"If I find in myself
a desire which no
experience in this
world can satisfy,
the most probable
explanation is that
I was made for an-
other world"
CS Lewis
I am pretty sure I am not going to be able to drag anyone into this conversation but I still find this quotation fascinating. In the context of motherhood we often find ourselves as need-meeters. Then we are often told not to neglect ourselves as if we were able to actually fulfill ourselves. This quote reminds me that there are boatloads of needs that I cannot meet in others and that I cannot fulfill for myself. Life can either be a futile attempt at personal satisfaction or something altogether different.
What about the conundrum of frantically trying to please those around us unsuccessfully because their needs aren't within our sphere of sovereignty?
For many mothers, I see this leading to frustration and bitterness. We tend to be able to forget our own needs but not let others forget that we are trying to meet theirs.
Obviously, I have stayed from the original purpose of the quote. If you do care to converse don't feel that you can't stray from my thoughts.
"If I find in myself
a desire which no
experience in this
world can satisfy,
the most probable
explanation is that
I was made for an-
other world"
CS Lewis
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Circe Session 1 ?
The Circe schedule is posted and I am busy trying to decide which sessions to attend. Usually the Wild Bunch girls spread the wealth by attending different sessions. That gives us lots to talk about. Otherwise we would sit around looking at one another and twiddling our thumbs ;)
My favorite Circe speakers are Vigen Gurorian, James Daniels, Laura Berquist, Andrew Kern and Martin Cothran.* not in that order except that always and forever Vigen will be #1. Martin and Andrew usually do sessions where everyone is together which saves a lot of angst.
My first choice comes at 11:10 am:
Leigh Bortins
Life Interrupted: The Nature of Home-Directed Education
(This looks like a very practical homeschooling-type session)
James Daniels:
The Nature of
the Liberal Arts
Andrew Pudewa:
Teaching Boys and Other Kids Who Would Rather be Playing in Forts
John Hodges:
Colloquy A:
"If I find in myself
a desire which no
experience in this
world can satisfy,
the most probable
explanation is that
I was made for an-
other world"
CS Lewis
Martin Cothran:
Colloquy B:
I already know which session I hope to attend. While it was a tough choice it wasn't nearly as tough as it could have been.
Any guesses? Go ahead and comment and then scroll to see my choice. Which session would you attend?
I will give one hint. I tend to avoid the colloquies out of shyness and fear. You have to talk. I usually have something to say but then I feel silly. I did think in preparation for the conference and to really bring the conference alive for the blog readers who do want to attend and can't, we could post the colloquy questions as blog posts and discuss them.
So later on today or tomorrow I will start posting the questions. Please come out of the woodwork and participate. I am like the Apostle Paul, my writing is much better than my speech. I suspect that is true for many blog readers. If all goes well maybe I will be encouraged to actually participate in a real colloquy at Circe.
SCROLL
And the winner is:
James Daniels: The Nature of the Liberal Arts.
Why?
Leah's session is probably the one most pertinent to my own situation and while Andrew Pudewa's may seem like the natural choice for a woman with 8 boys it is rather something I have down. That leaves James Daniels. The whole reason I talk about any of this stuff at all is that I am a Liberal Arts junkie. I was discussing the Liberal Arts with my dad when I was a 7th grader.
I am just very happy that I don't have to choose between Vigen and James once, not counting colloquies.
I will probably be putting out these Circe posts fast and furiously. Hang on.
*James Taylor is another favorite but he isn't speaking this year.
My favorite Circe speakers are Vigen Gurorian, James Daniels, Laura Berquist, Andrew Kern and Martin Cothran.* not in that order except that always and forever Vigen will be #1. Martin and Andrew usually do sessions where everyone is together which saves a lot of angst.
