F is for Fall…
Friends, Family, and The Forager School
From Founding Director Adela Martinez Berg
Thank you to all that were able to join us for the Fall Family Day event. There are times in life that require us to take full pause in the goodness happening all at once - perhaps unsurprisingly, it is the coming together of families and friends, to eat, converse, play, and bridge the important connection between home and a place of early learning.
To move from one end of school to the other offered a series of delight worthy of description: a hug from my mother, then a student’s mother, a hello and quick shuffle around the babies mid-crawl on our mushroom carpet, a final tying of corn husk dolls and a bite of the most scrumptious savory galette; face-painted laughter, families familiar and new, wafts of cinnamon, and best of all the nostalgic sight of well-loved hands clasped around the warmth of shared community and hot apple cider.
Being Present with the Goodness
The fun and excitement that simmered throughout the evening reminded me how necessary it is to make time for tucking into the present moment. As a global community enduring a difficult time of loss, destruction, and separation, it is up to each individual community (no matter how rural or small) to make time to foster healthy foundations of reciprocity and care for one another. We must take in these simple pleasures and savor them for all their flavor. It is the life we have been blessed with, and we have the good fortune to shape it for the better.
A beloved mentor and professor of early childhood education once shared words to this effect… If we look to the experience of young children to guide us in times of uncertainty, it is all too often we (adults) miss out on the goodness of the present, the one place we have control over - when we are afraid of letting go, we ruminate over the past, we dwell in places where we have no control, only to lament over anxieties about the future... The wisdom of children can be observed in their play, which only ever exists in the present. The present is very precious, so don’t go and squander it!
With that in mind, I look forward to the next time we can all gather. Take care, and please find time to tuck in to the goodness!
