Thursday, March 29, 2007

Henri Nouwen

"Writing can be a creative and invigorating way to make our lives available to ourselves and to others. We have to trust that our stories deserve to be told - we may discover that the better we tell our stories, the better we will want to live them."

Henri Nouwen

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Gloomy, grumpy Wednesday

There are days when I wake up and there is a dismal curtain pulled across my soul. Today was just such a day. There was no rhyme or reason, just a dark wall where the light usually shines. I am glad to say the day is over, and I am ready to crawl into a warm bed and leave the cheerless day behind me.

I will hum one of my favorite hymns if the darkness threatens to steal my sleep:

Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

And I will remember the blessing from Numbers 6:24-26:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.


Bless.

Gracious.

Peace.

Amen and amen.

For you, too, my dear readers.

Tomorrow is a NEW day.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Wedding meme

For Miz Booshay:

1. Where/How did you meet? We met at a Goker invitation writing party (you don’t know what Goker is? How is that possible? More soon on Goker.)

2. How long have you known each other? Since 1981

3. How long after you met did you start dating? Not until July of 1985

4. How long did you date before you were engaged? Five-and-a-half months

5. How long was your engagement? Six months and six days

6. How long have you been married? 20 ½ years

7. What is your anniversary? June 28, 1986

8. How many people came to your wedding reception? 225 - 250

9. What kind of cake did you serve? BAD CAKE. Dry. Icky. But, I didn’t care

10. Where was your wedding? At Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California

11. What did you serve for your meal? Manicotti and bread and salad. The cheapest thing we could find so we wouldn’t have to severely limit the reception size.

12. How many people were in your wedding party? 14 attendants

13. Are you still friends with them all? Christmas card friends with all; good friends with several.

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? No.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day? “You may kiss the bride.”

16. Any funny moments? All the groomsmen’s pants were the wrong length, the candle holders on the aisle were wobbly so two of them shattered during the ceremony...many, many goof-ups and I thought it was the most picture-perfect day in my life.

17. Any big disasters? No. The above do not count.

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? Half Moon Bay and Mendocino, California and Ashland, OR for the Shakespeare festival (I was new to Shakespeare and tired...I slept through BOTH plays. Silly me.)

19. How long were you gone? Ten days.

20. If you were to do your wedding over.... I would buy my own dress. I borrowed mine and don’t have it for my girls to choose not to wear *smile* Would they really want to wear it? They sure think so.

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on? Right.

22. What size is your bed? Queen.

23. Greatest strength as a couple? We’re best friends, we talk about everything, we have many, many mutual interests that keep the closeness when the flame is on “low”.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple? We can both be stubborn and demanding.

25. Who literally pays the bills? We do it together.

26. What is your song? We don’t have one, but my husband is like a juke box and will burst into songs like “You’re My Inspiration” by Chicago when the moment is right. It always makes me laugh.

27. What did you dance your first dance to? A David Sandborn song.

28. Describe your wedding dress: Cream, off the shoulder, lace covered bodice and full, satin skirt. LOVED IT. But, alas, it was borrowed from a generous friend.

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? Huge, beautiful white and bright pink and periwinkle flowers. They were gorgeous.

30. Are your wedding bands engraved? My husband’s is with our wedding date. But he can’t get his ring off.

31. How old were you when you got married? I was 26 and my husband was 24.

HT: via Writing and Living

Monday, March 26, 2007

Thinking Blogger Award



On my morning blog rounds, I discovered that Seasonal Soundings had chosen me as one of five blogs that make her think. High praise, as this woman is one who has contributed to my thinking and learning for several years. Before either of us were blogging, her posts on a homeschool message board gave me practical ideas galore and plenty of inspiration. Thanks for the honor, my friend.

For more information on the Thinking Blogger Award, click here.

As a result of the award, I get to choose five of my favorite "make me think" blogs. I have chosen the following:

Wittingshire

I still remember the day I found Wittingshire. I was thrilled to see reflections on everything from Tolkien to Intelligent Design, and regular posts on poetry. Since then, I have had the privilege of meeting the Wittingshire family, and the friendship has provided cyber-movie dates, prayer support and lists of mystery authors I had never heard of. Now they live much further away, but I continue to be challenged by the writing, poetry and links. Oh, and the photography? Beautiful. When I look carefully at the pictures, it causes me to think through the light, the angle, the composition of all my future pictures.

