Noah's Norwegian Adventure!: The Beginning....

DEDICATING THIS YEAR TO THE MEMORY OF MY GRANDFATHER STANLEY H. CROW &

THE ENDURING SPIRIT OF MY GRANDFATHER

FREDERICK O. LANPHEAR

To Be of Use

The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who stand in the line and haul in their places,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

~ Marge Piercy ~

Friday, March 5, 2010

The Beginning....

So after a lot of effort and expectation we heard today about my AFS Global Leaders Scholarship. I am pleased to announce that I am fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship and hopefully this means I am on my way to Norway in August! There's still some work to do but I am extremely hopeful and excited now!

Thank you to the scholarship committee for this award. I am so very grateful.

So, now it's time to think about raising the rest of the money and taking some Norwegian classes!

With appreciation!

Noah