Slice of Life: Reading Newbery Possibilities

It's been a few weeks since I showed up for Slice of Life. 

Today's slice shares one of my favorite activities. "Drum roll, please!" Reading Newbery possibilities!

I used to do this with my sixth grade students in book clubs. Some years King County Library selected certain titles and we read those. When they stopped doing this, I continued the practice by selecting a few titles, applying for a grant to purchase copies of the books, and moving forward with our book clubs. 

Now that I'm retired, one might think that I've outgrown middle grade books. Not so! I still follow the Heavy Medal blog's list of possibilities. I cross check this list with Betsy Bird's predictions (scroll down to find the Newbery list, Caldecott is listed first) to guide my choices. 

Here are three titles that I've read recently and highly recommend:

 A Year Without Home by V.T. Bidania, Historical Fiction   

Novel-in-verse, a refugee story of the Hmong people. 

The Lion's Run by Sara Pennypacker, Historical Fiction   

Lucas, an orphan, learns to be brave and stand against injustice during the resistance in  WWII France. 

When Tomorrow Burns by Tae Keller, Magical Realism 

While Seattle faces wildfires, three 7th graders try to figure out a prophecy of fire and destruction. 

 Currently Reading:

 The Moon Without Stars by Chanel Miller 

Audio Book Ready for Listening on Libby:

A Scar Like a River by Lisa Graff 

Do you have any 2026 middle grade titles to recommend? 

SJT: A Morning Glimmer!

Linda Mitchell is hosting our Spiritual Journey Thursday for August. She asked us to write about what's in our hearts and in our spirits. You can read Linda's post and that of other Spiritual Journey travelers by clicking on Linda's blog, Another Word Edgewise. She shares a delightful summer gratitude post. Thanks for hosting, Linda!

I'm a glimmer seeker! It seems especially warranted when it's so easy to feel despair about our current world. Here's a definition for glimmers from the Calm blog:

For more about how glimmers can support your mental health and 5 tips to help you find them, check out this article on the Calm blog.

Since sharing glimmers is a way to help us find more of them, here's a glimmer from Wednesday's walk:

I was on my morning walk when twin fawns darted across the road just a few feet in front of me. Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I snap pics of them looking at me. Or were they just looking at their mom in the bushes across the road? Three worried walkers stand in the road concerned for these two littles separated from their mother. A walker joins us from the other direction. Mom doesn't come because she's with a third sibling (triplets!). The other walkers continue on their way. I walk backwards (probably not wise to do in one's seventies), watching to see if the other two will cross the road to join the daredevil siblings. They don't come, but the adventurous two finally retrace their steps across the road to mother and sibling. I breathe a deep sigh of relief and turn around to continue my walk! 

This encounter was definitely a micro moment of joy, from the moment the deer bounded across the road in front of me, to the fellow walkers who worried with me about these little guys separated from their mama, to their eventual return to Mama and sibling across the road. What glimmers have you noticed recently?

Spriritual Journey Thursday: A Light unto My Path

  

Kim Johnson is hosting our Spiritual Journey Thursday for July. She asked us to think on this phrase: “a light unto my path.” You can read Kim's post and that of other Spiritual Journey travelers by clicking on Kim's blog, Common Threads. Thanks for hosting, Kim.

 

A lamp for our feet

 His word sustains our journey

A light on our path 

 

It's a simple haiku and a simple prescription from Psalms 119:105. However, like Naaman, we might wish for some great thing, instead of acknowledging the living water that comes as we immerse ourselves in His word. Relief for daily challenges, succor during trials, hope for the future, and His everlasting love will accompany our daily walk as we turn to His word in scripture. He will strengthen us according to His word.  

I give thanks for discovering wonder on my Monday morning walk. A few pictures will reveal who was enjoying the delight of a morning shower!

 

Did you notice wonder manifest in our world this week?

SJT: OLW Reflection

Carol Varsalona is hosting Spiritual Journey Thursday for June and asked us to write about our One Little Word. Check out Carol's thoughtful post about her OLW for the year, restore. You can also find links to the reflections of other spiritual travelers there. Feel free to join us with your own thoughts. We are an open and welcoming group who post on the first Thursday of the month (or sometimes just as soon as we can get around to it).

When Carol invited us to write about our OLW (One Little Word) for the year, I'm sad to admit that I couldn't remember mine. I headed to my blog where I was able to find an entry and my word "rhythm." The fact that I couldn't remember it reveals that I needed this mid-year reminder from Carol to reflect on my word. 

I worked hard to establish a more consistent rhythm for my mornings early in the year and made progress with an increased focus on scripture study (we are studying the Old Testament this year) and meditation. It continues to be a challenge for me to engage in quiet time before the concerns of the day crowd in. I like to read from an inspirational book as part of this morning time. I've enjoyed the following books so far this year: A Rhythm of Prayer edited by Sarah Bessey and Counterweights by Shannan Martin. I discovered my newest e-read, The Sacred Pulse: Holy Rhythms for Overwhelmed Souls while googling rhythms in preparation for writing this post.

One of the rhythms that I've been more successful at establishing is almost daily walks. I usually get outside five days a week to move my body, listen to the birds, and notice the beauty around me. I love watching the rhythms of nature play out, from the silence of snow to the gentle rain to the blossoming trees and the joyful singing birds.  I captured some photos on a walk and included them on a SOL post in April, concluding with this photo and haiku.

