Two-Fer

Today is a Two-fer. Two quotes fer one post. They come from Beauty and the Beast by Nancy Willard and Barry Moser. I love love this version. It's out of print but you can still order it HERE.

"Nothing cures homesickness quicker than an unexplored tower."

"It's odd what pleases us when our fortunes change."

From Chapter One

Started reading The Moon is Down by Steinbeck. I love it already. Here's an excerpt:

He turned to the colonel. "Sir, I am of this people, and yet I don't know what they will do. Perhaps you know. Or maybe it would be different from anything you know or we know. Some people accept appointed leaders and obey them. But my people have elected me. They made me and they can unmake me. Perhaps they will if they think I have gone over to you. I just don't know."

Oooh! I love it.

Quotationish Excerpt

"Most of the people went quietly, but three children in the front row of the grandstand put up quite a fuss, saying that they had to find their sister Katharine, who'd done something terrible, but a sister was a sister and they'd stick up for her, anyway."

From Half Magic

By Edward Eager

Fitting For Today

Word to the Wise... or the Not So Wise

I was browsing through volume "M" of the World Books yesterday and came across a quote fitting for the end of the summer break (I'm back to school for student teaching in 2 weeks):

"In a government founded on the sovereignty of the people the education of youth is an object of the first importance."

James Monroe, Speech to the Virginia Legislature, December 7, 1801

Ain't it the truth! Em er 'mportant thins ta fink 'bout. Who'da thunk id'll make such'a differnce. Let's gets those young'uns some edjumucation four it's two let.

Quote For the Day

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."

Samuel Beckett, "Worstward Ho", 1983

Irish author, dramatist, & novelist in France (1906-1989)

Something of Dreams

A while back, during one of my literacy classes, my teacher briefly posted a quote on the overhead. It was intriguing and I copied it down quick so I could ponder it at a later time:

"It's in the morning for most of us. It's that time, those few seconds when we're coming out of sleep, but we're not really awake yet, for those few moments we're something more primitive than what we're about to become, we have just slept the sleep of our distant ancestors, and something of them and their world still clings to us. For those few moments, we are unformed, uncivilized. We are not the people we know as ourselves, but creatures more in tune with a tree than a keyboard. We are untilted, unnamed, natural, suspended between was and will be."

-STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli

I thought it was interesting. I liked turning it over in my head a couple of times. Just the other day, I read through a speech given by Richard G. Scott. You can read the whole thing HERE. One of his comments that caught my attention reminded me of the above quote from STARGIRL:

"One of the most memorable and powerful patterns of communication by the Spirit is through dreams. I have learned that when the transition from being fully asleep to being fully awake is almost imperceptible, it is a signal that the Lord has taught something very important through a dream."

Hm. I do like finding little connections between other's ideas and then comparing those to my personal life. Not only is it enlightening to identify those pieces that fit into my personal experiences, but I like to be on the lookout for/figure out those other ideas that I haven't quite fully realized, if they even are to be.

P.S. The polk-a-dot flower background was getting to be a bit much to look at. I was starting to feel pretty allergic to the whole situation. So, back to plain and simple.

Sounds Good to Me

Kindergarten comments from this week...

1. Kendra (who is nasty, feisty, very smart, and still very lovable) came over and gave me a hug the other day:

Me: Hey girl.

Kendra: You look skinny when I hug you.

And lately, when I walk by in the classroom:

Kendra: Erica. Call me.

When I turn to look at her, she's gesturing a phone call with her hand up to her ear.

2. Braden (who is a picture perfect boy and usually doesn't pay much attention to me) ran up to me on the kinder playground outside as I was leaving to walk home:

Braden: Watch out for busses and cars. There are some crazy drivers out there. Look both ways (He looked both ways as he instructed me to do so).

3. Jess (from my moms class, who lives 4 houses down from me and is the size of a munchkin child) has a habit lately of approaching me, and when she has my attention says:

Jess: I love you.

I habitually tell the kindergartners I love them. It's impossible not to after a year of wiping noses, tying shoes, putting on millions of band-aids, listening to endless stories, and returning the warmest hugs. I feel a powerful connection when it's said. Sometimes it just pops out of my mouth and other times I'm more deliberate with specific kids. There's such a light that twinkles in their eyes when it's said.

Jess said it to me a week or two ago and it made me stop and pause for a minute. She was so sincere and I appreciated it so much. I didn't realize I needed it, but I did and it felt good to hear. Since then she says it out loud and often. "I love you" spoken sincerely is so powerful.

Been Awhile

The blog has been awhile without quotes so I'll share some favorites regarding books:

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; They are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers."

