Writing with Rox Weekly Prompt—Proud Teacher Moments

Dearest Students, Friends, Writing with Rox Beach Community of now, then, to be, whenever....

Your words are gifts! Offerings. I'll say it and say it. And say it. It goes something like this:

and the tree was happy...

Every single time a piece of raw writing is shared around the table here at the Beach, (or the Loft, or typed up and shared with others, eventually made into a book, a gift, a dream, a song, a quilt, an anything—or a nothing—, etc) the universe is happy. Why? Because you have offered your raw truth, the part of you that is most fully alive, most fully you, fully real, fully vulnerable, human, community. Why? Because the way I see it, the universe does not know how to be anything but itself: trees cannot stop themselves from budding and falling; weather cannot retreat just because spring is here; sunsets are not beautiful on our behalf, yet recognizing them as such is instinctual; and the moon will round upon the edges of the earth, milking the horizon, even if no one notices; and rocks will cradle water, and water will run freely... No part of nature, but the humankind, questions whether or not it ought fully be itself in all it's truth today.  So: when we allow ourselves to be all of who we are on the page, and if want be, share that being with others, we perhaps begin to integrate that into the way we live our lives, and then offer that same fullness of being into the universe.

In case I haven't said it enough, I am so grateful to all of you for sharing your gifts with me. Each story shared takes root in me, to be remembered sometime when I most need it—if not now, maybe in seventy years. In your stories, I've remembered joy and have been granted resolution, peace, forgiveness, compassion, and the relief of knowing I am not alone—physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. You've been there. You've done that. And even though I cannot relate today, I will tomorrow and boy will I be glad to know someone else has been there.

And the biggest gift of all is that we begin to see that we become the heroes of our own lives, cliche as it sounds. Because comes a time when you look back on something you wrote and go, wow, I can't believe "she" actually did that! How did she ever get through that? And you realize that she is you.

You wouldn't think so, but just writing about what you did this morning (start with "this morning..." and just go from there, see where it takes you...) and going from there, writing and sharing the truth of what you may consider an everyday mundane Minnesota morning and the uniquely you details of it, can and will change someone's life.



Today one of my students (among many, to whom I am one teacher) sent a link to a story she wrote that was published in today's Star Tribune! It's full of gifts and wisdom. Please enjoy!

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/goodlife/205273101.html