Magistramater

If you need a good list of books to read or enjoy long reflections on movies, beautiful stories of extended family, very humorous Friday Five mishaps...then Magistramater is for you. I love how she thinks and how she writes. She is high on my list of "blog sistahs" I have to meet. Someday...


Dominion Family

I somehow missed this blog for years, but it is now on my regular route. The two things that pulled me there initially are Wendell Berry and CiRCE, but the thoughts on home education are excellent. And the humor...the chapter-at-a-time story Death of a Blogger is painfully funny.

The Autumn Rain

I hope it is legal to assign awards to family members, for Autumn Rain is my much-loved adopted niece. In the midst of her very successful first year of college, her writing DOES make me think. As a writing and philosophy major, she crafts a blog post like nobody's business. Reading The Autumn Rain is a pleasure...but no substitute for sitting across the table where I can see the twinkle in her eyes. August, dear niece, can't come soon enough.

Little Old House

Another blogger-turned-real-life-friend, Tonia has made me think since I found her old blog Intent a couple of years ago. Tonia doesn't settle for the easy way out, the comfortable answer in the Christian life; she wrestles with things, and she expresses her insights with captivating words. Her life in the country is lived with purpose and focus, and with a splash of whimsy that makes her a dear friend.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Watching, reading, identifying

Watching


Original Sin: DVD starring Roy Marsden.

Reading


The Republic by Plato. Thoroughly enjoying this, which is a surprise. Thought it might be dull, but the discussions and arguments are making me laugh and think.


The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters (I'm adding a couple of extra Amelia Peabody mysteries to the reading list. Fun reading.)


Identifying



American Coot
Fulica americana

Spotted on our pond and at the local lake where we walked on Saturday, I think it might be a coot. Not sure, but this is my guess so far. Tomorrow I will do some more observation.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

The Belated 2006 Homeschool Blog Awards


The Homeschool Blog Awards are back. Categories for this year are:


1. Best Homeschool Mom Blog
2. Best Homeschool Dad Blog
3. Best Blog Design
4. Best Artistic Content Blog
5. Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog
6. Best Family or Group Blog
7. Best Encourager
8. ‘Live-What-You-Believe’ Homeschool Blog
9. Best Unschooling or Eclectic Homeschooling Blog
10. Best Geographical Blog
11. Best Current Events, Opinions or Politics Blog
12. Best Homemaking or Recipes Blog
13. Best Teen Blog
14. Funniest Homeschool Blog
15. Best Cyber-Buddy Blogger
16. Best Curriculum or Business Blog
17. Best Variety
18. Best Thrifty Homeschooler
19. Best SUPER-HOMESCHOOLER
20. Best Nitty-Gritty Homeschool Blog
21. Best NEW Homeschool Blog

To nominate your favorite blogs click here.
Nominations will be accepted March 26 - April 7.

Friday, March 23, 2007

March Madness

GO

O
REGON
!

We're rootin' for the quack attack here.

Why?

Three reasons:

1. My husband went there his freshman year and played baseball for them.
2. They're in the PAC 10.
3. How can you resist the "Fighting Ducks"?

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Recommended




I have finally come to the conclusion that I am not a tea drinker. BUT, I have two very dedicated tea girls for children, and we have recently found a resource for tea that makes them very happy: Wellspring Tea. Two of our favorite flavors include Caramel for Hobbits and Anne Shirley's Almond Black.

Even for a French roast brewing, latte sipping woman such as myself, these teas are delicious. Highly recommended.

Wellspring Tea is having a spring cleaning sale on many of their teas. Contact information is available on the website. If you love tea, you won't want to miss the discounts.


"You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me."
C.S. Lewis

Mindy Withrow

Mindy Withrow's site is is a great literary review blog. Click here to read her recent Susan Wise Bauer interview.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

I'd like to age like ranunculus










Slowly blooming, more beautiful as the petals open and show their "wrinkles", not difficult to maintain, colors staying vibrant, elegant to the end.

Not like tulips...just a quick gasp of beauty, and bloop! they're gone.

