When they're older

(Some posts just beg to be rerun now and then. If not for you, then most definitely for me.)

I got to thinking about something last night, just after I settled a dispute between Anne-with-an-e and Betsy (or was it between Betsy and Ramona? Or had Ramona been annoying Anne? Ahem. You get the picture.) I was tired, and when one is tired, even the littlest irritations loom large. A few tiny disagreements suddenly feel like near-constant bickering, picking-on, finger-pointing and tattling. Oh, my, the behavior of children. I mean, it's so ... immature.

I felt a little overwhelmed (did I mention I was tired? So much depends on a good night's sleep ....) Yes, I thought, this is the stage of life at which I'm currently parked:

My children are walking, talking, reasoning (mostly), sharp little tacks who constantly delight me but are also capable of draining my mental energy. They're all quite verbose (wonderfully and exquisitely so on the good days and "Do-you-ever-stop-talking?!" on the bad) and that's what can get me. It's not a physical exhaustion, but it can feel so. It's mental fatigue: the dragging of a mind forced to think of 17 different ways to say, "Be kinder," the sluggish tongue that must -- one more time -- wrap itself around the words, "Go tell your sister you're sorry. And please don't ever do that to her again when she's in the shower." It's the ambushed brain that can't take one more joke that involves body parts or functions.

This is where we are, I thought. But when they're older ....

"Uh-oh, stop right there, missy," I told myself. "Don't start playing, 'When they're older,' because it's a lose-lose proposition."

"When they're older" is the trap that entices you to long for a different stage of life. I sometimes fall into it, but it's not a good place to live. Because, you see, if I live my entire life in the "When They're Older" trap, before I know it, they'll be older. And they'll be gone.

It goes something like this, starting back in infancy:

When she's older, she won't wake me up every night.

(But she also won't coo and gurgle in that delicious way. She won't linger at nursing and enclose me in her eyes, telling me I'm her reason for being.)

When she's older, I won't need to carry her everywhere and then my back won't ache all the time.

(She also won't be portable enough to be cuddled, held and snuggled no matter where we are or what we're doing. She won't fit neatly into one arm and I won't be able to scoop her up to celebrate that she just mastered skipping.)

When she's older, I won't have to listen to "Why? Why? Why?" all the time.

(She also won't have that same awed look on her face that she got when she saw her first penguin at the zoo. She won't study caterpillars and ants for extended periods and she won't be delighted by pointing out water towers, having just learned what they are. She won't have that squeaky voice that personifies "ironic" when she says "Awwwww, look at that babeeee! He's so cuuuuute!")

When she's older, I won't have to listen to body function humor.

(Well, I can just keep hoping on this one.)

When she's older, she won't pick on her sister. She'll be too mature for that.

(And she'll be too mature to sit on my lap, play hide-n-seek, wear her hair in ponytails, jump rope, get that incredible shine in her eyes when she kicks a soccer ball and she'll no longer be more delighted by my company than anyone else's in the world. She'll have discovered there are other things and other people who are important to her.)

When she's older, she won't be so moody.

(Oh, wait. That's a woman-thing. That'll continue. That's okay.)

I've always found "When They're Older" to be counter-productive. Oh, sure, it might seem to comfort me at the time (and don't get me wrong, there's a valuable place for the "This too shall pass" philosophy) but most of the time, "When They're Older" is the opposite of comforting -- it's agitating. It forces us to live in and for the future. And when we do that, we miss so much of today. This Moment.

Rather, I must embrace that my children are just that. They're children. They're going to be childish. And my sometimes-ambushed brain has to shore up to handle one more joke, one more poor choice, one more tattle. I have to remind myself that bad days make it feel as if this happens all the time, but I know that it doesn't. Because on the same day there's been tattling, a poor choice and a joke that only a daddy can appreciate, there've also been cuddles and hugs and beaming looks of love. There have been discussions that run deeper than I thought a ten-year-old could handle and insights so moving that I've gotten a glimpse at the woman my daughter will become. There have been tea parties and read-alouds, girl-talk and cookies in the oven.

There's been the delight of "I'm so glad they're this age. I'm so glad for now. I'm so blessed by today. I'm so in love with this moment."

Today, I won't fall into the "When They're Older" trap. When they're older, they'll certainly be more mature.

But they won't be here.

And I'll miss them. So very, very much.

