January

A sunny day in January is an exquisite thing – crisp, hopeful, invigorating.  Welcome to a new year and to all of the possibilities it brings!

I would especially like to thank these people for their thoughts in connection with the following poem:  Alex Ready, Callie Zenner, Cheyenne Hepworth, Megan O'Kelley, Charlotte Rodgers, Jaynie Casey, Lynnae Anderson, Tina Blood, Andy Vasquez, and Janet Morrison.

It's January

Brace your face

for the freeze

of the cold, and

find the resolve

for some goals

that are bold.

Reflect, restart,

begin again …

… and

celebrate

when your team

gets a win.

Remember

the birth of

a man named King;

Pass the peace

and dream

of Spring.

Stella Castella

If you have a birthday this month, cheers and happy personal new year to you!  I know that you will make the most of your three day weekend, if you get an extra day off – and I'm sure that you join me in being grateful that our nation has come to a place where we publicly honor Dr. King and other civil rights leaders, in spite of the fact that there is still much work to be done.

I would like to recommend to you  A Gift of Days:  The Greatest Words to Live By  – for home or classroom use.  It's by Stephen Alcorn and features names and quotations of "heroes of all walks of life," arranged in birthday order.  The accompanying illustrations could well inspire etching or printmaking work by you or the kids in your care!

In addition to Dr. King, the following famous folks, among others, were born in January:

Betsy Ross (pacifist)

J.R.R. Tolkien (author)

Isaac Newton (scientist)

Joan of Arc (political figure, martyr)

George Washington Carver (scientist)

Edgar Allen Poe (poet)

Virginia Woolf (author)

Jackson Pollock (artist)

Jackie Robinson (athlete)