-Charles W. Eliot

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library."

-Jorge Luis Borges

"If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in a library?"

-Lily Tomlin

"When I step into this library, I cannot understand why I ever step out of it."

-Marie de Sevigne

"Yes, there's such a thing as luck in trial law but it only comes at 3 o'clock in the morning. You'll still find me in the library looking for luck at 3 o'clock in the morning."

-Louis Nizer

"He who learns, and makes no use of his learning, is a beast of burden with a load of books. Does the ass comprehend whether he carries on his back a library or a bundle of faggots?"

-Moslih Eddin Saadi

Puppy-love and a Whisper

I'll start with the whisper comment first because it's brief... I was sitting at my mom's desk the other day at school when our neighbor girl came up to me with something to whisper. "Um, I love you and Jen went poopy in the potty today." Haha. Jen is her 8 year-old autistic sister who is still not yet potty trained. It's a big deal for her to go in the potty. What a random comment combo.

-----

Alright. Remember the girl in kindergarten who thinks she's a dog? See HERE. I've been slacking with the updates. I'll list them for you:

1. My chat with DG (Dog Girl) from the other day:

Me: You know you're not a dog, right?

DG: "I know!"

Then she rolled her eyes and huffed.

2. This past week DG pounced onto my lap as I sat at the back teacher's desk. Of course her hands were gripped as if to form paws. The best part was that she rubbed her head against my shoulder (awkward). Isn't a cat supposed to do that? I still laughed though. She's so darn cute.

3. Awhile back, the class made snowmen. Once displayed on the board, DG drug me up and said "Guess which one is mine." For one ever-so-brief moment I thought, "Yeah right! all kindergarten snowmen look the same." That thought lasted a split second as I felt some brief inspiration... "Just look for a dog, Erica." Holy smokes. I picked it out right away. "It's not a snowman! It's a snowdog!" Here it is:

4. I sat and listened to my mom explain "describing words" to the kindies. Afterward, they practiced giving examples. Here's what DG had to say:

Mom: What's a word that describes Erica?

DG: Puppy-love!

Mom: Puppy-love?

DG: Yeah, cuz she could love puppies!

End note: Man, I love my job.

Deep Thoughts continued

In honor of my great great great Irish grandfather named Patrick, who many many many years ago was born on this day, I give you a Saint Patrick-ish Day Deep Thought plus extras:

"Children need encouragement. So if a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way, he develops a good, lucky feeling."

"Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess was why several of us died of tuberculosis."

"If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid seeing yourself in the mirror, because I bet that's what really throws you into a panic."

"I remember we were all horrified to see Grandpa up on the roof with his Superman cape on. 'Get down!' yelled Uncle Lou. 'Don't move!' screamed Grandma. But Grandpa wouldn't listen. He walked to the edge of the roof and stuck out his arms, like he was going to fly. I forget what happened after that."

"If you were a gladiator in older days, I bet the inefficiency of how the gladiator fights were organized and scheduled would just drive you up a wall."

Aunt Katy, there are too many good ones to put in a post. I agonized over which ones to leave out; I just couldn't decide so I'm going to mail you a copy of all of them.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

For All You Angels Out There

Right now I'm at a law office working as a temporary secretary for the week. Man this job is cushy. I even have time to crank out this post. Well anyway, just off to the right of my desk, on the wall, there hangs this inspiration:

Women are angels.
And when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly........... on a broomstick.
We are flexible.

Ha ha! It caught me off guard. I read the first line and instantly thought it was going to be one of those generic-feel-good-fluff sayings. I absolutely love being caught off guard.

End note: Because I'm at "work" I can't post more Deep Thoughts. I only took ones from the beginning of the book so there are plenty more to come.

Deeper Thoughts

I found Deeper Thoughts by Jack Handey at D.I. the other day. I love those bite-sized inspirations. I'll share a few nuggets with you now and then some others in a later post. Here they are:

"I think a good novel would be where a bunch of men on a ship are looking for a whale. They look and look, but you know what? They never find him. And you know why they never find him? It doesn't say. The book leaves it up to you, the reader, to decide. Then, at the very end, there's a page that you can lick and it tastes like Kool-Aid."

"It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money."

"Instead of trying to build newer and bigger weapons of destruction, mankind should be thinking about getting more use out of the weapons we already have."

"To me, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, 'Hey, can you give me a hand?' you can say, 'Sorry, got these sacks.'"

"Whenever someone asks me to define love, I ususally think for a minute, then I spin around and pin the guy's arm behind his back. Now who's asking the questions?"

