Last week, it was Thursday around 1:00, I sat in my teacher lounge. It was an ordinary day from my ordinary life. I had finished lunch and felt like tuning out for a moment so I opened Facebook on my phone. NPR had shared the passing of Mary Oliver. In the moment I read the words I felt a bit of something leave me. I imagine it was a moment of grief. I never met her, yet I did meet her words. They will forever hold meaning in my life. I cannot think of a time since I began slicing or hosting Slice of Life that words of Mary Oliver have not somehow resonated within me and made me feel like the air around me created a spirit of life and beauty. As I write these words now I feel a bit weepy on her passing. I have shared her here many times and today will be no different and yet so different. I share these words with you today, from her, and I hope you feel the joy, wonder, and possibility in them like I do. Thank you Mary Oliver, for all your words.
I decided very early I wanted to write. But I didn’t think of it as a career. I didn’t even think of it as a profession…it was the most exciting thing, the most powerful thing, the most wonderful thing to do with my life.
~Mary Oliver
WRITE a slice of life story.
SHARE your link in the comments section.
GIVE comments to at least three other SOL stories.
Before you go, be sure to take a look at the following links in case you missed any new information regarding the SOLSC March Challenge and the April Challenge for classrooms.
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 
Joy of Books: https://wp.me/piUJM-373
LikeLike
My morning walk led me to a new look of winter. http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2019/01/digital-snow-art.html
LikeLike
We Keep Trying……
http://iowaconflictedteacher.com/2019/01/22/we-keep-trying-sol19/
LikeLike
Thanks Elsie for the nudge – I am back after a long absence.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/2019/01/23/sol-tuesday-3/
LikeLike
I nearly forgot, well, everything… http://persistenceandpedagogy.com/2019/01/22/i-didnt-forget-i-just-didnt-remember/
LikeLike
Today…
http://elisawaingort.com/2019/01/23/today-2/
LikeLike
Beige. https://alotalot.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/slice-of-life-beige/
LikeLike
Seeking out something new to learn! https://wp.me/p8BwQK-hJ
LikeLiked by 1 person
Still trying to process the events of the past weekend.
https://ritadicarne.com/2019/01/22/who-knows-the-truth/
LikeLike
It might be an “easy way out”, but it’s an accurate representation of my current brain space…
https://writingandlaughing.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/tuesdays-haiku-soltuesday/
LikeLiked by 1 person
When one of you former students pass away and you are left with a treasure. Her writing…https://fallhugs.blogspot.com/2019/01/forever-ten.html
LikeLike
Why I show up every week…
http://www.teachersforteachers.net/?p=16910
LikeLike
Memories of a great dog!
https://readwritetravelrepeat.wordpress.com/2019/01/23/fred/
LikeLike
Kitchen nightmare? Happily, no. https://cast-of-characters.blogspot.com/2019/01/acquired-taste.html
LikeLike
We’ve had some wild weather lately…
https://wp.me/p2fY1t-1h7
LikeLike
The late Mary Oliver makes a brief appearance in my “Currently,” Betsy. Such
a loss to the writing world. https://wonderingandwondering.wordpress.com/2019/01/23/currently-sol19/
LikeLike
What do you do when junk takes over? https://reflectionsontheteche.com/2019/01/22/slice-of-life-kondo-monday/
LikeLike
Finding my way around the kitchen with my daughter’s help
http://readingamidthechaos.blogspot.com/2019/01/finding-our-way-in-kitchen-sol19.html
LikeLike
Wrote a short poem about tests while my students are in the midst of state testing:
https://learntoteachmjh.blogspot.com/2019/01/test-1-2-3.html
LikeLike
I’ve been a parent for eight years. It amazes me that my children are still schooling me about what matters the most.
https://raisealithuman.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/mittenproblems-2/
LikeLike
I composed poetry while sitting in the waiting room at a doctor’s office:)
https://wp.me/p5LXww-1eI
LikeLike
It’s report writing time. We don’t give grades in our primary school but write comments. I spent hours reading what other teachers had written about their students.
https://justforamonth.blogspot.com/2019/01/do-report-card-comments-make-your-tbr.html
LikeLike
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat …
https://wordsfromjl.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/repeat-repeat-repeat/
LikeLike
Happy to be flexing my writing muscles and joining this writing community again this week. Still thinking about my one little word- joy.
