Volume IX, Issue 23
June 3, 2020
Dear ,
Have you seen any chalk creations in your neighborhood? My grandson Harry, along with his big brother and little sister, have found chalk to be a great medium for self-expression.
Today's featured writer, Dan Busch, shares chalked messages of love, peace, hope, and connection in his essay "Chalk Talk." I could feel my heart lift as I read it. I hope it does the same for you.
Love and light,
Maureen
These two books are for anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one—whether the loss is
impending, recent, or in the past. (The holiday season, for all its overt merriment, is often a time we struggle the most with grief.)
The contemplative exercises within are a guide through the “many waters” of grief (from Madeleine L'Engle's A Two-Part Invention), including "treasuring" and "keeping" as well as regret and sadness.
What is grief, after all, but a sign of the depth of our love? On the far shore is always gratefulness, for, as the French proverb says, “Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” Those who enjoy writing will likely also find poems, essays, and/or stories emerging as they make their way through these
pages.
I created the process shared in these two books in June of 2002, shortly after my mother died, as a way to mindfully mourn this loss—and celebrate her life. I shared it with a beloved friend, the Reverend Rebecca Taylor, when she lost her father, and she encouraged me to make it available to others. Here it is, in two versions, both of which offer quotes, reflections, prompts, and space to write about your loved one, as well as beautiful photographs by Wendy H. Gill that enhance each part of the process. Either
version makes a thoughtful condolence gift for a friend or family member.
How Do I Say Goodbye? is for those of any faith, with quotes from many different sources to accompany the process. It can be purchased on Amazon here.
Praying You Goodbye is specifically for Christians, with accompanying quotes from Scripture chosen by Reverend Rebecca Taylor. It can be purchased on Amazon here.
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION: YOUR WRITING
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals;
Revising & Polishing Your Writing)
Special offering! If you'd like to try out a class like the one Featured Writer Kathy Brown speaks of below, there are a few spots available in WordPlay's short summer
sessions. I'd love to talk with you to discuss if the class is right for you. Email info@wordplaynow.com for more information.
This class is designed to fulfill your writing dreams and projects. You’ll set goals and support structures and watch your writing flow! You’ll also get feedback on your
work (any genre) and learn revision tools and methods. Through examples of accomplished writers, you’ll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process.
* For the benefit of participants, an audio recording of the class will be made each week so that participants are able to listen to classes they miss and/or review material
covered at any convenient time and place. These recordings are available throughout the class session, along with all handouts, in a shared Dropbox folder.
WHERE: ZOOM from your own
home
WHEN: Wednesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. – noon
(Other class time/day of week may be available. Email info@wordplaynow.com for more information.)
COST: $35 for one
session
TO REGISTER: Please email info@wordplaynow.com to start the registration process by filling out a short “Clarity Tool” to share your writing dreams and goals and where you are in the process. (Anywhere you are is a perfect place to begin.)
Featured Writer
Meet Dan Busch
At 79 years young, Dan Busch is a retired clinical social worker and marital and family therapist. Over his 50 years of practice, he has been educated and
re-educated by his clients. It is impossible to forget the lessons learned through his work in prison outreach, foster and adoptive home studies, residential treatment of emotionally challenged youth, hospital staff support, and counseling of kidney dialysis patients, hospice clients, bereaved parents, and pregnant teens in a residential setting. Dan completed chaplaincy training, provided grief counseling for inner-city families and homeless clients, and worked for fifteen years in private
practice as a therapist for individuals, couples, and families.
He is fortunate to be surrounded by a loving family: his wife of 47 years, Patty; their children and spouses, Taryn & Rim, and Graham & Jen; and, four grandchildren, Nora, Cyrus, Ezra, and Frankie. All live in Charlotte. He also thrives on the music of the Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, John Prine, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Beatles.
Everlasting energy in the quest for spiritual growth and writing with a purpose of service to others has sustained him during his retirement years.
What Dan says about WordPlay
The time just before Maureen Ryan Griffin gives a prompt and putting words on a page is sacred—a temporary, necessary reservoir. As we say in the south, “it is noodling time”—a time for the assembly of observations, sensitivities, creative insight, and even questioning confusion. Maureen listens to these with her inner voice and has
mastered her art in such a way that her students both understand and are inspired by her example. I particularly embrace her views on “coincidence.” She possesses an astute understanding of human nature and the connection to spirituality.
