We meandered along the green
The last days of summer
Slipping through fingers like sand
We made our slow way East
After an evening meal
Walking along the cliff edge
Overlooking a field of moving blue
We paused and talked along the way
Stopping for moments of silent gazing
Taking in the mysterious depths
Where unseen
The starfish cling to rocky ledges
Where fish and seals roam
Through yellowed fields of kelp
Dancing with the current
The dolphins moved in the water below
Along the base of the cliff
And the moon hung silver in the sky
Leaving silver patterns
Sparkling and laughing
On the moving
Blue
Monday, August 23, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Reflection
I have been thinking about Jordyn's weekend. It all went by so fast and yet we did hold an honoring of change and movement. Not just for her, but for each of the Women who came or wrote, we took the time to pause and acknowledge the passing of time and share the sacredness of the journey. I was amazed by what some of the people shared both in letter and in conversation. The wisdom imparted was inspiring, connecting, vulnerable, and full of thought. In our culture we forget to stop and be present in the here and now in the changes, with growing flowers, and with each other. The gift of the weekend for me was the depth of connection in the space of laughter, tears, and silence. We were able to stop and be present...with a word cut out of a magazine, watching the dolphins, taking a walk, resting on the porch, swimming, or engaged in conversation. Those moments that often pass us by are our life, and we are living it.
Spiders
Spiders
They weave and crawl
In hidden places
And make jeweled patterns
In the trees and in my classroom
Outside on bench and table,
In doorways and across the expanse of our windows
On drain pipes and coat hooks they hold cottony white
And stick to passers by
The patterns shine with dew drops in the early morning
And capture the unsuspecting
Today I swept away a summers worth of work
Home and Table
Caught on the end of my broom
I pushed the workers out once again to the periphery of my world
Wishing them well and gone all the same
They made an eight legged escape over the brush and up the hill
To begin a new Pattern in the trees
Far away from prying bristles
That destroys a summer’s work in a moment
They weave and crawl
In hidden places
And make jeweled patterns
In the trees and in my classroom
Outside on bench and table,
In doorways and across the expanse of our windows
On drain pipes and coat hooks they hold cottony white
And stick to passers by
The patterns shine with dew drops in the early morning
And capture the unsuspecting
Today I swept away a summers worth of work
Home and Table
Caught on the end of my broom
I pushed the workers out once again to the periphery of my world
Wishing them well and gone all the same
They made an eight legged escape over the brush and up the hill
To begin a new Pattern in the trees
Far away from prying bristles
That destroys a summer’s work in a moment
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Dolphins
The glide silently beneath the waves
Giving only a glimpse
Of frolic and fun
They gleam
Dark bodies
Sparkling with silver jewels
Then disappear from sight
I find myself
Tense
Standing on shore
Holding my breath
Waiting for the magic
Of gray bodies
To suddenly pierce the vast blue
To catch a glance
Of liquid hope
Dancing,
Dancing,
Dancing
In summer sun
Giving only a glimpse
Of frolic and fun
They gleam
Dark bodies
Sparkling with silver jewels
Then disappear from sight
I find myself
Tense
Standing on shore
Holding my breath
Waiting for the magic
Of gray bodies
To suddenly pierce the vast blue
To catch a glance
Of liquid hope
Dancing,
Dancing,
Dancing
In summer sun
Monday, August 16, 2010
Jordyn Mietzke Turned Thirteen
Jordyn turned thirteen this week and we had a celebration welcoming her into the ranks of womanhood. We rented a beach house for the weekend and women came from far and wide to honor her and to remember pieces of their own journey. It was a beautiful weekend of women sharing and laughing. Aunties and cousins, friends and sisters, mothers and godmothers and of course the grandmothers and a grand auntie came together.
We began the weekend with good food and art. We made a collage of thoughts and picture’s, each person adding to the whole. We shared stories of our own beginnings of our journey as women. We sang and laughed; we walked and stayed up till all hours of the night listening to the sound of the waves.
Each woman who came took some time to be with Jordyn and to share words of advice, encouragement or ways in which they found their peace amid the chaos of daily living, and many women who could not be here sent letters of encouragement and inspiration. Of the women who were there, Yvette gave the first gift, she gave Jordyn her first surfing lesson. Then Grandma Mary shared about gardening, Kako sent a letter about faith and connection and good toe and tooth hygiene that had everyone in stitches, Tam shared quilt making, Alison shared a walk and a beautiful new outfit, Christie shared some poetry and spiritual wisdom, Hiwot shared the gift of a traditional Ethiopian meal, Rachel and Nyrie shared the gift of sisterhood and time, Ama (my Mom) and her sister Sherry shared the gift of laughter and song and my Mom brought most of the art supplies and drove to get coffee in the morning and cooked and cleaned with Mary. Jj shared the gift of Long baths, good smelling soap and massage. I gave the gift of honoring change through ritual, and a midnight swim in phosphorescence.