Spring

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!
~Robert Browning

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

For Jane Austen fans

You’ve Read the Novels (Now Read the Footnotes)
New York Times
By William Grimes
Published: March 16, 2007

"Mr. Shapard explains absolutely everything. He restores the proper contemporary meanings to word like “condescending” (polite to inferiors) and “vicious” (inclined to vice). “Fun,” it turns out, was a vogue word, the “awesome” of its day, which is why the flighty Lydia Bennet — the foolish sister who runs away with the despicable George Wickham — uses it a lot. Mr. Shapard sorts out the differences among a phaeton, a gig, a chaise and a curricle, distinctions as clear to Austen’s readers as the difference between a Volvo and a Porsche is to us."


About this book:


The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and David Shapard

Monday, March 19, 2007

Recommendation


Good Poems for Hard Times, Selected and Introduced by Garrison Keillor

From the worth-the-price-of-the-book introduction:

"My dad and I were as different as could be (I made sure of that), but his life had a clarity that I can find in poetry. He was a carpenter, and if I close my eyes, I can see him, thirtyish , handsome, sawdust in his dark hair, running a 2x4 through a circular saw, trimming it, holding it up to the studs...This simple act, repeated a thousand times as he built the house up over our heads, had the cadence and fervor of poetry. He didn't earn his daily bread sitting in a conference room, manipulating people, moving big wads of cash around, spinning a web of hogwash; compared to that, his life was poetry. When he bowed his head and gave thanks before a meal, it was always the same words, the same cadence. When he took a chicken by the legs and laid its neck against the block and lifted the ax and chopped off its head, there was a plain cadence to that. I hear that whack in poetry. Comedians are the children at the upstairs window, amused by the hysteria of the chickens trying to escape over the fence, waiting for the hammerer to pound his thumb so they can imitate his pain, hop around and howl. Comedy is a predatory sport, closer to the lynch mob than to church. Poetry is church. What animates poetry is faith, the same faith that moves the builder and the butcher... (P)oetry is about driving the nail into the pine, killing the chicken, mowing grass, putting luggage into the car, gratitude for food, the laughter of a little girl, about our common life."

"This is a book of poems that if I knew you better and if you were in a hard passage I might send you one or two along with a note, the way people used to do, believing in the bracing effect of bold writing."

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Soundtrack for a country drive

Peace

Though we're strangers, still I love you
I love you more than your mask
And you know you have to trust this to be true
And I know that's much to ask
But lay down your fears, come and join this feast
He has called us here, you and me

And may peace rain down from Heaven
Like little pieces of the sky
Little keepers of the promise
Falling on these souls
This drought has dried
In His Blood and in His Body
In the Bread and in this Wine
Peace to you
Peace of Christ to you

And though I love you, still we're strangers
Prisoners in these lonely hearts
And though our blindness separates us
Still His light shines in the dark

And His outstretched arms are still strong enough to reach
Behind these prison bars to set us free

So may peace rain down from Heaven
Like little pieces of the sky
Little keepers of the promise
Falling on these souls the drought has dried
In His Blood and in His Body
In this Bread and in this Wine
Peace to you
Peace of Christ to you

And may peace rain down from Heaven
Like little pieces of the sky
Like those little keepers of the promise
Falling on these souls the draught has dried
In His Blood and in His Body
In the Bread and in this Wine
Peace to you
Peace of Christ to you
Peace to you
Peace of Christ to you



A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band


A warm pre-spring day, a car filled with six of my favorite people, and Rich Mullins helping my heart get ready for today. Life is sweet.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

More thoughts on standards in education

Thoughts on this post from my sister-in-law:

"My school years were so stressful, when I think back on them I cringe. If you took away Tom Sawyer, and replaced it with a technical manual...well, I hate to even think about it. Tom Sawyer, Diary of Anne Frank, Adam of the Road, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, those were the things that got me through my grade school, middle school years. Also being in Chorus in 7th grade. It's hard to argue with the general idea of standardized tests, the concept is good, but if it means losing music, art, PE, and TOM SAWYER, well...it just makes me sad. And reading a good book that you like makes you a better reader. It motivates a kid to read because they like it. That is so obvious, it's almost stupid to write it. What's motivational about a technical manual? I feel for J., and for his students as well."


For the record: my husband will continue teaching Tom Sawyer. AND technical manuals. But if the scores don't improve in the required areas, it will make things difficult for my favorite English teacher.

