Velkommen til Otto Evenson's Cafe

 Meet my paternal grandparents, Otto Evenson & Henrietta Quinnell Evenson, both of Norwegian descent. Henrietta's parents emigrated from Norway to Iowa, and Henrietta was born in Iowa City in 1881.

 

Otto, his brothers, and their wives.  Otto and Henrietta are the couple in the middle.

Otto was born in 1870 on a farm near Toten, Norway. Several of his brothers had already come to the U.S., so at age 15 he left his home country, arriving in the U.S. in 1885. At first Otto tried farming or working in sawmills, but five years after he married Henrietta he started a restaurant in Spring Grove.

Otto married Henrietta in 1898

Spring Grove, Minnesota, was the first Norwegian settlement in Minnesota, located in the beautiful southeast corner of the state. Otto's establishment moved between several buildings over his 40+ years in business, the photo below pictures an early one. That's Otto in a bowler hat on the left. 

Below is a later picture, probably in a different building. You can see Henrietta in her apron, and Otto beside her. They sold candy and tobacco and other small items in the front, had a soda fountain in the middle, and tables farther back. Otto sold so much Wrigley's gum that he won two chairs and a cocoa set. 

The restaurant was open all day every day from 1904 until 1945. It became a home away from home, not just to Otto and family, but to many in the community.  Townsfolk would come in for a cup of coffee and a piece of pie, notice a loose button on a coat or shirt, and ask for a needle and thread to sew the button. And sometimes, having been supplied with needle and thread, the person might even complain that the needle was the wrong size for the task at hand.

Here's a blurb from Spring Grove: Minnesota's First Norwegian Settlement by Chad Muller:

My grandpa liked to be generous. During the depression, Otto wanted to serve a good meal for a little as possible. He offered a blue plate special of roast beef, potatoes and gravy, peas, and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. The charge was 5¢... over the years it went up to 25¢. 

Otto also had a sense of humor. When my dad, Emil, was a student at Luther College, in Decorah, IA, he would bring friends back to dinner at the restaurant. Otto would get out all the hats he could find (I assume both men's and women's) and put them on one after another, improvising a persona with each one and causing much hilarity.  The teachers in town often ate at Otto's, and he once got them laughing so hard that a teacher had to step outside and catch her breath before coming back to finish her meal. 

One of my brothers, being a small child at the time, was fascinated by a cigar lighter in the restaurant. If you bought a cigar, you could light it and smoke it right there! 

He remembers the Midland Jump Spark Cigar Lighter. The spark would be fascinating. 

I can't say the same for the cigar smoke.

My older siblings remember eating at the restaurant. It seems that grandparents were known for spoiling even then. Pies and ice creams were shared liberally, and jack knives were given to the boys, perhaps even before the boys were old enough for them.  

Grandpa was proud of his restaurant and the hospitality shown there. He and his family worked hard to provide good meals in a clean and inviting atmosphere. As his family grew up they all helped in the restaurant. Even when his own children got jobs of their own, he would call them at their jobs to say that he needed them at the restaurant. I don't know how that turned out, but I do know that these photos make me wish I could have seen it myself. 

I'll share more stories about Otto, Henrietta and the restaurant in days to come. Please stop back for more...

Art and the Spirit

It's August, and time for our Spiritual Journey group to share thoughts. Our friend Margaret Simon has suggested we write about art and spirituality. This prompt came at just the right time for me, as I had wanted to work on some ekphrastic poems anyway, and the spiritual component came forward quite naturally. So... to remind those who are new to the idea, here is a description of ekphrasis:

Ekphrasis

“Description” in Greek. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.

I chose a favorite N.C. Wyeth painting, Egrets in Summer, because I love its sense of calm and beauty. Once, while in NYC, I even peered inside the Metropolitan Life Insurance Building where it is held, in hopes of seeing it in person. Alas... no luck. Nonetheless, I have a nice double-page print in a book of Wyeth's work, and I relied upon that for my inspiration. 

Below is my attempt to marry the three strands: poetry, spirituality, and art. As I worked on my poem, I learned that all egrets are in the heron family, and that some herons have a white phase, so this work is sometimes called Herons in Summer, and sometimes Egrets in Summer. I chose to go with "herons" in my poem. 

