Carmela did a fine job of wrapping up our First Annual Ten Days of Thanks-Giving this week. Yay, Carmela!
Today was my monthly hike with the women I've fallen in love with as we leaped from rock to rock to cross creeks, dripped sweat up impossible hills, walked quietly under arched tree ceilings, and been photographed with in front of waterfalls, oceans and boulders. So today I write a thanku to the universe for giving me my hiking buds:
THANK YOU...
...for hard trails up to
...for hard trails up to
egg-blue skies, for red leaves, for
six sweaty friends.
~ April Halprin Wayland
Here the last few thankus or simple thank yous:
From Joyce Ray:I'm pretty late, but want to share my Thanku to my granddaughter Lindsay for terrific help in revising a poem recently.~
you oiled mired wheels
pushed my poem from its rut
your words, my words - WOW
BEAUTIFUL, Joyce.
And Jan Godown Annino is the last in with this fitting contribution to our First Annual Ten Days of Thanks-Giving:
~
Grateful to the 10 Days (catching it at the tail end. was in a cave of
thesis-writing.)
Grateful to be able to try to learn to say Thank You in many languages.
This includes some of the 560 ways of Thank You in First Languages of Peoples here before arrival of the Spanish, French & other beautiful languages that came from over the big water. Often, thanks were so extensively prayed that it was a challenge to isolate one or two words to represent the concept.
And so I thank all of you, but especially the brave young creative writing students mentioned.
photo credit: Chris Gregory
Fellow TeachingAuthor blogger Esther Hershenhorn (not the inventor of thankus, but the one who brought them so lovingly to our attention) writes:I'm thinking our Ten Days of Thanks-Giving offering proved the Kent State University social scientists I referenced in my original October 20 Thanku post right: people who compose short letters of gratitude do indeed experience a significant increase in their overall happiness! I followed every link, I read each and every Thanku, I can't wait to share with my Young Writers the 465 ways to say Thanks that Jan shared this morning. ThankU, TeachingAuthors readers. for taking and making the time to put some Good back in our World.
Amen, Esther ~
Some pretty amazing Poetry Friday poems are at Carol's Corner today!
Some pretty amazing Poetry Friday poems are at Carol's Corner today!
And speaking of amazing poetry, Poet Janet Wong and Professor Sylvia Vardell have teamed up to create a whole new way to read and write poetry: www.PoetryTagTime.com ~featuring three amazing poetry anthologies. The third book in the series, Gift Tag, is out just in time for the holidays, and is already one of the best-selling children’s poetry eBooks on Amazon.com.
Check it out!
Happy trails, Campers...and remember to write with joy ~
photo credit: Chris Gregory
hiking thanku (c)2011 April Halprin Wayland, all rights reserved
photo credit: Chris Gregory
hiking thanku (c)2011 April Halprin Wayland, all rights reserved
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10 comments:
Great thankus--lovely way to start the day! April, are these writing friends or hiking friends or both? I've been playing with the idea of mixing writing talk with some kind of physical outing (here in Minnesota), so I'm curious:>)
Love the hiking pics. I echo Laura's curiosity. Writing/hiking buds. And or?
I've enjoyed the ThankUs.
Laura and Doraine ~ just buds. But I love the idea of a writing/hiking group. I once went hiking with a writer friend, we stopped to write for an hour, then hiked home. Really lovely.
Yep, that's exactly the kind of thing I'm thinking of. Of course, now winter is setting in, so hiking is not as appealing, nor is sitting still to write in the freezing temps. Wondered about xc skiing and then writing in the chalet, though:>) Or walking together on an indoor track--not as fun as being out in nature.
I too loved the thank you's; a happy feeling appeared every time I read them! I've downloaded all the anthologies & read a few poems each day-terrific! It looks like such fun to have those hiking buddies. Glad you can!
Laura...I've been looking for a writing retreat where you write quietly during the day (with a break for exercise)and then come together with other writers for meals. I'm in California, but if you get anything together, maybe I'll use frequent flyer miles...
Linda--so glad you're exploring those poetry anthologies! <3
I'm too late for the official 10 Days of Thanks-Giving, but I'm thankful that you will make it an annual event. And since you proved the social scientists right, I shouldn't wait for next year to send thanks and give thanks...
Thanks for your thumbs up to our annual event, Mary Lee...
I write out five things I'm grateful for every night. Sometimes they are big things like my health and my hubby...and sometimes I'm tired or cranky and I can't think of anything past #2...so I am thankful for a bunch of grapes--it's all good.
A good bunch of grapes (or basket of figs) doesn't just happen along whenever you need it...but when it does, and comes with a poem...what a lucky day!
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