St. Catherine of Siena

"Strange that so much suffering is caused because of the misunderstandings of God's true nature. God's heart is more gentle than the Virgin's first kiss upon the Christ. And God's forgiveness to all, to any thought or act, is more certain than our own being."

~~ St. Catherine of Siena

More info at Catholic Encyclopedia, Women for Faith and Family, and Catholic Culture.

But it's our policy

I'm so glad we homeschool. We have such sane policies here at home.

And, we don't have to worry about contraband Skittles (via The Lapped Catholic).

The consequences of the Skittle Incident (as I'm sure it will live in infamy) remind me of when Anne-with-an-e went to Kindergarten. Our experience wasn't quite that dramatic, but it made almost as much sense.

It was near the end of the school year and one of Atticus's sisters was coming to town. I called the school to say I would keep Anne home that day so that she could see her much-beloved aunt.

"We-e-ell ... okay," I was told, "but if she misses one more day after today, she won't automatically be able to move on to first grade."

"What?" I thought surely I had heard incorrectly, or that I'd been misunderstood. "What do you mean she won't move on?"

"We-e-ell," the relayer of policy continued, "It's just that Anne has been sick a few times, and she's reached the maximum number of absences allowed for this semester. If she has any more, she can't automatically go on to first grade. You'd have to have a hearing before the school board."

I struggled for a moment to comprehend this, and searched for something I could say that didn't involve the word "stupid." My only comeback was some basic logic:

"But," I sputtered, "the legal age for school attendance in Nebraska is seven*. Technically, I could have kept her home this entire year and then enrolled her. Then I could have sent her off to first grade without anyone hearing anything."

"I know."

Silence.

"But that's our policy."

I thanked the poor, nice woman whose job it was to relay ridiculous policies to incredulous parents. I hung up. I shook my head. I kept Anne home that day. And, fortunately, soon after that, Atticus agreed to start homeschooling the following year.

And that's been our policy ever since.

*It's now six, but was seven at the time.

Alice has me buying shotglasses

And she'll probably tempt you into to it, too.

Visit her at Cottage Blessings -- Ramona and Betsy are going to love making these.

In the whole, wide, blogging world

there are a lot of very nice people.

I've been meaning to say thank you to a lot of very kind bloggers who have tagged me at one time or another with a bloggy sort of honor, award, meme or title. I regret that I've gotten quite behind on such things, but I would just like to recognize the following people in return for the kindness they've shown me:

Kate Wicker at Kate Wicker (who's blog title is shockingly clever)

Exspectantes Beatam Spes

Mother of This Lot at Mother's Pride

Sarah at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering

Kathryn at The Bookworm

Meredith at Sweetness and Light

Kathleen at The Daily Grotto

Loads of great reading at all those links, and a huge thanks, again, to all of you for the mentions and honors.

Speaking of Nancy Brown ....

If you haven't been checking in with her marketing series, you can get up-to-date on the whole thing right here.

Library Connections

If you're looking for encouragement and ideas about how to get great books into your local library, visit Maureen Wittmann's Homeschool Library Connection and her Pope St. Nicholas V
(where Ana Braga-Henebry also helps out with suggestions.)

And, don't forget Nancy Brown's The G.K. Chesterton Library Connection!

Poetry Friday: cake haiku

No time to rhyme now
Must bake and devour cake
Aahhh ... a life that's sweet



Visit Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect for the complete Poetry Friday round-up!

Thanks, guys!

A couple of dear online friends have been sending birthday wishes my way, and I just wanted to say thank you!

Which birthday is this, you ask?

Ummm ... I'm on the dark side of the 40's. Today is going to require a lot of chocolate cake.

John Paul II, from his Letters to Artists

"Society needs artists, just as it needs scientists, technicians, workers, professional people, witnesses of the faith, teachers, fathers and mothers, who ensure the growth of the person and the development of the community by means of that supreme art form which is 'the art of education.' Within the vast cultural panorama of each nation, artists have their unique place. Obedient to their inspiration in creating works both worthwhile and beautiful, they not only enrich the cultural heritage of each nation and of all humanity, but they also render an exceptional social service in favour of the common good."

