Fairy Dust and Books

So true and I might also say that adding in a little poetry now and then is something we all need to uplift our spirits.
Caroline Kennedy wrote in the introduction of her book, A Family of Poems My Favorite Poetry for Children, "Poetry played a special part in our family. We were encouraged to write or choose a favorite poem for each holiday or birthday as a gift for my mother and grandparents instead of buying a card or a present."  The following poem was written by Caroline's mother, Jacqueline when she was in school looking out the window daydreaming. 

Thoughts

by Jacqueline Bouvier

I love the Autumn,

And yet I cannot say

All the thoughts and things

That make me feel this way.

I love walking on the angry shore,

To watch the angry sea;

Where summer people were before, 

But now there's only me.

I love wood fires at night

That have a ruddy glow.

I stare at the flames

And think of long ago.

I love the feeling down inside me

That says to run away

To come and be a gypsy

And laugh the gypsy way.

The tangy taste of apples, 

The snowy mist at morn, 

The wanderlust inside you

When you hear the huntsman's horn.

Nostalgia-that's Autumn,

Dreaming through September

Just a million lovely things

I always will remember.  

______________________________________________

With a wee bit of my own fairy dust for good luck and some good books I am set to enjoy these lovely fall days.  

                                                             

tell my sons is very touching memoir book written by LT. Col. Mark Weber. He is a father, soldier and author who died recently from cancer. Weber is from Minnesota. The book intrigued me as I had seen an interview on TV with him a few months before he died. He wrote this book as a series of life's lessons for his three sons who are all under the age of 16. Weber was at the pinnacle of his army career where he was tapped to serve in a high ranking position as a military advisor in Afghan Parliament when he was diagnosed with cancer. When Weber realized that he was not going to survive this final tour of combat, he began to write a letter to his boys, so that as they grew up without him, they would know what his life-and-death story had taught him—about courage and fear, challenge and comfort, words and actions, pride and humility, seriousness and humor, and viewing life as a never-ending search for new ideas and inspiration.

I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron 

Now this was a book I could really relate to with a collection of 23 essays reflecting on aging. Ephron is a screenwriter, director and best selling author. I loved how she used a sense of humor in looking at the aging process and discussing taboo topics such as physical decline, emotional regrets and mental challenges. 

If I had to choose one of my top favorite children's author it would have to be Kate DiCamillo. And its not just because she lives in my hometown. DiCamillo is a master storyteller and her picture and chapter books are well loved by children as well as adults. Her fame began with Winn Dixie and Flora and Ulysses is her newest chapter book. The plot is clever, fanciful and the reader gets swept right into the story. Ulysses, the squirrel, never saw the vacuum cleaner coming. He gets swallowed whole by the cleaner. But as a result Ulysses gains superhero powers of flight, ability to write poetry (now that part caught my interest) and strength. Flora Belle Buckman is just the right person to step in and save him. A very heartwarming story.