SJT September: Rhythm

This month's Spiritual Journey Thursday host, Ramona, has given us the topic of Rhythm. She wrote, "I would love to hear about rhythms that work for you, the rhythms that ground you in your spiritual life, or anything that pops into your mind relating to rhythm."

 

We're gradually getting back into our rhythms at the school in Uganda where I work. It's week four, so you'd think we'd have everything figured out by now, but I for one do not. This year I'm not teaching an AP class, so I have months to learn about the changes in the AP French exam. I had space on my calendar from the beginning to devote to this project, but it wasn't until yesterday (Wednesday) that I actually started. I'm going to have my first official observation tomorrow (Friday), but I'm still adjusting to all the new students I have, and trying to find out what they can and can't do. I'm part of the team working on the high school play, but we haven't had a rehearsal yet where everyone was present. 

 

So yeah, sort of back in the rhythms and sort of not.

 

One thing that came to mind when Ramona mentioned the word Rhythm was that our middle schoolers are getting ready for Ugandan Independence Day, coming up on October 9th. They are going to be performing some traditional dances from different parts of the country at our school celebration on the 8th, before we go on our October break. And when they are practicing, the drums sound out throughout the neighbourhood. You want to talk about rhythm? These percussionists have it! My classroom is on the other side of the street that cuts our campus in two, but for the people trying to teach in the same building as the drummers: good luck with that! It's better just to stop trying to make yourself heard by your students and surrender to the rhythm!

 

Sometimes that's how it is with spiritual rhythms too. There are seasons when we are in control of our calm devotional moments, and then there are others when the rhythms are bigger than we are. We have to stay on our feet -- or our knees -- as best as we can. Other metaphors we could use instead of the enormously loud drumming might be stormy seas or earthquakes or even flash floods like the horrific scenes we've been seeing in Nepal. When we're in a crisis, either one that's visible to everyone else or one that's only inside of our own souls,  the rhythm can overwhelm. 

 

Whether you're in control of the rhythm or the rhythm is in control of you, I wish all my SJT buddies a great school year. I'm glad we can trust that God is bigger than all of it!  

Reading Update

Book #69 of 2026 was The Book Club for Troublesome Women, by Marie Bostwick. This was a book club pick. Set in 1963 and following, it's a story about a group of women who get together to read Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique. As they keep the book club going (they call themselves the Bettys), we get to see the lives of all these different women. My favorite part was at the end when a few very famous people appeared. (By the way, one of the women in the book group got the waiter at the Ugandan cafe where we meet to pick this book from two we were considering. He liked the word troublesome and felt it boded well for how interesting the book would be.) 

 

Book #70 was a re-read, Prayer in the Night, by Tish Harrison Warren. You can read what I wrote about it here.

 

Book #71 was Strong to the End: The Simple Service and Sudden Sacrifice of the Martyrs in Haiti, by David and Alicia Lloyd with Dean Merrill. I wrote a little bit about this story here.

 

Book #72 was Ann Patchett's book about her friend Lucy Grealy, Truth & Beauty: A Friendship. The most striking thing about this book to me is how difficult Grealy was, and the fact that Patchett can portray their friendship so lovingly. 

 

Book #73 was Three Days in June, by Anne Tyler. I used to read lots of Tyler's books, but it's been a while since I've read one. I enjoyed this.

 

Book #74 was This Book Made Me Think of You, by Libby Page. Like the last one, this book was a sweet, undemanding read with a happy ending. Sometimes that's exactly what you need!

 

I had book #75 on my shelf in my classroom in Haiti, but somehow I had never read it. In a house where we were staying, a kid had a copy that I read. The book is Sisters: A Graphic Novel by Raina Telgemeier, and it was a lovely read.

 

Book #76 was Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir. I read his book The Martian earlier in the summer, and this one is similar. It's a science-y book but you don't have to get all the science to enjoy the story. It's about figuring stuff out, and friendship, and optimism. I really liked this one!

 

Book #77 was Whistler, by Ann Patchett. It's about reconsidering the events of our lives, and seeing them through other lenses. Also it's not a horse book, in spite of the cover.

 

Book #78 was Uprooted, by Naomi Novik. This is a fantasy and not really my kind of book. However, it was an interesting story.

 

Book #79 was A Family Matter, by Claire Lynch. This is about a family secret that emerges forty years later, in a world that has changed enormously.

 

Book #80 was Heartstone, by Elle Katharine White. Jane Austen with dragons. I'll always try Jane Austen fanfiction, and this was fun.

 

Book #81 was The Steps, by Wendelin Van Draanen. Is Ruby paranoid, or is everyone in her family really out to get her? And also, she's in the chess club.