~~ Letter of his holiness Pope John Paul II
to Artists, 1999

Still coming down from a high with my own little artists. Last night we were all part of a little production at our church, The Tale of the Three Trees. I co-directed, Anne-with-an-e narrated, Betsy was the Blessed Mother, and they both played various parts in the chorus. Atticus dutifully attended and took fuzzy pictures and Ramona dutifully ran all over the gym after the show and later complimented and hugged her sisters.

This morning, the girls are sleeping in. It's for the common good.

Revisiting Atheism ... again

The next installment of Jen's interview with The Cynical Christian is up.

Interesting questions to ponder:

When you were an atheist, what could a Christian have said or done to change your mind, or at least get you started down that path, any sooner than you eventually did?

and

As a Christian, having seen both sides, how do you now approach atheists?

Jen summed things up nicely when she said:

God has done so much in my life, it takes my breath away to even think about it. If I could just share with others even a drop of the peace and joy that he has showered down upon me, I think it would be better than 1,000 good arguments.

This is not to say, however, that there's no place for pointing out the logical reasons to believe the Christian claims are true -- as an atheist, I couldn't have even considered exploring this religion until I understood that I did not need to set aside science and reason in order to believe its claims.

This is so true for me, too. (Can I just keep saying, "Yeah, yeah ... what she said,"?)

It's not about arguing an atheist into belief, or about besting one's opponent or coming up with the most clever argument. It's about the hope that I can communicate the ineffable peace that I've found. After a certain point of reasoning through all the "sides" and "arguments" there really isn't a logical explanation for that peace. But when it arrives, you exhale and think, "Oh ... so that's what this has been all about."

In other words, there are reasonable and logical explanations for everything, but the explanations aren't everything.

I truly hope to get back to this thread very soon, because I have so much to say, and have had so very little time to say it, but perhaps this discussion will spur me to work on a project I've had in mind for a long time, which is to chronicle in much greater detail the part of my conversion that involved moving from atheism to belief.

I was going to do a light and breezy little post ...

... but then I got a prayer request in my Inbox for a young mom battling an incurable cancer.

And I thought of all the other prayer requests that I get on a regular basis.

You get them, too.

We all know people -- or we are the people -- who are battling diseases, heartache, loss, loneliness, isolation, disability, depression, stress and pressure.

And then, I remembered a post from awhile back. I wrote about getting "nothing" done that day. Except that I got everything done that day, because I was focused on my family and on what they really needed from me.

I'm thinking of that post today, because, for one thing, I need to hear my own reminder.

And, I'm also thinking of a quote from Soren Kierkegaard that I have hanging on my living room wall:

Purity of heart is to will one thing.

I look up at that quote often, and ask myself, "Am I willing the one thing today? Or are my priorities out of whack?"

Rich Mullins wrote a song about that One Thing.

Save me from those things that might distract me
Please take them away and purify my heart
I don't want to lose the eternal for the things that are passing

I'm not going to define "those things that might distract me." They really are, or can be, different for each of us. I know what mine are, and you know what yours are.

So.

I'm not facing an incurable disease today. Someone else is, and I'm praying for her.

But, tomorrow, it could be me. It could be someone in my family. It could be any of us.

I cling to the sure knowledge that when I do stay focused on the One Thing that matters, all other matters, even the uncertain future, fall into place. Not without pain, but they fall into place. My One Thing anchors me, keeps everything else in its right perspective.

That doesn't mean there won't be diseases, heartache, loss, loneliness, isolation, disability, depression, stress and pressure.

But it does mean that the One Thing I know and fiercely love will walk with me on whatever path He allows me to take. He's walking with that young mother today.

And today, I will pray that she feels His presence.

And that my family will feel mine.

Wrapping up the Middle Ages ...

... even though I really don't want to leave. There's just so much great, fun stuff for this time period.

Our last few books:


Anne-with-an-e is reading Joan of Arc by Mark Twain. I haven't read this one myself, but have heard that it's excellent. It'll be in my summer reading pile.







Betsy is reading a biography of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Elizabeth's Three Crowns. This is one of the Vision series. We have several of these and have enjoyed them all.






On a different note,
Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Medieval Castle is typical Frizzle fun. The girls and I have always loved all things Magic School Bus, and this book is no exception.





Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz was a delightful find. I plucked it from the library shelf and immediately had that feeling that I'd found a treasure. Original poetry and prose are used to tell the stories of all kinds of folk, from "simpletons to saints." (Note: some imagery is too violent for younger or very sensitive children, and be prepared to explain several historical events related to faith.)



