I grew up in the 70s, and sometimes I like to listen to John Denver while I am running or in the car. His simple and feel-good lyrics about nature and human emotions inspires me. We have a son with Down Syndrome who also inspires me on a daily basis. His zest for life is infectious. Multiple times during the week he will say things like “Today is the best day!” and proceed to tell me why.
I can see why John Denver wrote about hope in children and nature as both inspire me in my writing. His lyrics from his song Rhymes and Reasons:
“And it’s you [that] cannot accept it is here we must begin
To seek the wisdom of the children
And the graceful way of flowers in the wind
For the children and the flowers are my sisters and my brothers
Their laughter and their loveliness would clear a cloudy day
Like the music of the mountains and the colors of the rainbow
They’re a promise of the future and a blessing for today”
So much hope in children and nature. So much truth and light, too.
My new book, which I am co-authoring with my daughter, is about a little 1st grade muskrat who does not want to go to school. He is worried about reading in front of his class. Being a teacher for the last 16 years in a classroom for high school students, I found this to be true for even some high school students. I tried to make my classroom a safe community where even I made mistakes over a hard word when reading.
Looking forward to sharing our new rhyming book this spring or early summer with you!