Sparkle in the Dark'll Bring us Out.. we hope

He says, “Cheerios are seeds for donut trees... put ‘em in the ground and see what happens. They’re gluten free... but only the holes.”

I laugh. “Do you suppose when we put people in the ground, they grow Peopler Trees... sorta like Poplar Trees - only with softer bark?”

“Maybe...”

“And is that how we get ‘Dogwood Trees - by putting dogs in the ground?’”

“Maybe... and they probably have louder barks than Peopler Trees!”

This absurd conversation goes apace - filling the time it takes to walk through the back streets and park towards home from the farmer’s market.

This is the dark of the year... the DARKEST, made darker by recent losses. We laugh to keep from dropping into the depths of darkest despair. When kids we know from camp go to the light, it leaves the rest of us in darkness of a pricklier texture than any other darkness we know.

While at the market this morning, we ran into our dear neighbor. He shared news of his family and the gratitude he and wife Cathy feel - mixed with co-arising exhaustion born of caring for their grand twins who are about five years old now and FULL of energy.

Our neighbor also spoke of a recent favorable review in the NY Times of a film he made some years ago about Sister Corita Kent. He walked a copy over this afternoon and we just watched it this evening - enthralled. I kept hoping to see my mother Barbara in the footage, as she was a student of Corita Kent’s at Immaculate Heart College, Los Angeles in the mid 1960‘s. The experience of watching bears repeating... so I’ll use the pause button on crowd scenes next time and see if I catch mom. I'd also like to linger longer on some of the serigraphs - just to take in their beauty and decipher the words.

Fresh from that colorful and moving picture experience, I'm all a-sparkle from several gems which are hallmarks of Sister Corita’s teachings. 

1. We have no ART, we do everything as well as we can. (Balinese saying)
2. There are some Rules and Helpful Hints for Students and Teachers (by John Cage) to which Corita Kent adds, “There should be new rules next week.”
3. Ideas can come from anywhere.
4. If you’re watching a movie, don’t blink or look away. You might miss some still photograph of great beauty or meaning or mystery.

There are actually two films on the DVD, each with many gems. 

Thank you, neighbor, for the holiday cheer!

Happy Christmas, Soulful Solstice, 
Quaint Kwanza, Neato New Year, 
Marvelous Merry-Making to all 
and and to all a 
Good Night!