We had a wonderfully inspiring week talking about mothers, had an author visit, moved and sang to wonderful music, shared travel stories and things that have stood the test of time!
This week in her Creative Flow class, Kathleen highlighted Mother's Day. She asked:
"Did your mom or grandmother make things with their hands?"
Here's what was shared:
My mother was a knitter of sweaters, "she was very keen when she was knitting"
My mother in law created quilted jackets; "his uniform" because of how often he wore it!
I recall my mother quilting - I barely use the blankets because I am afraid they will be worn out!
My grandma gave me what I call the Grandma Ida blanket (a quilt).
We shared songs that we associate with our mothers:
Edith Piaf - La Mome (Waif) Piaf
My mother played piano by ear and was a great whistler and could whistle "I'll See You Again".
I recall seeing Vera Lynn in person at an outside concert in front of Toronto's Royal York Hotel.
My mother would play the piano and sing, she was a very talented pianist!
We had such a rich conversation that we decided to create a God Poem. A God Poem is created when someone moves their fingers across a page of written material and one person yells STOP. Wherever their finger lands is the next line of the poem. Here is what we created using the God Poem method:
Jenn invited Monica Kulling, the author of the children’s story book Happy Birthday, Alice Babette to our Nia: Movement & Music class! We read her beautiful story and then discussed some of the themes and how they pertained to our lives.
One theme was the element of surprise, so she asked “What is the best surprise you have ever received?”
My Bar Mitzvah, I got the opportunity to be part of the choir!
When a friend surprised me with a delivery of coffee and take out because she knew I was going to be in my studio “in the zone” and forget to eat!
We had several seated movement breaks moving to some of our favourite songs including: Oh What a Beautiful Morning by Ray Charles & The Count Basie Orchestra, Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin and Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. We also sang along when we knew the words.
In the book Happy Birthday, Alice Babette, we noticed that a poem was written, but that poem was not shared. So we decided to write our own.
At the end of class, some words of wisdom were offered …
Let’s stay together, because we are a good group!
Never put your bananas in the refrigerator
Don’t judge a banana by its colour!! You can always make banana bread!
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!
Have a happy day everyone!
In Steve’s Piano Concert and Music History class we went on a journey together by sharing the places we have travelled to. We played songs that capture the essence of travel and we looked at the wonderful photography that Steve and and his collaborator Robin Dann took during their travels. They say “a picture is worth a thousand words”, and these images really did allow us to delve into a wealth of traveling stories!
Here are some highlights from the destinations we've travelled to:
My favourite place in the world is the Amalfi Coast because it is perfect. The weather is always the right temperature, the water is an amazing blue and the food is delicious.
One of my favourite places I traveled to is Israel. We took amazing tours and saw breathtaking ancient sites. I floated in the dead sea and visited the desert with all the different coloured sand!
The Highlands in Scotland is a place I have a lot of interest in, it has so much history!
We sang this familiar song that touches on an imaginary journey “Somewhere over the Rainbow” with Steve on the piano and Robin Dann singing vocals. Enjoy it below:
This week Robin G's Creative Cafe class was themed around the idea of “They don’t make them like they used to!” She opened up the class by sharing about a gift she received that was passed onto her from her mother, which was passed down to her mother from her grandmother. The gift was a Mix Master - it is tradition for recently married women in Robin's family to receive this gift. This mix master lived a long time but died one day while Robin was baking. She went to buy a new one, and guess what happened … soon after this new mix master broke! She finished the story by saying, "Oy they just don’t make them like they used to!"
Robin asked everyone to look into their spaces and find something that has stood the test of time. Here are some precious items that we have kept over the years and shared:
A wooden table and chairs that we bought when we moved into my home many years ago.
A 150 year clock that needs to be wound two times a week which is great exercise! The clock was my grandfather's, he bought it when he found out his wife was having their first child. The clock was made in Boston, New England. They shipped the clock by train and then was picked up on a horse and buggy and brought to their home in Woodstock Ontario.
Beatrix Potter Books, specifically “The Tale of Tiggy Winkle”. The illustrations are beautifully painted, there’s a yellowing to the book that tells its age.
Winnie the Pooh book, this copy is a newer version but I learned to read as a child with this book!
This piece was inspired by Robin G's class and created by Jennifer Hicks.
Join us next week. Book your classes for next week here!
AND, join us next week for a free concert given by Concerts in Care! Concerts in Care brings professional musicians into seniors’ homes across Ontario. They bring the joy and stimulation of live music! Join the free concert on Fri May 21 at 2pm. Book your spot here: www.thebitovemethod.com/calendar
