Simple Gifts

My daughters' Friends School sang this song after morning meeting today -- it was so lovely and perfect for this season, I was compelled to find out more. A few renditions are on the YouTube sidebar.


Simple Gifts

(A bit of a detailed history and analysis can be found at the American Music Preservation site)

Lyrics and music by Elder Joseph Brackett at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine, 1848.

Aaron Copeland included it in his Appalachian Spring symphony in 1955.


Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be out delight

'Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Soul of Education

This summer I read Rachel Kessler's book The Soul of Education. She currently directs the Passageways Institute

She argues that there are many gateways into soulful education -- she discusses deep connection, silence and solitude, meaning and purpose, joy, creativity, transcendence and initiation as part and parcel of meaningful learning. Providing children with the opportunity to be with each other and adults in an authentic way is essential for their development into adults. Yet, our culture discourages this kind of connection, and much of our time together is spent on the surface. Although the work is focused on teens, it raises questions about how to create genuine opportunities for kids to deal with the hard "meaning of life" questions that are on their minds. She also argues that kids/communities need ceremonies and traditions that mark rites of passage -- this is largely missing in my life and I'm curious about how others bring rituals into your lives in a way that stays simple, genuine and meaningful.