Poetry Wednesday, Vol. 6

I forgot to leave a poem for Nathaniel to post, so I stopped at a Kinko's in Mississippi to post this. Is that dedication or what? I'm on the road and spent much of the day listening to my good friend and musician Daniel Buchanan's excellent CD devotion (which I highly recommend). I was especially moved by this song...

The Fight

Say hello to the fight
It’s standing next to you
Fighting for what is right
Struggling for what is true

I know how you feel
Dying to get in the play
But listen to me still
You have to stay away

The victory is in sight
It’s there for your sake
But the more you try to fight
the longer it will take

Stop trying and sit
Stop trying and pray
Stop trying and love
Stop trying and trust
Just trust

Say goodbye to the scar
You don’t need that anymore
It’s time for a new start
You’re standing at the door

The battle rages on
You cry for peace and calm
If you want to help
Here is how you can

Stop trying and sit
Stop trying and pray
Stop trying and love
Stop trying and trust
Just trust

Words and Music: Daniel Buchanan
© 2008 Daniel Buchanan


Listen to a sample of this song here. Then, come back and post your own Poetry Wednesday post. Please type in the URL of your post (not your general URL) below and include a link to this post in your post. I look forward to reading your poems!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 15

1. We got a van! With rear a/c! (that was my one requirement)

and a deep trunk for road trips, Costco groceries, and a mega twin stroller.

With the help of the AirCheck Texas program we were able to purchase a 2008 Kia Sedona, which has the safety ratings of a Honda for the price of an American van.

2. Our 1996 Plymouth Voyager ran for a long time but was no match for this 1964 Mustang still going strong after surpassing 540,000 miles.

3. Doesn't that pine tree look ominous in my picture of the van on #1? I've been having this nagging feeling we should get renters' insurance on this place even though we'll only be here eight more weeks. Yikes. On this home's Google maps picture, there are two pine trees in our yard, so I guess they lost one to Ike too.

4. William will be attending several therapeutic horseback riding sessions this summer and hopefully continuing in the fall. He used to be terrified of animals, until Grandma started telling him a bedtime story at her house about life on a farm, including calf birthing and horseback riding. When I snapped this shot, he turned around and called out, "This is for Grandma!!"

5. These two bookworms continue in their unbelievably adorable twin toddler state. Yesterday Louis and I were making cookies and Ben kept calling out, "Coo-coo, Mama!" Everytime he said that Marie would turn to him and correct him, "No, Ben. Coo-KIE."

6. The twins have been really resisting going to bed in their (separate) cribs lately, which until now has been no problem at all since they outgrew their hammocks about six months ago. I've tried singing, patting backs, music boxes, stuffed animals, and one night Louis even crawled into Ben's crib to try to comfort him. But it was all to no avail. Tonight on a whim I laid them down together in my bed after they had both been screaming since the moment I mentioned the word "bed." Instant silence, so I left the room, and in a few minutes they were cuddled up together asleep. I guess they are ready for big kid beds!

7. I am leaving on Tuesday for a weeklong trip and reunion with some of my college roommates. Mr. Auto Post (ie, Nathaniel, as I can never get Blogger to work for me) will continue Poetry Wednesday (as well as performing a marathon parenting week), but other than that, I'm signing off for a bit now.

As always, thank you, Jen, for hosting!

Birthday Boy

William turned 6 years old today!

We began the day with presents, which were mostly water toys

that we brought with us to Grandma's this evening

where Tayta joined us too!

William is thrilled with his barometer

but less so with his SCD-legal peach pie that Mama slaved over this afternoon,

which he started to feel sick after eating, which if you remember from last year, is typical for the poor child.

Poetry Wednesday, Vol. 5

The Bright Field

I have seen the sun break through

to illuminate a small field

for a while, and gone my way

and forgotten it. But that was the pearl

of great price, the one field that had

the treasure in it. I realize now

that I must give all that I have

to possess it. Life is not hurrying

on to a receding future, nor hankering after

an imagined past. It is the turning

aside like Moses to the miracle

of the lit bush, to a brightness

that seemed as transitory as your youth

once, but is the eternity that awaits you.

--R. S. Thomas

If you'd like to post a poem, please click on the link below and enter your name and the URL of your Poetry Wednesday blog post (not your regular URL). Please include a link back to this post in your post. If you don't have a blog, please consider posting a poem in the comments!