Also, you may want to know that I did not originally think of this as a spiritual painting, but as mentioned in the description above, my reflections and attempt at amplification led me in that direction. So, without further ado...

Herons in Summer by N.C. Wyeth

Wherever Two or Three are Gathered

In the quiet of early morning

Heron takes wing

Like one of the faithful

Suddenly called to glory

White robes flapping

In earnest devotion

 

Sinuous necks turn and

Intent eyes follow as

The pond mirrors her crossing

 

It is a moment of holy beauty

A celebration of grace

Steeped with serenity

Lauded with lilies

 

Surely

Prayers of adoration

Rustle in the undulating reeds

 

   ©Karen Eastlund

Frederick Buechner writes about beauty this way:

Beauty is to the spirit what food is to the flesh. A glimpse of it in a young face, say, or an echo of it in a song fills an emptiness in you that nothing else under the sun can. Unlike food, however, it is something you never get your fill of. It leaves you always aching with longing not so much for more of the same as for whatever it is, deep within and far beyond both it and yourself, that makes it beautiful.

"The beauty of holiness" is how the Psalms name it (29:2), and "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee" (42:1) is the way they describe the ache and the longing.

 

~originally published in Whistling in the Dark and later in Beyond Words

Wyeth's original work is 83" by 159", and I wish we could see it in its full glory. You can see a larger, clearer copy here.

Many thanks to Margaret Simon for hosting today. Find our gathering on the spiritual journey thread at Reflections on the Teche.

I wish you beauty, serenity, grace and celebration.

Summer Shivers

We had a lovely visit with two of our grandkids recently. Lots of creative activities, games, movies, etc. The temperature was over 90 every day they were here, too hot to do much outside, but we did make a water slide on our back lawn, and we found some blasters to squirt water at each other. Tweenagers are good fun.

I loved their interesting and amusing conversations. One conversation in particular led me to write this poem. I hope it won't make you queasy.

Shivers

I'm at the dinner table

in need of a reprieve

on my plate is cauliflower

and some peas, which make me heave.

I love to eat these french fries

(see the ketchup on my sleeve?)

but cauliflower gives me shivers

and the peas... just make me heave.

I'm quite a picky eater

many foods cause me to wheeze

but the worst is cauliflower...

unless it's peas. They make me heave.

    © Karen Eastlund

I hope you will enjoy the week ahead. The Poetry Friday roundup is at Catherine's today. Join the crowd for further poetry examples, ideas, insights and laughs.

Also, I recently posted another month of my grandmother's diary. August of 1928 gives a glimpse of her busy life on a farm in Iowa. My mother and father are mentioned, Doris & Emil, and my two oldest siblings, Margaret(te) and Marion. Check it out!

Grace Pierce's diary, August 1928

Here's a photo of my Grandma Grace with her siblings, the children of Henry and Margaret Masters:
From left to right in back - Guy and Frank Masters

Middle row - Jennie, Addie, Grace

Front - Iva

August 1, Wed.

Cloudy nearly all day, and sprinkled at times. We patched sacks in afternoon. Frank Sullivan came over and put brake bands in the car. We had a very hard storm in the eve and rained hard all night, about the hardest rain we have had.

August 2, Thurs.

Cloudy and rainy by spells all day. Elmer went to B.O. with John Reinsvold and came back with Phil Seelye who took two cows to a Courtney (?) that was here yesterday and bought them for $75 and $80. Eda and Jim came down for nut meats that Elmer got for them. The social tonight is postponed until Saturday night. Rained quite hard in eve, we went to bed early and I was awake for two or three hours in the night.

August 3, Fri.

Rainy as usual. Glen called quite early and wanted to know if I would come down if he came to Burr Oak so Elmer took me over. We left at 8:45 and the roads were very bad from here to B.O. Lillie had been quite bad for three days and had spit blood a little and it had scared her so, she almost went into spasms. Dr. Svebakken came after dinner and told her there was no reason to be alarmed as it didn’t come from her lungs. It rained hard again in afternoon.

August 4, Sat.

It cleared up about 9 and sun shone bright all day. Glen went to work in afternoon and I came home with Luella and Raymond, and Elmer came to Raymonds after me and we got stuck on the flats coming home. Anita and Luella got a bushel of peaches for $2.25. We went to ice cream social at church lawn in evening.