This is a difficult weekend to describe except to say it was a weekend based in connection. Saturday all day long people took turns connecting with Jordyn, and Saturday evening we drew Jordyn a bath and light candles all around. Alison Jj and I gave her a message while the rest of the women prepared the space where we would gather to have a service of blessing and song. After the message Jordyn put on a new outfit and received a lantern (a gift of light to brighten her path). We then led her out to the circle of women.
Red and purple cloth lay on the ground creating a circle with cedar branches and candles. Jordyn was led into the circle and lit a candle first to her creator, second to the women who came before her third to the women who would come after and forth for the men and boys who love and support her. Then each of the women offered a blessing on her behalf; each lit a candle as the blessing was offered. Then we sang songs and listened to verse and poems and then we all welcomed her into the outer circle.
One thing that struck me about Jordyn during the whole weekend was her unwavering attention and her ability to be present with each person who was there. She listened intently to everything offered at the service and cherished each of the letters that were sent. I was amazed at her grace and watched as she gazed into each person’s face as they spoke to her. I just kept thinking about how amazing it is to be her mom.
We ended the evening with a bonfire and a very cold swim in the ocean where the phosphorescence glistened on us like stars and the waves shone blue against the darkness of the night. It was a magical night and the beginning of a new part of her journey.
We ended the weekend with Jordyn sharing about her weekend and then had a birthday party where her friends from school and their families joined us. The Dolphins showed up in the middle of her party and gave a show jumping up out of the water, racing and turning. It was amazing! They swam about 40 feet off shore for a long time as if they too had come for the party.
During part of the weekend the whales also showed up spouting and slapping the water and their tails rising then sinking into the water. We also had a couple of sea lions come to visit and a little white eyed weasel. All and all it was a pretty amazing weekend.
I wanted to say a special thank you to everyone who showed up and sent letters. It really felt lovely to have all of you sharing your thoughts and time with my daughter and honoring her life in this way. It was a blessing to her and it was a blessing to me. I love you all!
We began the weekend with good food and art. We made a collage of thoughts and picture’s, each person adding to the whole. We shared stories of our own beginnings of our journey as women. We sang and laughed; we walked and stayed up till all hours of the night listening to the sound of the waves.
Each woman who came took some time to be with Jordyn and to share words of advice, encouragement or ways in which they found their peace amid the chaos of daily living, and many women who could not be here sent letters of encouragement and inspiration. Of the women who were there, Yvette gave the first gift, she gave Jordyn her first surfing lesson. Then Grandma Mary shared about gardening, Kako sent a letter about faith and connection and good toe and tooth hygiene that had everyone in stitches, Tam shared quilt making, Alison shared a walk and a beautiful new outfit, Christie shared some poetry and spiritual wisdom, Hiwot shared the gift of a traditional Ethiopian meal, Rachel and Nyrie shared the gift of sisterhood and time, Ama (my Mom) and her sister Sherry shared the gift of laughter and song and my Mom brought most of the art supplies and drove to get coffee in the morning and cooked and cleaned with Mary. Jj shared the gift of Long baths, good smelling soap and massage. I gave the gift of honoring change through ritual, and a midnight swim in phosphorescence.
This is a difficult weekend to describe except to say it was a weekend based in connection. Saturday all day long people took turns connecting with Jordyn, and Saturday evening we drew Jordyn a bath and light candles all around. Alison Jj and I gave her a message while the rest of the women prepared the space where we would gather to have a service of blessing and song. After the message Jordyn put on a new outfit and received a lantern (a gift of light to brighten her path). We then led her out to the circle of women.
Red and purple cloth lay on the ground creating a circle with cedar branches and candles. Jordyn was led into the circle and lit a candle first to her creator, second to the women who came before her third to the women who would come after and forth for the men and boys who love and support her. Then each of the women offered a blessing on her behalf; each lit a candle as the blessing was offered. Then we sang songs and listened to verse and poems and then we all welcomed her into the outer circle.
