Poetry Tuesday

Your Laughter

Take bread away from me, if you wish,
take air away, but
do not take from me your laughter.

Do not take away the rose,
the lance flower that you pluck,
the water that suddenly
bursts forth in joy,
the sudden wave
of silver born in you.

My struggle is harsh and I come back
with eyes tired
at times from having seen
the unchanging earth,
but when your laughter enters
it rises to the sky seeking me
and it opens for me all
the doors of life.

My love, in the darkest
hour your laughter
opens, and if suddenly
you see my blood staining
the stones of the street,
laugh, because your laughter
will be for my hands
like a fresh sword.

Next to the sea in the autumn,
your laughter must raise
its foamy cascade,
and in the spring, love,
I want your laughter like
the flower I was waiting for,
the blue flower, the rose
of my echoing country.

Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air,
light, spring,
but never your laughter
for I would die.

-Pablo Neruda

Tyler's Honor Choir

Tyler had a wonderful and successful experience at State Honor Choir! Thank you to everyone who talked to the Lord on his behalf. I'm sure he grew tremendously as a person and performer as well as a vocalist. He had to: stand up for what was right (didn't let his roommates sneak a girl into the room), learn choreography for the first time (impressive!) and survive in an environment of hundreds of people, none of whom he knew, all doing different things.

There he is before the concert, sitting on the back riser with his hands folded, patiently and calmly waiting.

Ah, there he saw mom and gave me a very sweet smile. Sweet, but cool, of course.

The Choir Director was Elena Sharkova, a most impressive and vivacious woman. If you google her, you'll be impressed too. What a great thing that these kids were able to sit under her direction and learn from a real master. And she was funny!

Tyler is all ready to go again next year, but his choir teacher says he'll need a a taped audition for High School. Maybe it's time for voice lessons...

Tyler's Honor Choir and Prayer Request

Tomorrow I take Tyler north to Eugene for his experience at State Honor Choir! It's interesting parenting an Asperger's child. He has these amazing musical abilities, and I'm thrilled that he was chosen for this honor (sic). But - there will be no one there who knows him, who knows what to do if he gets frustrated or loud. Or gets lost in space (figuratively, most of the time). So the plan (after much prayer, thought and discussion with Todd) is for me to take him up early and try to speak with the folks who will be supervising this huge group of Middle Schoolers (a shudder actually just ran through me!) and try to explain Aspergers in words of one syllable about a young man who looks perfectly normal, and try not to come off as simply an over-protective mother.

If I am confident that someone responsible understands the situation, I will leave him in their care and trust them, Tyler and God with his safe-keeping. This is a 2-day event, by the way, and so he will have to maneuver sleeping in a hotel room and remember to take his pills (which, although naturopathic, really make a significant difference in his ability to relate successfully to the world around him). He will have Todd's cell phone for emergencies, and I can be up there in an hour. Pris and I plan to attend his performance Friday evening, and hopefully everything will go smoothly and he will have had an enriching and satisfying experience.

Still, if you think of him, would you please pray for him? And me. I'm a little anxious.

Poetry Friday

Dream Variations

To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.
Then rest at cool evening
Beneath a tall tree
While night comes on gently,
Dark like me-
That is my dream!

To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance! Whirl! Whirl!
Till the quick day is done.
Rest at pale evening...
A tall, slim tree...
Night coming tenderly
Black like me.

Langston Hughes

The Christmas Choir on YouTube!

I hope you can take 9 or 10 minutes to listen to our 3 songs from Christmas weekend. We just had a marvelous time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxCaxFpJqyw

New Year's Eve

How's that for a buffet table? Chowder and sandwich fixin's along with snacks and condiments.

You won't catch Todd letting me put his picture on the web often, so look quick! This picture may self-destruct in 5-4-3...

Snow/Green

This was a while ago. The weather has been rainy rather than snowy for about a week.

But it was serious for awhile!
Annie wasn't too sure where to piddle!

This rainbow was just disappearing as Todd called me to look.

See, I really prefer green to black and white!