The Lonely Shadow

As promised, I checked out the books on my recent visit to the Low Country.  I found a great one at Wonder Works, the mother of all toy stores in Charleston and beyond. 

The Lonely Shadow is written and illustrated by silhouettist and song writer, Clay Rice.  I have always been a fan of his grandfather, Carew Rice, and Clay, as they use their talent and unique artform to illustrate landscapes and people of the South and in particular, the Low Country.  Clay Rice, who learned the art from his grandfather, has cut hundreds of thousands of silhouettes of children.  It was a wish I had to have sillouettes of my own daughters, but sadly, never fulfilled.  Still, I admire the sceneries and still lifes captured over the long careers of both artists.

The Lonely Shadow is a beautiful story about a shadow who doesn't belong.  On his search for his owner, he passes many lovely scenes (silhouettes, of course) until he finds the perfect match.  The text is sing song and perfect for a young audience and sweet enough for a bedtime story. 

There are many lessons that may emerge from reading this book.  Shadows, reflection, mood,sequence, cause and effect, and of course, art, are just a few that come to mind. 

And if you are really lucky, you may just find Clay on tour and not only have him sign a book, but complete a silhouette of your little one. 



The shadow often gets a bad rap. It's dark. It can not be grasped.  It is a reflection of us, good and bad.  But this quote and The Lonely Shadow's theme sum up my feelings about the dear ole shadow.

"Shadows sometimes people don't see shadows. The Chinese of course never paint them in pictures, oriental art never deals with shadow. But I noticed these shadows and I knew it meant it was sunny. "
-David Hockney

May your shadow be long today~

Change is...

Change is ___________.  How do you fill in that blank?  Do you love it or fear it?  I don't know how you feel about change, but one thing is true.  Change is inevitable, and it happens to all of us. 

My friend, Lisa Ray, and Dede Fischer have just beautifully captured another truth about change in their new book, The Joshua Tree.  No matter what the change might be, God is there every step of the way. 

Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

This beautiful book, illustrated by Pamela Walker, uses the Angel Oak as inspiration for the setting, and Pamela has cleverly hidden eight angels inside her drawings throughout the story. 

Set in the surroundings of a beautiful old live oak draped in Spanish moss, the animals of the forest lived a very happy and carefree life.  The tree, who had been there longer than any of them could imagine, was a constant source of wisdom and comfort for them.  Beside this wise old tree ran a mighty river.  Unlike the old tree, the river was constantly changing, and except for an occasional drink, the animals were wary of it.  Life was good.

Then came CHANGE.

A violent thunderstorm strikes and the forest is set ablaze.  They immediately turned to their wise old tree for shelter only to learn that they would have to face the one thing they feared the most...the river.  In her last moments, the tree told the animals about the "One, the Maker and Giver of life, who loved and watched over them always. No matter where they were, He would always be with them."

I won't spoil the rest of the story for you here, but have faith.  It ends well. 

I love this book.  I love the setting, the little animal characters (even the possum) and beautiful drawings. But most of all, I found myself reflecting on my own situation and feeling a wonderful sense of reassurance.  Yes, Grammy fears change.  But I, also, believe the message of the book and Joshua 1:9.  I encourage anyone who thinks they or someone they know might be faced with a change to have this book on their bookshelf or give it as a gift.  You can order it directly from Lisa's website.  I have bought three already and may be ordering more.  You know Grammy.  She loves to give a good book away.


Footnote:
Lisa and I met as fellow teachers in a middle school.  She taught social studies.  I taught in the special education unit.  We underwent a big change together.  We instituted a team teaching concept where we planned classes and shared teaching responsibilities instead of "pulling out" the special ed students for isolated tutoring. Lisa and I made a great team.  More importantly, the model of teaching that we strived to achieve, made a positive impact on the students, and after all, that is what mattered most.   We even trained other teachers in other schools and districts on how they, too, could implement such a model.  I remember Lisa using a little story in our training sessions, where she dubbed herself the "Queen of Routine" prior to changing to team teaching.  She has also authored another book, Once Upon a Time, Y'all - Southern Origin Stories, available at Mast General Store. 

Off to make a change...

Bling!

Today I am sorting and sifting through thirty plus years accumulation of jewelry from my mom.  It's a girl's dream come true. 

Mom was bitten by the antique bug in the 1960's, so in addition to her love for jewelry in general, is a mix of vintage pieces she would buy from her trips to different treasure troves.  And by vintage, I have learned that that term includes jewelry from the 70's.  Not the 1870's, my friend, the 1970's.  That's right.  Are you vintage, like me? 
To sort the jewelry, I am accompanied by a magnet to test for gold (not magnetic) and a magnifying glass to read the silver label or costume signature.  I am getting an education in this field of antiquity as I go.  I place each piece into its own bag and label it with any notes I need to make, so that its new owner will have a place to start in determining its value or use.

I have purchased and almost used at least 1000 bags so far.  It has been a great adventure and I only wish Mom were here to enjoy seeing these again.  I have discovered her intelligence in knowing what she was buying, her eye for beauty in the lovely pieces I have picked up to admire, and her appreciation for the whimsical in the funny little pins of clowns, owls, frogs, and smiley faces, that are included right along with the 'good' stuff. 

Like books, I believe jewelry should be used, not shelved and tucked away, so most of this will be passed along to the next generation.  One piece I did find that I think I will keep is this peach pin.  Born in Atlanta, my parents referred to me as a Georgia peach.  I imagine that had something to do with why Mom bought it. 

And speaking of births!  There's another grand on the way in late '11 or early '12, depending on doctor's holiday schedule.  I even know what the baby will be...but the word is still getting around to family, especially Mama Cat, so I'll save that till next time.  Or you can just check Facebook, the telegraph of this generation.

Until then,

~I hope life's peachy~