BRAVO! on the Presentations - Updated

Everytime I try to write this blog, my eyes well with tears and a bittersweet melancholy permeates my soul.  Joy and sadness fight for supremacy as my emotions battle for expression.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude that our lives have crossed paths.  Yet, I am not ready to say goodbye.  I know we must continue to travel forward, but I want to cling to this experience, savor the precious moments we have left. 

Quite frankly, I have fallen in love with each and every one of you. I am so

proud of you!  I will miss you tremendously.  As a unit, we have created a unique space where each week we can come for a few hours, let down our hair, let our creativity flow, become vulnerable, share wisdom, peek from behind the masks we must don for most of society and commune with each other. 

As Dr. Sexson has reminded us on numerous occasions, this class, this experience that we are having in this class is rare and special.  Our ability to connect and resonate with, not only the literature, but also each other will affect us for the rest of our lives.  Occasionally, in life we are fortunate enough to recognize magic as it is occurring rather than having to wait for hindsight’s appreciation to emerge.  Each of us knows in the depths of our souls that long after we walk our down our separate paths we will carry this class, these people, this knowledge and wisdom with us for the remainder of our lives. 

Finding myself rendered speechless is a new experience for me.  Yet, for a majority of class I was without words as I sat awestruck by the depth of your insights.   My life is enriched, my soul encouraged, my spirit lifted, and my hope renewed by knowing you.  If reincarnation does exist, I hope our paths cross again.  As our eyes meet again, we will feel immediately comfortable,  able to quickly dispense of the superficial gibberish and delve deeply into a communion that feeds our souls. 

Your presentations have made the world a better place to live.    If our mere observations collapse a wave into a particle, expanding the knowledge of those around you must be like a supernova explosion in the scheme of things.  Your passion, your vulnerability, your strength, your wisdom and your receptivity changes the very fabric of the universe.  The butterfly effect of your thoughts will ripple across space and time forever altering the cosmos.  Excellent!

Jonah, I loved the evolution of your character, Lily, as she progressed throughout her life and then continued the cycle with her grandchild.  The homeless man’s perspective of rebuilding his home more often that most has touched me deeply.  My husband, as a youth, lived as a homeless teen for a few years.  He said that he had never felt so free – no obligations, free to wander, to think, and ponder the world around him.  I never grasped his perspective, but your experience with homeless man clarified it for me.  I think about it every day.  The Magician card was perfect!  You are a powerful young man whose wisdom runs very deeply. 

Joe, your joy is infectious!  I found myself wanting to laugh out loud in excitement as you were singing.  I kept seeing you as the center of the universe from which joy emanates.  Just as the Big Bang explosion created the beautiful universe we live in, your love of life radiates outward nurturing those who are fortunate enough to cross paths with you. Your appreciation of the significance of coincidences will impact your life in unimaginably powerful ways --- keep noticing.  If you ever have the chance to watch a TV show called TOUCH, take the time to watch the first season.  Even if you can’t watch the whole show, watch the first five minutes of each show – the introduction by the autistic child character talks about the web of life and how everything is connected.  Each episode has a different insight.  Amazing!!!  Everytime I hear a song, I remember what you said about the silence between the beats.  I realized that it is in the Silence that we hear our souls speak.  Thank you for changing my life in such a positive way!

Brooke, when I read your blogs I always feel my concerns for the future lift significantly.  As a teacher, you will be directly impacting numerous lives and those lives will impact others and so on and so on.  The effect is eternally positive.  Just as Dr. Sexson has changed your life, you will pass the gift forward, and in this way you definitely will live forever.  The adjectives that come to mind when I read your blogs:  intelligent, thoughtful, provocative, intense, emotional, profound, wise, enduring, and beautiful (among a few).  Thank you for sharing ideas that permanently alter my perspectives.  Your insights about vulnerability have haunted me.  You are absolutely right, to be vulnerable requires the strength to remove one’s mask.  When we build walls, everyone is kept out, not just the “enemy.”  Vulnerability requires trust and trust requires strength.  I am so grateful for you and the impact you will have on the generations to come!

Calder, all semester I have read your blogs and found myself taking several

moments of silence to digest what I read.  Thankfully, Dr. Sexson has made it very clear that reading something once is never enough.  So, I re-read your blogs and try to absorb all that you convey, knowing I will never be able to fully grasp the depths of your wisdom, but enjoying the opportunity to try.  I usually read yours before I sleep so that my mind can devote itself to assimilating what I have experienced.  You are an amazingly gifted writer.  Please keep sharing your thoughts with the world!  Thank you for reminding us how history is distorted by perspective. The video clip is powerful.  I watched it at home and burst into tears. I know it may seem bizarre, but my first exposure to the atrocities of the Vietnam War was the movie Rambo.  I was 18 and had gone to see it with my boyfriend at the $1 show.  I cried for six hours in mortification of how humans were affected by the decisions of politicians and business men.  They sit safe and secure in their plush offices while they send people’s brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews to secure resources they want to get richer.  It’s disturbing.  I read RULE BY SECRECY by Jim Marrs several years ago.  Powerful, eye-opening, and nauseating.   Put it on your reading list.   

Katie C. your dream stories were evocative and engaging.  Raptly, I sat as you wove your magic, taking us into your dream world.   With amazing alacrity, you took an enigmatic quote from the Secular Scriptures and made it understandable.  I find myself compelled to look deeper at passages after listening to your profound insights.  I think your perspectives on the introvert/extrovert dilemma will serve you well!  ps:  have you considered acting?  Your were convincing as a pissed off rejected lover.  I’d hate to be on the other end of that in real life J

Alaine, WOW!!!  I sat breathless as you performed your poem.  And

afterwards ----for several days.  You are POWERFUL!  A FORCE that is destined to impact the world.  The poem is Brilliant!  The multifaceted nature of your poem wove a multitude of aspects together seamlessly, beautifully, effectively.  It was insightful, personal, but as one of the classmates shared, universal.  I am eternally impacted by what you shared.  And never, ever, ever will I worry when my kids choose to embrace the quieter sides of their nature.  Thank you for baring your soul with us!

