I am a Baptized Roman Catholic but not a very good one.
Still, I believe in many of the principles my church taught me as a youngster. Others, I may beg to differ, and I'm assuming God and Jesus might respect that.
Over the course of my life, I have gradually learned to follow the principles taught by one of my favorite American authors Henry David Thoreau.
Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!
The first part of the quote: our life is frittered away by detail.
If I were to go to the confessional of Henry David Thoreau, I would most likely always confess to falling short in that first part of his quote.
Like so many others in this world, I admit to getting exhausted by details.
Hard not to, though, if we want to accomplish anything good and to do it right.
Sometimes, however, we do allow too much complication in our lives and in our beliefs.
That's when we realize the importance of simplifying, simplifying.
Though I'm not so good at purging all the tangible details, I have, over the course of my personal journey, arrived at a simple, basic philosophy which works for me.
On this Earth Day, 2019, after a busy weekend, ushered in with a visit to a school and then with Annie coming home and with all the Easter doings, I can't help thinking that the simple belief system that I have adopted continues to work pretty well.
I've seen numerous facets of it in action over the past few days.
~~~~~
Treat others the way you wish to be treated.
Take care of the animals.
Take care of the Earth.
And, for today's posting, I'll add just one more.
Continue to learn, always.
~~~~
During my two-hour visit to the Waldorf School on Friday, I saw those principles being reinforced many times over through a calculated approach to education.
Following the Waldorf approach, students in eight classrooms were learning about basic earthly principles and skills and beliefs and cultures and behavior, all under the umbrella of education.
I saw various forms of often amazing artwork, depicting lessons learned in history, math, literature, etc.
I also witnessed both partially and finished products employing wood craft, sewing skills, stage craft, basic educational tools, etc.
Heck, in one classroom, the third graders were even taking care of the animals---baby chicks, to be exact.
I heard about the constant reinforcement of mutual respect, manners, kindness, validation and appreciation of others' talents.
It was a wonderful visit, providing a glimpse of a wonderful approach to education. As an educator, I am always interested in the approaches used to teach the children, and, as public school teacher, I believe each approach has its merits and the potential to reap great results.
I've seen that year after year during my career as a public high school teacher and during my retirement at my sister's grade school, with our neighborhood Selle Valley Carden School and most recently at the Waldorf School.
I have enjoyed each opportunity and respect each approach.
And, so Friday's school visit led to Friday's marathon adventure, thanks to a late plane, to pick up our Annie.
And, with Annie's visit came the sharing of three different cultures she had experienced this month: South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.
Annie came bearing gifts, and our Easter Day fun reflected that in Emma's strikingly beautiful skirt from Thailand, in bracelets we wore and the Easter "Island" decorations.
Part of our Easter celebration allowed us to bring out the "kid" stuff still alive and well within our hearts.
Eight chocolate bunnies to find around the Lovestead, which like so many areas yesterday offered a state of springtime bliss and peaceful beauty and excitement of the day.
The 4-wheeler got a work out. Dogs raced around to keep in tune with the excitement. People visited. People ate.
And, yes, all bunnies were found as we strolled around the yard and the woods.
Sadly, the Easter-Day sun melted a couple of bunnies into distorted states.
Twas a simple fun-filled day with family and friends and animals, all taking part in and appreciating the tangible and intangibles of this thing called Earth.
On this Monday morning, with spring sunshine outside and a relatively quiet house, my mind is filled with many images, far beyond what is posted here.
And, along with those reminders of meaningful, inspiring and wonderful moments, I am thinking a simple thought.
We are so lucky to be inhabitants of this Earth, and, yes, we appreciate it and must take care of it so that more moments like the weekend which just passed can continue into eternity.
Simple principles learned, remembered and followed could do just that.
Happy Monday. And, thanks to all who created such lovely moments.
Waldorf Visit on Friday
No comments:
Post a Comment