literacy day

Sorry to be away for so long. I missed you all. Click here to see where I was.

I am back now. Getting ready to celebrate Literacy Day tomorrow in great style at St. Christopher House Adult Literacy Program.

My cousin sent me this image. The whole set of photos is here. I am not sure if it is okay to use this photo here but I decided to live dangerously because it makes me think about a lot of stuff and I hope it will do the same for you. Have a great weekend and a beautiful ILD.

"First Writing" Enlightenment Ceremony Held For Children In Nanjing, China:
A teacher paints a vermilion dot on the forehead of a student during the 'First Writing' enlightenment ceremony held for grade one students of a primary school at the Confucius Temple on September 3, 2007 in Nanjing of Jiangsu Province, China. The ceremony symbolizing the start of literacy, involves painting vermilion, reciting Chinese classicals and tolling bells, in a bid to promote traditional culture.

(Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

Bread and Roses

As we go marching, marching,
in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens,
a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance
that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing:
Bread and Roses!
Bread and Roses!

As we go marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women's children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses.

As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too.

As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days,
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses, bread and roses.

Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; bread and roses, bread and roses.

James Oppenheim (1882-1932)

According to the Calgary District Labour Council, " Bread and Roses was written during a strike of women textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1912.

"27,000 women went on strike for a 54-hour week with no loss of pay(the previous working week was 56 hours).They spoke over 27 different languages among them and marched every day to keep up their morale. Their banners called for bread and roses, and a poet among them wrote these words,which went on to become a famous song for women trades unionists everywhere.They were on strike for eleven weeks and eventually won the reduction in their working week, a reduction that gave them money in their pockets as well as a better quality of life for their families, not just bread, but roses, too."

Hope this tune carries you through Labour Day.
We'll be back on September 4th.