Graphic below: Music, collage by jH
Collage is a wonderfully artistic and inexpensive way to savor and save beautiful and interesting photographs from magazines and to rearrange them, individually and uniquely, in conveying a personal message or reality. An historic craft, collage has been explored and expanded imaginatively into this century to incorporate many new materials and presentation possibilities.
by Linda Poland
The Best Things In Life Are Free
Some of the our most wonderful experiences are totally free.
Last Sunday night I couldn't sleep so I got up. As I walked through the living room, something caught my eye.
It was a refelction on top of my car. It was very bright, but fuzzy since I didn't have my glasses on.
I retrieved my glasses and could see a beautiful full moon, but the trees were blocking my view.
I creeped outside, careful not to wak the house, and went down the stiars in my bare feet and nightgown.
Even after midnight there was no dew and the grass crunched under my feet.
I walked out into the field and just stood staring up in awe at a black velvet star-filled sky.
Even though the heat of the day had been almost unbearable there was an inviting cool breeze so I walked out farther into the middle of the field.
It was so quiet. All I could hear was the song of the crickets, the peeping of the frogs and the rustling of the trees in the breeze.
I felt so thankful that my family lives in the country. My eyes were drawn from the moon to the tops of the trees that were filled with fireflies.
Suddenly I realized that standing in the center of the field I was surrounded by more fireflies than I can ever remember seeing.
That's when I realized that all the wonderful things I was enjoying may not have a lot of material value but they certainly refreshed my soul.
Not one of them was man-made. They were all God's creations and they are free to any of us who desire to experience them.
I was so glad that I had not been able to sleep. But I will tell you that I was so at peace when I went back inside that I had a positively wonderful night's sleep.
White House Garden links!
Linda Poland was born in a Florida avocado grove two weeks early and delivered by her father. Sometime after that she moved to East Tennessee. She writes a weekly column for Jonesborough's Herald & Tribune called "Positive Points" from which the above is drawn by author permission. A former Tourism Director for Jonesborough, she teaches storytelling at the John C. Campbell Folk School and is a founding member of the Jonesborough Storyteller's Guild. Using her talents as a storyteller she was one of the first in the country to use of the art of storytelling when developing tours to share a town's history (see Positive Solutions Tours). Linda has created award winning historical storytelling tour programs and directed Tennessee Humanities oral history projects throughout Tennessee and beyond. Because of these accomplishments she was officially honored in 1997 with the title of Resident Storyteller for the Town of Jonesborough, TN. This was and is quite an honor since Jonesborough is the home of the International Storytelling Center and the National Storytelling Festival. A Resident Storyteller is like a public minister in a foreign court that uses the art of storytelling to craft stories about people and places they represent.
Linda not only teaches storytelling, but she conducts a variety of workshops throughout the country that incorporate the use of storytelling for "Opening Doors for Change," "Empowerment Through Stories," and "Building Teams and Enhancing Teamwork Through Stories." She has both original and traditional material, which enables her to custom design programs to fit any agenda. Her repertoire includes a multitude of stories collected over the years while traveling, teaching and telling.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." --Jim Elliot
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