 

 

Poetry Friday: Migrations

My school year has had a bit of a slow start, with a couple of days where I didn't have much to do. That will change soon. When you read this post on Friday, I'll be having a super busy day, teaching six periods, five different levels of French. But because I've been sitting around some this week, I had the chance to listen to a program called "Words in Flight" that came out in February. (You can find it here.) It includes some interviews with poets and lots of poems about birds. 

 

It was hard to choose just one of these poems to share, but because I've been thinking a lot about migration, immigration, moving around from country to country, I went with this villanelle by Sean Hill.

 

 

 

The Western Tanager or Why Montana
Piranga ludoviciana

by Sean Hill

 

Are wanderings the same as migrations?
I came to Montana for love, which sometimes is
how we know our destinations.
The Western Tanager flies here for procreation 
when the snow goes wet, puddles, runs, and takes to 
far wandering. Is this the same as migration?
A life is the sum of grand and modest peregrinations. 
Communities bloom at the meeting of opportunity 
and ambition and can be a way to know our destinations.
A fire-engine red head cooling to orange to 
a sunny yellow body with those charcoal wings, 
the male western tanager flashes conflagration
or an eastern autumn, in flight. One, familiar, greeted 
me shortly after we both arrived letting me know 
our wanderings weren’t the same—his, a migration.
In a stand of ponderosas where a blanket of snow lay for decades 
or longer, the dendrologist says these trees moved up from what’s 
Mexico as that quiet water pulled back, a different migration
—moving seed by seed north generationally migrating 
to where they had been and where they could live 
never asking how do we know our destination?
Why Montana? One among my interrogations, 
both public and private like How big is a home? 
Are wanderings the same as migrations?
and How do I know my destinations?

 

 

How thankful I am for migrations, both of birds and of people! How our lives are enriched by these visitors from elsewhere, and how we will be impoverished if we continue to remove people as has become so common around the world. 

 

I wrote a poem in 2021 that explored some of these ideas; you can read it here.

 

Molly is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup this week. 

Poetry Friday: For the Bird Singing Before Dawn

Welcome to Poetry Friday! I have been back home in Uganda less than a week after a short time in the United States. We're getting ready to go back to school next Tuesday, so there's lots to do, but I'll take frequent breaks to round up your posts the old fashioned way. Leave your link in the comments so we can all enjoy what you've chosen to share.

 

I read a lot of sad pieces as I tried to pick my poem for today. I'm thinking a lot about what it is to be an immigrant, and what it is to be unwelcome and sent away, as I watch the news about the cancellation of Haitian TPS. In my mind it was all mixing with the Odyssey movie that we saw the day before we left the US, and the law of hospitality which is a central theme.  But I finally settled on something a little more cheerful instead.

 

For the Bird Singing Before Dawn

Kim Stafford

 

Some people presume to be hopeful
when there is no evidence for hope,
to be happy when there is no cause.
Let me say now, I’m with them.

 

In deep darkness on a cold twig
in a dangerous world, one first
little fluff lets out a peep, a warble,
a song—and in a little while, behold:

 

the first glimmer comes, then a glow
filters through the misty trees,
then the bold sun rises, then
everyone starts bustling about.

 

And that first crazy optimist, can we
forgive her for thinking, dawn by dawn,
“Hey, I made that happen!
And oh, life is so fine.”

 

 

 

You can read some of Stafford's thoughts on this poem here.

 

Linda M. has written a lovely poem called "How to Make a Map." 

 

Michelle is thinking about native plants, and particularly one that is a dear friend.

 

Karen shares a Philip Larkin poem and some thoughts about writing and living.

 

Patricia's link isn't live yet, so I'll come back later to update this entry.

 

Tabatha has a Wendell Berry poem about lilies and surprises.

 

These were all the links awaiting me when I woke up to a chilly Kampala morning (it's 66 degrees, so chilly is maybe not what everyone would call it). I'm headed to work in a bit, and I'll keep checking for your submissions! Happy Friday!  

 

I'm back! I've been attending sessions this morning and now I have some classroom work time (much needed). While I was learning, a new link came in.

 

Denise is doing some poetry challenges right now, both writing and reading. She shares two of the poems she's read recently and both are great. Be sure to click through to read the end of "If there were a job interview to have children." Relatable! 

 

Friends, I apologize for stepping away from my hosting duties for a while. Our school owns some property on Lake Victoria where there are plans to build a new campus. Our Head of School wanted to take those who had never visited, and he asked me to go along and help people identify birds. It was a lovely Friday afternoon excursion and I saw 27 species. And now I'm back to round up the links that came in while I was busy.

 

Marcie, like Denise, is doing a poetry-reading challenge, and she has some wonderful-looking poetry books to tell us about. She's also got a haiku and a photo of beautiful summery coneflowers.

