Those Who Sow with Tears

{A Psalm of joy in the midst of hardship.}

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations, 

'The Lord has done great things for them.'

The Lord has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, Lord,

like streams in the Negev. 

Those who sow with tears

will reap with songs of joy.

Those who go out weeping,

carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

carrying sheaves with them.

--Psalm 126

A Summer Hiatus

This summer has felt suffocating and I have decided to take an extended break to re-orient myself into autumn.  

Feeling overwhelmed is tough stuff.  The factors vary from situation to situation, but this summer my 'factors' have included a husband working excruciatingly long hours, two trips, multiple projects at home that need(ed) to be completed, events to attend, and so on. We have been too busy, and I need to take some time to reflect on how to apply the brakes and slow things down--or to prioritize the must-dos. Today  I was reflecting darkly on all of my failings and suddenly felt guilty about many circumstances well beyond my control.  This type of negative thinking is not healthy or normal for me, and it's an indication that I need breathing room and a fresh perspective.

 My maternal grandmother, who lives up the hill from us on the same farm, is now under hospice care as the Alzheimer's that has picked at her for years begins to sail away with her mind and body.  

My excellent husband turned 40 yesterday.

How, then, shall we live?   I need to embrace the season and its limitations--and embrace my own limitations--and narrow my focus even more.  I can't do everything.  

Choosing to live with joy means choosing to live well in the midst of the difficulties.  It means choosing to live in kairos time, and not hyperventilating over the chronos time. So that is my goal as I step back in this season. I can't change most of what is happening around me, but I can shift my perspective to embrace the moment, give myself and my family the compassion we need, and live in joy. 

The Glorious Flight: Louis Bleriot

My children love The Glorious Flight, the picture book story of the flight of Louis Bleriot, who was the first person to fly across the English Channel.  If you love to speak in a French accent (I do), this book is perfect for you.  But even if not, it's a wonderful read.  Louis Bleriot gets the flying bug after he crashes his car into a vegetable cart because he's distracted by an airship flying over his small village.  The book shows the various incarnations of his "aeroplane" and features some wonderful, wry humor. His arrival over the white cliffs of Dover is cause for celebration!

Bleriot's legendary flight was made 106 years ago today!

The Soul and Spirit of the House

"Their house....was a gigantic, rambling three-story affair with gabled roofs, numerous chimneys, a screened porch, and a large balcony overlooking the spacious garden where the children played.  They dug caves and climbed trees and put up tents.....

"There were animals in the house proper as well.  One room in the house became a zoo for the children's pets, which included rabbits, guinea pigs, turtledoves, squirrels, lizards, and snakes, and a natural history museum for their collections of birds' eggs and mounted beetles and butterflies.  The two eldest girls had another room set up as a dolls' house, and on the first floor the three eldest boys had a workshop, complete with a carpenter's bench.

"Their mother presided over the well-appointed home; the staff included a governess, a nursemaid, a housemaid, a parlor maid and a cook.  Upstairs was the schoolroom, with desks where Paula taught the children their lessons....

"Paula Bonhoeffer had memorized an impressive repertoire of poems, hymns and folk songs, which she taught her children, who remembered them into their old age.  The children enjoyed dressing up and performing plays for each other and for the adults.  There was also a family puppet theater, and every year on December 30--her birthday--Paula Bonhoeffer put on a performance of 'Little Red Riding Hood.' This continued into her cold age, when she did it for her grandchildren.  One of them, Renate Bethge, said, 'She was the soul and spirit of the house.'" 

                           --from Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (Eric Metaxas)

George Washington's World by Genevieve Foster

We recently checked this book out of the library.  I immediately fell in love with it and have purchased a used copy which we will use for school this year. 

I learned more about Catherine the Great in an hour of reading at the auto-repair shop this afternoon than I did in all my years of school (including the year of Russian Literature I took in college). At one point a man came in to ask us a question while we were all engrossed in the dramatic tale of the coup d'etat which resulted in her ascending to power shortly followed by her husband Peter III's assassination.  Wow!

I love the drawings in the book and the way Foster weaves together so many historical figures.  It's a brilliant way to create a readable, gripping narrative.  

Happy reading!

Mulching Week 2015

My goal is to weed and mulch for five hours two to three hours (I am so sore!!) every day from today through Saturday--if that means two hours in the morning and three in the evening, so be it!  I am using my watch to keep track, and I'm working around other commitments this week: two art classes, two swimming lessons, a haircut, a massage, dinner with friends, a trip to the zoo, a church meeting, preparing for school, finishing a sewing project, and two different outings with friends.  And oh yes, I babysat a friend's three children this morning, too!

It is so very hot, and today I'm working in full sun.  But I'm plodding along because the end result is always so pleasing.  My husband is working against a major deadline, so this is my first experience with solo-mulching!

 Here's the patio flower bed, which is where my beloved hostas live--this was the fruit of my Saturday labor. I'm about halfway through with this truckload of mulch.....

Getting there!

Simple School Planning (Charlotte Mason-style)

Our school year (Finn in third grade, Annie in kindergarten) starts a week from tomorrow, and my planning is done.  The evolution of planning amuses me: when Finn began kindergarten I created elaborate weekly plans with an equally elaborate filing system. 

Each year I simplify more.  Keeping the end goal in mind is helpful.  So this year after overthinking our schedule to the point of feeling confused this summer, I boiled it all down!  Our daily work is to read the Bible and pray together, sing a hymn, read a poem or read some Shakespeare, narrate from two of four books (2 books on Monday/Wednesday, and 2 different books on Tuesday/Thursday, alternating between history, history tales, literature and nature studies), have Finn read one chapter aloud to me from a biographical book, do copywork, and do math.  I created a booklist for Finn and we just work our way through it.  Annie's 'booklist' is actually just a series, the My Book House set that belonged to my grandmother!

Our daily work also includes chores, piano practice and nighttime read-alouds--Wilder's series for Finn, and Beatrix Potter for Annie.

In addition we'll do gardening, art lessons, swim lessons, nature studies, geography, composer studies, picture studies, poetry, Shakespeare, but not at the same time!  These will be woven into our year as we progress.  I find that I'm a better teacher when I keep my schedule simple and focused, and I don't try to cram in too much at once.  Nancy Kelly wrote that you should "keep cutting back until there is peace in your home," and that's the advice I'm following!