Saturday, March 14, 2015

Friday, March 13, 2015

Blanketing time and space

ornate water spout in medieval village

Any subjects leads to every other subject, and every other connection of any sort. Rather than sorting things out with your children, try to keep blending and mixing.

Religion leads to history, to geography, to clothing, to fashion, to business and imports to transportation to law. Law leads to ethics to medicine to religion. Any of those "leads to" points could lead to a dozen OTHER destinations, so even with a list that short, it starts to blanket time and space. Don't resist those weird tangents; jump on them and ride.

SandraDodd.com/subjects
photo by Sandra Dodd
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Thursday, March 12, 2015

Quietly better

The fewer things you say or do to make things worse, the better things will be.

antique 'explosives' sign

SandraDodd.com/breathing
photo by Marty Dodd
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Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Giving, learning and growing

antique wheelbarrow, next to a fullsized chicken made of Lego, at LegoLand Windsor

Parvine Shahid wrote, on the topic of "Service":

Being with my children, giving them in each moment all I can, learning and growing with them, changed my understanding of "service."

I have chosen to give, help and serve my children. I feel being with them has contributed towards a new understanding of the word as well as a way of building a connection with them. I can also see how it can be extended to others.

I realize how much weight a word can carry, how changes in my own feelings have lightened that weight and thrown a new light on the word itself. Service now stirs up and brings great feelings of joy.
—Parvine Shahid


SandraDodd.com/serviceResponse
photo by Sandra Dodd (click for more info)
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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Before, behind; inside, outside


Ideas are based on other ideas, quite often. Songs might remind you of other songs. Art sometimes references other art.

In this photo there is an inside and an outside, things in front, things behind, Queen's Diamond Jubilee flags (so a time stamp) and a little tree.

Whether life is quietly calm or frantically busy, try to be gracefully and gratefully present.

SandraDodd.com/gratitude/chairs
photo by Sandra Dodd
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Monday, March 9, 2015

Messin' with the sun


"How do you know they're learning?" The people who ask that question are looking at the world through school-colored glasses. Those same parents knew when their children could use a spoon. They knew when the child could drink out of a cup. They knew when walking and talking and bike riding had been learned.

SandraDodd.com/playing
photo by Holly Dodd
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Sunday, March 8, 2015