My first choice comes at 11:10 am:
Leigh Bortins
Life Interrupted: The Nature of Home-Directed Education
(This looks like a very practical homeschooling-type session)
James Daniels:
The Nature of
the Liberal Arts
Andrew Pudewa:
Teaching Boys and Other Kids Who Would Rather be Playing in Forts
John Hodges:
Colloquy A:
"If I find in myself
a desire which no
experience in this
world can satisfy,
the most probable
explanation is that
I was made for an-
other world"
CS Lewis
Martin Cothran:
Colloquy B:
I already know which session I hope to attend. While it was a tough choice it wasn't nearly as tough as it could have been.
Any guesses? Go ahead and comment and then scroll to see my choice. Which session would you attend?
I will give one hint. I tend to avoid the colloquies out of shyness and fear. You have to talk. I usually have something to say but then I feel silly. I did think in preparation for the conference and to really bring the conference alive for the blog readers who do want to attend and can't, we could post the colloquy questions as blog posts and discuss them.
So later on today or tomorrow I will start posting the questions. Please come out of the woodwork and participate. I am like the Apostle Paul, my writing is much better than my speech. I suspect that is true for many blog readers. If all goes well maybe I will be encouraged to actually participate in a real colloquy at Circe.
SCROLL
And the winner is:
James Daniels: The Nature of the Liberal Arts.
Why?
Leah's session is probably the one most pertinent to my own situation and while Andrew Pudewa's may seem like the natural choice for a woman with 8 boys it is rather something I have down. That leaves James Daniels. The whole reason I talk about any of this stuff at all is that I am a Liberal Arts junkie. I was discussing the Liberal Arts with my dad when I was a 7th grader.
I am just very happy that I don't have to choose between Vigen and James once, not counting colloquies.
I will probably be putting out these Circe posts fast and furiously. Hang on.
*James Taylor is another favorite but he isn't speaking this year.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Sense and Civility
Well, it happened as we thought it would. The old blog has died. Bluehost canceled all our accounts. That's why you can't find Amy. Hopefully she will be up and running with her new blog very soon. That is also why Valerie and Kelly have disappeared.
Unfortunately, we did not get the archives preserved. Most of my Morning Time posts are on my MT blog, but the rest of my sage wisdom, snarky comments and lovely metaphors are gone which means I will have to start making fun of homeschooling all over again. But here I stand like a Rockwall*, ready to tackle fascism and injustice wherever they may be found. Ready to take on the economy, the president and snake oil salesmen.
For my first feat I would like to take on FB. FB is lingo for Facebook. Get it. You already know I don't care about voting for God or growing little green plants on FB. I really don't get warm fuzzies over hugs and hearts, although the occasional flair is fun. But I like FB.
When I first got on FB another mom warned me that being a Social Network young girls used FB as a tool against one another. "Look at the party we attended." "Look how much fun we are having without you." This had caused constant grief in her family.
Since then I have witnessed this for myself. I have now personally witnessed adult women using FB to make relationship points. I have seen adult women conversing with their daughters on private matters, publicly. I have seen all kinds of people saying all kinds of private things on a social network. And I just don't get it. This definitely appears to be a female problem.
While I see FB as a very valuable tool for prayer requests, what do you think of it as a place for airing despair? Just a question.
Have we lost all concept of privacy?
Have you seen break-up/make-up wars on FB?
Has anyone used FB as a tool against someone you know?
Should we be having FB etiquette classes?
While I have been accused of being uncivil on the Internet before for giving negative reviews of curricula, I do value civility. What bothers me about the incivility on FB is that is personal.
*Wink, Wink.
Unfortunately, we did not get the archives preserved. Most of my Morning Time posts are on my MT blog, but the rest of my sage wisdom, snarky comments and lovely metaphors are gone which means I will have to start making fun of homeschooling all over again. But here I stand like a Rockwall*, ready to tackle fascism and injustice wherever they may be found. Ready to take on the economy, the president and snake oil salesmen.
For my first feat I would like to take on FB. FB is lingo for Facebook. Get it. You already know I don't care about voting for God or growing little green plants on FB. I really don't get warm fuzzies over hugs and hearts, although the occasional flair is fun. But I like FB.
When I first got on FB another mom warned me that being a Social Network young girls used FB as a tool against one another. "Look at the party we attended." "Look how much fun we are having without you." This had caused constant grief in her family.
