back in the parks today
under a sparkling sun
with
happy smiling people
and
playful animals
warmer.
—
“spring will come and so will happiness. hold on. life will get warmer.”
-Anita Krizzan
—
huron river, gallup park, ann arbor, mi, usa
“One day you finally knew what you had to do,
and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice —
though the whole house began to tremble
and you felt the old tug at your ankles.
“Mend my life!” each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do, though the wind
pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations
though their melancholy was terrible.
It was already late enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen branches and stones.
But little by little, as you left your voice behind,
the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds
and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own,
that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,
determined to do the only thing you could do —
determined to save the only life that you could save.”
—
credits: papercut by annie howe papercuts, poetry by Mary Oliver – ‘Journey.’
i really enjoyed a relaxed game night with
a group of long-time friends
a couple of grandies
and
a few old dogs
just like most of us there
the old dogs
have lived full lives
one is lame
one is deaf
one is blind
all have their challenges
and one thing in common
they love being with the people they love.
—
“old dogs can be a regal sight.
their exuberance settles over the years into a seasoned nobility,
their routines become as locked into yours
as the quietest and kindest of marriages.
-gail caldwell
—
image credit: pinterest.co.uk, steiff dog on wheels, brown and black mohair
a scene from the road rally in the sideways rain
leap frog in the park
last night i told a joke to a woman at a comedy club, led a group of strangers in follow-the- leader in t.j. maxx, bought 60 cents of gas, got into a theater box office, danced the sugar plum fairy ballet and push it, had the zingerman’s staff sing happy birthday to me, tried to jam our team into one shopping cart, read a children’s book aloud to an adult in the library, found five different kinds of balls, secretly wrote crossword answers in the new york times and put it back, wore protective hockey gear, held a lobster, paid for a stranger’s purchase, ate as a group at taco bell, wore university of michigan gear that wasn’t mine, added my gum to a public wall art display, read incredible notes, shared food and drinks and blew out candles and it was a night to always be remembered.
teams:
sock monkeys vs. glitters vs. kwames
—
what a wonderful decade birthday celebration
thanks to all of you for every bit of it
it meant everything.
—
“life goes by fast. enjoy it. calm down. it’s all funny.”
– joan rivers
today our kinders
learned a beautiful lesson
about a lovely tradition
honoring those who we have loved and lost
and now continue to remember
on this very special holiday each year
and onward.
—
“the core belief of the Day of the Dead is so poetic and simple: as long as we remember those who have passed away, as long as we tell their stories, sing their songs, tell their jokes, cook their favorite meals, then they are with us, around us, and in our hearts.
-jorge r. guiterrez
The Art of the Book of Life, Introduction
(Dia de los Muertos – Day of the Dead)
—
this post is dedicated to little hazen
forever 5
who left us on this day
much loved
lost much too soon
and always remembered.