There are a few more, but I'm out of time for this morning!

A beautiful pro-life resource for healing

Visit Abortion Changes You to see what I mean.

The Pope and the Bard

Though we could keep learning about the Middle Ages for years and years, we took a little break recently to spend some time with Pope Benedict XVI, and to read a little bit of Shakespeare, capitalizing on recent curiosity and interest from Betsy.

We took brief looks at A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, and King Lear, using one of my favorite first-introductions, E. Nesbit's Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare.
This book offers short but satisfying summaries, in story form, of Shakespeare's plays. It's a non-intimidating way to introduce children to the Bard, and to help them see, very quickly, that his comedies are full of fun stuff. You can hook them right away on the outrageous situations and mistaken identities and give them a good grasp of plots. It's a great way to lay the groundwork for later and deeper enjoyment.

Another terrific intro book is Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, which offers the same type of summarized story but with a bit more detail and length.

I'll be back soon to talk about how we plan to wrap up our year in the Middle Ages.

A typical exchange with Betsy

(When we still had more than an hour before we needed to leave for a play practice:)

Me: Betsy, you don't have to run! We have plenty of time.

Betsy: I know. I just like to run.

The Hound of Heaven

When I first encountered this poem, I wept tears of recognition and sorrow, regret and gratitude.

Who was this man, Francis Thompson, who knew my heart?

Who was this man who had peered into the depths of my ragged soul and seen what I had seen, felt what I had felt?

Francis Thompson was an opium addict, a poet, a man lost, and a soul found. He was a convert to the all-encompassing love of God.

The Hound of Heaven

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
'All things betray thee, who betrayest Me' ...


... Now of that long pursuit
Comes on at hand the bruit;
That Voice is round me like a bursting sea:
'And is thy earth so marred,
Shattered in shard on shard?
Lo, all things fly thee, for thou fliest Me!

'Strange, piteous, futile thing!
Wherefore should any set thee love apart?
Seeing none but I makes much of naught' (He said),
'And human love needs human meriting:
How hast thou merited—
Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot?
Alack, thou knowest not
How little worthy of any love thou art!
Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,
Save Me, save only Me?

All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.
All which thy child's mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:
Rise, clasp My hand, and come!'

Halts by me that footfall:
Is my gloom, after all,
Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?
'Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
I am He Whom thou seekest!
Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.'

~~ Francis Thompson, (1859-1907)

The entire poem can be found here.

The Poetry Friday round-up can be found here at The Well-Read Child.

He loves, He hopes, He waits. If He came down on our altars on certain days only, some sinner, on being moved to repentance, might have to look for Him, and not finding Him, might have to wait. Our Lord prefers to wait Himself for the sinner for years rather than keep him waiting one instant.

– St. Peter Julian Eymard

(Thanks to MyCatholic.com for the quote.)

Revisiting atheism

Jen at Et tu is answering some new questions about a familiar topic: atheism. She's participating in an interview with Jason at The Cynical Christian and offers some great answers to his opening questions.

I could have written similar answers, in several cases, as I identify with so much of what Jen says both in the interview and on her blog. Though I did have some Damascus road moments along the way, a great deal of my conversion journey, like Jen's, had to do with digging in to the intellectual meat of the faith, and getting at the truth. Or, at Truth. I had a powerful desire to know and to follow what was true, wherever it led me. I didn't particularly want it to lead to Christianity,and certainly didn't want it to lead to Catholicism, but then, I wasn't in charge of the answers. I was just the questioner. And I wanted answers that made sense.

One thing Jen mentioned particularly struck me. She said, "One of the things you see a lot in those circles is a heavy emphasis on intelligence," and that was definitely something that influenced my rejection of Christianity as a belief system. It simply seemed to me that the most intelligent people I knew did not believe in God. Christianity seemed too simple-minded, to put it bluntly. The irony, of course, is that my own simple-minded approach was to casually dismiss an entire, ancient belief system based purely on my limited perception of it. And it's also ironic that in Catholicism I've since encountered the greatest thinkers and most profoundly intelligent men and women I've ever had the pleasure to know on paper (and, in some cases, in real life.) The idea that faith and reason are not in opposition to one another was an exhilarating discovery.