Since then I have witnessed this for myself. I have now personally witnessed adult women using FB to make relationship points. I have seen adult women conversing with their daughters on private matters, publicly. I have seen all kinds of people saying all kinds of private things on a social network. And I just don't get it. This definitely appears to be a female problem.
While I see FB as a very valuable tool for prayer requests, what do you think of it as a place for airing despair? Just a question.
Have we lost all concept of privacy?
Have you seen break-up/make-up wars on FB?
Has anyone used FB as a tool against someone you know?
Should we be having FB etiquette classes?
While I have been accused of being uncivil on the Internet before for giving negative reviews of curricula, I do value civility. What bothers me about the incivility on FB is that is personal.
*Wink, Wink.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Calvin, Calvinism and Me
I hope you don't mind if I deviate from today's birthday celebrations for John Calvin to write an off the cuff thank-you (to John C) and short personal history.
I am a Calvinist. I have been told several times over the last few years that the term is dead. I am supposed to say that I believe in the doctrines of grace or use the term sovereign grace. Apparently the term Calvinism has become passe and divisive and besides Calvin never even laid out the 5 points of Calvinism anyway. But being a bit of a rebel, I still love the term.
But I didn't always.
About 20 years ago a Presbyterian friend was spending the night in our home and he spent the time discussing Calvinism with Tim. I went in the bedroom and prayed because I was pretty sure I had been taught that predestination was evil and I didn't think we should even be talking about it. The next morning Tim and I discussed what our friend had said, looked at a couple of very plain Bible verses, reviewed our own testimonies and concluded there was no way to explain any of it without the doctrine of predestination and in all these 20 years we have never looked back. As a matter of fact, almost every day I am thankful for that attitude adjustment. I LOVE Calvinism. I love all 5 points:
T: Total Depravity
U: Unconditional Election
L: Limited Atonement
I: Irresistible Grace
P: Perseverance of the Saints
I can't for the life of me figure out why it scares people and why some Christians won't give it the time of day or even rabidly campaign against it. The good news is that because I am a Calvinist, I don't feel that I need to set them straight.
It is a great doctrine. It is the first door on the way to Christian liberty. It is a gloriously freeing truth. God is God and we are not. Yeah!! It frees me in my relationships with others. It frees me from manipulation and control. It frees me to pray with hope and it frees me to expect results where God is working. It frees me from taking myself too seriously. I could go on and on and on.
So today on John Calvin's 500th birthday, I am thanking the LORD for the doctrine that bears Calvin's name, all 5 points including the L.
PS: To put things in perspective, do you think anyone will be talking about Michael Jackson 500 years from now?
I am a Calvinist. I have been told several times over the last few years that the term is dead. I am supposed to say that I believe in the doctrines of grace or use the term sovereign grace. Apparently the term Calvinism has become passe and divisive and besides Calvin never even laid out the 5 points of Calvinism anyway. But being a bit of a rebel, I still love the term.
But I didn't always.
About 20 years ago a Presbyterian friend was spending the night in our home and he spent the time discussing Calvinism with Tim. I went in the bedroom and prayed because I was pretty sure I had been taught that predestination was evil and I didn't think we should even be talking about it. The next morning Tim and I discussed what our friend had said, looked at a couple of very plain Bible verses, reviewed our own testimonies and concluded there was no way to explain any of it without the doctrine of predestination and in all these 20 years we have never looked back. As a matter of fact, almost every day I am thankful for that attitude adjustment. I LOVE Calvinism. I love all 5 points:
T: Total Depravity
U: Unconditional Election
L: Limited Atonement
I: Irresistible Grace
P: Perseverance of the Saints
I can't for the life of me figure out why it scares people and why some Christians won't give it the time of day or even rabidly campaign against it. The good news is that because I am a Calvinist, I don't feel that I need to set them straight.