Yasmin, you are so very beautiful, inside and out.  Your inner beauty emanates from your smile with enough wattage to power the universe.  When people see you, they can’t help but to smile back.  I found your topic a perfect fit.  When you showed Nelson Mandela’s smile, I was reminded of my Texts & Critics class

where we read the notes from his trial and Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail.   Their inner grace profoundly affected me and changed the course of my studies.   Thank you for reminding us to brighten the world with our inner beauty.  Our smiles are the lights in a world that is too many times a dark place.  You are a beautiful soul and I am so glad you are here in the world guiding us with your light!

Spencer, I don’t know if you remember, but we met in the bookstore before the semester started.  I was immediately aware of your intelligence and insightful nature.  I was encouraged to know we would have a class together.  Your ability to artfully weave science into our daily lives is inspirational.  In a perfect world, I will be able to write science stories for public consumption – think shows like THROUGH THE WORMHOLE or HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE and magazines like Discover and Science News.  I hope to do what you did so amazingly --- get the audience excited about science because it does affect our lives in a dramatic way.  Thank you for inspiring me to continue on my journey.  Even if you do work for an oil company, your presence is strong enough to make a positive impact.  I believe in you!

Katie N, what a fascinating look into human nature’s need to know!  Brilliant game.  I had so much fun watching the class’ imagination compose a cohesive story with only a skeletal framework to guide us.    People were willing to trust you and engage in the activity.  And then to find there was no definitive killer at the end?  AAAGGGHHH!!!  Disbelief flowed in the room, the atmosphere changed immediately.  How did it feel to manipulate the emotions of your classmates so completely?  Did you feel like Conchis orchestrating the godgame? It took courage to take a roomful of people and act as puppet master.  I’m impressed.  You are obviously a bright, rising star.  I have enjoyed spending time with you before class and appreciate your calm, insightful nature. 

Rose, thank you for sharing what you think and how you feel without apology.  Thank you for sharing your questions and concerns. (And dreams of 30 pounds).  Your strength of character allows you to question others and yourself – a sure path to growth and understanding.  Your openness about your feelings have given permission and strength to others who needed the encouragement to express themselves.  You are an inspiration!

Matt, I am grateful for your contributions to class.  You have exposed me to ideas, paintings, and writings I might have never come across.  Your enthusiasm is contagious and appreciated.  Thank you for baring your soul and allowing us to enter your inner mental space.  Your dreams are fascinating!  You are an initiate beginning his journey, the Fool eagerly anticipating his journey.  After your travels, you will be a wise and wonderful Magician, a teacher who will enlighten and enrich the lives around him.

Brady, your powerful blog on Circles has permeated the entire semester.  I

am grateful for your knowledge of literature and willingness to connect the dots for those of us who are less knowledgeable about Shakespeare, etc.  Your future students are fortunate to have a teacher who has so much to share.  I know I have thoroughly enjoyed  sharing a classroom with you.  Thank you for showing me how differently a poem can be interpreted.  I have a new appreciation for poetry after your presentation.

Logan, I always enjoy your input and am awed how you mix computer expertise with literature and music.  Certainly, you have a gift for perspectives that allow you to see the world differently – just like your Hanged Man card depicts.  Even more importantly, you are comfortable in your wealth of knowledge. It was so much fun to travel down the rabbit hole with you.  I only grasped about 10% of what you were conveying to us, but it was thrilling to be on the ride!  After your presentation, I began thinking about the Big Bang and wondering if the singularity that collapsed upon itself was a system imploding in a situation like you described with the phonograph.  Thanks for all of the deep thoughts!  They need to take your idea and put it on THROUGH THE WORMHOLE.

Carol, I have always enjoyed sitting next to you in class and listening to

your quiet commentary on the class discussions.   You bring a perspective revealed largely in your blogs that I appreciate.  As an oldest child, I was a born perfectionist --- a trait I am learning to reconcile with my humanity at the ripe age of 50.  I have spent A LOT of energy giving 150% even when it didn’t make sense, even when I was the only one demanding it of myself.  Last fall, I came back to college after many, many, many years.  Even after all that time, I reverted back into my pattern of only accepting perfect grades, of pushing myself to reach ridiculously rigid goals.  After all, there are no parents getting my grade card, right?  I was tired and facing burn out before the semester even began.  What was the lesson here?  I had to learn to balance my life.  Being focused is important, but so is the art of letting go.  I am learning that a B won’t actually kill me.  Yes, with another 6 hours of study an A was probably in my grasp, but at the end of my life will it be more important that I spent time with my family or that I had an A?  In some cases (like Calculus), an “A” stands for Lonely.  Take care of yourself, pushing yourself and being motivated is admirable --- just don’t push yourself over a cliff (and don’t wait until 50 to learn the art of balance).  As always, I enjoy traveling down your thought processes with you as guide.  You have an ability to weave several subjects together into a beautiful tapestry, once again proven by your presentation.

Conner, I am so glad you “crashed” our class and our blogs!  Your poems are wonderfully heartfelt.  After Matt’s presentation, I definitely want access to your and Joe’s writings.  Thanks for your scientific input and helping us understand that aspect. 

I wish our class was one of the Honors Expeditions class so we could travel and experience the world together for a couple of weeks.  I will miss our time together each week, but hope you will all stay in touch and let me know how your beautiful lives are progressing. 

Much love,  Valerie