I hope to contribute to Jason and Jen's series a bit here and there, and I'm happy that Jason contacted me to ask if I'd like to get in on the discussions. It can be so easy to dismiss the beliefs of others when they seem so foreign to our own. Whether it's the Christian or the atheist being dismissive doesn't really matter -- we've all done it. I'm heartened by attempts to stop dismissing and start really talking. So, I'll be talking more about this soon. And listening, too.

Secret Agent Girl

Betsy is my detective. She loves all-things-spy. Today at the library she launched a search for books on the subject, and came up with Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things, by Cy Tymony.

What a fun little book! Shortly after we got home, she had assembled a "metal detector" using a cd case, velcro pads, an am radio and a calculator.

I can't wait to see what she does tomorrow.

Alice's B16 ideas

Move along, people, move along ... the ideas are all over at Cottage Blessings!

Visit this post for ideas on celebrating the Pope's visit. I was especially happy to find Alice's link to the Pflaum page -- always good ideas there. Thanks, Alice!

And, one more note:
This is the page I found and ended up using today for information about the Pope's crest -- packed full of interesting info.

Today's dose of B-16

For our quick, mini-unit on Pope Benedict XVI, today we'll be:

• Taking a look at "The Pope's Childhood: In His Own Words," from Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium (and thanks to Ignatius Insight for posting this excerpt from Salt of the Earth)

• Updating our timeline with his birthday (which is tomorrow) and the date of his election to the papacy

• Looking up information on St. Benedict and Pope Benedict XV, both of whom Pope Benedict XVI honored in his name choice.

For Ramona:

• this "Fishers of Men" coloring page (although she's quite unsure that these beards look normal)
  

• Find Germany and Italy on the globe

• Look at Pope Benedict's papal crest, talk about its symbols, and draw her own crest.

And for all of us:

• Watch some coverage. Wish we were there.

Bookish Happiness

Ramona's happy because The Brook Book by Jim Arnosky came home from the library the other day (and was promptly added to her wish list.)


Anne-with-an-e and Betsy (and Ramona and I) are happy because the UPS man showed up a couple days ago with The Penderwicks on Gardem Street,a book we've been anticipating for quite some time.


And, I'm happy because I'm about to dig in to Meet Mary: Getting to Know the Mother of Godby Mark Miravalle, for a Love2Learn review.


If we don't surface for a few days, you'll know why.

(And, may I just say a huge "thank you" to Blogger this morning for that AutoSave feature? It's the reason I can have bloggish happiness this morning instead of Extreme Blog Irritation. Thank you, Blogger, from the bottom of my blogging heart.)

More linkage

I just sent an email to a friend in which I mentioned always feeling hopelessly behind on links, etc., in the blogging world. I am. Always. Hopelessly. Behind.

But, anyway.

In March, I received an email about the Cukierski Family website. They are struggling to stay afloat, and need some help. This family apostolate sells a huge range of Catholic sacramentals, so if you're in need of anything, you might consider visiting their site.

And, here's an article on sacramentals that I wrote for The Catholic Answer awhile back. It was reprinted at StayCatholic.com and explains the Church's teaching on sacramentals.

More (liturgical year) help for your domestic church

Peter and Catherine Fournier, of Domestic-Church.com, are spreading the word that they've added two new sister sites:

Marian-Devotions.com

Lent-and-Easter.com

Peter writes:

"These sites contain the contents of two of our In the Domestic Church books published by Ignatius."

I write:

Hurray!

The Unchoice Challenge

This quiz from the Elliot Institute may have some statistics that surprise you.

If you've had an abortion, or know someone who has, helpful, healing resources are available -- visit this page at After Abortion, and this page at The UnChoice.

A work in progress

Every night, I tuck Ramona in and snuggle up with her until she's asleep. Now, I have to admit that while most nights it's a sweet and appreciated routine, there are times when I feel impatient and wish that my child were just asleep already. Those times when I feel rushed, or have too many things on my mind, or am just not living in that moment, I am sometimes pulled gently, gracefully back to the moment, to realize that these moments are holy gifts.