August 5, Sun.

Very nice day and warm. I picked cucumbers in morning and Anita mopped and we went to church with Jim and Eda and came back with Elmers car and he went to Highlandville to a ball game. In afternoon we went over to Gene Headingtons and stopped in at Luella’s on the way back and she had been here while we were gone. Raymonds brought Elmer home about 6.

August 6, Mon.

Very nice but quite warm & windy. We washed and had to borrow Violet’s boiler for ours leaked. We canned peaches the rest of the day. At noon Anita and Elmer were over to Raymonds after something he sent to Harmony for. Arthur Manning helped cut thistles in afternoon. We had a rain in evening.

August 7, Tues.

Oh such a hot day. I thought we would melt. We ironed all forenoon, and had some to do in the afternoon. Arthur Manning was helping cut thistles and was here to dinner. In afternoon Elmer went down to Merles and brought back some ice-cream which cooled us a little. Elmer went to B.O. in eve. Ethel called me and wanted me to help when they thresh.

August 8, Wed.

The hottest day we have had this summer. In morning I picked two dishpans of cucumbers before Anita went to Canton to have her hair cut and Marilyn and I went up to Herbs. After we got back we found out we would have threshers in afternoon so she had to go again after dinner for meat and things. Luella went to LaCrosse with Joe and Iona and after she got home she came over and helped at suppertime. I thought I would never get the dishes washed and wiped. The men were about cooked when they came to supper. It rained hard and hailed quite hard in eve.

August 9, Thurs.

Very hot again, especially in forenoon. We were so tired we didn’t do very much. Elmer took a grist to B.O. and wasn’t home at dinner. About 8 Anita, Marilyn and I went to Ladies Aid at Krumms with Jim and Eda, we got home at 6-30.

August 10, Fri.

Very nice day and cool. Anita and I and Marilyn went to Decorah in forenoon. We saw Lillie a few minutes. She has been sick since Tues. night and the nurse is there. Luella and Iona and Verlie went down in afternoon and Lillie had a baby girl, 7 ½ lbs, born at 2-10 and she and baby were getting along fine. Luella came over and told us she got home. Roy Wanless house caught fire and Anita and I went over and so did Luella but it was out before we got there. They finished threshing here just after dinner and threshed to Louie’s. LuVerne was here in afternoon and went home about 5.

August 11, Sat.

Another nice cool day. We washed and washed windows and cleaned up the house and picked and dressed two chickens and mowed the lawn in eve and ironed. We drove over to Luella’s and got some Whitney apples for pickles. Elmer threshed at Louie’s and got home about 2-30. He went to Burr Oak in eve. We had our first corn today.

August 12, Sun.

A lovely day. We had company: Add, Claude and Jim and Eda. In afternoon Glen, Florence and Mrs. Erickson drove up a few minutes. We went up to Howards in eve but they were gone. Elmer bought 4 lambs off Walter Rheuwinkle and he brought them over today, gave $35 for them.

August 13, Mon.

Very nice day. Alva came after me about 10 and I went over and helped Ethel with threshers. We didn’t have them until at supper time and only had 13 then. We got through with our work about 8 o-clock and I wrote to Doris after 10.

August 14, Tues.

Another beautiful day, but a little warmer. We had 14 men at dinner and thought we wouldn’t have them for supper but did. Anita came over after me to go down to Frank Bartle’s after blackberries so Ethel got Marion Nash to help at supper and I came home. She paid 25cts for blackberries. Elmer was threshing at Snells.

August 15, Wed.

Very warm day. Elmer went threshing, Anita and I took Marilyn down to Violets and weighed her. She weighed 16 lbs. About 2-30 we had a great surprise. Doris, Emil and kids drove in. They came to Spring Grove the night before. Emil went right back to S.G. and we all went over to Luella’s after choke-cherries and apples. In eve Anita went over to Luella’s while Elmer went to B.O. Margarette was very restless all night and so was Marion. A man stopped here about midnight and asked the way to Canton and I didn’t go to sleep for three hours.

August 16, Thurs.

