Saturday, 3/5/2011

Today I was at the Fauntleroy UCC women's retreat all day at the St. Mary's on the Lake Peace and Spirituality Center.  The guest speaker/facilitator was Jane Kurtz, an award winning childrens' author.  She led the group through several creative writing exercises, which I loved.  The first one of the day was my favorite.  She started by reading us a poem titled "Where I'm From", written by George Ella Lyon.  Jane then invited each of us to take 15 minutes to write our own poem, beginning with "I am from..."  I don't know if I am done with mine yet, but here it is, as it stands at this moment.

Where I'm From

I am from
chocolate, for medicinal purposes only
from keys, sharp & flat, black & white
from songs, solo, duet, & family quartet
from rainbows, dancing, beautiful, and full of promise.


I am from
purple- lavender & lilacs, fragrant & fresh
yellow- sunflowers & gloriosa daisies, bold & bright
red- scarlet runner beans & geraniums, private & poised.

I am from
Pinecrest, the house on the lake
from hours spent floating in the sometimes chilly lake
from talent shows, always fun & silly
from rousing games of pinochle- bid, pass, trump, YES!

I am from
a family- a mother, a father, a brother
grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends
from tickles, hugs, laughter, and love
from Ben & Katie, meant to be.

I'd love to hear what you think of this poem.  I'm sure I haven't written one since high school.  

Oh, and I suppose I should talk about dinner too:)  After the retreat, we were invited to Lyn's house for appetizers and drinks.  I wasn't sure what or how much was going to be served, and thought it might be a while before it was ready.  So, I stopped at McDonald's for a quick burger before going.  I'm glad I did.  There was plenty of food for all, but it wasn't my kind of food.  Lyn served smoked salmon with cream cheese and capers to spread on bread, a toasted mushroom spread on bread, seasoned cashews, and brownies.  The cashews were delicious, but I feel a couple handfuls of cashews is enough for anyone at one sitting:)  Even though the food wasn't my cup of tea, I had the most wonderful time with the women of my church.  What a compassionate group of people.