It is a great doctrine. It is the first door on the way to Christian liberty. It is a gloriously freeing truth. God is God and we are not. Yeah!! It frees me in my relationships with others. It frees me from manipulation and control. It frees me to pray with hope and it frees me to expect results where God is working. It frees me from taking myself too seriously. I could go on and on and on.
So today on John Calvin's 500th birthday, I am thanking the LORD for the doctrine that bears Calvin's name, all 5 points including the L.
PS: To put things in perspective, do you think anyone will be talking about Michael Jackson 500 years from now?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Books Read: June 2009
June was a good reading month for me. I read at least 3 excellent books, one frivolous book, a political treatise and a strange book of stories by Arthur Quiller-Couch best known as the best editor of the The New Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1918
and lovingly referred to by his fans as Q. I highly recommend his Cambridge Lectures Series' The Art of Reading and The Art of Writing. I don't highly recommend Noughts and Crosses unless you are a die-hard.The most thought provoking book of the month was, without a doubt, Suite Francaise, the easiest to read was The Welsh Girl, the most enjoyable: Katherine. The Maltese Falcon was surprisingly boring and almost seemed like a parody of itself. I guess I prefer British mysteries. Liberty and Tyranny was good but not nearly as compelling as Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change
, which I think is a must-read as does Thomas Sowell, so there is no argument.
TESTING
So here I am. I am hoping to slowly change the look and feel of this old blog, to organize my old posts in user friendly way, and reinvent myself as a blogger, but it is going to be slow going so bear with me.
I would love to get a hold of a great blog template. Does anyone know where to find or buy them?
I would love to get a hold of a great blog template. Does anyone know where to find or buy them?
Friday, August 19, 2005
A Home of My Own
Who says blogging isn't the "real" world. I think I have made some real blog friends. Not only have I sent out a bar of soap but I have been offered several nice items by blog readers....cyber-friends, real friends.
The latest is a real website done completely by my friend Valerie (There are so many nice Valeries in blogdom that if I had another daughter I would be tempted to use the name.) So I have a new blog and you can find it at:
Isn't that cool...a real domain. I've always wanted to have a home.
So far all of the work has been done by Valerie, Bound By Grace, all of it. That pretty picture at the top is actually a flower from her garden cloned. My one job is to come up with categories and I haven't done that yet. Also I have to figure out something with the comments. If you want to read old comments you will have to come here. But all new comments can be viewed at the new blog.
And a big gnostic & cyber but very heartfelt hug to Valerie my geeky friend.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
While you're at the Library...
DHM posted this link to Dr. Grant's fiction list which reminded me that I need to keep working my way through it. The books I have read are in bold.
1. Oxford Book of English Verse, Arthur Quiller-Couch
My blog readers already know my opinion of Q. Read his essays here.
2. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien I have read them a couple of times but my dh has read them more.
3. The Father Brown Stories, G.K. Chesterton Thumping good read.
4. Witch Wood, John Buchan Where would a George Grant list be without a Buchan? This one is kinda scary but also one of Buchan's best.
5. The Four Quartets, T.S. Eliot
6. The Space Trilogy, C.S. Lewis Even when he is goofy, he is great.
7. A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn ( I just can't get through this book. The profanity gets to me.)
8. The Four Men, Hilaire Belloc Ok I admit it, I didn't get it totally. I think all four men were the same guy.
9. Penhally, Caroline Gordon Want to understand Southern thinking, read this novel. Beautiful.
10. Collected Stories, William Faulkner
11. The Wizard of Oz, L.Frank Baum Thanks to my mom for buying me the Companion Library as a child and starting me out on a lifetime of reading....and she thought it was a mistake.
12. Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White Over and over again.
13. Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini This book is something of a manual for young men. Just make sure they don't take it too seriously. I live in a house of Scaramouches.
14. The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco Great pleasure read but beyond the scope of my intellect.
15. Kristen Lavransdatter, Sigrid Undset A true must-read for women and not nearly as hopeless as other Norwegian novels. Kristen at least has a future hope.