St. Patrick's Day

For you on this day of Irish celebration:

A picture (oh, do I want to go here someday):




A selection from St. Patrick's breastplate:

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

(Click here for the whole prayer)


And a blessing:

When the wind is howlin' in everyone's ears,
May you hear a soft, lilting breeze.
And if the rain is crashin' down,
May it only be dew at your knees.
If the ground 'neath your feet should quiver and shake,
I hope you'll be standin' with ease.
And never go hungry or wantin' for much;
May God grant you all that you need!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Catch up - Part the first

While we were traveling, sick, traveling again and sick again, we found time to celebrate and honor three of our family members for birthdays. It took all I had to do the cake/banner/happy celebration thing, and I had no brains left for writing and reflecting on my favorite people. Now, I have time to catch up.

First in line is my dear mum. On January 15th she celebrated her 80th birthday, and on January 19th we celebrated her fourth anniversary of living up here with us. She and I concur that without the latter, there would be no former. We moved her to be fiscally wise, not knowing that her health was severely compromised. Fortunately, she responds beautifully to proper doses of medication, and she had the courage and fortitude to quit smoking. Well, the fact that I drive her everywhere and would become a crazed maniac if I ever saw cigarettes in her shopping cart might have helped with her early need for courage and fortitude. Now, though, she is a crazed maniac herself and is tempted to shake teenage girls she sees smoking on the street corner.

It was just my mother, my sister and me as I was growing up. My sister was born an old soul; I was a late bloomer. Guess who was the easier child to relate to for a single mom just making it through the day? Yep, it wasn't me. As a result, I never knew my mother very well. We enjoyed each other's company, but I knew very little about her. In 1993 our lives changed forever when my sister was killed in a water skiing accident. Suddenly, it was just me and Mom. No more sister to translate for me, no more buffer between us. It was rough going, for many years. I was busy raising my children, too many children in my mother's view. I was homeschooling, and Mom was convinced that it was wearing me out and for no good reason. Do you share yourself with people who view your life with suspicion or contempt? Nope, me neither.

So, we come to the fall of 2002. I learned through a helpful cousin that Mom really needed to move to a more affordable area. It was up to me to play hard ball, and it was basically miserable. The months before the move were filled with phone conversations where I pushed and she resisted. She seemed incapable of packing, organizing, or even thinking. Finally, on January 19, 2003, we gathered our friends and their children and moved her. My beautiful and intelligent mother sat in a captain's chair in her empty bedroom with a blanket thrown over her head. What in the world? I could understand the resistance, but the lack of thinking? She seemed to be disappearing inside herself. January 19th was a long, rough day as I added worry about my mother's health to the long list of responsibilities pushing down on my shoulders.

Two hospital stays, countless doctors appointments, another move from her apartment to our granny flat, and we began to get into an ebb and flow of living next door to each other. She has her own house and takes care of herself. My job is to drive her anywhere she needs to go. She had to adjust to going less places less often; I had to adjust to the opposite. We have both felt resentful at times, but we have learned that compromise makes for a fine life.

And a funny thing has happened a long the way. My mother enjoys all five of my children. She is one of my greatest homeschooling advocates. She still worries about my ability to hold up under the pressure, but she comes and folds my laundry or visits with the children to help with the demands.

So, when I celebrate having my mother next door and the life we share together, it is because of this less-cheery background story. I am in awe of the fact that I have been given these four years to know Mom better. We have had many an afternoon chat around the table, with and without her grandchildren joining in, sharing funny stories from our shared past or her childhood. Politics, theology, cooking, favorite mystery authors, or the neighborhood disputes have all entered into our visits.

We still have a lot to learn about working together. When she got sick this last time, we should have gotten her to the doctor a lot sooner. A LOT sooner. So, she needs to speak up about how she feels; I need to notice and take action if she is feeling unwell. It's a dance, and we keep stepping on each other's toes; the tricky part is figuring out whose turn it is to lead. I never want to grab the lead from Mom unless it is necessary, but I better learn to make that decision a little faster.

So, happy 80th birthday + two months to my mother. May she have many more years of happy learning and growing and loving in our humble abode in the back yard. Love you, Mum.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Let the madness begin

March Madness is back.