As I recently reported, Ramona said the other night, "Life is really harder than it looks." It was bedtime. She was snuggled in, and I was feeling impatient to "get away" that night and then out came, "Life is really harder than it looks." I smiled at her and asked her what prompted the observation. She told me all about how she'd felt at Kids Against Hunger that day (though my older girls have helped out there, it was Ramona's first time.) She had expected it to be in a different kitchen. She thought she'd have a stool. She didn't know how hard it would be to stand for more than 90 minutes, opening bags or scooping rice. We had a sweet, precious conversation and then she drifted off to sleep.

And, if I hadn't been snuggled up with her, I wouldn't have heard any of it. If I'd given in to my impatience that evening, I would have missed the whole thing.

I'm reminded of something else Ramona said the other day, when she was helping me make my bed. She didn't like the way I'd pulled up the sheet, and she went about straightening it.

"Don't worry, Mommy," she said. "I'll righten out all your mistakes."

And that she does.

So does Anne. So does Betsy.

They've taken the raw material, the woman I was, and they continually reshape it into the mother I am, the mother I'm still becoming.

They righten out all my mistakes.

Links on a Saturday morning

For writers:

Nancy Brown at Flying Stars is running a series for writers: Amazon.com Marketing: Ten Minutes a Day.

For grateful, writing (grownup) daughters:

For a Mother's Day contest, visit Heidi Hess-Saxton at Behold Your Mother.


For poetry writing readers:

Visit Inkless Tales to enter the American National Poetry Month Contest and win an Amazon gift certificate.

For hedgehog loving kids:

Because these are the only spring flowers we're seeing, we'll be printing out a couple of Jan Brett coloring pages for Ramona.

Sonnets

It's all things sonnet at A Wrung Sponge, today's Poetry Friday host.

But, they're not just celebrating sonnets over there, they've been writing them.

And they're not just writing them, they've created a Crown Sonnet, which is seven intricately connected sonnets, tied together by a theme and certain repetitions. So, start with the hostess, and be sure to see the crown jewel, Cutting a Swath, at Liz in Ink.

And, as always, loads of other good poetry links await your visit.

And, my own contribution today is my one of my favorite sonnets, not original, mind you (though I'm quite inspired!) but from the Bard:

Sonnet 73

by William Shakespeare

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Resources for Pope Benedict XVI's visit

*The USCCB's Christ Our Hope site

We won't get to be there, of course, but I'd say that the Mass to be held here on April 20 might just be the Mass of Atticus's life, combining two of his great loves.

Their teaching resources are here. (Do I see a detour and a mini-unit study in our immediate future?)

*OSV's papal visit page is here. They've nicely rounded up a number of related sites and blogs here.

And, OSV's own live blogging will happen here.


* National Catholic Register's Pope 2008.com is here.

Sort of a review: If All the Swords in England

If All the Swords in England is a beautiful book about St. Thomas Becket. I called this post a "sort of a review" because I'm actually going to cheat and send you to Alicia's terrific review at Love2Learn. It can be found here, and summarizes the book and characters wonderfully. And, I see that Alicia and I even left out the same line when reading this book aloud (Ramona was in the room, so I skipped a couple of other details as well.)

This book (dubbed "Sif all the Words in England" by Ramona, thanks to the cover design) held Anne-with-an-e and Betsy captive all the way through, their interest never waning. They were nearly as moved as I was when St. Thomas was killed (though I think I'm the only one who actually wept.) Seeing the action from the young twins' point of view was particularly moving, and left an imprint on my girls that a straight narration of the facts would not have accomplished.

Quick detours had us looking up more information about King Henry II, discussing the responsibilities of the Church vs. the state, and looking (very) briefly into Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral.

I love, love, love this way of studying history with my children. It comes alive and stays with them in amazing ways.

If you're looking for some historical literature but don't know where to start, try visiting the Reading Your Way Through History page for ideas. It's never steered us wrong!

Upcoming Homeschool Conferences

Sharpen your pencils ... conferences are coming up!

Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference, May 30-31, 2008

A great line-up of speakers! And, Love2Learn friend Ana Braga-Henebry will lead an informal chat session for and about bloggers.

*****

The Rocky Mountain Catholic Home Educators Conference June 6-7, 2008

Another great line-up of speakers, including Mary Gildersleeve and many others.

*****

Kansas City Conference for Catholic Homeschoolers, June 13-14, 2008

A tentative schedule of speakers is here -- it appears it may be subject to change.