I have attended about six of Maureen's workshops, some single day and some weekends, and have always departed challenged and grateful. Throughout my years of service, I never had the urge to put the wisdom I have gained onto paper before experiencing Maureen's knowledge and encouragement.
Featured Writing
Chalk Talk
by
Dan Busch
The kings of communication—texts, tweets, emails—are being out shined by what's happening at the intersection of Annlin Avenue and Moultrie
Street in my Collingwood neighborhood. It's neither a well-traveled nor famous place but perhaps it should be.
Take a walk by there. If you drive, be sure to stop and get out of your car. Even before the pandemic put a choke-hold on Charlotte, a group of youngsters and their parents were marking the road with chalk, colorful inscriptions of fun and togetherness.
Now in the midst of the “stay at home” mandate, the messages are capturing hope—a much needed commodity. Chalk talk has bloomed:
“Be kind to your family.”
“Keep pounding!”
“Encourage a Sunday smile.”
“Thank you for doing this.”
“I will see you someday.”
Writings and flower drawings appear daily, perhaps nightly. Thus far I've not caught anyone on the pavement with chalk in hand.
Within a ten day period, two heavy rains descend, washing everything clean. The next day: “Welcome back Annlin artists.” A subtle hint about perseverance against storms and viruses? Shortly after comes the first of several neighborhood
polls:
“Would you rather have as a pet?”
a) a lizard
b) a frog
c) a dog
I select frog and move on—but I am hooked. Next day I am sorry to find that lizards have won, hands down. The next survey comes a day later.
“Which do you like better?”
Maroon Five
Jackson Five
It is Jackson Five in a landslide.
“What would you rather eat?”
Dim Sum
Ramen noodles
Dim Sum reigns supreme.
I start carrying a piece of my grandson's chalk on my daily walks. Today I forget. Two blocks later I discover the mother lode—on the curb a brand new 9 count box of colored chalk next to a bowl full of used chalk pieces. Has chalk talk reached the level of community spread? I pluck a green stick, write PEACE, continue on my way armed with the tool I
need. Three miles later I approach the blacktop graffiti intersection. Finding an open space I scribble “Carpe Diem” and quickly scurry away, hoping to remain anonymous.
Returning home I find the day has actually seized me. Dare I risk tweaking the chalk talk tone? Thursday AM elevates my gumption. I don my best old man disguise (not a hard challenge at age 79) with sunglasses, mask, Hornets ball cap, long-sleeved flannel shirt. My gut says it is still preferable not to be caught chalking—keep the mystery alive.
I wait until a young boy on a bicycle disappears around the corner to write:
“Would you rather?”
a) Feed the hungry
b) Heal the sick
c) Shelter the homeless
d) All of the above
Strolling by the next day I find 45 chalk check marks for “All of the above”. My next question will simply be: “How?” Hopefully I'll get some creative answers before next Wednesday's predicted rain.
As I walk by the house that previously provided me the gift of a much needed stick of chalk, I notice a new message: “Start a conversation.” Could this become a movement? If so, I hope it never reaches its peak. Let it be!
(Dan Busch 5/2/2020)
WordPlay Now! Writing Prompt
This is WordPlay—so why not revel in the power and potential of one good word after another? This week, it's “chalk.”
PROMPT: We get so used to tapping out words on electronic devices, or, perhaps, a pen or pencil on a page. This week, try writing with chalk (or crayons) if you're able to get your hands on some, and notice what this feels like. Does it elicit any muscle memory, any physical sensations, any emotions? In addition, or instead, write a scene, story, essay, or poem that includes chalk in some way. And maybe you have a message of your own you'd like to share in chalk in
front of your house?
MAUREEN RYAN GRIFFIN, an award-winning poetry and nonfiction writer, is the author of Spinning Words into Gold, a Hands-On Guide to the Craft of
Writing, a grief workbook entitled I Will Never Forget You, and three collections of poetry, Ten Thousand Cicadas Can't Be Wrong, This Scatter of Blossoms and When the Leaves Are in the Water.
She believes, as author Julia Cameron says, “We are meant to midwife dreams for one another.” Maureen also believes that serious “word
work” requires serious WordPlay, as play is how we humans best
learn—and perform. What she loves best is witnessing all the other dreams that come true for her clients along the way. Language, when used with intentionality and focus, is, after all, serious fuel for joy. Here's to yours!
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