Uphill idealist

These are the photos of the Unity banner I've been working on with a group of 1-3rd graders in a after-school program. This banner is a mixed media project involving fabric, pencil, marker, sewing, and fabric paint. It is approximately 4 feet by 10 feet in size. The project was individual and well as a group project, giving the children the chance to design their own square all about them and to work together on the descriptive words. Hope you enjoy the pictures. It was a big, but worthwhile project.

“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” Henry Van Dyke Photo by H. Eastman So far this weekend (It's late Friday night as I write this.), I've seen a glimmer and shimmer of gifts and talent in both my lovely children. The photo at the top of this post is one taken by my daughter, Heather. She's a great photographer and I'd love to find a means for her to foster her natural abilities in our area. Any ideas? She's the wood sprite to the right in the photo below. Nigel had his first open mic night at Infinity Performing Arts , a local music education program that he's been a guitar student of for almost two years. He's done a great deal of growing and developing as a guitar player in the last six months or so and had this opportunity to play with a group assembled for this night only. The group played two songs together and Nigel was asked to solo on 'Stand by me.' He looks so s...

Last evening at youth group we talked about the obstacles and benefits of friendship. We looked at the text from John 15 to our springboard for discussion because of its emphasis on love and Jesus expression of choosing us to be his friend. Image from Blog Hendersonville John 15: 1-17" 1-3 "I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken. 4"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me. 5-8"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from...

Lilies of the field and sparrows of the sky have a lovely agreement. The lily looks upwards as the sparrow flies, reaching higher and higher in the sky, and swoops back the greet the lily. Then the lily nods her reply and the sparrow flies by and by. T.L. Eastman 2009'

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Picture By Norman Rockwell Sometimes it can be difficult to strike a balance in the doing of good. As a student of life in the Jesus way, the loving of others pushed past the boundaries that I often become so comfortable to stay behind. Even in being a somewhat outgoing person, I do have a zone of comfort that I exist in. I suppose we all do. The combination of religion and good works is one that can become dicey prospect. Sometimes people will do good works for the photo op, sometimes they will do a good deed just for the potential opportunity to share their particular religious perspective with the deed recipient, and other times people do good because they are compelled to quietly help someone and that gift of giving is all the payment they ever desire. There seems to be a wide range in the good deeds scale. According to Scot McKnight in his book, 40 Days living the Jesus Creed, this scale is a vast one. "Many today are concer...

I once read that the hardest thing about moving on to a new opportunity is to stop the habit of looking back at the old door/window that used to be yours. Is it my looking backwards that keeps causing me to be in this awkward place? My consolation and desolation are hinged on the same window this week. The issue itself I think is one that could be plugged or unplugged, but the root of what makes it a desolation is knowing I can't choose to go back. Loss is like that. Just when you think you are over it, poof! A smell, a memory, even a new possibility can trigger the feeling of emptiness and wanting to fill up the hole that you thought was gone, but really is still there. I keep trying to let this loss go and bravely move into the new found freedom that the loss made room for, but moving on is sometimes so hard. My bread this week is knowing what I lost was very important to me, more so than I ever knew. My bread is knowing I'm not alone in my feelings. My struggle is knowing ho...

My friend Linda is a great blogger and always finds the most interesting things online. She sent me a message this morning concerning Music Monday and I thought you all would enjoy learning about it. Peggy was blogging that, "in Canada the the first Monday of May each year is designated as Music Monday. It is an educational event organized within the schools across Canada - both primary and secondary. During that day, they take their music outside into the open air of their school grounds or into their communities, to perform a short concert. Many community and professional organizations and ensembles are also involved, along with musicians and artists across the country. It is a musical day. The highlight of the day is at the same time across the country, i.e. 10 am Pacific time, 11 am Mountain time, 12 pm Central time, 1 pm Eastern time and 2 pm Atlantic time, and 2:30 in Newfoundland, everyone is united as they sing the same song. This year the designated piece of music is Si...

All eight students that are going to New Orleans for the ELCA Youth Gathering in July. Libby and I served lots of smiles today. Hannah was our greeter and money collector. Phil, Libby and Heather were happy to serve. Really. Nate and Scott are fearful that tossed salad will take over the world. Devious vegetables. Lexi wants to go on the trip to New Orleans. We start them out fundraiser young in this youth group. Heather and her coffee cart. Becca helping to clean up - she still is smiling! More food? It was a long day. But we had fun... and we chipped away at the cost for the trip with our efforts.:) Thanks for your help and support Jamestown - F.L.Y Youth loves you!