When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.
A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember.
I tend to think of Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer. And those thoughts make me think of the unique gifts that summer sends our way. More daylight, more sunshine, meals on the deck, fresh fruits and vegetables, farmer’s markets, Music in the Park, Summer Celebration, and Shakespeare in the Park to name a few. Just thinking of these gifts makes me grateful for this time of year.
But the gift of summer that I love the most has to be reading! When summer begins, I feel drawn to reading (even more than the rest of the year). I want to sit on the deck with a book and a tall glass of lemonade. PBS has just started a new series, The Great American Read with 100 of America’s best-loved books. You can access the introductory launch episode here. It's a two hour celebration of reading hosted by Meredith Vieira.
I started listening to a podcast this morning at On Being with Krista Trippet - The Power of Words to Save Us, an interview with Marie Howe. I don't know Marie Howe or her poetry. I downloaded the podcast (from May 2017) because I was intrigued by the title. I'm only twenty minutes in, but oh, it's filled with words I love. It's clear from the little bit of this podcast that I've listened to that I need to know Marie Howe and her poetry. Podcasts like this one are not meant for the car because I need to listen with my notebook in hand. I was headed for a meeting this morning and found myself chanting these words until I was able to jot them down - condensed, economical packets of beauty and grace. After the meeting, I rewound and listened so I could give you the actual quote. "It strikes me that these rituals of ordinary time themselves are a little bit like poetry, these condensed, kind of economical little packets of beauty and grace that carry so much more forward than is obvious." I think that stopping to celebrate each week is one of my rituals of ordinary time. Thanks, Ruth, for creating this ritual for me through our weekly celebrations.
And now it's on to my celebratory pics for the week:
Teddy celebrating his new home
(Friday was moving day.)
Jack and Grandpa at the park
Beautiful sky at Mercerdale Park!
This pic from daughter Sara -
"Enjoying a night of baseball with
two of my favorite guys!"
(Grandson Jack's early bedtime
gave me plenty of time to read & nap.)
gave me plenty of time to read & nap.)
I never miss an OnBeing Podcast-it gives me SO much to think about! I often listen once while walking with the dogs or while I am cooking, but then I sometimes go back and listen again or read the transcript.
ReplyDeleteTheir new home looks lovely! I saved the quote & the words of that podcast. I will try to make time to check it out Ramona. Thanks for sharing that and I love the family pics and the clouds, too!
ReplyDeleteLovely celebration in words and pictures. I am happy we get together on Saturdays to share our ordinary lives in these warm celebrations.
ReplyDeleteI love that you said you listen to the podcast with a notebook in hand. I, too, find myself wanting to write and capture what I hear when listening to podcasts. On Being is one I haven't listened to yet. I will have to check it out. I love that pic celebrating the new home with arms wide open to welcome all the new!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wonderful celebration post and for the reminder that I too need to hook up with Ruth's weekend celebrations of events, new homes, and podcasts!
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing this.its very interesting and i learn a lot. keep posting more
ReplyDeleteWe tried Brick Flooring