Another scorcher. Anita, Marilyn and I went to Decorah early and went down to see Lillie and baby. They were getting along quite well. The baby has had jaundice but is better. The nurse went today noon and Lillie’s sister is there. She charged $60 for nine days. Olga McCabe and children and her sister Gladys and children and another girl from Lake City came about 2, we were going to stay to supper and it looked so stormy they went about 2-30. Elmer came home from threshing as it rained hard. We all slept good all night.

August 17, Fri.

Very cool but nice. Elmer went to the Fair about 11 o’clock. He took a grist to B.O. first. We got corn today and did our washing and Doris did hers, and we made pickles and Anita picked cucumbers and mopped. Emil came some time in the night.

August 18, Sat.

Cool in morning but warm in middle of day. Emil, Doris, kids and myself went to Decorah and went down to see Lillie and Doris bought a blanket for the baby. We stopped at Elsie’s on way home and Doris got a head of cauliflower for pickles. We got home about noon, Elmer came home from Leistikows threshing and went down to Vernie’s and threshed until after 7. Anita had 7 cows milked. Elmer went to B.O. Emil went to Spring Grove about 3. Gerald got kicked in the face by LuVerne’s pony and Luella and Joe took him to Mabel to Dr. Nass and had it sewed.

August 19, Sun.

Very warm day. We got things ready to go for a picnic at Decorah and Emil came about 11-30 and Anita, Doris, kids and myself went with him and there was so many at the Park we couldn’t eat there and we went over to Pulpit Rock and all the tables there were in use so we went up to the College and ate under a shade tree and the mosquitoes nearly chewed us up. We drove around for a while and came home and had a blow out before we got to Burr Oak. We were nearly cooked when we got home. Emil stopped to the ball game and we came on. Luella and Fern and kids came over a few minutes. It looked very rainy but didn’t here but hailed terrible at Joe Morans.

August 20, Mon.

Rainy in morning  and by spells all day. Emil went to S.G. in morning. Ed Arnold was here and fixed the steps to the granary. I paid him $2.00. We had so much to do today and Marilyn wouldn’t sleep hardly at all. We had a very hard storm about 6-30, terrible lightning and the hardest rain I ever saw.

August 21, Tues.

Very nice day. We did our washing and Doris did hers and we hung clothes out all day, as soon as one line-full dried we put out another. Afternoon Elmer and Anita and Marilyn went to Mabel to see Dr. Nass about Anita’s ear. He dug the wax out and she could hear a little better. I was about tired out and took Margarette to bed early. Marilyn was very fussy all forenoon but was good after she took a ride.

Got $3.21 from Yeomen

August 22, Wed.

Nice in forenoon but cloudy in afternoon. We did our ironing and I picked cucumbers. Elmer was threshing at Leistikows. About 3, Anita, Doris, kids and myself went over to Luella’s after apples. Margarette and I rode in the back of truck. Emil came about 7. It started to rain about 6-30 and kept it up all night and rained very hard and had terrible lightning and thunder. Rain came in every room and about ruined Anita’s sewing machine that was on the porch.

August 23, Thurs.

Cloudy nearly all day and much cooler. Doris, Emil and kids went to Spring Grove about 10. I peeled Whitney apples enough for two quarts and then washed a few clothes and ironed them about 4. Elmer went to B.O. in afternoon. Anita sold her chickens, about 45 of them, to Phil Seelye at 25cts per lb. They brought nearly $45. The water in Decorah is very high. The river is highest ever known and Dry Run is out of its banks too.

August 24, Fri.

A lovely day. I got a pail of corn and dried for Doris and picked cucumbers and we peeled and canned 6 qts of Whitney apples. After noon we went to Decorah. Elmer went to a ball game, we went down to Lillie’s and I took a hood and jacket for baby. I gave Anita $3 for her birthday and she got a camera by putting a little more with it. The game wasn’t out until nearly six, so it was late when we got home. LuVerne came over while they went to the dance and stayed all night. The water was quite high in Decorah today.

August 25, Sat.

A grand day but quite cool, Elmer was threshing at Leistikows after 9 o’clock. He and LuVerne took a grist to B.O. early in morning. I got two pails of corn today, one for Doris and one for Anita. I sewed on my apron all afternoon and could have finished it if I could have found one bunch of white braid. Elmer went to Burr Oak in eve after grist. There was a shower at Bakers for Lena tonight but Elmer and Anita didn’t go.

August 26, Sun.

