Janet Lewis
Remember for me the river,
Flowing wide and cold, from beyond Sugar Island,
Still and smooth, breathing sweetness
Into still air, moving under its surface
With all the power of creation.
Remember for me the scent of sweet-grass
In Ojibway baskets,
Of meadow turf, alive with insects.
Remember for me
Who will not be able to remember.
Remember the river.
Janet Lewis
It was midway through that decade I got to spend with Janet that she wrote Remember the River. How thoughtfully and, as I said, deftly Janet told us about childhood summer days spent living in a simple cabin by the river. So even though I balked at the idea that Janet would ever forget those early memories, I've come to realize how in the telling of stories and feelings and people, the listener gathers the story and, when it is well told, the listener years hence becomes the speaker and tells the story well enough so that it, too, may be passed along. The passing of memories on to others gives shape and story to the recalled images and voices.
Right after Janet wrote this poem, while it was still in longhand on the paper, Alva took it and discretely wrote the song. He practiced singing it as our friend Steven learned the piano part. Then one afternoon when it was ready and when I was home, too, Alva invited Janet into our room where he and Steven performed this new song for an astonished and moved Janet. A joyous memory.
I've just had the opportunity to see a beautifully rejuvenated The Wizard of Oz in gorgeously rendered 3D. One feels the love of all the adults who worked on this project. Saying that Dorothy actually got conked out in the tornado and dreamt the whole thing really just says that Dorothy has an amazingly wonderful sense of imagination. And I'm so glad we get to go along with her. So many talented people pooled imaginations to bring us this classic story in all its timeless beauty.
Isn't memory an act of imagination? Whether looking forward to the possible or looking back to stories from our pasts, we are imagining. Consciously exercising one's imagination, from childhood into and through adolescence and then into and through adulthood is something we all can benefit from. My mission as educator has been primarily to challenge and support use and growth of creative imagining--- in action!
Dr Bear says: take four minutes a day at your preferred time and just sit and imagine. Not only are you focusing your imaginative mind, you are also getting better at recognizing that worry and most anxiety are no more that indulging in negative imagining.
mindfulness ---> imagination ---> creativity ---> connection