Tag Archives: friendship

Jul11

anxious people.

Posted on July 11, 2023 by beth

what a funny, sweet, sad, moving book –

a brilliant story of the enduring power

of human connection, forgiveness, and hope.

—

“we have all of this in common, yet most of us remain strangers, we never know what we do to each other, how your life is affected by mine. perhaps we hurried past each other in a crowd today, and neither of us noticed, and the fibers of your coat brushed against mine for a single moment and then we were gone. i don’t know who you are. but when you get home this evening, when this day is over and the night takes us, allow yourself a deep breath. because we made it through this day as well. there’ll be another one along tomorrow.”

-fredrik backman (anxious people)

May20

do not forget alphabets.

Posted on May 20, 2023 by beth

Standard

for the second time

we tried to surprise

a dear friend

to celebrate her milestone birthday

and round two came very close to not happening

when life circumstances intervened

just a few hours before.

we quickly began planning

what our third attempt would look like

when she turned the tables

and surprised all of us

by showing up

at the appointed hour.

—

“new friends may be poems but old friends are alphabets.

do not forget alphabets, because you will need them to read the poems.”

*author: not shakespeare

*this is another one of those quotes that seems to have come up someplace and wandered around a bit until someone put “shakespeare once said…” in front of it and it stuck.

May6

long distance connection.

Posted on May 6, 2023 by beth

Standard

how exciting for the class (and for me)

to receive a beautiful poster and message

from our penpal friends

led by a blogging friend/teacher i admire, jennie fitzkee

all the way from the aqua room in massachusetts

connections can be made in so many wonderful ways.

jennie with the letter we sent back to our friends in massachusetts

https://jenniefitzkee.com/2023/05/03/thank-you-letters/

—

“with a little paper and ink –

and some help from the postal service –

friendship can span many years and many miles.”

-caroline rose kraft

Oct14

sprinkle magic.

Posted on October 14, 2022 by beth

Standard

a tribe not my own, but with the same kind of spirit

—

“surround yourself with people who add value to your life.

who challenge you to be greater than you were yesterday.

who sprinkle magic into your existence,

just like you do to theirs.

life isn’t meant to be done alone.

find your tribe, and journey freely and loyalty together.”

-alex elle

Aug2

marcel.

Posted on August 2, 2022 by beth

Standard

this film.

i recently saw it with one daughter and two grandies

based on a youtube character created by comedians who were bored at a wedding

with low expectations, just wanting to be entertained

i was not prepared for this poignant, sweet, sad, funny, and heartwarming story

a documentary with a perfect blend of stop-action and live-action film

you may recognize some of the humans who appear on the screen

not an action film but fully a reaction film

give it time, it’s slow, it’s quiet, it’s incredibly touching, and will enchant all ages

it’s seeing the world through marcel’s tiny eyes,

as he deals with joy, love, loss, fear, grief, courage, and a renewal of life

reminding us of the importance of family, friendship, support, and connections of all kinds.

–

This poem, The Trees, by Phillip Larkin, was read at a pivotal point in the film and is so fitting:

ADVERTISEMENT

The signs of newness are also sewn into what has died away. Everything changes all the time. I love being alive, especially in the late spring, when the flowers return again. But you can’t enjoy the daffodil without honoring what has died so it can regrow. If you want to really grow, you must be able to know and allow for what change really looks like and feels like.