Thursday, May 1, 2014
Celebrating?
Happy May Day and what a celebration this is!
Does anyone know if elementary schools still recognize this holiday? I remember my elementary school years celebrating this holiday with the traditional May pole grabbing ribbons and dancing around the pole. Sure….innocent enough and as kids it was a celebration of Spring.
With it being the “rainy season” here in Western Pennsylvania, we could use a little May Day brightness and energy.
Of course, the origins of May Day are pagan in nature and it was a celebration of the first spring planting and hopes for an abundant crop extended to a celebration of fertility and the rising of the May pole being symbolic of…well….ummm...it’s still a man’s world…..then and now….just count the number of commercials you see with matching bath tubs (I still don’t get that visual).
Later, May Day became the International Workers’ Day.
As we enter the month of May, there is a rush of celebrations in which to participate; sure it’s not the big name holidays and I doubt “Hallmark” has a greeting card for them, yet, these days provide an opportunity to have some fun and there should always be time for that!
The Kentucky Derby is this weekend (Saturday, 3 May) and under the counsel of Oprah (we do listen to Oprah) she once said that everybody should at least once celebrate the Kentucky Derby by having a mint julep and smoking a cigar. I can check it off my list…..
In Pittsburgh, Sunday, 4 May is the running of the Pittsburgh Marathon. Go and cheer on the runners for that is an impressive feat especially when I consider that I don’t even drive my car 26 miles in one day!
Monday, 5 May, is Cinco de Mayo, a celebration of the Mexican army’s victory over France in 1862. It’s also a great opportunity to celebrate Mexican culture and have great Mexican food. Interesting that Cinco de Mayo is not a huge holiday in Mexico, yet, in these United States we tend to see it as an occasion to party.
The point of all these ramblings about celebrations is to remember to be intentional and find reasons to celebrate, to throw a party! Find a reason….any reason to gather friends and family and celebrate --- celebrate the blooms, celebrate the sighting of the first goldfinch of the season, celebrate the Pirates scoring more than one run in two consecutive games….just celebrate whatever the season….who needs a reason!
sj;
Monday, April 28, 2014
One and done
What would you say is the great American novel?
A fun question --- Perhaps, John Steinbeck's GRAPES OF WRATH? Nathaniel Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER? According to Oprah Winfrey (and we do listen to Oprah) the quintessential American novel is TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
I ask the question because today is the 88nd birthday of the author of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Harper Lee. She wrote the novel in 1960 and it received grand acclaim, was made into a fantastic film and the book has sold millions and remains oft read and popular.
I guess that many of us first read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD as a high school English assignment. If that's the first and last time you've read the book, I strongly encourage you to get a copy and read it again. The book is a classic. Personally, I've used the book as a selection in two previous book clubs and have always found the discussion deep and insightful. A couple of years ago with some members of the cross-disabilities group with whom I work, we read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and their relationship to the character of Boo Radley proved the timelessness of great literature.
In music they refer to groups with one hit records as "one hit wonders." I don't know if they have a term for that in literature. Yet, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, a classic, was the only novel that Harper Lee ever wrote. She also has remained for the most part out of the public eye, rarely doing interviews and allowing her great book to carry the message.
Along with admiring the work of our artists, I think it as fascinating to study and learn from the process of our artists. Harper Lee wrote a classic, basing many of the characters and setting on her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. I wish she would have written another novel, yet, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is made of that wonderful artistic quality of having staying power and lasting impact. Maybe, it's not the quantity of one's work as much as it is the quality.
sj;
A fun question --- Perhaps, John Steinbeck's GRAPES OF WRATH? Nathaniel Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER? According to Oprah Winfrey (and we do listen to Oprah) the quintessential American novel is TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
I ask the question because today is the 88nd birthday of the author of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Harper Lee. She wrote the novel in 1960 and it received grand acclaim, was made into a fantastic film and the book has sold millions and remains oft read and popular.
I guess that many of us first read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD as a high school English assignment. If that's the first and last time you've read the book, I strongly encourage you to get a copy and read it again. The book is a classic. Personally, I've used the book as a selection in two previous book clubs and have always found the discussion deep and insightful. A couple of years ago with some members of the cross-disabilities group with whom I work, we read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and their relationship to the character of Boo Radley proved the timelessness of great literature.
In music they refer to groups with one hit records as "one hit wonders." I don't know if they have a term for that in literature. Yet, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, a classic, was the only novel that Harper Lee ever wrote. She also has remained for the most part out of the public eye, rarely doing interviews and allowing her great book to carry the message.
Along with admiring the work of our artists, I think it as fascinating to study and learn from the process of our artists. Harper Lee wrote a classic, basing many of the characters and setting on her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. I wish she would have written another novel, yet, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is made of that wonderful artistic quality of having staying power and lasting impact. Maybe, it's not the quantity of one's work as much as it is the quality.
sj;
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