"SWEET SUZANNE" 

art of Beth Carver

Last week I read a post from a fellow blogger. She talked about how much she hates being referred to as "sweet"  A friend had offered her a compliment saying "Oh that was sweet of you" and another friend had said she was forgiving. This woman was not flattered. 

All of this made me wince. As a child I remember being called "Sweet Suzanne" I hated that title. When I left for college I was determined to be bold, to be seen as intelligent, to be a little sassy. 

I set out to change my image and  I succeeded. Now, on the other side of mid-life, having raised a family with two sons and three daughters, I have a very different perspective.

I truly value the peacemaker, the person who never speaks thoughtlessly, one who is full of kindness.

I don't think sweet means boring, or a loss of identity. It means we come at people, circumstances and problems in a gentle way... the calming force in a sea of drama. All these years later I approach each day with three goals... to be kind, to be patient and above all to censor what comes out of my mouth. 

It is a journey I continue to travel. It feels so good to leave work at the end of the day without regret. Life's a circle... I would love to be called "Sweet Suzanne" again.

I love this quote by T.S. Elliot... 

"... and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

"IN FLANDERS FIELDS"
by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae MD 1872 - 1918

One last post to commemorate our freedom!
Have a blessed Sunday

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high. 
If ye break faith with us who dies
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

To this day, McCrae's "In Flanders Fields" remains one of the most memorable war poems ever written, a tribute to all the soldiers, before and since, who gave their lives for freedom. Thousands are buried in American cemeteries around the world. 

HYMN TO THE FALLEN 

by John Williams

I'M IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN...

"NEW" at www.toms.com

(online, type in code GETREADY and save $10.00)

It's not like I need another pair of Toms but still... I was smitten. Perfect for this summer and an easy transition into fall! Plaid gets me every time!  

When I was in the sixth grade there was a girl in my class that had a pair of KEDS in every imaginable color. It seemed like everyday she wore a different pair. I never said anything to anyone about it but you can be sure I watched. With so many children in my family I knew it would remain a "wish"  

I hadn't thought about that for years and years until the 5th and 6th grade girls at school starting commenting about my TOMS. "How many pair do you own?" they asked.  I would never tell them. If I showed up wearing a new pair I was the topic of discussion in the East wing. 

I was honestly surprised and a little embarrassed.  Then one day it dawned on me what I was doing.  I had fulfilled a "childhood dream" I own a LOT of Toms in an array of colors and prints. It started because they are so comfortable and my bunions don't hurt and of course there's the philanthropy thing, but then... it just took off.  

Dreams do come true... sometimes it just takes a little while!

TOMS... what's not to LOVE!

THE LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION
Arturo Chacon Cruz and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

GEORGE WASHINGTON... 

"We cannot, Sir, do without you"

                                               image from pinterest

For the last seven years I have been telling stories to the five hundred students in the Charter School where I work as the librarian. The satisfaction I have felt has turned into a passion for showing these children how truly amazing this world is. 

We all fell in love with Pale Male, the red-tailed hawk that took up residency in Central Park. 

I marveled at the story of the Great Serum run of 1925 and I was blown away as I tried to piece together accurate facts for our great historical events. 



My first year I had a wonderful library aide that quickly became a "friend"  She was Native American and when Thanksgiving rolled around she looked at me and said...

"If you're going to tell that old Thanksgiving story, you'd better get your facts straight" I was shocked... weren't my facts straight? They were not and what I learned, as I studied and read, opened up a whole new world for me. 

So when I approached President's Day it was with excitement, knowing that I was about to see things in a new way. The history of Abraham Lincoln was so LARGE.  He was truly a "giant" of a man. I had to dig a little deeper before I would appreciate and understand more about George Washington. I kept asking myself... "Why is he so beloved" This is what I found...

In the spring of 1782 American patriots were still celebrating Washington's victory over Cornwallis at Yorktown.  The Revolutionary War appeared to be over. 

Only months after Yorktown, people began to talk about the need for a strong leader to put things in order. Nowhere was the talk more common than among the men in Washington's Army. Colonel Lewis Nicola feared that democracy would not work and proposed that Washington become King.



"Banish these thoughts from your mind" was Washington's reply. He reluctantly accepted the presidency when Jefferson told him...

"We cannot, Sir, do without you"

This is where I got stuck.  Weren't there many capable men who could have filled that position?  Why is it that Washington was unanimously elected? 

Compared to other political leaders of his time such as Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, Washington was far from outstanding.  He had little formal education. He knew no foreign languages and had never even traveled to Europe. Personally aloof, even cold, he was not a great thinker, writer or speaker. Still he places near or at the top of the list of great American presidents.