 

Cathedral of green

refreshes heavy hearts

comforts weary souls 

- Ramona Behnke

My newest rhythmic exploration is the Tai Chi class that I started at my local YMCA this month. AI offers this overview: "In Tai Chi, rhythm acts as the invisible bridge between breathing, weight shifting, and movement." I've wanted to practice Tai Chi for decades, ever since I watched its beautiful rhythmic movements on a hillside across from our apartment in Hong Kong as a young twenty something missionary. It's taken me almost fifty years, but I'm excited to let this be my summer of Tai Chi. 

Slice of Life: An 80th Birthday Celebration

It's an event of note. Just a few short weeks ago, I was in Texas to celebrate my sister's 80th birthday with her. When I visited in February of 2025, I committed to being there for this significant birthday in 2026, even though I usually don't visit Texas after April or before November. My eleven years in Houston taught me that the livable months in Texas are November through April. However, I was willing to make a rare exception to be there in May for this major birthday. 

I enjoyed going through my sister's photo albums and collecting pictures to share at the party while also quizzing her about significant events in her life. She has the razor sharp memory of our father which she passed on to her son, Michael. Kara, my niece in Texas, also has this delightful gift. As we viewed collected pictures of her eight decades, Kay shared the stories behind the events. It was a wonderful way to celebrate this dear sister and her eight decades on earth. 

                   

Martha Kay was part of the first wave of baby boomers, born in 1946, post WWII.  She joined big sister, Velma Ann on May 16, 1946. She was born at St. Mary's hospital in McAlester, Oklahoma. At the time, they lived at McNally Flat with my mother's parents, Bud and Ella Duff.  

Kay stars in the classic "bath in a dishpan" photo 

(mine was taken in the kitchen sink). 

Kay with her big sister, Velma Ann 

 

 Her first name, Martha, comes from our paternal grandmother. In the first decade of Kay's life, two more baby boomer siblings, Karl Ellis and Ramona Ella (that's me), joined the family. Known in the family as Martha Kay, she made a conscious decision to go by "Kay" when she entered fourth grade in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

(Martha) Kay and little brother, Karl Ellis 

 

Nearing the end of Kay's first decade: 

 my arrival completes our family of three girls and a boy! 

Birthday Fun 

What's a party without balloons and flowers?

Daughter, Katie (in blue floral), & her husband, Wesley

 Kay, the birthday girl

Son, Michael, and his wife, Becca

 

The gals who traveled: 

Sister-in-law, Kathy, from Oklahoma,

niece, Kara, from Texas,

& sister, Ramona, from North Carolina.

 

An 80th birthday deserves two cakes:

 Daughter Katie made the chocolate cake

and granddaughter Rachelle made the carrot cake.

Both were delicious! 

 Granddaugher Anabelle chats with Nana. 

 

The grands claim prime real estate with Nana, 

leaving the rest of us sitting at the kids' table! 

 

Girls in purple:

Granddaughter Rachelle, Kay, and daughter-in-law Becca 

Our 11 days together went by far too quickly.

I always request one final pic with my sis!

 

Happy 80th birthday, Kay! 

Lucky me to share our sisterhood for my seven decades. 

Slice of Life: A Walk in the Park

After driving by Tanger Center Bicentennial Park many times, I finally stopped yesterday. My visit to Chico's had taken longer than expected, so I missed my afternoon exercise class. However, the park beckoned and I answered. Even though it was two in the afternoon and prime time for sun exposure, most of the park was shaded. I had a wonderful stroll through this garden oasis as you'll see from the pictures I'm sharing. Although I've lived here for almost three years, it was my first visit. I look forward to future walks in these gorgeous gardens.

  

 

Cathedral of green

refreshes heavy hearts

comforts weary souls 

- Ramona Behnke 

Slice of Life: The Three Rees

We used to meet in person, but then I moved clear across the country (WA to NC), so now we meet via a three way FaceTime call. We meet for a variety of reasons: birthdays, after one of us returns from a trip, to talk about good books, but mostly just to chat, see each other's faces and stay up-to-date with each other's lives.

Who exactly are the Three Rees? Three gals of a certain vintage who used to work together. When the third one retired, we formed the "Three Retirees" so we would stay connected. We used to take walks together, attend events together, and lunch together. Now we chat on the phone together. We gathered in Seattle last summer. We had to cancel a planned gathering in North Carolina this spring. We hope to gather in Utah sometime soon. I go there several times a year to visit the grands (and my son and daughter-in-law). 

We generally share a FaceTime call every couple of weeks or so, but currently we're meeting weekly to discuss each new episode of "Call the Midwives." We all have PBS Passport, so why do we ration out the episodes to one a week? When you've waited a year for another season of a favorite show, it's fun to slow down and savor each episode. 

This tradition of discussing a show hearkens back to lunchtime at Islander Middle School. Our entire table of sixth grade teachers loved discussing each week's new episode of Downton Abbey. Sometimes we would wait until Tuesday if someone had missed it on Sunday night, but by Tuesday it was time to discuss and dissect.  

The Three Rees at the Botanical Garden from seven springs ago: 

 "Old friends are the ones you keep forever in your heart. Every moment together is a cherished memory."

Something came up and we had to reschedule our planned gathering for today to discuss the latest episode of "Call the Midwives". Fingers crossed that we can still remember it when we FaceTime on Friday!