This Brief Moment: Day 4

"How could anyone believe
that anything in this world
is only what it appears to be?" - Mary Oliver

















As I hauled the tipi over to the grassy knoll, I discovered an egg shell that dropped from a tree above me. I placed it on top of the heap in the wagon and brought it with me to the campsite where I placed it into a nest that I use as a centerpiece for our circle. The nest was given to me some years ago by my friend Pixie.

After we raised The House of Belonging, we spotted one of the Mighty Girls and her mother in the distance taking the scenic route to the Mighty Girl Campsite.

















Once everyone arrived and was in circle, I presented the daily gift...
















Sent to the girls by the generous people at Chronicle Books...a mother/daughter journal entitled, "Just Between Us"

*Note the little bird on the cover....hmmmm








Before continuing the work on our art journals, I offered the girls a creativity prompt. Same story from yesterday, but this time I ended with a new question..

You see a bird flying above the tipi. She calls to you saying, "I am you and I have traveled a long distance. Come with me, I have something to show you."

What did she show you?

I asked the girls to consider these words while they embellished their journals. They got right to work adding fibers, and found objects to the journals. There were cicada wings, and wild flowers and all sorts of wonders being incorporated into their work. I showed the girls how to use a hand drill and some of them began drilling holes into the twigs that they found and affixed them to the spines of their journals with fibers.

















For our second project of the morning, I passed around some photos of common local birds under which I printed their corresponding animal totem description. I asked the girls to choose the bird that they were most drawn to, and to read about its unique qualities. Then I passed around some paper mache bird forms and asked the girls to look carefully at the photos and paint their chosen bird totem. On the bottom of the bird they will write one word from the totem reading that really resonates with them.





















































During this project there was a Bluebird flying all around our campsite. I went to the tree where it rested and found a nearly neon Bluebird feather and gave it to one of the girls. The Bluebird seemed to linger around the campsite and it dawned on me that this was our totem animal for the day...and right on cue! One of the girls left the tipi to observe it more closely as it was the bird she chose.

"Bluebird: This is symbolic of a passage, a time of movement into another level of being. Specifically, it is connected to the transformation of a girl into a woman...and a new confidence and happiness in coming into your own." - Ted Andrews (Animal Speak)

While the birds dried in the sun, the girls sewed their prayer flags onto ribbon. They will hang their prayer flags in the tipi tomorrow for our last day...

















We will finish up any detailing on our projects, and mostly celebrate. There will be pizza and champagne grapes and our beautiful closing ceremony and their mamas will join us.

See you there....

Wisdom walk: Take a short walk with your mother and look for beauty.






















This brief moment
let us take a walk
and see how beautiful
the world is - Cynthia Rylant