“Life is for me and is shining!
Inside me I
Feel stars and sun and bells singing.”
c. Gwendolyn Brooks, “A Little Girl’s Poem”, THIS PLACE I KNOW, Poems of Comfort
Inside I am a bubbly girl, looking and listening as my husband of 33 years in this November handles pages of the homemade card I hand him for his gift. “Life is for me and is shining!”
“The stars twinkle as usual, as they did a million years ago… Though something tremendous and sad has changed us all, I am comforted by the beauty of the night sky.” Kurni Heo, illustrator, speaking in the book of poems, THIS PLACE I KNOW, Poems of Comfort.
And, yet.
Seventy million people expressed themselves and the misguided direction they expected this country to continue on, at the polls. So, as a continuing, self-directed student of The Holocaust and on aspects of World War Two connected to it, I feel relief that a mature adult who loves God, will be leading the Nation. But, 70 million ~~~
I find no better way to reach adults and older students, with the reality of how the personality of #45, who continues as the head of the Republican Party, echoes the hatred, narcissism and tyrannical nature that Hitler steamrolled with, than with the popular graphic novel, THE FAITHFUL SPY, from the pen of artist/author John Hendrix. [point of personal privilege, I was raised in a BeLoved Republican Family, & a dear relative was once invited to a Republican-term W.H., for a small-business award.]
This is a season of holding close to my heart the privilege to focus on Holocaust education. Many adults and students this year are viewing an empowering presentation from the multi-talented Mona Golabek, who you may know as author of THE CHILDREN OF WILLESDEN LANE. I hope you can spend time with the above linked video sampling, of her personal story of connection to the historic Kindertransport.
You may also like to share information about
Museum of Jewish Heritage – complimentary lesson plans (not just for NYC)
And I can’t resist sending love to our own powerful site in my state, FloridaHolocaustMuseum
If you are interested in other states, this list is comprehensive.
On some of our many night walks in recent weeks clear skies beamed us the red dot of Mars and yellow glows of Jupiter and Saturn. Then the full moon face floated through a tree frame and my husband pulled me to him, beholding Our Sky. I am so fortunate, so lucky, to walk This Path. I hope you feel the same way about keeping close what makes your heart sing, halfway around the world or just up a wannabe hill.
“Life is for me and is shining!
Inside me I
Feel stars and sun and bells singing.”
c. Gwendolyn Brooks, THIS PLACE I KNOW, Poems of Comfort, selected by Georgia Heard
from Anniversary weekend 2020 visit to #HobbitWoods ~ Florida.
::: #RememberTheChildren #HonorHolocaustSurvivors #NeverAgain #DaysofRemembrance #HolocaustEducation
My favorite Veteran is my dear #Sgt.Dad, of Fort Dix, N.J., who prepared young men to stand up against the Nazis & Axis in #WorldWarTwo. #RedPoppyDay #Veteran’sDay2020. (Yes, I was his laaate-in-life kiddo 🙂 Thank you, Daddy. Thank you, Veterans. Thank you, Holocaust educators.
::::
Please join me as I a visit around with the poetry pals of Poetry Friday, this time’s roundup by Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge.
Last week we toured with Soul Blossom Living.
Bookseedstudio 
12 responses to “a post after 2020 Election Results”
Loved seeing the picture of you and your husband, Jan. I saw your name at the Poetry Foundation webinar. “Life is for me and is shining!/Inside me”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you had a happy anniversary, Jan! Great photos! I so appreciate your thoughtful and informative post about our country and where it’s headed. I’m also horrified at the thought of how many people voted for #45! Thank goodness more voted for Biden!
And my father served as a Radioman in the Navy in WWII, mostly in the Azores. But I’m older than you, I’m sure. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very grateful for your BeLoved Radioman’s service & appreciations for sharing the Azores detail. That area was no picnic; my uncle served on a merchant marine vessel as Radioman in the Atlantic, passing by the Azores at times & his ships were bombed-into-sinking 2x by Nazi/Axis subs. He survived each time but then understandbly was troubled with severe stress in remaining days. Another reason The Holocaust study is personally important to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a powerful post this week, Jan – thank you for always keeping important things in your sight and vision, and supported with your heart and mind. [And thanks for the links.]
–Continued Happiness Wishes to you and your Beloved as you keep adventuring through life together! :0) XO
LikeLiked by 1 person
We must move forward with hope and poetry…but also with history and truth.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jan, how lovely, the anniversary card of poems! Blessings to you and your husband on marking another year of marriage, I pray – along with countless others – for the healing of our nation. To do so we must lay down our ‘weapons of war’ against one another (in the spirit of Armistice Day, the Veteran’s Day precursor, that other anniversary this week). I often think how God uses believers and unbelievers as his instruments. My late father-in-law served in the US Army in WWII and saw the concentration camps after liberation. He could hardly speak of it – it is vital that we pay attention to the lessons of history and that we see its horrific truths, that hatred destroys … my family remembers, and has visited several Holocaust memorial museums. Healing is ongoing… part of it is definitely “keeping close what makes your heart sing.” I have Heard’s book of poems to comfort as well. Powerful post, all in all – and I have to say I’d also like to visit Hobbit Woods – your photo is enchanting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
all these nourishing connections, fran. appreciations to the memory of your Father & his witness to The Liberation; each testimony, no matter how minor, is crucial. O, my, about This Place I Know – I am as pulled to the artwork, as equally as the words. thankful for our continuing connection. xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved The Faithful Spy, Jan & have read numerous Holocaust books, have a former parent who was a survivor, spent much of his war hiding in a closet. I love hearing about your father. And, leaving my daughter’s last evening from her birthday celebration, we paused to see Jupiter and Saturn, too. Perhaps we were watching our beautiful sky at the same time? Happy Anniversary to you and your dear one. And Happy Weekend, a crazy week but one to keep celebrating!
LikeLiked by 1 person
xox so many times over for these kind words & for the wonder, at how we keep finding deep connections, from so far distant ~ mileswise. are you publishing about the WW2 history in your family – so grateful for his surviving.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing these resources, Jan. I didn’t know Florida has its own Holocaust Museum (putting it on my list to visit). In Baltimore, we have the Jewish Museum of Maryland, a wonderful place to learn more about Jewish history and heritage.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy Anniversary, Jan! So much to ponder in this post – especially the poetry. I appreciate your introduction to the book The Faithful Spy. I’m going to check it out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, 70 million people voted for continued chaos, but my hope is that their leader’s power will fade. I can only hope. Your focus on Holocaust education is so important in understanding the importance of the truth in society and how dictators do their work.
LikeLiked by 1 person