*****

And, of all of these in my area, which am I attending? Not one of them. Nope, I'm driving to Pennsylvania. Atticus wants to see Gettysburg, so my conference of choice this summer is the FCL Conference. It may not be close, but it promises to be entertaining.

Catch-up

It doesn't take much for me to get overwhelmed.

Lately:

Mothering, of course (these teen years alternate between delight and challenge)
Writing
Directing a short musical play at church
Running kids to the orthodontist, Kids Against Hunger, meetings, the library, 4-H
The vet (poor Mr. Putter)

Danielle Bean said something awhile back (I just went searching for the post and can't find it -- drat! I wanted to send it on to a friend of mine who homeschools eight children) about a friend of hers who asks her husband each morning which two of the three he wants: a clean house, a home-cooked meal, or homeschooled children (I'm paraphrasing, but that was it in a nutshell.) I laughed out loud, because that's basically how it works around here.

Today's plans are many and varied, but I hope to get back to some online catch-up later today. There are announcements for homeschool conferences coming up in the midwest (I can't make it to any of them, but you might be able to!), there are memes and awards to acknowledge and respond to, and we finished reading If All the Swords in England and I want to post a review.

So, for today, my kids will get half an education, a half-way homecooked meal, half a clean house, and half a day of running around to appointments. That still adds up to two out of three, doesn't it?

I love this new math.

Updated:

Thank you, Danielle, for directing me to the location of the post for which I futilely searched! I couldn't find it on the blog because it's not on the blog. It's here, from an Inside Catholic column. I now officially know I was not going crazy.

Ramona says:

"Life is really harder than it looks."

A friend of mine responded to that with:

"But not always as hard as we make it."

I think both are true.

Don't make things too hard today, and may God give you grace to deal with the stuff that's harder than it looks.

Atticus and Emmaus

That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus ~~ Luke 24:13

A year or two before Atticus came into the Church, I was at Mass one Sunday and heard this Gospel reading. I stayed after to pray that day, and I poured my sad heart out to God:

"When will his heart be open, Lord? When?"

I prayed a bit more, and cried a little bit, then sat and tried to listen. What happened next was not something I heard, but something I saw and felt inside.

And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. ~~ Lk 24:15-16

I had an image of Atticus ... Jesus was holding him, His hands on Atticus' shoulders, trying to catch his eye. Atticus looked away: right, left, anywhere but straight ahead, into the Eyes of Jesus.

And then I knew.

It was only a matter of time.

Jesus was that close to my dear husband. And it was only a matter of time before Atticus stopped looking away, could no longer avoid Him, and would gaze straight ahead, into the eyes he would recognize as those of his Lord.

My tension slipped away. It might be months. It might be years. But Jesus had His hands on Atticus. I knew it in my heart and in my gut.

Sometime after that, I don't really remember the exact timing, Atticus did indeed surrender and looked straight into the eyes of God.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him
~~ Luke 24:30-31

When Atticus received his first Holy Communion, he recognized his life and God's claim on it in a new way. I remember marveling at all that he felt and sensed that Easter Vigil night. He knew what he was leaving behind and he knew -- as much as any of us can "know" -- what he was gaining.

Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
~~ Luke 24:35

We recount what has taken place, and how He has been made known to us in the breaking of the bread.

And our marveling continues.

(Painting: Christ on the Road to Emmaus, Roelant Roghman, 17th c.)

Poetry Friday: A little Emily

Today's post will be quick
and without comment
but oh-so-very-Emily.




If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

~~ Emily Dickinson


The whole round-up can be found at Becky's Book Reviews today.

P.S. Be sure to go visit Sarah, who is in for the first time this week.

Another not-really-a-detour, and why I love the library

I love the library. It's a homeschooling mother's best friend.

We take the kids once a week, and never come home empty-handed. I just checked our receipts (thank goodness for computerized card catalogs and printed receipts of check-outs -- they've saved me thousands of dollars in fines and jail time.) We currently have 49 books out. Not a huge amount, but a typical amount.

Our library basket usually looks something like this:


The books travel all over the house, but the basket is home base. When we're done with a book, we return it to the basket, making it easier to track everything down on library day.

Ramona, inspired by her sisters and their library quests ("I'm going to find everything I can about Greek mythology," or, "I'm looking for books about poisons, so I can write a report on them,") was on a quest of her own last week. She decided she wanted to learn about sea turtles, so Atticus and the girls helped her find a few books.

