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
Apr23
Tag Archives: warmth
Dec26
crisp.
as our temps take a dip into the zero-ish range,
it is good to remember the importance of connection,
the joy of giving to others, and the comfort of the sun.
—
“it is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake,
the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam.
this crisp winter air is full of it.”
~john burroughs, “Winter Sunshine”
—
painting by: francesca rizzato – ‘Winter’s Tale’
Dec21
warmth on the winter solstice.
“one kind word can warm three winter months.”
~japanese proverb
—
painting by: alisa black – ‘a winter’s day’
Feb25
out.
the kinders celebrate the return of the sun
with no coats and fast feet and smiles a mile wide.
—
“i’m youth, i’m joy, i’m a little bird that has broken out of the egg.”
-james m. barrie
Nov23
warmth.
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
Nov21
the poetry of the earth is never dead. – john keats
looked out my window
yesterday morning
far away and warm outside.
looked out my window
this morning
home again and warm inside.
Apr3
a coat of many colors
it has served me well. and it was finally time. this massive, warm, full-length, fluffy coat that has seen me through many things, was now meant for someone else. we have been together for two long seasons. one of them very, very long. my polar-voretx partner.
and now, it is time. other people need coats. and without a further thought, i shall pass it on. who knows who will next wear this so proudly and so comfortably?
favorite memories of my coat:
protective floatation device when sliding twice on ice, and into water once, under cars
playground warm up center
child wrap as needed
comforter
dirt collector (forgot why i chose white)
sledding partner
outdoor hockey game protective shield from cold
blizzard survival device
pet bed/sanctuary
accidental car cleaner-offer of road salt
seat cushion at many games
snowball fight shield
concussion-saving wrap when demonstrating what not to do on playground ice in order to stay safe, and then doing it
Do not judge others by appearances, for a rich heart may be under a poor coat! -Scottish Proverb quotes
—
image credits: musingsinmongolia,funtoo.com,
Nov17
warm the children
If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it. – Lucy Larcom
—
she came flying in, like a whirlwind, hurricane esmerelda, her 5 small children in tow. the weather had taken a sudden turn for the worse, putting forth a tremendous downpour and winds and thunder and lightning. we were meeting at a store to buy winter clothing for her family. as part of a local program, warm the children, members of my community meet others who are in more challenging circumstances, and through donations, we are able to get together to purchase what is needed for their children.
when we had tried to speak on the phone, it was clear esmerelda only spoke spanish, and i enlisted the help of our school spanish teacher to set up the meeting. i brought a friend who had visited nicaragua and had a bit of spanish in her pocket, along with her daughter, who was at my very basic level of speaking spanish. i imagined that we all would figure it out and somehow accomplish our mission.
she had somehow gone to the wrong store and was late and worried, and rushed over when we figured out what happened. the children were all quite young, one still small enough to sit in the seat of the cart. only one of the children spoke a bit of english and as we made our way through boots, hats, mittens, snow pants, coats and jammies, my friend somehow was able to call up her ’emergency spanish’ and helped when we had a question. her daughter was able to help some of the children to make choices and find sizes and luckily, i could remember colors and numbers in spanish. (even though i slipped into french at times)
somehow we were able to find all that we needed for each of them, filling two carts, and the children happily picked out clothes in the colors they liked. the only boy in the family, lit up with a smile when shown spiderman mittens, and the girls helped each other try on and make final choices. they were very well behaved through it all, and it was easy to see that each of them had taken on a role of responsibility for themselves and each other at an age way before most children would ever have to.
we kept everyone moving, making sure we didn’t lose anyone along the way, and before we knew it, we were checked out and headed outside. a tornado watch had been issued and it somehow seemed appropriate with all of the energy we had whipped up on this shopping trip. we helped the family back to their van, keeping an eye on the gaggle of young children, and as we left, we hugged and said adios, all with tears in our eyes and smiles on our faces. it was a wonderful morning.
A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. William Arthur Ward
I didn't have my glasses on.... 