Cloudy most of day. Elmer had to thresh at Leistikows until noon and it was too wet on other piece so they moved to Lews place. Emil, Doris and kids came about 10-15 and we all went over to Raymonds to dinner. Emil went home right after dinner and Elmer and Raymond went to Decorah to ball game. Luella brought us home and Merle, Elsie and Deane and Geo and Myra stopped here. Frank and Cora had been here while we were gone, and I was sorry we were gone. Elmer didn’t get here until 6:45. It rained again in night.

August 27, Mon.

A lovely day but quite windy. Doris did her washing but we only washed a few of ours. Doris ironed all of hers and so did we. Emil came down in eve but we were all in bed. He brought some ice-cream so we got up.

August 28, Tues.

Another nice day. Emil went home about 8. Elmer went threshing at Lyle’s on Lews place and got home at three. We made jell and apple butter and I made cookies and picked a dishpan of cucumbers. Elmer went to Burr Oak in eve. Anita took the three kids pictures and mine with them. I know it will be a scream.

August 29, Wed.

Rainy again for a change? I peeled and canned some duchess apples. The mail man slid in a ditch down by the school-house and Leistikows took a team down to pull him out. Elmer went to B.O. and was on the way to Howards and Arthur Morrison had a heavy truck and it slewed around and bent the axle in Elmer’s car so Rex Ward brought him home. Lyle and Sena Baker were married today and they chiveried them tonight. Emil came down and they are going home tomorrow.

August 30, Thurs.

A lovely day once more. I got up quite early and called Doris and Emil and they got things packed on the car and started from here about 7, but it took them quite a while to get up the hill east of the school house as they went by Raymonds to get apples. There was only one thing they left and I sent it in the mail today. We washed and ironed some and I canned 7 qt of apples. Elmer was to B.O. all day and brought the car home. It is very quiet around here today without Margarette and Marion. I got a letter from Hazel and Leslie has a job at Sidell, Ill. I hope he likes it and can keep it.

August 31, Fri.

A very nice day, but pretty cool in morning. Elmer went to Louie’s to thresh but they didn’t finish. Anita and Luella went to Lanesboro to a Club meeting at Bertha Nelson’s. LuVerne stayed here, they got home about 4-30.

A Father's Day memory for Poetry Friday Round-Up

I hope you had a good Father's Day. Ours was complicated by both house system and car system breakdowns. Oh well... We still got to see most of our family, and we were thankful that everyone is well. And... we met the new puppies!

 

Evie, above, and Moose, to the right. Both are
Australian sheep dogs.


Grandpuppies!  Aren't they CUTE!!!






Since then I've been thinking about my dad, and about poetry that was shared in our family. A sweet little nursery rhyme/finger play came to mind, and I would like to share it with you.

 My father's side of the family was Norwegian, and Daddy had a little nursery rhyme/finger play that he would play with us in Norwegian.  When I looked for the Norwegian version of this rhyme, it became obvious to me that Daddy was a using  a blend of Norwegian and English. Nonetheless, I loved Daddy's version, especially because the third line sounded so funny to me.

Knocke på dør

Peek in

Snu på knobbin

Gå bayne in

Here's an English version with actions:

Knock at the door (knock on the child's forehead)

Peek in (carefully lift child's eyelid for a peek)

Turn the knob (gentle, playful twist of the nose)

Go inside (walk fingers into the mouth)

(Obviously not up to Covid norms. Historical reference only.)

Here's me next to Daddy.

I was delighted to find an English version of this rhyme in a Nursery Rhyme book some time back, but I have since lost track of it. If you know of any print versions or other oral versions, please share.
Here's one on YouTube with an added verse: Knock at the Door.

As I was searching for information on this Norwegian rhyme, I came across the poem below which Norwegians consider their best poem over the ages.  It speaks of a beautiful dream. I especially like the last line, and thought it a good ending for today's post.

Norwegian state broadcaster NRK recently asked its listeners/viewers to select "Norway's finest poem through the ages".

The winner was the poem "Det er den draumen" ("It was a dream") by the poet Olav H.Hauge (1908-1994) .

Here follows a translation into English of the poem, which was first published in 1966.

