Journeys 3

"It's not where you go, it's who you travel with."

There is a lovely old Irish tale of a King who decides which of his two sons is worthy of inheriting his crown, by setting them a task.  

And the task?  

Make a long road short!

How can one do such a thing?

By....

 telling a story, of course. 

 And so, the son who is able to spin a tale as they walk along the road together wins the crown.

I even wrote my own version of this old tale some years ago, which was published in Cricket magazine - Maggie, the Farmer's Daughter."

How I love the notion, that on this journey of life, it is the companions who "walk" with us, who can lighten our load, make the journey seem shorter, and help us discover hidden joys along the way - much like Isaac and Abulabaz in this month's read aloud.

Journeys 2

"Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost."

In our "purpose driven" culture, it is sometimes hard to remember, as Tolkein's words tell us, that wandering can often be the best part of any journey.  Interesting too, if we think of our life as a journey, that the word wander and wonder are only a letter of a difference!   What better way to boost our little ones sense of wonder than to immerse them in the beauty of a great story, or.....to let them wander a little when we go for a walk without worrying about where we are going or when we will get there.

Of course, speaking as someone who is extremely geographically challenged, and who has ended up living in a land where I am surrounded by people who have been born with a compass in their mouths, it is really no surprise that the notion of WANDERING resonates so deeply with me!

Journeys - 1

This month's read aloud is called, THE TWO TRAVELERS by Christopher Manson.  It is the delightful tale of two unlikely travel companions from two very different countries and backgrounds, who have to make a long journey together.  In the course of their journey, they make discoveries about themselves and about the world - which is of course, what all good journeys help us do.

I like to tell children that stories too are like journeys, and just as most journeys will involve us circling back to where we began - HOME, so too good stories will often circle back to where they began, except that now our main character will have undergone some inner change or growth.  

 The Celtic people revered the circle - they told their stories in a circle, they worshiped the sun and the moon, and when St. Patrick brought Christianity to them, he honored their sacred circle by putting it around the cross - and so today we have the lovely CELTIC CROSS.

"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." 

T. S. Eliot