My Favorite Love Letter: Keep Writing or Become the Poem

I often quote Lilian Sandburg to encourage student writing. I remember exactly where I was standing in Carl Sandburg's home in Flat Rock when I read Lilian's words on a postcard to her discouraged husband. The National Park Service captures the exchange in these words:

"Once, during the early years of their marriage, when he was off on a business trip and wrote to her, worried over their lack of funds, she told him, The poems are great, Carl. It would be all wrong to give them up. We must give the Poet every chance! If we can only assure ourselves enuff leisure for this—you will arrive. You’ve got it in you. The only question is can we get enuff time to get it out of you! You are great and great and great! Greater poems than some of yours have absolutely never been written! It’s only a question of time till we come to our own. . . It’s all coming, dear—coming sure!” 

Later, Lilian laments that she "shall never write for print. . .” He replies to her, What. . . do I care whether you go in for literary work or not? Don’t we each give the other free loose for anything & everything? . . . All I know is you are a great woman, a splendid girl. In some way you will express yourself. You decide on the way . . . Great you are—great, beautiful, inclusive, daring, quick, orginial. . . I would rather be a poem like you than write poems. I would rather embody the big things as you do than carve or paint or write them. You inspire art--& that’s living.

I love looking at a student and saying with absolute certainty, "You've got it in you. The only question is can we get enough time to get it out of you." And when they decide they simply do not want to write--because it's not joyful for them; it's not their calling,--I want to tell them to go ahead and express themselves in another way. "You decide the way. Just be the poem. Embody the big things. Inspire art, then." 

I also love tucking these letters away as a reminder of great marriages. We can be Sandburg and Lilian to one another when we feel discouraged. 

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Have you read the poetry of Carl Sandburg? If you haven't, do! And if you want to read the whole collection of love letters between Sandburg and his wife, you can find them in A Great and Glorious Romance: The Story of Carl Sandburg and Lilian Steichen. 

Text from "Carl Sandburg Home," National Park Service, Public Domain

When Your Favorite Memory Actually Never Happened

I'm teaching memoir writing to my students, and I instruct them to choose a "tiny moment" to recount for the class. Just a few nights before, I share with my friend about my memoir lessons, and he says, "My favorite memory actually never happened."

He explains what he means. I encourage him to write the story, and to my great delight, he does.

He writes, "I'm not delusional about this memory--I know it never happened, but it feels as real as if it had. In fact, it seems more real than some memories which actually happened. Brains are so funny sometimes."

I'm fascinated.

He recounts a memory he wished he had with his grandfather. He wished it so deeply that it became real to his mind. The writing shimmers, so go ahead and enjoy this "tiny moment" memoir (just 800 words) over at his blog.

Here's the memory that never happened. 

Meanwhile, I love hearing various tiny moments from students today. It turns out that the tiny moments have the biggest impact. We go around the room and simply finish the sentence, "One time I. . . ".  I tell them to recount the moment that first comes to mind.  

For me, it was nearly falling through the ice on a river. 

Now, I have to figure out why I remember it first and what it means to me. 

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What if you wrote your "tiny moment" today? 

I Couldn't Stop Eating It (So I Made More)

I'm on a mission to gain health. As I stood before a table of food choices at our Easter potluck, I noted the quinoa and mushroom salad.

I haven't eaten quinoa in years (pronounced KEEN-wah). It's a grain-like Superfood (it's a complete protein, high in iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and calcium) that cooks like rice or cous-cous.

My friend tells me she simply cooked half an onion, a pack of mushrooms, and some garlic and then added that to some quinoa she cooked in vegetable broth.

I find that this recipe is perfect for Weight Watchers fans (or at least those of us trying to get healthy for Spring). So I went and made my own dish this afternoon.

Quinoa Mushroom Dish

1/2 chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 cups mushrooms

Cook onion and mushrooms in a teaspoon of olive oil until tender. Add in garlic and cook a minute longer. Remove everything from pan. Add 2 cups vegetable broth to pan, and add in 1 cup quinoa. Cook according to directions (bring to boil, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes, fluff with a fork, and toss with onions, mushrooms, and garlic.

De-lish! (My friend's looked much fluffier and nicer, but hey, it's my first time making quinoa!)

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Do you have a favorite quinoa recipe?