College sports at its finest, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is a family tradition. Brackets are made, some well-researched and some not, and we are fighting the desire to turn on the television when things like math and Latin need to be done.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Robert Frost (1874-1963)




A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orcahrd white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

From the inbox

Two wonderful things to find in the inbox: a book recommendation and sympathy.

Noticing that Plato's Republic was on my list for the spring challenge, this was recommended by the blogger at Under the Gables:




From Amazon:
"It is a wonder and a delight to be led by Eva Brann through the Socratic conversations. She begins from first impressions and moves through perplexity to clarity, without losing the thread. Those who do not know the Republic will be initiated into its treasures. Those who believe that it is a great book will understand better what they already know."-Ann Hartle, Emory University


In the sympathy category was a response to this post:
Today I saw your brief post on how adhering to state standards if leaching the joy from teaching for your husband. I'm a middle school teacher (21 years and counting) and I'd like to say bless you for acknowledging the frustration so many of us teachers feel these days. I just crossed off another fun and creative activity from my lesson plans because it will take time away from test prep. . .what a shame. Before I came home yesterday, I had to cover up any bulletin boards or classroom displays that might "help" the kids with the upcoming standardized tests--SIX days starting Monday. . . one test per day. Please tell your husband I'm sharing his pain.

Twenty one years and counting for my husband's teaching career as well, and a lot of philosophies have come and gone in those two decades. One can only hope that the focus on test scores will either a) truly improve the education of our children or b) get dumped in the ditch with "new math" and "whole language." Until then, may hard working teachers, who love their subjects and enjoy their students, have the courage and the tenacity to keep doing what they know is best.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Thanks, friends

Received in the mail last week:



Fairy Houses...Everywhere! by Barry Kane

The changing landscape of our property:





Thanks, friends, for hours of fun and creativity.

Thankful


For dear Donna at Quiet Life:

I am thankful:

1) for daffodils
2) that the teacher's union will finally be settling on the contract for the year (without striking, without picketing.)
3) for the privilege of staying home to teach my children.

No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has emerged from the kingdom of night ~ Elie Wiesel

Monday, March 12, 2007

Bird identification



A crummy, through-the-windshield shot of our neighborhood pond and its easily-identified heron.




Audubon Handbook: How to Identify Birds

Some birds, like our local heron, are easy to identify. But I have spent weeks wondering about the black birds on the pond. I wasn't even sure what questions to ask until I got the book above. In it I learned to take note of swimming style (this bird's entire body was under water as it swam) and to notice what they did with their wings when they were out of the water (they held their wings outstretched.) Through my sleuthing, I discovered that they are double-crested cormorants. Now if I can just identify those teeny tiny birds that flit about the tops of the oaks. Harder to watch, much tougher to see their movements and their coloring.

More information:

Great Blue Heron
Double-crested Cormorant

Late to the party

and having fun catching up.


House: Season One

Saturday, March 10, 2007

The eight-year-old perspective





Eclectic play at its finest. Please note the use of dominoes, Gears, Uno Stacko blocks, button dolls, army men, a backgammon board, Papo knights and,if you look very closely a matchbox car. Add the intricate pattern of an area rug, and a truck load of imagination, and you have a few hours of eight-year-old bliss.



A closer look to show the tragic status of the button doll's head, and the jaunty use of the backgammon dice shaker thingy as a bunker.

Friday, March 09, 2007

State standards

It appears that there is no longer any time in the middle school curriculum for my husband to teach Tom Sawyer. The focus is on standards and test scores, and there needs to be more time for teaching students how to read technical manuals.

For years this focus on standards and test scores has whittled away at my husband's love of teaching, but this is like a swift kick to the solar plexus. Call us old-fashioned, announce that we are out of step with the needs of the next generation of students, but why is there no time for literature in a school that prides itself on excellence? Can the importance of reading technical material really and truly be more important than stories? In EIGHTH GRADE?

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Completed



Gusto 10 lavender yarn from Plymouth Yarn Company.
I got the pattern free with my yarn purchase at our local knitting shop.
This pattern is EASY. If you can knit and K2tog, you can make this hat.



