Contrasts

Outside my window, the reed grass is shivering in the morning breeze. Some feathery stalks have a golden glow, a pale reflection of the sun, others are purple-tinged, and all move together with the wind. Nearby, a small stand of cypress trees cast their shadows across the field. The beauty of the setting comes from the contrasts: stillness and motion, stately and delicate, light and dark.

We are on summer vacation now but when our school was in session, we had plenty of contrasts around our small-town campus. Children of various skin colors, races, sizes and economical status all played together on the playground. The contrasts were beautiful.

When I think of the richness we can bring to one another with our contrasting life stories, I regret we don’t give ourselves more time to share them. Perhaps we can build that into our lives and curricula. It might create an appreciation of our differences. In the mean time, we can share various life stories through books.

I’d love to hear from others about books that might ease the racial tensions in our country. The current events have been heart breaking. Since my blog focuses on children’s literature, I’d especially love to hear of those recommendations, but all are welcome. If you have appropriate books in mind, please let me know by sharing them in the comment section.

The wind is picking up and I hear the chimes ringing outside my window—a nice contrast to the silence I enjoyed when I began this post—they ring of hope.

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