“Oh world that shapes our literagies and litanies / May we see you not as a dusty tome/ but as a living invitation to an ongoing conversation… / May we find our own stories within your pages” ~ Cameron Bellm.
I've been waiting for a good snowfall for a couple of years now, as I've not had much to work with the last couple of winters. I spent much of the weekend working on a project for fusing Jesuit traditions while reading a young adult novel, and so I've had several weeks of digging deep into a mission of being men and women for others. Diversity, equity, inclusivity and justice are at the heart of what such traditions promotes. Although I'm not a religious fellow, I've always been spiritual, choose community over individuality, and hope to work for a common good. I've been thinking a lot about our responsibilities to one another, as well as to the Earth.
I needed to get outdoors and yesterday's snowfall provided the invitation. I knew I'd wake up sore this morning - it's been a while - and I was glad to work off some calories as I glided across the boardwalk of Silver Sands and Walnut Beach. This is where Connecticut meets the Long Island Sound. I knew, too, that this choice would become a first lesson for reading Ann E. Burg's Force of a Nature, a verse novel about Rachel Carson. We will be looking at field notes tonight and thinking of the ways 4th graders might begin to see themselves as members of a scientific community questioning the world around them.
It was a delicious day and even more delicious was the warm cutlets and homemade macaroni and cheese awaiting me at Pam's (I'm so thankful for her abode so close to the water and the warmth of her fireplace).
I didn't attend a Super Bowl party, but instead worked on teaching for Monday and Tuesday night because I'll be spending the days in schools and will have little time to organize for evening instruction.
Here's to the week ahead and finding serenity in the madness. I'm so glad I did a self-care romp with my skis while I could.