16. Love in the Ruins, Walker Percy
17. The Velvet Horn, Andrew Lytle
18. The Footsteps at the Lock, Ronald Knox
19. The Weekend Wodehouse, P.G. Wodehouse The most under-rated genius of the English language. Read him just for the words.
20. Falling, Colin Thubron
21 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder Possibly the best American prose ever written.
22. The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers I'm not sure why it is in the top 20 but I had a lot of fun reading this book. I also like Tim's Declare and I hope to read more of his stuff in the future.
23. Song of the Lark, Willa Cather
24. Possession, A.S. Byatt Not an easy read for a Christian, as the moral dilemmas and wages of sin are painful, but still a truly wonderful book for the literature fool and a great movie, too....if you delete a few scenes. No, that is not a recommendation, just an admission.
25. At Home in Mitford, Jan Karon Read them. Read them all.
1. Oxford Book of English Verse, Arthur Quiller-Couch
My blog readers already know my opinion of Q. Read his essays here.
2. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien I have read them a couple of times but my dh has read them more.
3. The Father Brown Stories, G.K. Chesterton Thumping good read.
4. Witch Wood, John Buchan Where would a George Grant list be without a Buchan? This one is kinda scary but also one of Buchan's best.
5. The Four Quartets, T.S. Eliot
6. The Space Trilogy, C.S. Lewis Even when he is goofy, he is great.
7. A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn ( I just can't get through this book. The profanity gets to me.)
8. The Four Men, Hilaire Belloc Ok I admit it, I didn't get it totally. I think all four men were the same guy.
9. Penhally, Caroline Gordon Want to understand Southern thinking, read this novel. Beautiful.
10. Collected Stories, William Faulkner
11. The Wizard of Oz, L.Frank Baum Thanks to my mom for buying me the Companion Library as a child and starting me out on a lifetime of reading....and she thought it was a mistake.
12. Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White Over and over again.
13. Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini This book is something of a manual for young men. Just make sure they don't take it too seriously. I live in a house of Scaramouches.
14. The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco Great pleasure read but beyond the scope of my intellect.
15. Kristen Lavransdatter, Sigrid Undset A true must-read for women and not nearly as hopeless as other Norwegian novels. Kristen at least has a future hope.
16. Love in the Ruins, Walker Percy
17. The Velvet Horn, Andrew Lytle
18. The Footsteps at the Lock, Ronald Knox
19. The Weekend Wodehouse, P.G. Wodehouse The most under-rated genius of the English language. Read him just for the words.
20. Falling, Colin Thubron
21 Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder Possibly the best American prose ever written.
22. The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers I'm not sure why it is in the top 20 but I had a lot of fun reading this book. I also like Tim's Declare and I hope to read more of his stuff in the future.
23. Song of the Lark, Willa Cather
24. Possession, A.S. Byatt Not an easy read for a Christian, as the moral dilemmas and wages of sin are painful, but still a truly wonderful book for the literature fool and a great movie, too....if you delete a few scenes. No, that is not a recommendation, just an admission.
25. At Home in Mitford, Jan Karon Read them. Read them all.
Morning Time Plans: August 2005
MORNING TIME PLANS FOR THE WEEK OF
August 15-19
SUBJECT MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony ( 4 Weeks)
Hudson River Valley Artists
(Term 1)
Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing
Plutarch: Timoleon
Bible Time
Book of Life
Review:
I Cor 13
II Cor 4:16-18
Psalm 42
II Cor. 10:5
Psalm 100
Eph 6:10-18
Hymn Singing
More Secure is No one Ever
Tune: Children of the Heavenly Father
Review:
Psalm 148 & Psalm 46 C
Beneath the Blood-Stained Lintel
Navy Hymn
Great is the Lord Our God
Psalm 98
Poetry
Gilbert & Sullivan:I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General
Review:
Keep a’ Goin’, The Gift
Be Strong
Trees
How Did You Die?