It Was a Dream

We all carry with us this dream:

that something wonderful will happen,

that it must happen -

that time will open,

that the heart will open,

that doors will open,

that cliffs will be opened,

that springs will well forth,

that the dream will be opened,

- that we one peaceful morning will glide in -

onto a bay we had not been aware of.

-Author Olav H.Hauge

Translated for The Norway Post by Rolleiv Solholm, Chief Editor. To be honest, I'm confused by this translation. The verb "to be" is used in the present tense in the title, so I would think it should be: It Is a Dream. But.. I dare not override his translation. Maybe he had his reasons.

Thanks for reading a bit about my heritage. I'd love for you to share something of yours in the comment section.

It is my pleasure to host the Poetry Friday gathering today. Please leave your links in the comment section and I will round them up as I can during the day.

1. Little Willow posts an Emily Dickinson poem at https://slayground.livejournal.com/906899.html

2. Molly Hogan shares some recent poems at https://nixthecomfortzone.com/2020/06/25/pf-dark-thoughts-and-the-danger-of-denial/

3. Laura Purdy Salas shares her haiku at https://laurasalas.com/poems-for-teachers/morning-haiku-poetry-princesses-poetry-friday/

4. Michelle Kogan shares her susurrus poem at https://moreart4all.wordpress.com/2020/06/25/poetry-friday-sounds-of-susurrus-and-giraffes/

5. Janice Scully juxtaposes the ideas of injustice and susurrus at Salt City Verse.

6. Carol Varsalona wrote about a relaxing walk near the ocean at https://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2020/06/wonderment.html

7. Kathryn Apel loves poetry swaps at https://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/poetry-swap-from-jone-ruth

8. Linda Baie updates us and shares some Ogden Nash laughs at https://www.teacherdance.org/2020/06/poetry-friday-musings-on-our-world.html

9. Linda Mitchell shares prompts at https://awordedgewiselindamitchell.blogspot.com/

10. Check out Matt Forrest Esenwine's video for CLiF at https://wp.me/p2DEY3-2tU

11. Charles Waters makes a children's poetry submission  announcement at https://www.charleswaterspoetry.com/blog

12. Tricia wrote a triolet that combines both woods and susurrus at https://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-sisters-go-into-woods.html

13. Mary Lee Hahn tells history via cottonwood at http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-friday-sand-creek-cottonwoods.html

14. Irene Latham calls for submissions at   https://irenelatham.blogspot.com/

15. Irene shares a poem from her red collection at https://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2020/06/artspeak-red-girl-who-reads-poem.html

16. Margaret Simon shares poetry swaps and two drafts at https://reflectionsontheteche.com/2020/06/26/poetry-friday-prompts-gifts-and-poems/

17. Elaine Magliari posts a poem by her granddaughter at http://wildrosereader.blogspot.com/2020/06/my-cat-rudy.html

18. SaraLewisHolmes shares a mouthwatering poem at https://saralewisholmes.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-friday-susurrus-of-heated-talk.html?showComment=1593182902342#c8147522597988482233

19. Liz Scanlon Garton retells an old favorite at https://lizgartonscanlon.com/2020/06/poetry-project-june-2020/

20. Rose Cappelli writes about a treasure from nature at https://imaginethepossibilitiesblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/poetry-friday-a-small-miracle/comment-page-1/#comment-9894

21. AmyVanDerwater shares a poem about a concert to plants at http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2020/06/gran-teatre-del-liceu.html

22. Joyce Ray shares her poem of Covid's passing at https://joyceray.blogspot.com/2020/06/after-edna-st-vincent-millay.html

23. Ruth posts about the desert of quarantine at https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2020/06/poetry-friday-deserts.html

24. Tanita Davis writes of the welcome woods at http://tanitasdavis.com/wp/?p=10474

25. Carol shares a chartreuse poem at http://theapplesinmyorchard.com/2020/06/26/poetry-friday-chartreuse-another-color-poem/

26. Susan Bruck shares poems and insight into parenting at https://www.soulblossomliving.com/the-conscious-parenting-journey-in-poetry/

27. Fran Haley shares her echo line poem at https://litbitsandpieces.com/2020/06/23/im-the-one-who-leaps/

28.  Find a poem of summer memories at https://mhshee1104.wordpress.com/2020/06/28/childhood/

A Rilke poem for your Friday...