One thing that struck me about Jordyn during the whole weekend was her unwavering attention and her ability to be present with each person who was there. She listened intently to everything offered at the service and cherished each of the letters that were sent. I was amazed at her grace and watched as she gazed into each person’s face as they spoke to her. I just kept thinking about how amazing it is to be her mom.
We ended the evening with a bonfire and a very cold swim in the ocean where the phosphorescence glistened on us like stars and the waves shone blue against the darkness of the night. It was a magical night and the beginning of a new part of her journey.
We ended the weekend with Jordyn sharing about her weekend and then had a birthday party where her friends from school and their families joined us. The Dolphins showed up in the middle of her party and gave a show jumping up out of the water, racing and turning. It was amazing! They swam about 40 feet off shore for a long time as if they too had come for the party.
During part of the weekend the whales also showed up spouting and slapping the water and their tails rising then sinking into the water. We also had a couple of sea lions come to visit and a little white eyed weasel. All and all it was a pretty amazing weekend.
I wanted to say a special thank you to everyone who showed up and sent letters. It really felt lovely to have all of you sharing your thoughts and time with my daughter and honoring her life in this way. It was a blessing to her and it was a blessing to me. I love you all!
Circle of Light
She stood in the circle of light
Open and receptive
To each of the blessings offered there
From sister and cousin
Aunts and friends
Godmother and mother
And the wise grandmothers
Each held her in their gaze
And welcomed
The beating of her heart
The rounding and stretching of her body
Her life
The change
A gift to each
A reminder of the journey
How individual and connected
We all strive towards the light
Open and receptive
To each of the blessings offered there
From sister and cousin
Aunts and friends
Godmother and mother
And the wise grandmothers
Each held her in their gaze
And welcomed
The beating of her heart
The rounding and stretching of her body
Her life
The change
A gift to each
A reminder of the journey
How individual and connected
We all strive towards the light
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Magic Mountain
Okay, so I know that Going to Six Flags Magic Mountain isn't your traditional Anniversary event, but we had a great time! We were going to go for my birthday, back in July, but there was just too much going on. Visitors and trips that we enjoyed immensely! Summer camps, plannig, family, you get the idea. We also knew that we didn't have the time for a romantic get away, so we combined the two. We left the girls with their aunt and uncle (Thank You!), and headed for the fun park.
To say we enjoyed ourselves is a great understatement. We rode eleven roller coasters in ten and a half hours, stopping only for extravagantly overpriced food and restrooms. We hit all of the big ones, Superman was not running, don't know why, and we missed X2, which is I think the newest ride to the park. We might have made it on to X2 but we decided to have some dinner instead. Barbecue sandwiches that hit the spot!
Next time we're going for the flash pass, it lets you set time for a ride, and then skip to the front of the line when it's your time. Even without it though we had a great time, The park has done a great job of providing shade for the lines, and keeping you in the shade while you are waiting.
My favorite was Riddler's Revenge, it's a stand-up coaster with a lot of loops and twists, but it doesn't feel like it's throwing you about, or trying to pull your lunch out through your spine. I think Ang's favorite was DejaVu. You start by going up a tower and dropping to roll through a series of turns and loops and up another tower then you do the whole thing backwards. Very disorienting, and Fun! We also both enjoyed Goliath with it's huge (255 foot) primary drop into a tunnel, and pretty smooth ride.
All in all it was a great way to spend our anniversary, and a break we both needed.
To say we enjoyed ourselves is a great understatement. We rode eleven roller coasters in ten and a half hours, stopping only for extravagantly overpriced food and restrooms. We hit all of the big ones, Superman was not running, don't know why, and we missed X2, which is I think the newest ride to the park. We might have made it on to X2 but we decided to have some dinner instead. Barbecue sandwiches that hit the spot!
Next time we're going for the flash pass, it lets you set time for a ride, and then skip to the front of the line when it's your time. Even without it though we had a great time, The park has done a great job of providing shade for the lines, and keeping you in the shade while you are waiting.
My favorite was Riddler's Revenge, it's a stand-up coaster with a lot of loops and twists, but it doesn't feel like it's throwing you about, or trying to pull your lunch out through your spine. I think Ang's favorite was DejaVu. You start by going up a tower and dropping to roll through a series of turns and loops and up another tower then you do the whole thing backwards. Very disorienting, and Fun! We also both enjoyed Goliath with it's huge (255 foot) primary drop into a tunnel, and pretty smooth ride.
All in all it was a great way to spend our anniversary, and a break we both needed.
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