Thursday, October 19, 2006

Visiting others

I feel as if I've had nothing of substance to say recently. Perhaps that's a good thing. I'm focused on the kids, we're busy with our days, and our homeschooling has been quite satisfying of late. But, since I've had nothing to say here, I feel compelled to send you elsewhere, where people are saying and doing wonderful and creative things.

Start with Willa, who always has something of substance to share. Willa is substance personified, and I love that about her. In this post, she talks about "Age quod agis" -- "Do what you are doing." I remember when Love2Learn mom, whom I also greatly admire, talked about this. Love2Learn's was a simple, short post. I didn't even comment on it at the time, but I certainly thought about it. In a household full of people whose attention is easily diverted, the reminder to "do what you are doing" is an invaluable one. So, the phrase has stayed with me.

But, back to Willa (you see how easily I am sidetracked?) In the post I mentioned, before I stopped doing what I was doing, Willa talks about "Logistics in the Homeschool" and of the different ways she has ordered her days over the years. Her final paragraph sums it up beautifully for me, and I especially love "Organization is a servant, not a master."

From this I have learned that organization looks different in different seasons. Organization is a servant, not a master. Orderliness is a good thing, but it works best when suited to the need of the situation and also to the comfort level of the people using it. That is where Father Hardon's other advice -- discern, and seek the will of God continually -- comes in. Pray and build up the methods that best suit the season your family is in. Age quod agis.


Now, back to Love2Learn Mom. Thanks to her and to Feminine Genius, I just took a look at this video. You must take a peek (it's very short) and then you must show it to all the teens (girls and boys) in your life. The Dove film ends with the phrase, "No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted." Indeed.

On an entirely different subject, Jennifer does a beautiful job of explaining why it's so scrumptious to have little ones snuggle in with you for the night.

And, for the record, we are a family that celebrates Halloween. It's quite the Daddy-daughter thing, with the kids and Atticus plotting out the best candy routes and the most efficient way to hit all the best houses. Of course I emphasize the Catholic roots and connections, and we talk a lot about All Saints Day and All Souls Day as the holiday approaches. We talk about why I don't allow any really evil-looking or inappropriate costumes and then we have the chocolate-related fun. On Halloween, we go to the All Saints vigil Mass then head home and get into costumes (I always go as a homeschooling mom, but no one ever guesses what I am.) Then we trick-or-treat at the local convent -- the sisters love to have visitors and see how the kids are dressed. Then, we execute The Plan: Candy Galore. Door to door, neighbors we know, the whole family together. The kids say, "Thank you! God bless you!" to everyone and the reactions range from delight and surprise to odd looks.

And, yes, I let them eat lots of candy, and I let them eat it for breakfast the next day and I rarely give any of it away. As a matter of fact, I got a great tip from my dear friend Heather last year: save the leftover Halloween candy and use it during the Christmas season to decorate gingerbread houses. So, that's my take on Halloween.

And, in closing out today's linkage, here are the readings for Mass today, which include a passage from one of my favorite books, Ephesians. Does it get more sublime than this?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.

In Christ we have redemption by his Blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

6 comments:

love2learnmom said...

Thanks for the links! We enjoy Halloween too, though it's not a BIG celebration for us (in comparison with many in our small town who deck their yards as enthusiastically - probably more enthusiastically - than we do for Christmas). Personally I don't like it when All Saints Day celebrations become a Halloween-substitute because it seems like a step down for All Saints Day. So we do both, but in somewhat different ways.

It's funny about the "age quod agis" motto because I think it works in multi-faceted ways. The way I needed it the most when I first heard it was to simply give myself permission to "do what I was doing" and even enjoy whatever that particular thing was at the time without always feeling guilty that I wasn't doing something else. If you see what I'm saying. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, thanks for the link! And I have tears in my eyes from laughing about your homeschool mom costume. No exagerration. That is going to make me laugh all day. I'm wearing mine right now!
Now, I must go read those other posts you mentioned. :)

Anonymous said...

I think I've got the route down pat this year. We'll need a chopper to get us from Lima Station Four to Bravo Point Niner. I've got a call into the local guard unit for a Huey. That and remote sensors calibrated to "fun-size" candy bar settings, and we're all over any house in town in seconds. You won't be able to open a bag of Milky Ways without us on your porch. Max coverage, Baby, it's doable!

Margaret in Minnesota said...

Karen, if ever I wanted to reach out and hug you across the...airwaves? No, that's not it. The phone line? Whatever it is that connects us, I will say that I wish I could bridge its distance.

That homeschooling mom costume line was just too great.

I have a ton more I could say about this post; perhaps later after I've time to think and just "be" with my children.

And to think you felt you had nothing of substance to say! Make sure you wear your "humble" hat with that costume.

Karen Edmisten said...

Love2Learn wrote: "to simply give myself permission to "do what I was doing" and even enjoy whatever that particular thing was at the time without always feeling guilty that I wasn't doing something else. If you see what I'm saying. :)"

Yes. I see exactly what you're saying. :-) It *does* work in a number of ways.

Jennifer, do you change your homeschool mom costume each year, or stay with the same one? I like to alter mine slightly from year to year. :-)

And, Margaret, thanks to you, too. You are too always too kind!

The Bookworm said...

Karen, thank you for the link to the Dove video ... I just got round to showing it to my 11yo, who was so intrigued she is now emailing the link to all her friends.