All is not right with the world, to be sure.
We are at war in two nations, Sudan stands divided and Gaza is burning.
There is an immense amount of work to be done, here and abroad.
But the effort today feels more worthwhile and well spent than it has in awhile.
There is a sense of hope and energy in the air, a posture of determination and forward motion.
In spite of daily news that could freeze a person, inert, in her tracks.
Those of us who work with children — as parents, teachers, authors or librarians — try to share that message with them all the time, don’t we? That we as people are built to carry on like little train engines, even when it’s an uphill slog. That hope and grit and optimism are as important as the shoes on our feet and food in our bellies in getting us where we want to be.
Now here, watch Maya Angelou talk about rising up.
And then carry on….
Thanks for sharing the clear-eyed optimism expressed by this poem. Carry on, little train engines!
TadMack says: : )
*throat lump*
I’m trying to get my “service” lined up. I think it’ll be my local food bank. They truly need help all the time.
Uphill and onward!
I love Maya Angelou’s poems. Thanks for the hope. Here’s to Tuesday!
you can’t imagine how perfect Maya’s words were tonight for a friend. Thank you.
rising
shannon
Yes. “The nobleness of the human spirit…” Yes.
“And still, like dust, I rise…” YES!
Tuesday is going to be a very exciting day. And I get to share it with 10 year-olds who will (I hope) thirty years from now remember watching Obama’s innauguration at school.
“I dance
as if I had diamonds
at the meeting of my thighs.”
Amen! Thank you for that today.
My service this year is to drop off a bag of food at a food bank too.
Still chugging uphill and onward…