 

Irene wrote about a Berthe Morisot poem for today. You'll fall in love with her trashy pup!

 

Molly's  exploring maps with the Inklings, and she reminds us, "our journey carves its own way."

 

Margaret is also working with the topic of maps, and she's made a collage poem. I love the mental image I get of the Inklings all writing together in one place!

 

Cathy  has a variety of treasures this week, including some memories of people who have died, some art, and a new way to share poetry.

 

We're back to maps with Catherine, who's written a poem and illustrated it with a photo of stained glass. Beautiful!

 

Mary Lee has a map poem illustrated with embroidery! 

 

Linda B. is remembering a wonderful family trip with an acrostic and some gorgeous photos. 

 

Anyone else? I'm home now for the evening, so I'm fully available to round up whatever you send! 

 

Heidi is sharing map poems, too, and wishing that we may all find a hospitable place in the world. Amen to that!

 

Jone's link came in after I was asleep, and here it is! It's about what's in your heart. 

 

Carol is reflecting on what's in her heart, too. 

Reading Update

Book #61 of the year was The Silver Chair and #62 was The Magician's Nephew, both from C.S. Lewis' Narnia series and both reliable comfort reads for me no matter how many times I pick them up.

 

Book #63 was The Toll, by Neal Shusterman, the third book in the Arc of a Scythe series. These were kind of wacky books, but I enjoyed them.

 

Book #64 was The Reservation, by Rebecca Kauffman, a mystery set in a restaurant. It was interesting to meet the variety of characters in the story.

 

Book #65 was The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri. Nayeri is the sister of Daniel Nayeri, who has told their story in Everything Sad is Untrue, which I read in 2022. (He also wrote the novel The Teacher of Nomad Land, which I read in April.) Dina Nayeri is asking a lot of questions about refugees and the way the whole system works. It's a heartbreaking and timely look at what it was like for her, but also for people who fared much worse.

 

Book #66 was another Narnia read, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This one might be my favorite -- at least right now!

 

Book #67 was The Martian, by Andy Weir. This was great fun to read, and now I want to see the movie!

 

I heard about book #68 on Amy Julia Becker's podcast, "Reimagining the Good Life."It's a novel written by a dad of a special needs child, and it's about a family whose son, Emmett, has Down Syndrome. (Amy Julia Becker is also the parent of a child with Down Syndrome.) In the book, That's Not How it Happened, Emmett's mom has written a memoir and a famous actress wants to make a movie of the memoir. This was an entertaining book about what it's like to live with disability and the assumptions we tend to make about other people. 

Poetry Friday: Haitian Joy and Sorrow

Earlier this month there was so much rejoicing in Haiti and among people in the rest of the world who love Haiti. Although our Grenadiers didn't win any of their matches in the World Cup, we were so happy that they qualified to compete. We cheered them as they played Scotland (though there were grumblings about the refs), then Brazil, and then Morocco. The Brazil game was especially joyful because Brazil is the favorite team in Haiti, the one everyone cheers for in international events when Haiti isn't playing (Argentina is the alternative choice of a minority). So it almost didn't even matter who won. I loved seeing how friendly the Haitian fans and Brazilian fans were to each other. And then on Wednesday, against Morocco, Haiti scored two goals which were both fabulous. Haiti qualified for the World Cup, went to the World Cup (even the one in Haiti who couldn't get his visa at first), and then scored at the World Cup. For a little country that hasn't had much to celebrate in a while, this was all pretty wonderful. I saw many videos of people celebrating.

 

 Photo taken by one of my kids, who was at the game!

 

Then came Thursday, and the Supreme Court's decision that the administration could go ahead and abolish TPS for Haitians and Syrians. In our home we throw around those letters, but if you're not aware, TPS stands for Temporary Protective Status. Haitians and Syrians are two nationalities who have benefited from this program, which allows people to enter the US to escape violence and natural disasters. People who are in the US under TPS are not undocumented and they can work legally. Some of the Haitians here under TPS have been here since the 2010 earthquake, contributing to the US economy as well as keeping their friends and relatives in Haiti afloat. (I'm talking of Haitians because I know many, but assume that these things are true about the Syrians under TPS too, and Google tells me that there are 17 nationalities in the US with this status. The other nationalities will probably be next to lose the designation.) 

 

I emphasized the joy in Haiti in my first paragraph, but obviously that's just part of the story. The country is in turmoil, with gangs controlling more and more places, and terrible violence taking place daily. The US government advises Americans not to travel to Haiti for any reason because of the danger, and yet they are getting ready to deport Haitians there, people who have been working, paying taxes, following American laws. People who did not enter the US illegally.  (Are there undocumented Haitians in the US? Undoubtedly. But people with TPS are not undocumented.)

