The Value of Books: A Dedication to my mother, who passed away december 25, 2015. Her birthday is January 31, she would have been 93.

August 2010 Family Reunion Anacortes, Washington

One of my first early role models as a child outside of my family and my first book read as a child was a biography titled “Jane Addams Little Lame Girl”. The book was part of a series of books my mother would buy for us every week. They were offered for a time at the local grocery store. This one was written by Jean Brown Wagoner. The collection was titled Childhood of Famous Americans. 

https://www.simonandschuster.com/series/Childhood-of-Famous-Americans

In high school I did written reports about Addams lifes work from her autobiography titled, “Jane Addams, Twenty Years at Hull House”. Published in 1910. Part of my MA thesis was related to her influence on my life, along with many others, and most importantly was Dr Maria Montessori. As I reflect now I feel gratitude to my mother for her efforts in building a little library of books for her children over the years. Reading was difficult for me. As a young child I had a speech therapist and was in special reading programs through middle school. I had many unkind and unfavorable experiences from teachers throughout my school years unfortunately. I believe these experiences and my learning disability is what led me to the alternative and transformational work of Dr. Montessori. I was always struggling to keep up and feel value in myself. I now realize those early experiences is why I persevered through my years of study at our community college and on to Pacific Oaks College, where I received my BA and MA in Human Development, with three specializations in Education and Parenting. As a young mother I struggled with my marriage and finding a place of service in the world, while raising my young daughters. I very soon began educating myself at various levels. I had many different jobs for a while including working on a farm, and being a cook in a restaurant. This was all necessary as my marriage collapsed and I became the head of the household after my husband was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1976. It was that year that I began my education as best I knew how and with a great deal of support from my family and friends. The Montessori training that I completed in 1979 was a correspondence course, with a practicum at the University of Santa Barbara. After completing my Montessori Certification, I went to work for the Sminomish Tribe in their Headstart Program. I found a place of acceptance, I was respected, and could do this work and care for my children at the same time. I needed to continue my education however, and in 1980 I began working at home developing a licensed in-home child care program, while at the same time raising my two daughters and going to community college. My relationship with the dear people of Swinomish continues. In order to conplete my goal of continuing my education I needed to support myself. I rented space and developed a creative and eclectic Montessori program, Children's House Child Development Center, through spring of 1997. I think Dr. Montessori would have loved it! While continuing my BA and MA work at Pacific Oaks College and my work with children, our little program went on a field trip in the early spring 1991 to visit the Samish Tribe Art Store in Anacortes where I lived and worked and raised my children. During our field trip and visit I was invited to talk with the Samish Nation about myself and my projects with children and families. Surprisingly, I was invited and humbly honored to help them develop their Samish Longhouse Preschool. This program would be developed through the tribe's resources and through a state ECEAP grant that would provide preschool and parent education to families. (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program). I worked with the beloved Samish people from the fall of 1991 through 1996. The Samish Longhouse Preschool and ECEAP Program recieved a five state award recognition from Soroptimist International for its progress in the development of women's education. I continue to have wonderful life long relationships with the dear families and Samish people I worked with during those years. Then in 1997, a year and a half after the shock of my sister Diana's passing, I took a position working in the field of mental health with Skagit Mental Health Children and Family Services. It was there that I recieved my license and internship as a mental health practitioner, specializing in children's mental health. At the time I was hired to work with a state grant program to support young children and their families suffering and in need and struggling with ever so much. That work led me to an invitation to apply for a faculty position at our community college in the Early Childood Education Department, which I did and served for over 15 years at Skagit Community College. There I had the privilege of sharing my life’s work of supporting children and adults in learning to learn, to read, and to fall in love with their own individual curiosity for learning and creating for themselves. Just as my parents lovingly did for me all of my life. NOTE: It was at Skagit Mental Health Services that I was blessed to work with and meet my future husband, Chuck Britt, who was serving there as a family therapist. Life is most mysterious, wonderous and magical in so many unexpected ways. This site on the Hull House museum and the women’s history site both describe Addams work as an advocate for peace and her work with immigrants, which began in her home, and would later become “Hull House” in Chicago.

 https://www.hullhousemuseum.org/about-jane-addams

  “Jane Addams wrote articles and gave speeches worldwide promoting peace and she helped found the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom in 1919, serving as its president until 1929 and honorary president until her death in 1935. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in 1931, the first American woman to receive the award.”

