- Rat, The Willows in Winter
Then be surprised Mole; allow yourself to be surprised.
- Rat, The Willows in Winter
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Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested...
Francis Bacon ...believe steadfastly concerning things that are invisible. Set your faces like a flint: you have all power in heaven and earth on your side. -Pilgrims Progress And all the nobles and the yeomen made him king,
for they saw that he had a royal heart. -The Heroes, Perseus by C. Kingsley It is better to follow even the shadow of the best than to remain content with the worst. And those who would see wonderful things must often be ready to travel alone. We just finished the book The Other WiseMan by Henry Van Dyke. I filled a page in my commonplace book. It's beautiful. the light for which the world is waiting is a new light, the glory that shall rise out of patient and triumphant suffering. He knew that all was well because he had done the best that he could, from day to day.
He had been true to the light that had been given to him. He had looked for more. And if he had not found it, if a failure was all that came out of his life, doubtless that was the best that was possible. ...he knew that even if he could live his earthly life over again, it could not be otherwise than it had been. At our recent monthly book study some ideas from the presentation stuck to me.
The role of the parent has many facets, and no I don't mean cook and chauffeur. We are to be wise and compassionate rulers of our home. It's not something to shrug at and say, "Oh, whatever." Treat it like a big deal and do it the best you can. It's ok to be exhausted. Take care of yourself and keep on trying. (Parenting is awesome, people!!! And little kids are hilarious.) Homemaking is surely in reality the most important work in the world. What do ships, railways, mines, cars, government, etc. exist for except that people may be fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes...? The homemakers job is one for which all others exist. C. S. Lewis (I wonder if C.S. Lewis or Charlotte Mason knew about hygge ?) We are to be inspirers to our children. It made me think about worthy endeavors. And we are to be revealers of God and to love children out of their faults. The example was to remedy a lying child, we should cultivate a love of truth such that it offsets the desire to lie. This is such a fresh way of looking at what I do all day as a mom, teacher, and co-parent. Charlotte Mason is not just homeschooling advice. It's a great parenting book. After the presentation I had to go look up this article. I wish I had read it when my first was littler. Success is not determined by the ups and downs of each day, but by keeping a steady course no matter the weather...
In my commonplace: Words from this post There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly,
always leaving you room to recognize him or not to recognize him, but all the more fascinatingly because of that, all the more compellingly and hauntingly... Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness. Touch, taste, smell your way to the holy hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments and life itself is grace. Frederick Buechner 'To me, lately education is a sifting process. Sifting out the bombardment of things we do not need right now. Its wonderful to have foundational Truths to act as the utensil that the grains of the day pass through. Life is that way. Sifting out physical possessions, mental lies, time wasters, unhealthy foods. On the flip side, life is more about deciphering what really matters and holding intentionally onto time so that it is spent on the important things. Passing the values onto the kids. In this beginning-ly sorted out place I can find simplicity, clarity and Peace. This is a reflection of the refiners fire. A beautiful reflective light. Ask and you shall receive, right? Happy is it, indeed for me that my heart is capable of feeling he same simple and innocent pleasure as the peasant whose table is covered with food of his own rearing, and who not only enjoys his meal but remembers with delight the happy days and many mornings when he planted it, the soft evenings when he watered it, and the pleasure he experienced in watching its daily growth. J. W. von Goethe, The Sorrows of Werther We had many lovely homegrown meals this season out of our cozy kitchen garden in the front yard. The above photo commemorates our last meal with the fresh produce picked with numb fingers as the snowflakes pelted down. Yay for succession planting and fall crops! Lettuce, Chard, Dill, Radish salad with a side of rainbow carrots freshly scrubbed by little boys' messy helping hands, and a cilantro, zucchini, tomato bake. And that whole sacrament thing again... The more I meditate on the Word, dive deeper into the educational volumes, and glean bits of wisdom from here and there, the more I see it come to life. The right ingredients mixed in the right order make the recipe come out right. It's promised. Cash in on it! Power made accessible by the tearing of the temple curtain at the words, "It is finished," shows up in our geography lesson, for real. Amazing! We were stuck with our maps and were inspired in a practical way to try the grid thing you can see in the image in my last post and it's working. This is a gentle art. Doable for busy mom. A way of being and doing life that is full of humane treatment of personhood. My personhood. It's part of the recipe where small things are done faithfully with genuine openness and expectation. I'm learning. Keep sifting. |
Welcome!
"I am recording this so that future generations will also praise the Lord for all He has done." -Psalm 102:18 I am a mama to 2 sweet brothers who aspires to a "thinking love" toward my children.
Take a peek into our journey towards a living education inspired by the writings of Charlotte Mason. Be sure to leave me a comment if you're inspired! I prefer to keep my text and images right here. Please don't copy without permission. Thanks! Categories
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August 2018
I Participate"In this field small efforts are honoured with great rewards, and we perceive that
the education we are giving exceeds all that we intended or imagined.”
- Mason “It may be that the souls of all children are waiting for the call of knowledge to awaken them to delightful living.”
- Mason |