https://lisakeelerblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/a-little-saturday-afternoon-joy/
LikeLike
if it’s not one thing, it’s a completely different thing.
https://readingteachsu.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/one-little-thing-sol19/
LikeLike
The SOLSC announcement gave me a smidge of anxiety. haha. Here’s my slice for today: https://iheartpurplestuff.blogspot.com/2019/01/grief-bonding.html
LikeLike
I see several old friends have posted today after a long absence. I join them today because of a tweet yesterday.
https://lcinmo.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/one-tweet-one-word/
LikeLike
A slice about some slices
https://booksandbassets.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/pizza-for-lunch/
LikeLike
It’s that time again! Perusing Plant Catalogs with a MIssion in Mind!
http://theapplesinmyorchard.com/2019/01/22/plant-catalog-cravings/
LikeLike
It’s been about a year, will be fun to read what everyone’s up to: https://www.teacherdance.org/2019/01/slicing-for-friend.html
LikeLike
https://tammysreadinglife.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/winter-outing-sol19/
A local cafe and used bookstore was the perfect Sat outing!
LikeLike
Being the Marvelous Mrs Maisel for a day:
http://starryeyedenigma.com/2019/01/22/slice-of-life-tuesday-2-being-midge-maisel-for-a-day/
LikeLike
Don you believe in haunted houses? I didn’t, but then…
https://arjeha.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/haunted-house/
LikeLike
I got to teach music!!!
https://moonsnailsdaisiesmarmots.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/a-music-teacher/
LikeLike
Betsy’s SOL inspired my own reflection on poet, Mary Oliver.
https://readandwritebysally.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/mary-oliver/
LikeLike
Amtrak…
https://standingtall47.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/amtrak/
LikeLike
Wow, it’s been a long time… Glad to be back,
Bonnie https://wp.me/p3Gehh-4CS
LikeLike
A Hug from his Spirit: http://theamyrudder.blogspot.com/2019/01/dads-hug.html
LikeLike
Attention https://terierrol.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/attention-focus/
LikeLike
A reflection from my weekend – http://enjoy-embracelearning.blogspot.com/2019/01/laughter-and-giggles-slice-of-life.html
LikeLike
Trevor Bryan’s newly released book, The Art of Comprehension, expanded my thinking about my own work with writers!
https://dmsherriff.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/reading-pictures-exploring-theme/
LikeLike
I just can’t seem to take down the Christmas tree. In this slice I ponder why that might be. https://ebgriffin1119.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/oh-tannenbaum-oh-tannenbaum/
LikeLike
It all started at the Ice and Smelt Festival…a bit of a slice and a bit of an announcement
https://nixthecomfortzone.com/2019/01/22/it-all-started-at-the-ice-and-smelt-festival/
LikeLike
Mining past posts for inspiration, WordCloud style: https://horizon51.blogspot.com/2019/01/tuesday-slice-cloud-of-january-words.html
LikeLike
Today is PD Day!
https://iblessings.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/professional-development-day/
LikeLike
Going back in time today: https://wheresthejoy.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/3082/
LikeLike
Also: Beautiful tribute to Mary Oliver in today’s invitation to write, Betsy. She was, herself, an invitation to write. And to live fully.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hair salons are fabulous places for absorbing dialogue – especially when you overhear the word “writing”:
https://litbitsandpieces.com/2019/01/21/something-to-say/
LikeLike
Honoring the MLK Jr holiday . . .
https://franmcveigh.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/sol19-celebrate-action/
LikeLike
Proof I am not musically inclined, but I can still be a learner. https://msvictorreads.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/new-learning-can-be-hard/
LikeLike
It’s book award season and I’m still reading possible winners!
https://pleasuresfromthepage.blogspot.com/2019/01/slice-of-life-newbery-musings.html
LikeLike
For some reason, my comment isn’t visible on your blog Ramona, so here it is:
I have been away from Slicing for months and you are the first slicer I read… I’ve been away from reading as well… and I’m back there as well… so it was so great to feel your book love and get so many recommendations.
YAY and Thanks,
Bonnie
LikeLike
Waiting to read other slices 🙂
https://mukhamani.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/letter-from-home-4-sol-2019/
LikeLike
A little moment of quiet in the midst of an epic road trip!
https://www.allaboutwriters.com/blog/off-the-beaten-track
LikeLike