7 Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 14

1. Watch me!

Yes, Marie is holding two toy wrenches and wearing Thomas the train underwear--we're still a bit short on girl stuff (-:).

2. Here's a homeschooling recommendation: Kumon workbooks. William and Louis are hardly the table work types, but they really like these books (in short spurts).

3. We have been really thrilled by William's swimming progress. In two weeks he has gone from completely convinced he could never learn to swim to already swimming the width of the pool and diving down to the bottom. We are so grateful to the Houston Swim Club, which offers a huge discount on private lessons for children with special needs, and to our friends who gifted William with these lessons. For a child who has felt like a failure in virtually every learning environment, we can only imagine how exciting it feels to him to succeed!! This morning he was jumping up and down after breakfast, shouting, "I love swimming!!!"

Even Louis, who had also declared he would not enter a swimming class until he was a man, is now mimicking William's excitement about swimming. He starts lessons next week!

4. The Shack. I just finished this novel and wrote a bit about it at The Christian Option. I would like to share more excerpts, because the book really touched me, but for now I'll just warmly recommend it to you.

5. Another cute diaper cover

You can read all about the amazing properties of wool diaper covers here.

6. Click here (you have to scroll down a bit) to read about "controlling others with niceness" and six "stress fractures" that could sink your marriage.

7. Speaking of marital "stress fractures," N. and I just watched Fireproof last night. While the film definitely had its sentimental Kirk Cameron moments, in many ways it was one of the most real movies I've seen in a long time.

Thank you, Jen, for hosting! Have a good weekend!

Poetry Wednesday, Vol. 4

Today's poem is by Danson Mandela Wambua, a 9-year-old boy with autism who rarely speaks but writes profound poetry. The untitled poem is prefaced with a note from Danson's mother.

November 28, 2007

Today we walked by the lake right before sunset holding hands. When we returned to the car, I asked Danson what was on his mind. In the poem that follows, the reference to "Papa" is my beloved father, Burton Armstrong Pierce (August 24, 1929-July 31, 1999). I had shared with Danson in the past that some of my most treasured possessions are letters my father wrote to me throughout my life, and I write letters to Danson on his birthday and at other important times. Lisa is Danson's phenomenal teacher at Celebrate the Children School.

I alive with writing and half free from autism gladly.
I luckily flunk all flavors of autism.
Like flipping out.
Half free is flooring mom
Because she always knew I would laugh again.
God is here in this car now,
Making sunset into nightlite.
Make monuments in my soal [soul]
I will be ready to talk like humans...
Looks like finishing my fightz with life
And living a long life worthy of God.
Writing letters to my kids like Papa wrote
And having a grass pool.
Keep talking about it with love in our hearts.
Right now I suppose I live an uppreciative [appreciative] state
So I might say thanks, Lisa, for today-loving, laughing, seeing me..

---------------------------

Life is so fake
Because I need to talk about nice things
Like games.
But I give no hints to how I really feel.
I feel so sorry for mankind
Because I light the world with my snowflakes
And I made another baby Abraham.

Liars love to give their truth
And I see it and get mad in my head.
I need to give my truth now.

I have no laughter in my soal [soul].
My gift is a song for man and it goes like this:
Man is so serious all the time
And it is not good in life.
How is a little life supposed to change the world to love
When there is so much suffering?
I do not know how to do it by myself.
Teach me about feelings and I will learn how to talk.
I need to hear my name in a lot of places like the blind need to see.
Mom, I need to have slow motor life like when I was a baby.
My room is slow motor and I like it in there.
It is simple:
Move slow
And live slow
And have love in your heart.
Give me space to think about my life.

Slow motor is so right for humans.

Now go read this stunning interview with Danson's mother, who co-wrote a book with her amazing son.

To add a poem, either post it in the comments or link to your own site with Mr. Linky below. Be sure to copy in the link to your Poetry Wednesday post (not your general site) and add a link to this post in your post. Please leave a comment too!

Progress

Finally, the drainage system our home has been awaiting for years...

And a simple schedule. I am well aware this is just a small effort to stem the tide of chaos in our lives, but it helps me feel better. William changed the 8:00 breakfast time to 9 because he would prefer to spend the morning playing, but he showed up on time nonetheless. :)