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The Cherry Tree

4/28/2015

Over the course of the 37 years we have lived in this house, many trees have come and gone in the backyard. But one has remained constant – the flowering cherry that stands outside our back patio door. The perfect climbing tree, it housed a home-made fort and was christened “The Bat Tree” when the kids were small (and Batman was popular). It has been home to countless birds, squirrels, and insects, survived the fall of large branches blown down in windstorms, and even refused to give up when a large pine sheared off about a fourth of it as it came crashing through our porch roof. Through it all, our cherry tree has been a constant companion.

As poetry month winds down, and the cherry blossoms start to open, I thought this would be the perfect time to honor my constant companion with a poem I wrote several years ago. One afternoon I just sat and observed the tree, recording what I saw and how I felt, and remembering. You can read more about my process here.

“Ode to a Cherry Tree”
Rough and gnarled
Mottled
Scarred from a lifetime of protecting
Offering shelter, shade, and hope…
A constant companion.

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A Welcoming Space

4/21/2015

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I had walked by the campus of West Chester Friends School many times before, admiring the vast, old buildings, wrought-iron fences, and open spaces for play. Recently, I had the opportunity to enter that space to share some books with a preschool class. My first stop was the office. It was a welcoming space, bright and airy and full of the light. Tall windows on every outside wall welcomed the sun. Picture books lined the wide windowsills and still more books were nestled in a magazine box next to a comfy couch. Many were titles I knew like Storm Angels, and What Is a Flower, so I felt at home. On the shelf under a low table was a basket filled with small toys – action figures, Legos, finger puppets. The walls were filled with pictures of former students on graduation day, the girls proudly holding yellow roses that matched the boys’ boutonnieres. There were pamphlets describing the school, along with books and magazines about Quaker education and philosophy, in other areas throughout the room. I took it all in and realized that this space and everything in it signified what was held to be most important here – books, play, place, peace.

As I sat on one of the comfortable upholstered couches waiting until the class was ready for me, my thoughts turned to the countless parents entering this space for the first time, like me, except that they were most likely in the process of determining a future school for their little one. This first impression, this welcoming space, certainly would have contributed to their making a positive decision.

We know how important space is in a classroom. It says so much about the way things will go and the opportunities our students will have. Every once in a while I think it is important to look around and think about what messages spaces convey to us and others whether it be at home, at school, or in the world.

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April Morning

4/14/2015

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Although I believe we should not save poetry for just April, since it is April, I’ve been trying to do more reading of poetry. I also planned to do more poetry writing this month, but I just wasn’t inspired…until today.

This morning as I left for yoga a gentle, warm rain was falling. We just finished two days of beautiful warm sunshine that begged for a walk outdoors. The rain this morning could have been a let-down, but instead it made me feel happy and hopeful and content. I could almost feel the sustenance it was providing to the flowers and trees we will soon be celebrating. So I tried my hand at a haiku.

April Morning

I look to the sky
Gentle rain kisses my face
Renewal of life

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Another First Day of Spring

4/7/2015

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Yesterday was the first day of spring. Not according to the calendar, of course. That event occurred a few weeks ago when there was still snow on the ground. But yesterday was the first really warm day, that once-a-year day, the first day you could be outside without a jacket and feel the warm sun on your skin. Plus, it was the Phillies home opener.

I spent about an hour or so inspecting all the gardens and birdhouses and cleaning up debris from the winter storms. There seemed to be an unusual amount of pinecones littering the beds and yard. I wondered why? Some daffodils have started to bloom, and the forsythia won’t be far behind. (I brought in some of the branches to coax them into blooming a little early). I watched a red-tailed hawk soar across the cloudless blue sky and listened to the songs of the sparrows.

One of my favorite places to spend lazy summer afternoons is on my porch. Yesterday I was able to open it up and sit and watch the birds in the backyard. I spied a beautiful goldfinch feasting at the nyjer feeder, and behind him sat a bluebird on the roof of the nesting box. Cardinals called to each other from high branches, and a junco helped himself to seeds at the feeder.

It was a perfect day to wonder at the marvels of nature and envision a season of growth and beauty – a perfect first day of spring (even though the Phillies lost).

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The Cherry Tree

A Welcoming Space

April Morning

Another First Day of Spring

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