I Shall But Love Thee Better

A HOUSE WHERE ALL'S ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS

The Woman's Club of Portsmouth, where
my son Ben and his bride Cathleen were married last week
~ right there on the front porch!
A few months ago, in preparation for the ceremony, Ben asked me to suggest some poems -- no tired old conventions and nothing ridiculously outdated, please! -- to read at the wedding. Naturally, I was honored to comply with this request and share my treasure trove of ideas, starting with the readings that Gerry and chose for our wedding, twenty - nine years ago.

I also recommended this combination, which Gerry and I didn't use, but almost did:

From Psalm 46: "Therefore will not we fear,
though the earth be removed, and
though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make us glad . . . "

************************

From Stand By Me by Ben E. King

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No, I won't be afraid
Oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me . . .

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me

Though, in the end, these lyrics didn't make it into either wedding, they were a close runner - up both times, and the song remains a favorite with everyone.

My next suggestion was Sonnet #43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Even though it may seem like a total cliche, I love this poem, written to her husband Robert Browning (excepting the morbid conclusion and most of lines 3 - 4, which I have never really understood, in brackets below):

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, [when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.]
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; [and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.]

Ben shared my admiration for this one and made a couple more enlightened edits, trusting that Elizabeth Barrett Browning would concur:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach . . .
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as we strive for right.
I love thee purely, as we turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life . . .

Best Wishes to the Newlyweds Cathleen & Ben!

Ever since Sam's undergrad days as Purdue Boilermaker #43,
this particular number seems to follow our family around,
compounding its significance and bringing good fortune.
My reading of "Sonnet #43" on Ben & Cathleen's wedding day
proved to be yet another case in point!

See also: Boiler Up! ~ DYFJ ~ Waiting For Football
SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS ON MY
Next Fortnightly Post
Saturday, July 14th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blog posts
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com

Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogspot.com

So Many Synchronicities!

ART & DESIGN ~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS

Christmas, 1930 - 1940
by Florine Stettheimer, 1871 – 1944

Post - Holiday Chat With a Friend
K: Here is a copy of the card I mailed you, featuring a painting of New York City by one of my new favorite artists, Florine Stettheimer. I love all the pinks & yellows, don't you?

N: Ooh! I love Florine’s artwork! I’d never heard of her so thanks for introducing her to me. I look forward to receiving your card. Her style kind of reminds me of Maira Kalman’s. Are you familiar with her? I fell in love with her when I read her Principles of Uncertainty column in the NYT years ago. It’s now published in a lovely book form (and more recently, an hour - long choreographic collaboration). By the way, I learned while listening to an interview with her that her name is pronounced “Myra” (not “Mayra," as I had been saying in my head).

K: Thanks for telling me about Maira Kalman. I looked her up on amazon and already ordered the book you suggested -- Principles of Uncertainty, plus another one -- And the Pursuit of Happiness. When I googled her name, I immediately recognized one of the New Yorker covers, a woman wearing an Easter Bunny Bonnet (filled with tiny Chagall - like figures), that I had years ago in a box of note cards featuring several different artists -- but I didn't really pay any attention at the time, just used up the cards without thinking or remembering. So, thanks to your tip, now I know!

N: I hope you enjoy Maira Kalman as much as I do. She has also done illustrations for a new publication of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style that you might enjoy (required reading in my 9th grade English class). She’s actually done many books since that first one. She just might be a new favorite for you, too!

K: Here's another Florine, from the Chicago Art Institute:

N: I thought that painting looked familiar! I, too, took a picture of it when visiting that museum in 2014! I just didn’t make note of the artist because I’d never heard of her. See my close - ups:

K: How serendiptious that we were both so drawn to this painting, in the same location but at different times!

N: By the way, I was just looking through some photos from a brief weekend in NYC years ago, and came across these ones I took at the Met! Can you believe it? Apparently, I’ve been admiring Florine’s work for years without even realizing it!

N: So many synchronicities! Florine seems an unusual name and yet a little girl in our neighborhood has this name! Also, I had just been reading The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali translated by Swami Vivekananda and the same day, when leaving the museum, I looked up and saw this road sign! I thought it unusual enough to photograph it:

K: Amazing! I love these three Stettheimer paintings that I have never seen before! And how amazing that you saw "Swami Vivekananda Way" on the same day that you were in Chicago, and that you know another "Florine"! I like the way you express it: "So many synchronicities!" That's what I love writing about on my blogposts -- all the daily connections and coincidences!

SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS ON MY
Next Fortnightly Post
Thursday, June 14th

Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT
my shorter, almost daily blog posts ~ Kalman & Stettheimer
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com

Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogspot.com