 

There are many places online where you can learn more about how all of this works, and what you can do about it (not much, now that the Supreme Court has weighed in), but this is Poetry Friday so I'm going to share some Haitian poems. 

 

The first poem was written by Jacques Roumain (1907-1944), a celebrated Haitian poet and novelist. The translation into English is by Langston Hughes. (I found it here.) Guinea (Ginen in Kreyol) is the name given to the ancestral home where Haitians lived pre-slavery. Traditional belief holds that after death, Haitians will go back to Guinea. You can see in the poem that it's a place where they will be welcome, unlike many places on this earth.

 

“Guinea”

 

It’s the long road to Guinea
death takes you down.
Here are the boughs, the trees, the forest.
Listen to the sound of the wind in its long hair
of eternal night.

 

It’s the long road to Guinea
where your fathers await you without impatience.
Along the way, they talk.
They wait.
This is the hour when the streams rattle
like beads of bone.

 

It’s the long road to Guinea.
No bright welcome will be made for you
in the dark land of dark men:

 

Under a smoky sky pierced by the cry of birds
around the eye of the river
the eyelashes of the trees open on decaying light.
There, there awaits you beside the water a quiet village,
and the hut of your fathers, and the hard ancestral stone
where your head will rest at last.

 

 Jacques Roumain, translation Langston Hughes

 

The second one is by Danielle Legros Georges (1964-2025). (I found the poem here.) Haitians often refer to "the phrase" Georges uses in her title. If you hear or read news stories about Haiti they will almost always include "poorest country in the western hemisphere," though more recently they'll also add "earthquake-ravaged" or "gang-controlled." It's not that those things aren't true; they are. It's just that it was so glorious for a few days to think of Haiti in other terms. And in Georges' poem she thinks in other terms, as well.

 

 

Poem for the Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere

 

O poorest country, this is not your name.
You should be called beacon. You should

 

be called flame. Almond and bougainvillea,
garden and green mountain, villa and hut,

girl with red ribbons in her hair,
books under arm, charmed by the light

of morning, charcoal seller in black skirt,
encircled by dead trees. You, country,

are merchant woman and eager clerk,
grandfather at the gate, at the crossroads

with the flashlight, with all in sight.

 

 Danielle Legros Georges

 

 

Here's  an article about what this Supreme Court ruling means to Haitian TPS holders.

 

Miss Rumphius is hosting the roundup today! 

Reading Update

Book #49 of 2026 was Scythe, by Neal Shusterman. I hadn't even heard of this YA book before, even though it came out in 2016. I have the second one in the series on hold at the library!

 

Book #50 was The Children Act, by Ian McEwan. It looks like I'm going to have to read more of his books.

 

Book #51 was American Wildflowers: A Literary Field Guide, edited by Susan Barba. I didn't love everything in this anthology, but there was a lot of good.

 

Book #52 was Refugee, by Alan Gratz. This book follows the stories of three families of refugees in three different time periods. The first family is running from Nazi Germany, the second from Cuba, and the third from Syria. It's listed as suitable for grades 5-7, but I'd be careful with material as wrenching as this. 

 

Book #53 was Vigil, by George Saunders. You've probably never read anything like this before; I sure haven't. I just looked up my review of the other George Saunders book I've read, Lincoln in the Bardo, and saw that I wrote the same thing. Well, it was true about that book too. Both of them are about death, and both communicate so much in a very elliptical and stream of consciousness style. 

 

Book #54 was The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame. Ann Patchett, the owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, makes weekly reels with books that she recommends. A couple of weeks ago she mentioned this one, saying that many of her friends talk about it as one of the formative books of their childhood, but she realized she'd never read it. I'd never read it either, so I put a hold on it at the library, and now I have read it. I enjoyed it a lot!

 

Book #55 was The Storm, by Rachel Hopkins, an atmospheric tale of a beach hotel in Alabama and the various hurricanes that have hit it.

 

Book #56 was the sequel to #49, Thunderhead, by Neal Shusterman. Now I'm waiting for the third one to become available at the library. I can't imagine how Shusterman is going to continue the story, which is in a pretty big mess at the end of the second book. 

 

Book #57 was The Horse and his Boy, by C. S. Lewis. I don't know how many times I've read this book, but I always love it.

 

Book #58 was Tana French's The Keeper, the third in the Cal Hooper trilogy. It wasn't my favorite of the three, but I did enjoy it.

 

Book #59 was a book of poetry that I've been wanting to read for a while, Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry. These are poems that Ted Kooser and Jim Harrison wrote to each other and sent through the mail or in faxes. 

 

Book #60 was Prayer in the Night: For those Who Work or Watch or Weep, by Tish Harrison Warren. Warren focuses on the prayers of Compline to write a beautiful look at nighttime, suffering, and prayer.