Poem for the Day After Christmas

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect for Roundup.

Christmas tree shaped
charcuterie board :)

Hope everyone is enjoying some rest and relaxation during these beautiful holidays! We had a wondrous Christmas celebration, and I'm feeling super grateful for time, laughter, and conversation with my loved ones. Joy!

Last week several readers had questions about my new gig as a DAR Correspondent Docent in Training. Thank you! 

my maternal grandmother,
Ruth Lavinia Ralston Hedden Oslund

Yes, I am a member of DAR. DAR is a non-political women's service organization focused on preservation, education, and patriotism—any woman who can trace her lineage back to the Revolutionary War can join. My grandmother was a member, so all I had to do was turn in the paperwork. If you don't have this information, DAR has Genealogy experts who are happy to help you dig!

My ancestor, Andrew Ralston, served in the Thirteenth Pennsylvania as a Sergeant. He participated in the battles at Germantown, Monmouth, and Brandywine, where he suffered a head wound. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Long Island. Fortunately, he survived, and at the end of the war, he returned to York, Pennsylvania, where he married and started a family.

Funny thing: I didn't know any of this when we named our middle son Andrew! But now that I do know, it feels really sweet and special, like carrying on this name provides a vital connection to the past. Andrew thinks it's pretty cool, too.

If you've ever watched Gilmore Girls, you know Emily Gilmore was famously a DAR member. (Paul and I recently watched the entire series on Netflix. Love!) The show presents a stereotypical view of DAR as a hoity-toity social club for wealthy women. This may be true in some areas of the country. But my Warrior Rivers chapter here in Blount County, Alabama, is made up of wise, mostly elderly, down-to-earth women who are passionate about history, enjoy learning, and are eager to serve the community. 

The DAR Museum is located in Washington, D.C., near the White House. It's dedicated to the preservation of life inside the home—anything to do with everyday life, from decorative arts to what we wear, to kitchen gadgets, furniture, toys, and so much more! There are 31 period rooms (sponsored by different states) and 3 rotating galleries. 

I've never been to the DAR Museum, but I've received training about the museum so that I can be part of their Outreach team. Correspondent Docents deliver programs created by the museum's experts in their own home communities. Earlier this month, I gave a program on Holiday Traditions and how they've changed through the years. Next month, I will provide one titled "Sewn in America," which is about needlecraft, quilting, and dressmaking, based on an exhibit the museum held in 2024. Once I've given ten programs, I'll be a full-fledged Correspondent Docent and can drop the "In Training" part of the title.

Y'all, I love this! I get to learn! And share what I'm learning! I get to surround myself with other curious, history-loving folks! And who knows what stories and poems will arise because of it??

New life goal: visit the DAR Museum in person. For anyone reading this who'll be in D.C., it's free and open to the public Monday-Saturday.

Another DAR thing I'm doing during 2026 is facilitating an America 250 Book Club in our community. All the titles are related to the Revolutionary War. I'll paste in the list below. I'm excited!

The Founding Foodies: American Meals That Wouldn’t Exist Today If Not for Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin by Dave DeWitt

Angelica: For Love and Country in the Time of Revolution by Molly Beer

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of an American Nation by Andrea Wulf

Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts

1776 by David McCullough

Today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO is #52 and the last in the series! I've selected my ArtSpeak! theme for 2026, and I'll be introducing that—along with my 2026 One Little Word—next week.

One of my favorite things about Picasso is how incredibly prolific he was—he created nearly 150,000 pieces! He was constantly trying new things, and his style evolved over the years. This encourages me to be prolific and keep trying new things. So it made sense to choose for this last poem a piece of his art that was somehow related to him at work. There's also a nod to a famous Rilke quote (see below). Thanks so much for reading!

Picasso in His Studio the Day After Christmas

The air, once sharp
with anticipation
has softened. The world

rearranges with or without
our help. Do we dare
rest? We cannot

know what beauty
and terror wait for us
behind the yellow

door. The new year steals
into every room with
the feet of a thief.

- Irene Latham

p.s. I think maybe the poem isn't quite finished... I'll revisit another day!