Opportunity
Misc. Memory
Polite Moments
Review:
Presidents
Planets
States
We Shall Fight Winston Churchill
The Apostle’s Creed
Reading Aloud
*Our Island Story( Finish this week) Then begin English Literature for Boys & Girls
*The Story of the Romans
* The Story of Mankind ( Conquest part 2)
* How’s Inky
*The Wheel on the School
*SOTW
Ambleside Time Reading :
Trial and Triumph
Tanglewood Tales
50 Famous Stories
Winnnie the Pooh
Girltime:
Little Women
Bible Study
(Please forgive the formating. I tried to copy/paste from my working sheet)
August 15-19
SUBJECT MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony ( 4 Weeks)
Hudson River Valley Artists
(Term 1)
Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing
Plutarch: Timoleon
Bible Time
Book of Life
Review:
I Cor 13
II Cor 4:16-18
Psalm 42
II Cor. 10:5
Psalm 100
Eph 6:10-18
Hymn Singing
More Secure is No one Ever
Tune: Children of the Heavenly Father
Review:
Psalm 148 & Psalm 46 C
Beneath the Blood-Stained Lintel
Navy Hymn
Great is the Lord Our God
Psalm 98
Poetry
Gilbert & Sullivan:I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General
Review:
Keep a’ Goin’, The Gift
Be Strong
Trees
How Did You Die?
Opportunity
Misc. Memory
Polite Moments
Review:
Presidents
Planets
States
We Shall Fight Winston Churchill
The Apostle’s Creed
Reading Aloud
*Our Island Story( Finish this week) Then begin English Literature for Boys & Girls
*The Story of the Romans
* The Story of Mankind ( Conquest part 2)
* How’s Inky
*The Wheel on the School
*SOTW
Ambleside Time Reading :
Trial and Triumph
Tanglewood Tales
50 Famous Stories
Winnnie the Pooh
Girltime:
Little Women
Bible Study
(Please forgive the formating. I tried to copy/paste from my working sheet)
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Children are Born Persons
It is a funny thing but teaching and learning are not the same thing. As a mother and a teacher I constantly fall into the trap of thinking if I konk someone over the head with information enough times they will learn. On the other hand, I err in assuming that if I don't teach it they won't learn it.
Yesterday was our first day of school and Andrew, who didn't have a reading lesson all summer and is still in the phonics stage, somehow had a giant leap forward in his reading abilities.
I will never forget the first time my oldest took a standardized test. He was in 3rd grade and scored highest in the subjects we hadn't even studied, like science.
Then there are the times when I throw out questions to the children and they know the answer without having been taught. Ladies, as M-MV says, "Let's not make this harder than it has to be."
And don't forget, As Charlotte has said, "Children are born persons."
Monday, August 15, 2005
Not a Surprise
The Emma type: Friendly and outgoing, these are the
social butterflies of the Austenites. They are
forgiving of human nature, and believe that
anyone can change. "Pictures of perfection
make them sick and wicked"; they enjoy
watching the process of growth and maturation.
May be too fanciful and intelligent for their
own good.
Jane Austen novel quiz
brought to you by Quizilla
An Atmosphere, a Discpline and a Life
Today we log in our State required day 1 but yesterday we were learning,too.
180-1 does not equal a lifetime of learning.
Friday, August 12, 2005
The Enchanted Place
We had a busy day today. At our morning meeting we went over our school schedule which we start Monday. Whenever we have meetings it always seems so empty now that Timothy and Nicholas are gone. I was commenting on how this time next year James would not be in our school meetings and I decided to get a visual picture by asking James to leave the room.
I guess you can see where this is going. I then said in 3 years Nathaniel would not be a part of our school and he left the room. It made such a striking picture of the future that we kept on until Alex and I were left alone in the room. Alex really caught on and looked distraught. I wasn't feeling very happy myself. Alex perked up when he realized he got to leave the room too.
There I was all by myself in the room. I got up and left also leaving the memories of countless morning meetings behind. I do believe I would have made a complete and utter fool of myself if James hadn't resorted to making fun of my little experiment.
Tonight while telling Tim of my dismal illustration he reminded me that sometime before Alex actually left home and I died we would probably have a few grandchildren. That was a real comfort.
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