Staff meeting began this morning with a visit from Debbie Goodeve’s grandson Henry and his mom Kaitlin. Henry has tufty red hair and at 8 months won all our hearts in under two minutes. Henry was gifted a quilt made by the Exchange staff. It’s our tradition that every firstborn baby or grandbaby receives a handmade quilt and his or her siblings are gifted books. Dee Hartzell’s grandson Rica’i was also gifted a quilt, but we weren’t able to present it in person. We’ve made many quilts over the years and take quite a bit of pride in these accomplishments. In fact, we’re so proud that we want to make sure you get to enjoy them, too.

For the September cover of Exchange I just made a trip to HOT Arkansas to visit EOA Children’s House. Jo Ann Nalley from Arkansas State University Childhood Services was at the airport to greet me, an issue of Exchange tucked in her arms, and a welcoming smile on her face. Together we had dinner with Brenda Zedlitz, Director of Children’s Services, to begin hearing the story of Children’s House. And then with Marcy White we spend several hours with the children and staff, learning about their mission and history.

Children’s House was created over 30 years ago and is sustained today by a caring community committed to being there for children who are victims of abuse and neglect. The children, living with parents or relatives or foster families, are referred by the court system to Children’s House, where they receive care in the form of therapies, services, attention, food, love and kindness. This program can demonstrate the effectiveness of their strategies and will be sharing this part of their story in the magazine.

It’s heartrending to be in the midst of children at play and realize that each of them carries baggage into every experience of their lives. But with the staff and other children they are now able to spend their days in an environment of respect and gentleness. It’s an opportunity for them to find pathways to resilience and hope, as they are fed alternative ways of being and seeing the world.

One of the striking elements of the story is how it began–with people seeing these children and saying: “We can do something.” It continues because the spirit of “seeing and doing something” continues. The program’s history is peppered with volunteers who see needs and fill them, and leadership is adept at making needs visible to the greater community. “It’s all about relationships,” says Ben McClintock, Director of Development.

It was a great honor to spend time with all of these dedicated people who use their professional and personal power to deal with overwhelming issues and create places of safety and caring for traumatized children. Thank you Jo Ann, Marcy, Ben, Brenda, Terri Teters, Assistant Director of Children’s Services, and Michael Lanier, Executive Director EOA.

It occurs to me as I reflect on this experience, that all of us who work in early childhood encounter children who are abused and neglected–often without knowing of their pains. But we can learn from the model of EOA Children’s House as we work together to share this model of caring with all of you.

Okay, so I felt kind of proud that we created a puddle and had great fun on Mud Day. And then Bishnu sent this photograph from the Mud Day celebration in Nepal. An elephant is quite humbling! Isn’t it wonderful to see what people made of this idea around the world? The fact that thousands of people in many different places did something they wouldn’t usually have done on June 29 because we as World Forum and Nature Action Collaborative for Children declared it to be a day of enjoying mud is powerful. I can’t wait for International Mud Day, June 29, 2012.

This morning I was thinking about how this day has changed me. Scott and I were talking around the mud puddle about how there are so many things that we just don’t think about–like playing in the mud. Sure, mud is messy, but it’s so easy and so delightful and playful and handy, and so very important. It isn’t that we reject ideas as much as they just don’t come to mind. And so we need others, like Bishnu and Gillian, to make us think and help us be.

Really, I feel like Mud Day is more than a day–it’s almost a way of life. Nature enters our psyches and hearts in such a way that it becomes the new normal. And every day holds within it the pursuit of play and delight outdoors.

As World Forum, Exchange, teacher, grandmother, person I wanted to participate in Mud Day, too. It seemed too important, and too much fun, for us to be left behind just because we don’t have a school. So we announced that we would celebrate Mud Day in our backyard.

We invented our celebration as we went:
•We invited everyone we knew to come and play in the mud with us.
•Roger dug out a space of lawn about five feet square.
•We dumped three bags of potting soil on top.
•We collected old sand toys and kitchen and garden equipment.
•We moved the garden hose close by.
•We filled a tub with water and positioned it close to the dirt pile.

And we waited. People arrived. More people than we thought. It was chaotic and messy and exhausting. Everyone who wanted to got wet and muddy. Absolutely everybody had fun.

We learned some things:
•When you invite people to play in the mud, some are confused.
•It doesn’t matter if the sun isn’t shining.
•Adults need to get into the action–some can’t wait.
•Everyone has their own pace and sensitivities about mud, water, mucking about, getting dirty. And it’s fascinating to be part of accepting and enjoying all the differences.

Two things we know:
•We will be looking forward to World Forum International Mud Day, June 29, 2012.
•We’ll be enjoying mud and water and mess until then.

World Forum comes to Redmond! Macdonald Sembereka just called — Maphunziro Foundation, Balaka, Malawi. He is visiting friends nearby. We had a bit of catch-up since he was unable to be at the World Forum in Honolulu. He was in New York for a UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS, as part of the delegation from Malawi. He had responsibilities for sharing about issues around young children and said they worked on a new declaration, a new commitment. He will write a report on the experience and outcomes for us. He also wanted to hear how the different WF groups he is involved in are doing. I think he was kind of proud of his MECE group. It’s crazy when people from different parts of our lives step into different places! Surprising, exciting, fun.