Awakened By Birds

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 by Alyice

The other night my daughter and I had a camp out in our backyard. We set up tent, played “Connect Four Stackers” by flashlight, watched the fireflies dance, and waited for the stars to come out before telling each other stories. I shared one of my many variations of “The Three Little Pigs”—I’m not a good story teller so whenever they were younger and wanted a story, I took old nursery rhymes and elaborated on them—and she read me a few of the stories she wrote. We laughed, and laughed, and laughed. It was a wonderful evening of bonding.

We awoke to the beautiful sounds of birds singing. I must admit that I pretty much love everything there is to love about birds—except their need to poop while in flight! The way they glide in the air is both graceful and majestic, and their signing is like praises until the Lord and lullabies until small babes. The above is my tribute to birds everywhere.

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Happy Independence Day

Thursday, July 10th, 2008 by Alyice

Here’s a little something I created in celebration of the 4th of July. I dropped it off at the local library this week, to thank our Librarian, Jane, for all the hard work she puts into making our library a wonderful place to visit.

You know, we’re very fortunate to live in a country that allows us the free use of books, videos, magazines, and audio tapes. We can read up on faraway places, we can escape to dream worlds, we can learn to make just about anything, and we can become better human beings—all by the stuff we read in books.

But not all librarians care about their patrons. In fact, I’ve been in some beautiful libraries where the staff cared more about the atmosphere of the place than the people entering the building. There’s nothing like a mean-spirited person to keep you out of the library for good—and without patrons, those libraries eventually close down and those communities lose out.

Which has one wondering, “What made them mean in the first place?” Do you think they never got the respect they deserved? Do you think they felt others didn’t appreciate the work they did? Dealing with the public on a daily basis isn’t always easy—trust me, I’ve worked retail!

That’s why I think it’s important to thank public servants for the work they do—whether they’re military staff, government employees, or state officials. And that’s why I took the time to thank our librarian this 4th of July. I wanted her to know that I appreciate what she does to keep our small library, in our town of 2,000, open and available for people of all ages and races to enjoy.

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Patterns Are Everywhere

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 by Alyice

I remember when my children were first introduced to patterns. It was a fascinating time, one that evoked great imagination. They’d see patterns everywhere. Nothing was off limits. If anything showed any sign of repetition, it was indeed a pattern and that fascinated them. Some patterns were subtle; you’d really have to look for them. Other patterns were more obvious; often sticking out like sore thumbs—as though someone intentionally put them there. To my kids, it didn’t matter if the patterns were intentional or unintentional. All that mattered was that the patterns were magical and interesting and fun.

Sad how we forget these simple little pleasures as we grow into adulthood. I suppose that’s why art is so fascinating to me at this time in my life. It requires a child-like imagination. It requires imaginative play. It requires us to see the world with new eyes—to experience everything for the first time…to look past what is to what could be.

I look forward to finding more time in my days for such child-like innocence.

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