A child spends his first week away at camp, and his parents cannot help but notice a change as he returns home. There is a healthy maturing, a gain of self-assurance, a sense of strength. Haven't we all noticed the change in ourselves after we venture out?

This poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, shared by a friend this week, speaks of satisfaction and serenity after stretching wings and facing fears.

Dove that ventured outside, flying far from the dovecote:
housed and protected again, one with the day, the night,
knows what serenity is, for she has felt her wings
pass through all distance and fear in the course of her wanderings.

The doves that remained at home, never exposed to loss,
innocent and secure, cannot know tenderness;
only the won-back heart can ever be satisfied: free,
through all it has given up, to rejoice in its mastery.

Being arches itself over the vast abyss.
Ah the ball that we dared, that we hurled into infinite space,
doesn't it fill our hands differently with its return:
heavier by the weight of where it has been.

My best to you for a week of healthy venturing. It's Poetry Friday, so join the gang at Tricia's blog, 

Miss Rumphius Effect.

Hope is the Thing that Sings

I know it has been a very very rough week. I have friends and relatives in Minneapolis and lived there myself for 15 years. And now across the country... My prayers are with you all. I hope that my confession below will not add to your load, but offer a glimmer of hope in words and song.

I heard this week that our church services, which have been virtual since mid-March, will continue to be virtual, at least for the next month or so. I can live with that. But then I heard that even when we come back to worship, we will not be singing. Why? Because of the possible spread of pathogens. Because when we sing, we breath deeply and project air from the bottom of our lungs, and that air can be filled with our germs.

I love singing. I've been in choir for many years. I don't really know how many, but probably around 25. It isn't that I'm a good singer, it's that singing is so good for me. I hear the harmonies, I challenge myself with the notes and rhythms, and I internalize the words. To quote St. Augustine:

I've listened to music all during the quarantine, but it does not fill the need to sing in choir. Reading and practicing music requires learning and a sense of beauty and challenge and brain twisting all at the same time. My words cannot fully do it justice. But in choir I hear the beauty. I am part of the beauty. And I love the beauty. And I love the sense of worshipful camaraderie there also. Of all the activities I take part in, choir is the most fulfilling.

So in the midst of the everything else, I think this moment in time, more than many others, needs singing. Maybe others feel as I do. Maybe we can find a way to make this work. Certainly I don't want to spread disease, but I do want singing. There was an attempt early on to make a virtual choir, but it was dropped and quite frankly I was glad. It would not work for me. I need to be with strong voices that buoy me up. Strong voices encourage me, in the truest sense of the word, and I will work toward making that happen.

All this is a very roundabout way of saying that I have hope, and music is part of the reason that I do. The words of the song below express my feelings quite well. This hymn was written by Robert Lowry in 1869.  Here are the original words:

My life flows on in endless song;

Above earth's lamentation,

I hear the sweet, tho' far-off hymn

That hails a new creation;

Thro' all the tumult and the strife

I hear the music ringing;

It finds an echo in my soul—

How can I keep from singing?

What tho' my joys and comforts die?

The Lord my Saviour liveth;

What tho' the darkness gather round?

Songs in the night he giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm

While to that refuge clinging;

Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,

How can I keep from singing?

I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;

I see the blue above it;

And day by day this pathway smooths,

Since first I learned to love it,

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,

A fountain ever springing;

All things are mine since I am his—

How can I keep from singing?

Here's a virtual choir from NYC singing it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLPP3XmYxXg

The words have been modified by many people and for various reasons, so you can find many versions here and there. I first learned it from a Pete Seeger recording years ago. I especially love the first two verses...  perfect for today. 

My life flows on in endless song
Above Earth's lamentation
I hear the real, though far off hymn
That hails the new creation
Above the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing;
It sounds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?

What though the tempest loudly roars
I hear the truth, it liveth
What though the darkness round me close
Songs in the night it giveth
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging
Since love is lord of Heaven and Earth
How can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble, sick with fear
And hear their death-knell ringing
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?
In prison cell and dungeon vile
Our thoughts to them are winging
When friends by shame are undefiled
How can I keep from singing?

My thanks to you for joining me today, and thanks to Ruth Hersey for hosting. Click the link below to read her wonderful blog about hope, and God coming into deep waters.