Day 3: Just Like Ol' Times with Julie Roneson (Dr. Julie Roneson)...the Power of Writing with News Stories to Inspire How We Really Feel

The third day of the institute had moose, Layla's falafel, poetry, scripts, and a special demonstration with Julie Roneson, a teacher who has been with CWP since 2012 as a summer co-conspirator and change agent. She used the New York Times Learning Network to prompt us to think about reports that might catch our eyes and get us going (for me, it was this bizarre photograph of a supermodel walking down the runway as what looked like artistic broccoli. Why? I don't know. And that was my point. Who cares? If fashion wants to have vegetative attire and people want to look like a broccoli stalk, so be it. 

The next two days are without gathering, so I can catch my breath before 4 weeks of young people begin. Bring on the Literacy Labs.

I went to West Haven for fireworks, but departed before they went off. I wanted the barbecue before hand and mixing with company. I didn't want to mingle with the large crowds going ooo and aaaah as bombs burst in the air. Haven't been a fan of fireworks since taking the Sudanese guys to a show in Louisville and the noise scaring the hell out of them (after all, they were boys when their homes were bombed, so they experienced the real thing....trauma).

I'm riding out today simply to catch my breath and slow my brain down. These summer courses mean teach all day and plan all night or plan all day and teach all night. I'm hoping it won't be this pace once the kids arrive.

Finally, prayers up for Drew Dearstine. The loss is sad, as most of them are. I used to laugh that my grandparents kept taps on obituaries, like my mom sometimes does, too. As you get older, it happens a lot more and it's hard not to see the luck of those of us who have lived longer lives. As the inevitable occurs more regularly, it gets even heavier on the head. My sisters are past the age the neighborhood adults were when they were looking over the rugrats of our generation. I can only think about the children and grandchildren when bad news comes to each and every home. It weighs on the heart, but also plays tricks on the brain of embracing every second while we have them, because they are definitely not guaranteed. 

May the 4th be with you.