Miss Rumphius

When my daughter was a little girl, my mother gave her a book, like most librarian grandmothers are want to do. This book, Miss Rumphius written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney, quickly became one of our favorites. We read it before bed, we read it in the park, we read it at nap time, and we gave it to all of her friends for birthdays. Like so many children, there is that one book that becomes a favorite. This book, however, became a favorite of mine, too.
The story is set in the Victorian era where it was unusual for women to have adventures. Miss Rumphius grew up at the knee of her grandfather who challenged her to travel the world and return to live by the sea, but to most importantly "do something to make the world more beautiful." The pictures are lovely and the writing simple and direct. Mostly, this book is simply inspiring in how it documents how a woman pushed the envelope of what was expected in her world and lived her life fully, seeking to engage and embracing and accepting all that came to her.  By living her life this way and choosing to spend the end of that very eventful life focusing on the local, focused, and simple act of planting flowers alongside pathways and roads in her community, she made her world more beautiful.

Ever since Katharine and I were gifted with this book, the phrase, "do something to make the world more beautiful" has stuck with me.

With this blog, I'd like to begin to document the small ways that people make their world more beautiful whether that be planting trees, making soup for a sick neighbor, making music or art, teaching people to celebrate themselves, helping those less fortunate, or just living. Since I live in Mississippi which is one of the most poverty-ridden states that just happens also to be one of the most rich cultural birthplaces in our nation, I think that I will have plenty of things to write about, celebrate, and discover.

I invite you to share stories of people you know who are doing beautiful things and let's celebrate what really makes a community alive.