Call & Response

The Call: The Bond of Brothers — Jessica

I’ve recently picked up a few books on creativity that have been both insightful and trite. But Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit is non-stop, mind-blowing a-ha moments. Every page, every chapter is full of beautiful little moments of truth such as: “Metaphor is the lifeblood of all art….If all art is metaphor, then all art begins with memory. The ancient Greeks knew this: in their origin myths, they cite Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, as the mother of the Nine Muses.”

Response: Birthday Girl — Cheryl

Bridget turns 14 today. She’s my second child, and the loveliest young lady I know. As a baby, she was so difficult, she made her older brother seem easy-going, and he was anything-but. Bridget has been dealt more than her fair share of adversity, but I’m constantly amazed by how gracefully she rises above it all. Obviously, I’ll always remember when we almost lost her, at age ten, to Diabetic Ketoacidosis, but that’s just because it’s the most dramatic memory she has created thus far. On a regular basis, she pours into my mind images of fun, laughter, sweetness, thoughtfulness, creativity and love for all those around her (even her older brother), and I’ll hold onto those tightly.

…Memory! / You have the key, / The little lamp spreads a ring on the stair. / Mount. / The bed is open; the tooth-brush hangs on the wall, / Put your shoes at the door, sleep, prepare for life.” …
— T.S. Eliot, “Rhapsody on a Windy Night”