Huckleberries and Hornets

Every child should have . . . 

 

mud pies, 

grasshoppers, 

water bugs, 

tadpoles, 

frogs, 

mud turtles, 

elderberries, 

wild strawberries, 

acorns, 

chestnuts, 

trees to climb. 

Brooks to wade, 

water lilies, 

woodchucks, 

bats, 

bees, 

butterflies, 

various animals to pet, 

hayfields, 

pine-cones, 

rocks to roll, 

sand, 

snakes, 

huckleberries and hornets; 

and any child 

who has been deprived of these 

has been deprived 

of the best part of education.

 

Luther Burbank*
07 March 1849 – 11 April 1926

*This quote is posted in memory of Luther Burbank who is a 5th cousin six times removed to the Keeper of this blog. He died 90 years ago today.

Today I visited yesterday . . .

Today I visited yesterday
And walked among the graves
Of family and friends from long ago
Whose memory had begun to fade.


  The graves were unattended
As were my thoughts of them
When a vision of the ages past
Brought back my sense of kin.

The vision showed the church lawn
On a crisp summer day
The table spread, the food prepared
And friends who would break bread.

  All my relatives were there
both young and old
Grandma and I walked hand and hand
Sharing stories never told.

We laughed and cried
And shared our thoughts
And I found the friend
I thought I'd lost.

As the sun began to fade . . .
The church bell rang out clear
Grandma and the others
slowly disappeared . . .

  Today I visited yesterday
And now the memory is strong
Of the family from which I came . . . and now belong . . .

by Pat Conner Rice