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/jane-addams

 

 

Spiritual Development through Education

 

I first learned about Dr. Maria Montessori in 1970 after the birth of my first daughter. I fell in love with her writing and understanding of children. I purchased all of her books. I learned about observation and the prepared environment. Montessori wrote that the things a child sees within their environment are not just remembered but actually form a part of the child's soul. My discovery of Dr. Montessori led me to complete the written and practicum course work necessary to receive my certification as a Montessori Teacher for children ages 2-6. It began with my children, both my young daughters were taught at home using the Montessori principles. Many of the materials I made as part of my course work, some I purchased. Because I struggled in school with reading support, I wanted to make sure my daughters were reading when they entered kindergarten. They did and I didn't need to worry about them. As a young child our grand daughter called the materials used in my daughter’s home schooling program "mommasorri tools". She was six when she drew this sweet baby bird being lovingly fed by it’s parents.

“An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.” Dr. Maria Montessori.

Those Lovely Sisters

My sister Diana on the right, her birthday was January 18th. I miss her, her humor, her laugh, her frankness in not letting me get away with anything. She passed away from a heart attack in 1995. I have wonderful memories of camping trips as a child. We would do sketches for the family and sing together around the evening campfires built by my father. Swing Low Sweet Chariot, and the funny song titled Found a Peanut. We learned them in Girl Scouts. We would sell cookies and earn money to go to Girl Scout camp together. Four hours on a greyhound bus to the mountains of the Stanislaus River, a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California. We went two years in a row when we were pre teens. Diana would imitate the wonderful comedian, Red Skelton, and have us all in stitches. These sweet little dresses we are wearing were made by my father. He was a Singer sewing machine salesman for a time and made these for us. He would travel from farm to farm in Colorado, where Diana was born and my mother and grandmother as well. Dad told me he would ride on the back of the farmers tractors selling sewing machines for their wives. He also had a great since of humor. They both loved telling jokes as well as watching movies and after going to a drive-in movie, which we did often on Friday nights, would capture the movie plot in great detail describing the characters to anyone in the family that would listen the next day.

Happy Birthday dear sister. I love you.

Welcoming 2022 with an Open Heart

 Welcoming a New Year.

As we say goodbye to 2021 I have few words to express the losses and daunting trials our world has faced. And yet hope shadows the heart within the glistening window of God’s Grace. These are extraordinary times we are witnessing. We are all effected in different ways from the extreme circumstances we are faced with right now. My dear friends in Colorado had to evacuate their home yesterday due to the crushing fires in the Boulder and Denver areas. No word about their safety or their home they had to abandon as yet. Our prayers and love are with them. We all know the weather patterns are unpredictable and uncertain at best as evidenced by the icicles here, the recent floods in our area and the extreme heat domes this past summer. We have continued record cold here with more snow throughout the coming days.

 In 2022 may we continue to hold onto each other in all the creative loving ways we’ve learned to do these last two years to stay together, stay in touch, while continuing to protect ourselves and others through all the necessary safety precautions needed to get through the other side of this covid pandemic that has taken so many lives and caused infinanate levels of dispair. 

I have continued heartfelt gratitude for all the frontline workers and each and every person serving the public to provide for our needs. May the exhaustion we are all experiencing in one way or another give rise to glistening rays of hope and may our courage continue to guide our hearts in our love and care and support for each other Welcoming this New Year with joy, compassion, understanding, guidance, and gratitude for each other, in what we might accomplish together and in what is yet to come.