*special thanks to the burgundy mug for modeling the hat.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Glimpses of gratitude

I am grateful today...

for an early morning café visit with one of my children. The valley was shrouded in fog as we left the house, but it slipped away as we sipped our espresso. In the same way, some of my mind’s fog dissipated as we talked. I loved hearing him say, “I really like our family” and “You like us a lot, Mom. I’m glad.” We solved some problems, made some plans, got some perspective. It was the perfect start to my day.

for a parking lot filled with blossoming branches. The fragrance sings something from the past for me. I don’t remember trees in bloom from my childhood, just apricot orchards filled with fruit-laden branches; but somewhere, back in the far-gone past, there had to be branches with that intoxicating floral perfume. And it was a happy place. A few minutes in a parking lot filled with blossoms, between this responsibility and that, brought such deep pleasure. I am grateful.

for signs of spring everywhere I look. An open bedroom window at night, daffodils popping up, new birds on the pond, happy children disappearing around the property for long hours of digging and games that involve fairies or pirates or elaborate English estates with formal gardens. I am in awe.

for a visit with good friends tonight. Friends who grab you and say, “I have MISSED you!” Friends who understand what it means to balance the care of children and the support of parents, and the deep desire that no one feel like a burden, and wanting to do the right thing. A friend who can nod and say, “Yep, I know” and they really do. I am so blessed.

for a mother and five children and a husband and myself who are all HEALTHY. No coughs, no sniffles, no weariness, no aches, no hospital stays, no thermometers or cold medicine on the bedside table. I am relieved (almost enough to cry. Really.)

for singing in the car with my teenagers. I never knew these years could be so good. “They” only told me how hard it would be. I am glad it was not anywhere near a full picture of this stage of life.

When we’ve been sick for what feels like weeks-upon-weeks, and the house is messy, and everyone is sick of being sick, and sick of being cooped up together in a small house, it can seem like the joy is gone forever. Today is a beautiful reminder of the reality that it all comes and goes, the good and the difficult, and that today’s good is a gift.

I am grateful.

Thank you, Lord.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Touchstone Magazine: March 2007



Simply Lews: Reflections on a Master Apologist After 60 Years

Part of the reason for the appeal of Mere Christianity is of course that—like virtually everything Lewis wrote—it remains a splendid read. Lewis is feisty and lyrical, funny and moving, full of brilliant images, similes, and extended metaphors.

Even when they don’t work as well as they might (he regularly uses maths, or “sums” as he calls it, as an illustration, and I found myself wondering whether theology and maths are really the same sort of thing), they take our minds darting to and fro, leaping over hedges and ditches, constantly glimpsing the countryside from new angles and with the fresh air of intelligent argument in our lungs.


Another great article, not linked on their site, is by Thomas Howard: The Light of Eventide. It is a gentle reflection on aging, a theme that was brought home once again by my mum's hospital stay.

What is Touchstone Magazine? From their website:

Touchstone is a Christian journal, conservative in doctrine and eclectic in content, with editors and readers from each of the three great divisions of Christendom — Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox. The mission of the journal and its publisher, the Fellowship of St. James, is to provide a place where Christians of various backgrounds can speak with one another on the basis of shared belief in the fundamental doctrines of the faith as revealed in Holy Scripture and summarized in the ancient creeds of the Church.


To subscribe, click here. In case you needed another reason to subscribe, I just heard that friend Amanda Witt (of Wittingshire fame) will have an article in the April issue on "the careful line parents have to walk in protecting the innocence of their children and teaching them about the more difficult matters in life." (from Mere Comments, Touchstone's blog.) What are you waiting for?

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Reading Like a Writer





Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose

"When I was a high school junior, our English teacher assigned a term paper on the theme of blindness in Oedipus Rex and King Lear. We were supposed to go through the two tragedies and circle every reference to eyes, light, darkness, and vision, then draw some conclusion on which we would base our final essay.

It all seemed so dull, so mechanical. We felt we were way beyond it. Without this tedious, time-consuming exercise, all of us knew that blindness played a starring role in both dramas.

Still, we liked our English teacher, and we wanted to please him. And searching for every relevant word turned out to have an enjoyable treasure-hunt aspect, a Where's Waldo detective thrill. Once we started looking for eyes, we found them everywhere, glinting at us, winking from every page.

