A place in which our children can grow free and strong . . .

I'm a big James Taylor fan. I saw him in concert once and it was incredible. So was Dan Fogleberg, but that's another story.

Two lines from his songs inspire me today, as we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and anticipate the momentous innaguration tomorrow. It's an amazing time in the history of our country. The lines:

we are bound together

in our desire to see the world become

a place in which our children can grow free and strong. (from Shed a Little Light)

I first heard this song when Erin was a baby. It brought me to tears every time I heard it, because it so aptly conveyed how I wished to change the world, for her and for all children.

A song on the same album (cd now :) that also conveyed what I wished for children was this one:

hold tight

to your heart's desire

never ever let it go

let nobody fool you

into givin' it up too soon

tend your own fire

lay low and be strong

wait it out

let it come along

oh, wait a while . . . (from Like Everyone She Knows)

I still wish that for children everywhere, and for parents too.

So excited

I'm excited. No, not because I am reaching all the goals of my new year's resolutions' already. I'm doing, well, ok. I've worked on some of them. No nagging. Heh

What I'm excited about is that I have not one, but TWO, potential gigs teaching art/craft classes this summer. I'm really feeling lots of energy and excitement about it. One is at the local fine arts/music academy and one is at the local rec. center. The fine arts academy one I pursued last summer, but not too hard. I've talked to the director since then and he seemed really interested so I sent him some class ideas this week. I think our town has a need for art classes for kids, especially older elementary and up. For starters, art once a week just doesn't cut it. Then after elementary school they can only take art as an elective, and if they are into orchestra or band or drama or journalism . . .their options are pretty slim. Plus, summer income for me is good. I love having summers off, but I don't make enough as a secretary to not have any summer income. The rec. center option came up when I talked to their business person and asked if they still had my potters wheel I left there 14 years ago or so. I taught art classes there at that time, and when I quit I "loaned" them my wheel to use with other teachers/classes. Well, two or three program directors later, I had no idea if my wheel was still there (it's a kick wheel made by my college classmates and it's one that I learned to throw pottery on myself!). It's still there, and in the process of finding out about it, she asked if I was interested in teaching more classes. So there you go.

I had something else of utmost importance, or maybe not, but it has flown out of my brain. I think that indicates that it's bedtime.

So I'm off to bed, hoping for a snow day :)

Unknowingly,

we plow the dust of stars,

blown about us by the wind,

and drink the universe

in a glass of rain.

Ihab Hassan, American Author and Literary Theorist

Resolve

Happy 2009. We traveled, via van, to El Paso over the holidays to visit Everett's family. It was a good trip and also good to come home. He has returned to El Paso today, via airplane, to celebrate his mother's 80th birthday tomorrow. He ended up spending 15+ hours in airports/airplanes due to miscommunication but he's there and she's surprised. We miss him. I don't do single, especially single parent, very well any more. It makes me appreciate him all the more when he returns so it's not all bad. My patience wears thin and I have a new respect and admiration for parents who do it by themselves all the time.

This is Emma & I celebrating New Year's Eve (before my slam-dancing injury). We were wearing 2008 glasses because it wasn't 2009 yet. Is it just me, or do I look just a wee bit crazy? It's in the eyes I think. I was with my in-laws (whom I love dearly), remember.

I decided to post my resolutions here. Maybe that ruins them. Does it? Somehow it seems like it's supposed to be a secret, and I guess part of that is so people won't nag you about why you' haven't done them, right? Well, I'm posting them here anyway. If you want to nag me about them, I guess that's up to you.

• Exercize 3x a week
• Do 5 Tibetan Rites daily
• Go on a date with my husband at least once a month
• Call my mother-in-law and send her a letter at least once a month
• Figure out why our computer is so freaking slow
• Knit
• Not say mean things about people . . . be honest and up-front as much as possible and when I don't feel like I can say something directly to a person, keep them to myself.*

I think that's enough for now. Somehow putting them in black and white makes them more realistic for me. Plus, now I can't forget them.

I'd love to hear your resolutions too. I promise not to nag.

*someone told me right before Christmas that I had been reported to have been "bad-mouthing" them. I hadn't and was really offended that someone had accused me of it. But, it made me think long and hard about the things I do say and how they might be heard or repeated by someone else. I say a lot of things tounge-in-cheek, but people hearing it might not always hear it that way. And, I have to admit that at times I have said things that I shouldn't have and feel remorse about later.