stand, watch us, and, then take off, probably reassuring herself the fawn was safe and she served as a distraction.
It reminded me of Parker Palmer‘s book,The Hidden Wholeness. He compared the soul to a shy animal. Last Friday, during professional development, after a reference to the spiritual nature of life, I pointed out to a person spirituality is personal and private tentatively shared with our self first and, afterwards, with those we are closest to. I persisted and hope I left food for thought.
As Kathy and I walked, the deer reappeared several times and, despite attempts at being quiet and still, the deer remained shy and reluctant.
I sit quietly, with occasional great stillness, and my spirit, like the deer, runs for cover. In the midst of strangers and intruders, what else could be expected at moments of vulnerability like the hunting season or when we look to protect that which is closest to us.
Quiet and still
Camouflaged and vigilant
Remains in safe haven
Hidden from view
Protects the important
Distracts the intruders
Returns to its child.
I sit
Wait patiently
Soul peeks shyly
Moves tentatively
Waits for safety
Reveals itself in that moment
A dance repeated.
Look closely. The poplar and the spruce in the foreground frame her in the background.
We are in the midst of Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and honouring Sabbath holds more meaning although maybe it should not. What if I were grateful and thankful each day-each moment?
Gratitude and thankfulness
Celebrate each moment
Turn to beloved others
Hold tight
Recognize worth
Share sacred
Moment by moment
Recognize extraordinary
Revealed in ordinary
What I take for granted
It is there
In each moment.
The rich bounty
Feel blessed.
That is Kathy standing on a rock right above Rearguard Falls on the Fraser River in Mount Robson Provincial Park. Two things I am grateful for.
Today was professional development day. The inconsistencies revealed in these exercises fascinate me. They are uninspiring, exhausting, and annoying. Frequently, I find these events are counterproductive. What they lack is personal choice. Yet, on my way home, I thought, “Am I seeing this the right way? What can I do to further the process of learning as a role model for students and other adults?” Learning is relational process between people and subject. We live in the world we learn. The world we create is lived out in and through these relationships.
My mission in life seems to have been one of a life-long learner. We sacrificed, as a family, and I obtained a B. Ed. When I felt that was insufficient, we doubled-down and I completed a Master of Education. Today, we have tripled-down and I am completing a PhD. I love learning and, when I am given choice, I believe, like many others in the profession, I make good choices. My learning is not mine. It belongs, in some ways, to those who contributed in many ways to keep the dream alive.
Live fully
Share fully
Learn one’s voice
Sing life’s song.
Whet my curiosity
Recognize gaps in wisdom
Attempt to fill
Best I can.
In each sense
Plant seeds of wonder
Water and feed
Grow rich with the wisdom.
Learn truths
Each moment contains
Be in relationship with the world
With others.
Today, an interesting thing happened. All three grades are at key points in Science. The Grade 8 class was learning and applying the equation for density. They were completing a worksheet, but got bogged down with the equation when it was not straightforward and had to think algebraically. I was moving between the Grade 7 and 9 tables and looked up. There was a colleague who had stopped by on her day off helping the Grade 8 students and the parent helper. I had not asked for help; it arrived in the quiet and I thought of this poem.
We can make our own minds so like still water
that beings gather about us that they may see,
it may be, their own images,
and so live for a moment with a clearer,
perhaps even with a fiercer life
because of our quiet.
It was cool, rainy, and windy at times today. We are going to go through a couple of days of below seasonal and bounce back on the weekend. Today, a new parent was the parent-helper. She did a wonderful job and told me how much her child was enjoying our little corner of paradise. It warmed the heart on a dreary day.
The day broke
Cool and wet
Grey.
Able to dampen one’s spirit;
If allowed–
And let the dull prevail.
A glow emerged
Warmth radiates
Revealed in community.
In communal spirit
Discover my world
Leads me forward.
I am sitting and looking out the window at a hard rain coming down. I am really uncertain how I will make it to my car in my shorts and t-shirt. Despite that it is still 18 C0 in Edmonton, but it is October and there is a risk of wet snow tonight. Early today, it was quite pleasant, sunny, and, as one student put it, it changed quite suddenly.
October arrives
Softly whispers reminders
Thank and share.
Harvest gathered
Bounty stored
The hearth calls.
Gather as one
Hands joined; heads bowed
Pray as one.
I out waited the rain. It has stopped momentarily
Snow flurries and seasonal temperatures could arrive next week. Even today, we are about 50 C above seasonal. Fall is a wonderful time with colours changing and signaling nature’s dormancy, a time of rest.
As I walked the river valley, I noticed the smell of decay. It was rich and hastened in the unusual warmth of September, but with shortened days the dampness of dew stayed as well.
I walk slowly
Absorb the valley
It touches me in many ways.
Swaths of colour
Deftly applied
By unseen master artist.
Pungent decay
Fills the air
Feeds the soil.
Leaves gently descend
Listen close
A mere whisper.
Nature’s dormancy too quietly descends
A rest time
Prepare for the next planting.
Friday I spend without students, at least for now. There are rumours teaching four core junior high subjects is not enough. Apparently, I don’t need time to plan, mark, complete report cards, and other sundry tasks which keep the classroom humming.
I work hard to stay positive. Sometimes the tendency is to create negative narratives rather than let each moment live itself fully. I find this is hard work, but it grows easier to set aside the dis-ease.
Alone is different
Not loneliness.
In solitude
Gifts of deep silence
The presence of presents
I grow whole
Energize the spirit
Recollect the ordinary in extraordinary–
Not just a root word;
It is the root.
As insight grows,
Clarity emerges
Wisdom revealed.
Enter life’s stream
Accept turbulence
Seek calm waters.
Drop labels
Cease judgment
Fall awake.
ivonprefontaine
Teacher as Transformer 