An Ancient Gesture:
I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron:
Penelope did this too.
And more than once: you can't keep weaving all day
And undoing it all through the night;
Your arms get tired, and the back of your neck gets tight;
And along towards morning, when you think it will never be light,
And your husband has been gone, and you don't know where, for years.
Suddenly you burst into tears;
There is simply nothing else to do.
And I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron:
This is an ancient gesture, authentic, antique,
In the very best tradition, classic, Greek;
Ulysses did this too.
But only as a gesture,—a gesture which implied
To the assembled throng that he was much too moved to speak.
He learned it from Penelope...
Penelope, who really cried.
Afternoon on a Hill:
I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.
And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down!
Modern Declaration:
I, having loved ever since I was a child a few things, never having
wavered
In these affections; never through shyness in the houses of the
rich or in the presence of clergymen having denied these
loves;
Never when worked upon by cynics like chiropractors having
grunted or clicked a vertebra to the discredit of those loves;
Never when anxious to land a job having diminished them by a
conniving smile; or when befuddled by drink
Jeered at them through heartache or lazily fondled the fingers of
their alert enemies; declare
That I shall love you always.
No matter what party is in power;
No matter what temporarily expedient combination of allied
interests wins the war;
Shall love you always.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Learning from Wooden
I took a trip to the library today with Siobhan. She needed a break from the house and I just felt like meandering among books for a few hours. I picked up one with various stories written by individuals who became successful in life. Towards the back of the book, there was a chapter written by John Wooden. The more I learn about him, the more I love him. Even after death, he will continue to influence lives. That's legacy.
In the chapter written by him, he began to share about how his dad impacted his life. Abraham Lincoln said, "There's nothing stronger than gentleness," and Mr. Joshua Hugh Wooden lived out this principle of strength. When John graduated from grade school, Mr. Wooden gave him a card with a verse on the front by Reverend Henry Van Dyke. His dad said to him, "Son, try to live up to what you'll find in this card."
This is the verse:
Four things a man must learn to do if he would make his life more true
To think without confusion, clearly
To love his fellow man, sincerely
To act from honest motives, purely
To trust in God and Heaven, securely
On the other side of the card there was a seven point creed....
Be true to yourself; help others, that's where you get your greatest joy; make each day your masterpiece; drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible; Make friendship a fine art/ build a shelter against a rainy day
And, pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
John Wooden must have taken his dad's words of instruction seriously.
I want to take them seriously, too.
In the chapter written by him, he began to share about how his dad impacted his life. Abraham Lincoln said, "There's nothing stronger than gentleness," and Mr. Joshua Hugh Wooden lived out this principle of strength. When John graduated from grade school, Mr. Wooden gave him a card with a verse on the front by Reverend Henry Van Dyke. His dad said to him, "Son, try to live up to what you'll find in this card."
This is the verse:
Four things a man must learn to do if he would make his life more true
To think without confusion, clearly
To love his fellow man, sincerely
To act from honest motives, purely
To trust in God and Heaven, securely
On the other side of the card there was a seven point creed....
Be true to yourself; help others, that's where you get your greatest joy; make each day your masterpiece; drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible; Make friendship a fine art/ build a shelter against a rainy day
And, pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
John Wooden must have taken his dad's words of instruction seriously.
I want to take them seriously, too.
Monday, June 14, 2010
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