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Archive for January 7th, 2017

Find more celebration posts at Ruth's blog.

Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.

I wasn’t going to write today.  I woke up to freezing temperatures and a yard of wilting plants.   But then I checked my phone and found love in the Twitter feed.

I melted into tears.  I’ve know Leigh Anne virtually for years.  We’ve visited each other’s blogs.  We’ve exchanged teaching ideas.  One summer I did a Google Hang-out with a summer writing class she was teaching.  But we’ve never met in person.  To think that my words could be so inspiring to someone I’ve never met face to face just boggles my mind.

My friend, Julieanne, wrote today about her cyber-bubble, those people we hang out with virtually through Twitter and Facebook, Voxer and Blogger.  In this world, I’ve met some of the most precious people on earth.  I have come to call them friends.

In this daily struggle to understand what the hell we are doing here, my online community holds me together, grounds me, helps me to see what is truly important.

My OLW this year is Cherish.  Leigh Anne coined the term Cherishment.  I cherish all of you who click over to this space and read and comment and otherwise spread the love.  Please take a minute to go to Leigh Anne’s blog today.  She made a poem from comments on my blog.  I plan to print the poem and keep it close.

On Wednesday this week, my body revolted.  I had a violent and mean stomach virus.  Along with cherishing others this year, I want to cherish my own body.  I hated it with a passion on Wednesday, but a miracle shot from my trusted physician made it all better.

Today, I was encouraged by a friend to attend a yoga class.  I haven’t done yoga in a while and was worried about how my body would work.  The instructor calmed me throughout and by the end of the session, I was weeping.  Cherish seems to lead me to tears.  I was overwhelmed by the feeling of peace and the comfort.  This feeling calls for a  healing haiku.

pranayama-haiku

#haikuforhealing #haikuforhope #commonplacemarvels #cherishment

 

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#MustRead2017

mustreadin2017

Carrie hosts the MustRead2017 roundup here.

mustread2017

 

Here I go again, joining another challenge.  I want to thank Carrie Gelson and her charge to read that stack of books, those books that I’ve bought on recommendations of others and let sit on the shelf.  And there are books that I haven’t caught up with yet, but I want to.

In 2015, I attended an SCBWI conference in Houston.  I didn’t know a soul.  On the walk across the street from the parking lot to the conference center, I met a delightful woman.  She had a charming Scottish accent.  She befriended me for the day.  We sat together, talked, shared, and ended up having lunch together.  Then within the next year, she got an agent and was on her way to publish the very book she was pitching at the conference, Wait for Me.  I can’t wait to get a copy when it comes out on January 31st.

At the same conference, I learned about Nicola Yoon and her debut novel, Everything, Everything.  I loved it and look forward to reading her second book, The Sun is Also a Star.

Is it cheating to put a book on my list that I just finished?  In truth I didn’t start it until 2017, but Wish by Barbara O’Connor was my companion this week while I was recovering from a nasty stomach bug.  This book completely drew me in.  The character’s voice was charming, real, and compelling.  I’m so glad I finally read it.

There are times in my teaching life that I just can’t seem to find the time to read.  I read at bedtime and sometimes only a paragraph before I fall asleep.  I am hoping my list of “must reads” inspires me to be more dedicated to my reading life.  I feel like a hypocrite when I push my students to read, read, read, and I don’t keep up a strong reading life myself.  Maybe you can help by checking in with me every once in a while.

And I hope you will share your reading list with me.  I think, in truth, that’s what this challenge is really about, connecting, sharing, and reading.

 

 

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