And one of my very favorites:

"If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let 'em go, because, man, they're gone."

1 Rather Than 2

They cut desire into short lengths


And fed it to the hungry fires of courage.


Long after—when the flames had died—


Molten Gold gleamed in the ashes.

They gathered it into bruised palms


And handed it to their children


And their children's children. Forever.

-Vilate Raile*

This poem has been a favorite of mine for a while now. I love the imagery and that it is so poignant with limited wordiness. In fact, this quote comes to mind...

“The most valuable of talents is never using two words when one will do.”

-Thomas Jefferson

A couple of weeks ago, sitting in church, Las pointed out to me that the text of the hymn Upon the Cross of Calvary is written by Vilate Raile. I’m quite fond of that hymn. Knowing a part of her from the above poem now sheds a little light on the hymn from a different angle. Whereas previously the hymn was more personal, between my thoughts/feelings and the Lord, I must say that I now feel a bit of the warmth from her first poem added into those pondering thoughts/feelings. To hear her hymn and see the text, click HERE (notice how this message too is expressed with such brief wording and yet invites the reader to such depth).

*Vilate Raile, in Asahel D. Woodruff, Parent and Youth (Salt Lake City: Deseret Sunday School Union Board, 1952), 124; also in Selected Writings of Gerald N. Lund, Gospel Scholars Series (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999), 402-3.

Comical Discoveries

I love this quote here below and the book that it came from for that matter. I read it a couple of years ago while living in Provo. The book is entitled Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs. It's a biography of Louisa May Alcott and it won the Newberry Medal in 1934. The book was simple, revealing, quick, and very enjoyable. As I read along, I was so fascinated by their lives and extreme circumstances of living. The quote/comment made in the book was stated in reference to the attitudes and living of the Alcott family during those times of hardship. It can be found on page 146. It is simply stated as thus:

There is no place where something comic cannot be discovered.

So true. So true. Don't some of the funniest moments happen in some of the most trying times? If you've ever seen the movie Steel Magnolias the phrase "Here. Hit Wheezer!" is a prime example of what I'm talking about. Do have a funny moment from a serious/trying time to share? Don't be shy. Say it via comment!

Friday Freebie!

It's been quite awhile since I've posted. I've been finalizing projects and assignments. Oh yeah, I had to start doing an online class that's due Monday. I looked at it at the beginning of the semester then stressed about it for the rest of the semester then finally buckled down and got to work this week. Not smart. I know. That's not the point of the post though!

I have been amassing bookplates as of this year and would like to share some with you. I'd give you all that I have so far but I need to put it all together. So tonight you get a little sliver. The big collection will come another Friday Freebie day. Tonight's segment consists of vintage bookplates. Check them out HERE. Aside from the freebie ones, there are some nice detailed ones to look at too. I have some modern ones if that's what you're wanting, but those will come a little later. Oh the anticipation!

I'm signing off with the our elementary school staff newsletter slogan, "Read on! Lead on!"!

Quote For the Day

Well, I don't know how this posting-one-thing-every-day is going to go. It might become a little bit less frequent. We'll see.

I had to crack up when I read this quote. I'm almost 25 and still living at home with still a little time left to go. Fortunately I have a wonderful, loving, supportive family. I'm quite partial to them. I couldn't think of a better family for me to be in. I must say though, there are some times that I scream in my head "I'm 25 and still living at home!!! Get me out of here!!! This is ridiculous!!!" Yes, sometimes that's just how life goes. So here's the quote....

"Mama says that living in one room is a test of how much a family loves each other. She says anyone can get along in a palace where he can shut the door and sulk by himself but it takes real character to live with your elbows rubbing each other."

-Miss Charity Comes to Stay, Alberta Wilson Constant, 1959

What a crack up. If students at school don't want to do something, or if they whine about something hard, I tell them "Oh you're fine. It builds character." So I guess I got my own words right back at me. I'm building character! Who'da thought?

This quote comes from the book What the Dormouse Said: Lessons for Grown-ups from Children's Books. You can purchase it here. It's only $3.98! I, of course, got it at Goodwill for 50 cents. I'm sure I'll be posting quotes from it again. It's chalk full of some gems.

Quote For the Day

I just finished reading an excellent, non-fiction, young persons book entitled Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. It won the 1988 John Newbery medal. My purpose for this post is not to give a book review, but a quote found therein; however, I highly recommend the book. Here is a link for the book Lincoln: A Photobiography.

And now, the quote:

Writing, the art of communicating thoughts to the mind through the eye, is the great invention of the world…. enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and space.

Abraham Lincoln

From lecture before the Springfield Library Association, February 22, 1860.