Washington's genius, his greatness, lay in his character.  It was this moral character that set him apart from other men.  He had firm personal and political principles and he stuck to them.

Unlike other founding fathers, Washington was a true "non-partisan" He hated it when people divided into hostile groups and he avoided taking sides during political disputes. 

During the heated debates at the Constitutional Convention he used his considerable prestige to calm people down and get them back to their main objective... creating a new form of government. 

He was the perfect choice for unifying all of the diverse personalities and holding our fledgling government together.

 painting by Arnold Friberg

I think his Eulogy, delivered December 26, 1799 by Henry Lee, best describes why he was so loved and respected...

"First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere, uniform, dignified and commanding, his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting. Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues... such was the man for whom our nation mourns."  Henry Lee was a cavalry officer in the American Revolution and the father of Robert E. Lee

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

During his resignaton speech in 1783 Washington said...

"I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my Official life, by commending the interests of our dearest Country to the protection of Almighty God."

THE FIFE AND DRUM... 
an essential part of the Revolutionary War

Colonial Williamsburg website

It is widely recognized that the fife and drum came from the armies of Switzerland hundreds of years before the colonization of America. During the Revolutionary War the music of the fife and drum was essential as it became the armies best means of communication over long distances. The fife was used because of its high pitched sound and the drum because of its low pitched sound. Not only can these instrument be heard from far away, but the music transcends the sounds on a battlefield."

Most musicians would have been boys too young to fight in the war or old men who were no longer able. 

On the battlefield the fife and drum corps had the responsibility to keep order and make sure the soldiers functioned as a unit. 

Every command that needed to be carried out would be signaled by a fife and drum. 

Drummers would play "beatings" telling the soldiers to turn left or right, as well as to load and fire their muskets. There was a tune called "Cease Fire" and one called "Parley" that meant surrender.

"Tunes were used to tell soldiers to wake up, eat meals and do camp chores." Whenever a command needed to be spread a fifer and drummer played the appropriate tune. Soon other fifers and drummers joined in until the whole army knew what was expected.

This information was found on the United States Army Fife and Drum Corp website...

http://www.fifeanddrum.army.mil/kids_fife_drum.html

The Fifes and Drums of Colonial Williamsburg began in 1958 and is an elite performing group drawn from a waiting list of young applicants. They begin their training at age 10 and practice weekly for the next eight years, keeping a piece of the history and traditions of the American Revolution alive. 

There are several songs in this clip... it pauses between each one. 

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

from sea to shining sea 

image from pinterest

Katherine Lee Bates was born in 1859. Her father, a minister, died shortly after her birth leaving her mother to struggle to provide for the family. 

Although money was scarce, education was a top priority and Katherine attended Wellesley College, the only college at that time that allowed women. She would eventually become an English professor there.

One summer, 33 year old Katherine traveled across the country by train heading to Colorado to teach summer school. She was smitten with the beauty of the land and the cities along the way. 

In her poem she eludes to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago... the "White City" with alabaster buildings, the wheat fields in America's heartland (Kansas) and the majestic view of the plains from the top of Pike's Peak.

In her own words she recalls the ascent to Pike's Peak...
  

image from pinterest

"We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse."

While standing upon the peak the words of the now familiar song started to come to her. Returning to her room in the Antlers Hotel she finished her poem. It was published two years later in 1904 and immediately became a favorite across the country.

The coast of Maine (image from pinterest)

 

Bates received $5 for the initial publication of her poem, She maintained the rights to control any adaptations but she gave up all the royalties. 

A year before after her death, Samuel A. Ward, a church organist, composed the music that would be joined with her lyrics.

image from pinterest

Many thought it should become our national anthem. Although President Herbert Hoover passed it over in favor of the Star Spangled Banner, it remains a favorite for millions of Americans... a song that clearly rings true to how we feel about our country! 

Katherine Lee Bates... a truly remarkable woman who blessed all of our lives! 

Here are some little known facts about our 4th of July history...

1. The Second Continental Congress made a decree for freedom on July 2nd. It was adopted two days later, July 4, 1776

2. The decree became official on August 2, 1776 when most of the delegates signed it.

3. In 1776 there were only 2.5 million people in the colonies. Today there are 316.2 million Americans.

4. Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on the 4th of July. Adams and Jefferson died on the same day in 1826

5. The 4th of July became a federal holiday in 1870

6. The colors red, white and blue have specific meanings... red is valor, white is purity and blue is justice.