A wise passage
Julia
♦ August 11, 2023
♦ 4 Comments
Praise be for blessings great and small, such as the memory of this day,
when we watched dogs frolic in the ocean at Pigeon Point, Tobago, March 2010.
“Have you ever observed that we pay much more attention to a wise passage when it is quoted, than when we read it in the original author?” — Philip Gilbert Hamerton
I never thought about it, but perhaps Hamerton is right. For one thing, it’s easier to notice a quote when it is set apart from the paragraphs that precede and follow it. Quotes are often used in new contexts to enhance a point that may vary significantly from the one the original author was making. And sometimes, an author’s words take on added meaning because they borrow from the appeal or authority of those who choose to quote them.
Obviously, I believe quotations are worthwhile, or I would not have featured over 900 of them thus far in this blog. I’d like to believe they are as effective when quoted as they were when originally spoken or written; perhaps, in some cases, they can even take on new life or expanded meaning for us as individuals. Context can add to the power of a quotation. In that spirit, I will feature a poem Jeff introduced to me last month.
Since his retirement, Jeff and Matt have continued their longstanding habit of reading together. They have added some additional daily routines, among which is listening to Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac, which has been a favorite of Matt’s for many years. Jeff rarely talks about what they have heard, but this poem was one that he specifically chose to play for me first thing one morning. It was a wonderful way to open the day, and I decided right then and there that I would share it with you in an upcoming blog.
So here it is. Perhaps for you, as for me, the words will be more meaningful knowing Jeff chose to share them. The imagery evokes many happy memories, but beyond that, I am filled with admiration for a person who affirms the spirit of this poem after all he has been through, and all that lies ahead.
Gratitude List
Praise be this morning for sleeping late,
the sandy sheets, the ocean air,
the midnight storm that blew its waters in.
Praise be the morning swim, mid-tide,
the clear sands underneath our feet,
the dogs who leap into the waves,
their fur, sticky with salt,
the ball we throw again and again.
Praise be the green tea with honey,
the bread we dip in finest olive oil,
the eggs we fry. Praise be the reeds,
gold and pink in the summer light,
the sand between our toes,
our swimsuits, flapping in the breeze.
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: appreciation, beach, blessings, dogs, gratitude, joys, memories, mindfulness, poetry, praise, quotations, sharing
Defeat Despair 
Good morning, Julia!
I’m enjoying this Gratitude List poem by Laura Foley. At first, I thought it must have been written a long time ago, when swimsuits were of such a style that they could easily flap in the breeze, but when I read that the poem was on Writer’s Almanac with “permission from the Author,” I thought about it some more and decided that the swimsuits were on the clothesline and could be heard flapping during a casual breakfast – complete with sand still between one’s toes!
That is a delightful scene, indeed!
Yes, I imagine a clothesline…always an evocative image.
I appreciate your insights about quotes. I hadn’t thought of them in that way before. A photograph likewise can take on new meaning when viewed from the distance of years. Especially photos or videos of those we love.
That’s a beautiful poem and it took me back to times when I enjoyed being at the ocean. Your photo of Jeff and the way he presented the poem to you are touching. So sweet.
Thank you, Judy. If I hadn’t recorded that memory in this blog post, I likely would have forgotten it. I’m glad you now have enjoyed it too. Photographs and posts or journal entries are conduits for time travel into a past that we might have otherwise forgotten.