Photo taken December 30, 2021

Reflections on The Fabric of Family Taditions

 I’ve always made window curtains, not sure why, its not a past tradition in my family that I'm aware of, however my grandmothers were certain to have made curtains for their homes. This curtain fabric, which was for a costume actually, I ordered from a very wonderful and reasonable cloth making company in Varanasi, India. I remember corresponding by email with the owner who was so kind.  It arrived in a cloth wrapping like many packages sent from India instead of a box or paper. The burgundy ties are remnants of garlands I bought in the Hadar or market place in the city of Haifa, Israel. I was visiting my daughter who was serving at the Baha'i World Center at the time. The dragonfly and hummingbird attached on either side of the curtain panels are anniversary gifts from years ago. I save fabric from the various things I have made over the years including all of the baby blankets I have made for my grand children and grand nieces and nephews. My grandmother, Dee Dee Mom, saved fabric to make quilts for her family and for her grandchildren. She was a true quilter. I used to stand with her in her living room along the quilt blocking posts where the quilts were hung from, helping her tie off her latest quilt when I would have sleep overs at her house

So...there is actually tradition that I somehow now re4cognize nad have rediscovered.This photo has helped me remember a precious family tradition.

 Photo taken by Chuck of our 924 South 11th Street kitchen window.

I Woke Finding Myself Remembering Dear Friends ....

Photo of Rose Hips near the Swinomish Social Services building.

Currently I enjoy being in a Baha'i study class on Thursday evenings from 7-9:00. Last night the Vine Delorea, Jr. Symposium coming up in May was mentioned by a group member. Waking this morning, I searched the web site. In the process I began viewing past years speakers. I came across a talk by my dear friend Larry Campbell. I believe it is important in terms of understanding how to reach out and listen and learn and ask questions of our indigenious families and community members regarding the teachings of our ancestors. Today at this time I want to respectfully acknowledge Larry's wife and my dear friend, collaborator and spiritual sister, Faith Campbell. Faith was insturmental in inviting me to help establish the Samish Tribe Longhouse Preschool in Anacortes. Faith is from the Klamath Tribe in California. She has now passed away and I miss her deeply. Her husband Larry Campbell, Swinomish, gives healing, hope, and wisdom for our young ones and for those like me who are life long learners. Humbly I thank both Faith and Larry for the years of quiet lessons shared. I have updated this writing honoring the passing Larry Campbell. He passed away February 6, 2023. Link to Larry's talk Northwest Indian College’s 14th Annual Vine Deloria jr. Indigenous Studies Symposium Relationships, Reciprocity, Rights, and Resistance “Redefining natural resource management as relatives.” May 17th and 18th, 2019. http://www.nwic.edu/faculty-staff/vin...

Love and Laughter

After a year and on into the next with the covid pandemic testing each and everyone. 

In 2021, may we regain hope and learn from it all in a good way as we go forward.

Couple of thoughts. So...I’ve been telling Chuck this week that I’m taking up a new profession as a comedian, after my sister and father. They were both so great at telling a good joke. Laughter was really their medicine. As the oldest child I had too many responsibilities to find time to tell a funny joke. However after mom passed I made it a habit to have a funny story to share with my father when I visited. Knowing his history and what hardships he overcame, I learned to realize why humor was so necessary for him. Laughter and Love, two gifts from my parents. May we each carry a joyful story to share in these difficult times. I hope to share at least one story each month or so....

Here in our backyard is Grandson Rowan and Grandad lovingly playing a game that went on for quite some time, where as you can see, love and laughter were going full force. Grand kids River and Jenna in the back ground playing Uno. We have missed these visits over the last year with needing to be separate for our health ad safety. This photo gives joyful hope of renewed opportunities for love and laughter to continue. Over the last many months we have been separated because of covid safety protocol we have chosen to follow, we have been able to support each other in very creative ways that meant using our computers and phones as well as meeting for short periods of time wearing masks and staying at a distance. Chuck and I have had both or our moderna vaccines now. We look forward to having renewed visits with our grandchildren and to nurture opportunities for continued experiences of love and laughter together.

