Connections

Personal connections are important to everyone, and that is one of the reasons I enjoy being a part of our local Farmers' Market. It gives me an opportunity to interact with people in my community that I wouldn't normally know and an opportunity to share my struggles and triumphs as well as theirs.

This past Saturday was our first market day after a long winter and I welcomed vendors both new and old with a smile and a joyful heart. I hugged a customer who lost her husband last year and rejoiced that she was doing well with the help of friends and family. And I mourned the loss of a customer who used to bring his small dog to visit all of us at the market each week.

I chatted with my maple syrup vendor about the complexities of raising a teenager, I took pictures, and I sold lots of mini quick breads. In essence, I lived life, I interacted with those around me, and hopefully, my existence made a difference.

The two books I read for this week's review were both about connections. The first book, Through With The Zoo, was a story of a small goat from the petting zoo who longed to get away from all the people and other animals and find a space of quiet and serenity. He searched high and low for such a space and when he finally found it, he realized that we all need a balance between alone space and time with others.

The second book, Mango, Abuela, and Me was the story of a young girl whose Spanish speaking grandmother moved in with her family and shared a room with her. At first it was difficult for the two to communicate, but soon the young girl decides they can teach each other. With the help of a new parrot which keeps the grandmother company while the girl is at school, the three soon become bilingual and have much to share with each other.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.