My eldest grandson turned ten today. He is a terrific kid - funny, smart, good-looking and with an angel's voice. (Hey - I sound like a Grandma!) Here is a poem for him -
To Riley On His Tenth Birthday
Here you are on the imaginary line
that says double digits
that says trouble and fun right this way
that says so many paths and only two feet.
I see you
Running to be first
To leap and move with grace and agility
cutting through the water
rounding the tree
dunking the ball
I see you.
I hear you
Laughing at silliness
singing pop songs
Yelling in outrage
or whispering
"I love you" through the telephone wire
I hear you.
I feel you
Your arms around me
Giving me a good squeeze, or
Cannoballing into me
when we play 'mother may I'
and grabbing at some treasure in my fingertips
I feel you.
You are there, on the imaginary line
reving your engine of a heart,
looking out to the horizon
at the next thing
ready to give it all.
I'll be cheering you, on every leap of the way.
Women's Day!
In 2001, I was in Cuba for Women's Day. It is a big deal there - a bunch of us were teaching at a hospital and it was our last day before coming home. Everywhere we went, we women were saluted and honoured. The doctors we were teaching brought the four women in the group flowers and told us that we were more than special on this day and on every day. I liked it. I really did. I am a feminist. I was thrilled a woman won for best director last night and appalled that it had been so long in coming. I'm impatient and angry some of the time and some of the time I am philosophical and grateful. My mother was a great role model. Although it would have been impractical to work when married to an RCAF officer, she believed that women deserved equality. She believed in financial independence for women and that gender and sexuality should be no barrier to all that was on offer. She never 'told us' that she thought this way - she 'showed us' and I am immensely glad she did.
This is my 300th post and to celebrate it I would like to give some gifts. If people would make a comment and tell me of any post of mine that made them laugh or cry or write a letter to their editor or go for a walk or pat their dog or smile then I will send you a photo of mine. Either look back and choose or I'll choose depending on what I think you might like.
15 comments:
Happy birthday to the birthday boy and congrats on the blogging milestone! Your posts about your fat Saturdays enchant me. How I wish I could stroll through the market with you!
Happy birthday to your grandson. I see you're giving things away on your 300 post. Congratulations on that, but the way. But, I'm here to give YOU something....
You're a contest winner on my blog! If you'd like a copy of my book, drop by the site, use the email button to send me your mailing addy, and sometime near the end of March/first of April, I'll mail you a free copy.
Best, Galen
Congratulations on your grandson turning 10 - I wish my mother writes a poem as lovely as that when my kids turn 10 (but even if she doesn't, I know she echos your sentiments).
And congratulations on 300 posts. Now which of your posts do I like the most - I like so many of them. I liked the one about postcards (many months back, when we first met), I like the ones about the Paramitas, I love all your 'living the simple life' ones.
But the one that made me think longest and hardest (two and a half weeks and counting) is the one on "heart work". I live it everyday now.
Love the new header, BTW.
I am not qualified to say. It gives me great pleasure to know you'll pop up on my screen each day when I open my browser and a bit of distress that I'm not always able to take the few minutes to read what you have to say and say hi back. And I've only recently become a regular visitor so I don't have much of a history on which to draw and identify favourites. But I do love that you're expressing smartly and generously in an outward direction and inviting the world in and I thank you.
Jan, I had multiple typos in the previous post, so it's gone. :) I appreciate your posts so much! I enjoy learning about your hippie days, seeing your old houses, your extensive doll collection and have taken more walks than normal. You bequeathed a blogging award to me and that makes me smile every time I see it.
Jan, when I first discovered your blog, you'd posted a picture of yourself in a lovely knitted red hat wig. I laughed, and have been a follower ever since! You bring challenges that make me stop and review life, and try to remember to live it more fully. Thank you, and congratulations on 300!
Dear Jan,
I want to thank you for your good thoughts.
They are very appreciated.
Warmly,
Tracey
x0x
Elspeth - I would so like that! Do you like Cornish Pasties? They are sooooo good at the market - we buy one (steak and stilton or traditional) get in cut in half and eat it in front of the stairs. yummmmmmy.
Galen - thank you for my prize - I'm so glad to get your book and I will make sure everyone hears about it! And I'm a big mouth.
Natasha - oh that is so good! I liked that one too - it came from somewhere without warning!
Annon - thanks for your kind comments. I would like to send you a photo with everyone else but you'll have to send me your email address so I can.
Stacy - thanks!! I'm happy you appreciate the eclectic in me.
Faith - oh goody - a knit wiggy afficionada! You need to check out Grrrl + Dog who made it! She's got some very interesting knit thingys on her site right now!
Tracey - I'm thinking of you and your family. Everyone is precious.
Can't think of one post in particular Jan. It's more that I'll be doing or writing or thinking and I'll hit a spot that is both a curiosity about and a problem with something. A loose question is formulated in my mind/heart and then life takes over again. It's nearly uncanny how often your posts touch on or explore or skirt around those questions.
thanks for that. oh and I adore your photos and would be honoured to have one. CONGRATULATIONS ON 300! S
Congratulations on your posts, Jan!! You're such a prolific blogger--I love how you embrace life and pull it into your posts!
I like your Friday challenges...because Friday is a day I feel like slacking off and they motivate me to keep on going!
Happy Birthday to your cute grandson!
Elizabeth
Happy 300th post! And I love the poem for Riley. I hope he had a fabulous birthday!
I hear you on the delays in equality. It's interesting to think about with Mari's recent post about Norway (the country said to be closest) and an article I saw recently on the 'newFeminist' propoganda that is trying to delude people into complacency. Have we made great progress? yes. Is there a long way to go? HELL yes.
Since I'm writing this many days late, I'll wish a belated happy birthday to your grandson, and a belated 300th post to you. What an accomplishment to you both.
My favorite post so far was just earlier this month--March 4th--a picture of you with clownish makeup and your granddaughter proudly snuggled on your lap, and a post about friendship. Maybe it was the timing, but it struck me that day and it grabbed my heart (as you often do).
Thank you, Jan, for blogging.
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
Congratulations on your 300th post! And sorry to read about your finger on the 15th of March - beware the Ides of March I guess. The post that made me smile was where you spoke about sweeping the elephant. I love elephants and I would love to be given the opportunity to sweep one. I did feed a couple last September at Zoogala in Calgary, but other people were there as well, and I wanted it to be just me (very selfish I know).
thank you,
Michelle
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