"Come Sunday": A song brings reflection and gratitude

                                         

My mother did not go to church on a regular basis, weddings, funerals, invitations. She did not take her children to church. My mother said "you live your heaven and hell right here on earth, it's "how" you live your life that matters." She was a testimony to her statement and I love her dearly for what she taught me. She was always kind to others, always making sure she called the person she was talking to by their name and offered laughter and kind words to each person she came into contact with, always. She loved people. When my grandmother, Dee Dee Mom, my fathers mother, was in recovery in a nursing home mom took me and my two young daughters to visit her. My mother greeted each and every person with such joyful attention, including staff. She would ask questions, remembering conversations and respectfully attentive. It was one of my greatest moments to witness my mother living her daily life as if she were in a House of God. She was straight forward, told you like it is and never held back what needed to be said if it meant protecting you or advising you. Never punishing, often way too liberal for many. She did not let others attitudes get in her way however. I am ever grateful for what I am still learning from my mother. Her wisdom comes to me daily in all I do. 

Thank you my mother.

 My DeeDee Mom on the other hand, took her grandchildren to church. She took us to the United Methodist Church in Sunnyvale, California where we lived at the time. I was about nine years old the first time she took me to church. I had already been going to Catholic church with my best friend down the street. The day my grandmother took me to church was the first time I heard my grandmother sing. My brother and sisters went directly to Sunday school class when we got there. Because of my age I went to the main service with the adults before going on to class. After my grandmother got them settled she came into the main service and sat about five seats down from me. That’s when we all stood to sing a hymn and I watched her very intently. She was strong, proud, standing with the others singing so beautifully in my eyes. What I witnessed transformed me in how I understood my grandmother. I received my bible that day in Sunday school. I still have it of course, along with the memory of DeeDee Mom and her tall, heavy set body standing out in the congregation. She signed my bible for me filling out my name where I received it and when.

 As a child I spent a great deal of time with her learning to cook, sew my own clothes, make quilt tops and blankets, as well as my own pajamas. She taught me most of what I know regarding domestic care of the home, self care and care of others. When my first child was born my mother apologized when she came to be with me to help with her first grandchild. She said, "I'm sorry Connie there is not much I know to help you because Dee Dee Mom always took care of me and my babies. I said, "just do what she did mom, and we will be fine." The last time I was with my grandmother was when I stayed with her for about a month with my two little daughters, who were nine months and three years old. Dee Dee Mom was just home from the hospital recovering from treatment for cancer. Before we left she needed to make me a flannel nightgown. Just as when I was a child visiting her for the weekend, she would often make me a pair of pajamas. A few days before i had to leave she she sat at her sewing machine and made me a full length flannel nightgown because she wanted to make sure I was warm heading up to Washington. Dee Dee Mom passed away several months later. My grrandmother got her name fro, me. As a young vhild learning to talk I called my dad Dee Dee. Onn her first visit she was introduced to me as DDe Dee's mom. Therafter that is what I called her, and so did the rest of the family. I’m so blessed to have had that very special time with her. Going through her treasures and photo albums with her, learning so much of her life as she shared her stories and wisdom with me. I thank God for my grandmother and for all of her many gifts.

Referring to the song  “Come Sunday” written by Duke Ellington, which is now in the hymn book of the United Methodist Church, the author of the article below states: “The song is ultimately about the providence of God in all our lives. The refrain addresses God directly, “Lord, dear Lord above, God Almighty, God of love,” and then makes a petition, “please look down and see my people through.” The stanzas point to hope and heaven, concluding that “With God’s blessing we can make it through eternity.”

Dr. Hawn is professor of sacred music at Perkins School of Theology. Come Sunday recording:(From Black, Brown and Beige) (Accapella) · Duke Ellington & His Orchestra · Mahalia Jackson aLCKRjc8sxyqremhSvTBikPn8wzRRXveLE

My Dee Dee mom at about 50 years old and as a child.

My mother and me, about 2006.