Long before the blinding of Oedipus or Gloucester, the language of vision and its opposite was preparing us, consciously or unconsciously, for those violent mutilations. It asked us to consider what it meant to be clear-sighted or obtuse, shortsighted or prescient, to heed the signs and warnings, to see or deny what was right in front of one's eyes. Teiresias, Oedipus, Goneril, Kent - all of them could be defined by the sincerity or falseness with which they mused or ranted on the subject of literal or metaphorical blindness.

It was fun to trace those patterns and to make those connections. It was like cracking a code that the playwright had embedded in the text, a riddle that existed just for me to decipher. I felt as if I were engaged in some intimate communication with the writer, as if the ghosts of Sophocles and Shakespeare had been waiting patiently all those centuries for a bookish sixteen-year-old to come along and find them."

Monday, March 05, 2007

Self-esteem or narcissism?

Study: College Students Get an A in Narcissism

Today’s college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.

“We need to stop endlessly repeating ’You’re special’ and having children repeat that back,” said the study’s lead author, professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. “Kids are self-centered enough already.”


Found thanks to Arts and Letters Daily

I had read this article last week and noticed the same article mentioned on Dominion Family. In the comment section I found this article:

How Not to Talk to Your Kids: The Inverse Power of Praise
by Po Bronson

For more about Po Bronson, you can find his website here.

Good things to think about as I go about educating my children.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Add To The Beauty



Add To The Beauty

We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

It comes in small inspirations
It brings redemption to life and work
To our lives and our work

It comes in loving community
It comes in helping a soul find it's worth

This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation


Saturday, March 03, 2007

When do you read?

It happens every time a list of books gets posted. Books read, or books hoping to be read, bring up the question, "When do you have time to read?" I take it as an honest question, and I decided I would take a few minutes and give it an honest answer.

I posted a photo response to this question in this post , but I thought I would elaborate. Years ago I read a list by M-mv that detailed out what she does not do in order to have time to read. It made me want to evaluate little (and big) chunks of time more carefully. What was draining my energy and my time, and how could I spend it more productively?

Catalogs and worry were two things from M-mv's list that immediately caught my attention; what great examples of the big and small ways our time is eaten away. I don't know what your catalog pile looks like, but we get far too many of them. I no longer give them a glance. I don't have the money for any of it, and they pull me in for five, ten or twenty minutes of coveting things I don't need. With that gone, I probably found at least thirty minutes a week. Worry is something that doesn't match with my view of the world and the power of its Creator, but it is an easy choice nonetheless. When I can choose faith, I have more time for what I should be doing.

I am not a perfect housekeeper. We keep the clutter monster barely at arm's length, and we clean deeply only as often as really necessary. My laundry is rarely done for longer than an hour, I don't answer my phone very often, and my cooking is healthy but very simple. I love creating a relaxed and comfortable environment for my family, but sometimes "relaxed" is not a strong enough word. We have some property, but we like it mainly for the privacy it provides. We no longer have chickens, because we kept forgetting to feed and water them. We have a garden plot that may or may not get use this spring and summer. I love our front garden beds, but my oldest daughter does the regular work and I enjoy photographing the blooms. I think there is a tremendous amount of beauty in my life, but I can see it over the pile of laundry as some others could not. Does that give enough of an idea? No white glove tests here, please. If you want to come in, curl up your feet, pet a dog and a have a good talk over a cup of coffee, this is the place to be. If you want to be inspired with decorating or organizational ideas, I would disappoint you many times over.

Another piece of my internal puzzle is the fact that I did not start to care much about learning until I got married and went back to college at the age of twenty-seven. I graduated at thirty, seven months pregnant with my first child, and we were blessed with five children in eight years. I still had a ravenous hunger to learn, but I also had to figure out meal planning, money management and raising children. In those early years, we lived out in the middle of nowhere, we had no money, and I was surrounded by babies. I began to learn, even then, to carve out time with books. They became a good visit during nap time, a spark to my imagination before I went to sleep, an armchair travel opportunity when I was home in the country with my little ones. Reading one book would lead to dozens more. This author mentions that author; this one quotes that one; what is that a reference to? My lists just grew.

And, slowly but surely, I have been reading. Some months and seasons I read more than others. Some years more than others. But always I am reading. As my photos show, I read when I cook, when I am waiting for my mother at the store, when in the restroom or in bed, early in the morning or late at night. I need a lot more sleep than some people, but I need a lot less socializing, too. I have many dear friends, and we love to have time together, but I have to balance it out with plenty of alone time.

