at the community tree lighting
with singing and people and candles and chilly air
and then this guy snuck in
—
our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred,
and we are better throughout the year for having,
in spirit, become a child again at christmas-time.
~laura ingalls wilder
sad i wasn’t able to take them up on this invite.
i didn’t even know curious george drank coffee.
you always learn something at a conference.
grandbaby b and daughter deliver
—
three of us:
one daughter, h
one grandie, b
and myself,
(not the wisemen)
delivered gifts
of thanksgiving baskets
filled with donated food
provided by many,
to families
in the struggling community
around the school
where h teaches
each and every day
surprise gathering
—
and how lucky
that we were able
to show up
at one of her student’s houses
and the little one was shocked
when she opened the door
and saw her teacher, h
standing there
smiling
with a basket of things
to make her holiday special
and when this child
with so many life challenges understood
that her teacher had chosen her house to visit
she grabbed her hand and didn’t let go
and her baby sister came to join in the fun
and grandbaby b joined in the fun
another surprise
—
and on the next day of school
this little student
who didn’t have much to call her own
brought a gift
to thank her teacher, h
and told her:
“you brought me thanksgiving food so I brought you a balloon.”
and the joy of giving
just kept rolling on.
—
there are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
– khalil gibran
after the pie,
at the kids’ table.
—
gratitude for food and art.
******
—
image credit: google images
—
image credit: blue moon
if you are the kind of person who is waiting for the ‘right’ thing to happen,
you might wait for a long time.
It’s like waiting for all the traffic lights to be green for five miles before starting the trip.
– robert kiyosaki
—
image credit: heidi badass fisher
what do you get
when you make
art
out of
chocolate?
pure magic.
halifax, nova scotia’s residents have recently been seeing an interesting sight: coats tied to street poles. at first, one might think that these clothes are lost, but they’ve actually been put there for a specific reason. if you look closely, there are labels attached to the jackets that read, “we’re not lost! if you are stuck out in the cold, please take me to keep warm!”
every year, tara smith-atkins works to help the homeless brave winter’s freezing temperatures. she asks the community to donate old coats and then invites local children to help her tie them to lamp posts for those in need. they also bring along scarves and mittens.
as the kids are tying outerwear to the poles, she aims to teach them an important lesson. she explained, “When we got back in the car after an hour on the street, they were all freezing and crying for the heater to be on and complaining because they were cold. and they were bundled up.” not only is the compassionate woman working to help the homeless, she’s also teaching young children the significance of what they’re doing. next year, smith-atkins hopes to include a $5 voucher in each coat pocket so the wearer can buy themselves a hot meal.
—
credits: halifolks, tara smith-atkins, amy poehler’s smart girls, ann gragert
time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.
– faith baldwin
I didn't have my glasses on.... 