“Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.”
a few of my favorite things! ♥
© Jenny Jope 2012
mother
“There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.” - Jill Churchill
seeking
“If your children see that you are seeking, they will seek — the finding part is up to God.”
beautiful
There is only one beautiful child in the world, and every mother has it.” – Chinese Proverb
happy
When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” — John Lennon
west wind
You are young. So you know everything. You leap
into the boat and begin rowing. But listen to me.
Without fanfare, without embarrassment, without
any doubt, I talk directly to your soul. Listen to me.
Lift the oars from the water, let your arms rest, and
your heart, and heart’s little intelligence, and listen to
me. There is life without love. It is not worth a bent
penny, or a scuffed shoe. It is not worth the body of a
dead dog nine days unburied. When you hear, a mile
away and still out of sight, the churn of the water
as it begins to swirl and roil, fretting around thes
harp rocks – when you hear that unmistakable
pounding – when you feel the mist on your mouth
and sense ahead the embattlement, the long falls
plunging and steaming – then row, row for your life
toward it.
~ Mary Oliver
momentous
“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” - Elizabeth Stone
fairies
“When the first baby laughed for the first time, his laugh broke into a million pieces, and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies.” – J. M. Barrie
Suminagashi
Recently I took my daughters to the Boston Children’s Museum where they were instructed in the art of Suminagashi, the ancient art of ink marbling. It is said to be perhaps the oldest form of Japanese art, its intricate secrets kept sacred between master and student for centuries. It is the simple and lovely art of marrying nature and artist. Ink derived from burned pine is touched to the surface of water, alternating patterns and ripples of obsidian ink, bleeding into the water before being kissed by the wind that flows from the life breath of our softly pursed lips which is then pressed to rice paper, becoming lasting, indelible art.
The instructor, a woman with such poise and equanimity in the midst of clamorous children, advised that this work could not be done if the waters were not still, if the tip of the brush was not dipped and then delicately rendered with focus and intention, nature is a vital part of this process, as is a calm, clear, placid mind and a sense of purpose.
One child exclaimed “I don’t get it!” as the ink almost imperceptibly sank into the water, to which she replied, “there is nothing to get, just wait.”
Watching my own beautiful daughter render her piece, intuitively able to bring to life on a gossamer sliver of rice paper, her vision…a gift….as was the acknowledgment that her teacher today was my guru as well. Calm waters and intention must be cultivated for all artistic and spiritual endeavors to unfold…
For isn’t all art and life a wondrous blend of our own hopeful paintbrush touching the waters and trusting nature to guide our journey?
every child
“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of humanity.” - Rabindranath Tagore
ice cream
less sleep
more coffee
more books
more bike rides
more hiking
more swimming
more dogs
more ice cream
more fun
less bullshit