I wrote to a blog reader the following comments on reading:

I read other blogs where they read piles of books, comment far more intelligently on them than I could, and I wonder how they do it. They might have fewer children than I do, they might need less sleep or read faster, they might...etc.etc., but I have come to realize this is not a comparison game or a competition to see who can read more. I post the books I have read on my blog as a way of remembering what I have read; I find it much too easy to forget what has influenced me, thus I blog.

... I will go to my grave defending the idea that one book, well read, can be enough to change an entire life, so it doesn't really matter how much we read. What matters is the way the reading causes us to grow.


I readily admit that my hunger to read and learn is bordering on lunacy, but it is a happy lunacy. I have been thrilled to listen in on the great conversation between authors and ideas, fellow-autodidacts and their epiphanies. It's been a life line for me as I grow as a woman, wife, mother, and daughter. Yes, even if the laundry has to wait to be folded until the chapter is over. I have learned that it will be there when I am done.

Happy reading.

Friday, March 02, 2007

If we didn't laugh...

we'd cry.

Actual test question in my husband's history class:

Write three intelligent things about the Gettysburg Address.

Actual test answers:

It was written in World War II.
It was read in front of the Lincoln Memorial.



It isn't easy being an 8th grade teacher.

The Spring Reading Challenge



As I began compiling this season's reading list, I couldn't help but wonder what the next three months will hold. Will sickness come again, providing me with a little extra time for light reading? Will my mother be needing me more often, allowing me time to read as I wait for her in the parking lot or at the doctor's office? Or, will the sunshine come and the chirping birds call me to dig and plant and be outside? I have no idea. But, I am making my list and checking it twice; looking ahead makes me excited about people to meet, mysteries to unravel, authors to love (or not.)

Why this list? Well, there are practical reasons, such as I own them, or the library has them, or they are on CD and can be listened to as I attempt to have daily time on the treadmill. There is also this list that reminded me of missing pieces in my personal canon. School studies came to bear more than usual, but I decided not to carry over undone books from last season's challenge list. They might rear their little heads from the bedside bookshelf, but they are not becoming official members at this point.


Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce by John Piper



Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Fight to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas


Saw the movie. Twice. It inspired me to learn more about a man who was willing to work hard to fight for justice.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

I decided to join my son and daughter in their Great Books reading this spring. This is my choice for Great Books 3.



Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

We started this on CD on our trip to Seattle; I look forward to the story of Pip continuing on the treadmill in the mornings.

Henry IV, Part One, Shakespeare
Henry IV, Part Two, Shakespeare

My oldest and I have been curious about Falstaff in Henry V, so we are heading back to Henry IV to get acquainted, and to see Prince Hal in his rowdier days.

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

I have decided to choose at least one Chesterton each season. I've been working through this movie, and they emphasize the importance of Orthodoxy in the Chesterton collection. It is a volume I have started before, but I am determined to read it all this time.

Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose

I chose this simply because the titled intrigued me.

Republic by Plato

This is my choice from my son's Great Books 1 reading.

Whose Body? Dorothy Sayers
Clouds of Witness Dorothy Sayers
Crocodile on the Sandbank Elizabeth Peters

Every honest list of planned reading in my life must include some mysteries. I have read some of the Peter Wimsey mysteries, but not these. I have never read Elizabeth Peters, and she's been recommended by friends for years.


Continuing on a semi-daily basis:

The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class by David Kidder, Noah Oppenheim

The Oxford Book of English Verse Edited by Arthur Quiller-Couch


These final three have been recommended by Seasonal Soundings. I have enjoyed author Mindy Withrow's book review blog and look forward to reading these with thoughts of including them in my children's history studies:

Peril and Peace: Chronicles of the Ancient Church
Monks and Mystics: Chronicles of the Medieval Church
Courage and Conviction: Chronicles of the Reformation Church
(all by Brandon and Mindy Withrow)



So, what are you reading these days?
If you have any books to recommend, send me an email by clicking
the "contact me" button in the sidebar.
I would love to hear from you.

Four Years Later

COVID:2 Collage  Four years ago today we all came home for the lock down. Middle school classes conducted by zoom on the deck, college cours...