Ramona loves to sit down at a library computer and tap out a catalog query. She used to always come home with books about mommies and the zoo (the only two words she could spell.) Now that her spelling repetoire is expanding, so are her book choices. But, it's quite likely that her first attempt to track down turtle books looked something like this:

sea tertls

But, Atticus steered her in the right direction, and she came up with these:


Her "report" (pictured above) begins:

sea turtles give me an expereinse two study them so that i can larn more about them

She has since added:

I like sea turtles because thayr’r qute

(I don't correct spelling, word spacing, etc., at this age -- I'm thrilled that she's writing, and I don't want to do anything to discourage her. I think Betsy told her how to spell "because.")

This is a "detour" only in that I didn't plan it and we're simply following the route Ramona's mapping. But, like the foray into Greek mythology, it's just a fun part of the whole journey.

Ramona learns so much from her older sisters (it's education by osmosis) and right now, what she seems to be learning is that it's fun to learn.

That's a road worth traveling. And it's confirmation enough for me that when you lay the groundwork of a rich, fun and educational atmosphere (especially one that includes regular trips to the library) the learning will follow.

Remembering John Paul II

Dear Alice at Cottage Blessings reminded me (thank you, Alice!) that today is the third anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. (I need those reminders.) Do go take a look at her post, and at her column in the Long Island Catholic. Beautiful and worth your reading time.

I still miss our beloved Papa, though I am getting to know and love our new papa, too. Isn't it funny? Three years, and Pope Benedict still feels like "the new pope" to me. That's because I live in Catholic Time, which moves like a glacier (I say that with all and real affection.)

Three years ago, I wrote the piece below, just after John Paul II died, and it still holds true.

Papa, pray for us.

And, if you'd like to take a look at the JP II unit study we did last year, the link is here.


Closer than Ever

Our beloved Holy Father (“Holy Daddy,” as my toddler calls him) is with the Lord. There’s no doubt in my mind. I’m certain that Karol Wojtyla, our dear Pope John Paul II, lived his purgatory on earth and was taken straight into the Beatific Vision.

Granted, our family said prayers for the repose of his soul. He asked for our prayers, after all, and we know that our Church never presumes to know the state of a particular soul. But almost immediately, my husband pointed out how backward it felt: We all strongly felt the urge to ask him to pray for us.

At Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday I felt closer to Papa than ever before. I’ve long loved him, of course. As a convert to Catholicism ten years ago, I was greatly influenced by his writings and I continue to be. I grew to love the Catholic Church in large part because Papa explained it to me so thoroughly, so clearly, so beautifully. His apostolic letters and encyclicals told me of the riches of God’s providence, what it means to live a life of and for the Lord, and about the unity and beauty of our faith’s doctrines. Papa showed me that God loved me.

When he was alive, the closeness I felt to him was due to his role as my earthly spiritual father. He taught, led by example, and prayed for his flock. He exemplified a life of sacrifice, of pure and true love for God. However, although I knew his prayers for “all the faithful” included me, I also knew that on a practical level, JPII didn’t know me. He didn’t know for whom or for what I prayed, he didn’t know my private struggles and many weaknesses. He didn’t know how much I personally needed him. Now he does.

As I prayed at Mass, on Divine Mercy Sunday, I felt an overwhelming need to cry out to my papa. I asked him to pray for me. I felt drenched in his love and paternal concern as I imagined his beaming face. I felt convinced, down to my bones, that he now knows. He knows every private struggle that I reveal to him in prayer and he will lay them before my Heavenly Father’s throne, in urgent and loving intercession. He is now present to me as never before.

Like so many others, I will miss Papa’s earthly presence and leadership. But, with him and St. Faustina, I can say, “Jesus, I trust in Thee.” I know that our Church will go on and we will move forward with a new shepherd. We’ll have adjustments to make, and we’ll miss seeing dear Papa’s face, but our Church will go on. I do not have fears about our next pope. I fear only what he (and we) will personally endure as he shepherds us through the mess of the modern world. I trust in the Holy Spirit and I trust in Christ’s promise that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church. We will push on. We will overcome. Evil will not triumph.

And so, while I am sad that I will no longer read new encyclicals from JPII, hear new pronouncements, or see Papa’s face on the news, I am happy for him. His earthly suffering is over. He has entered into the eternal happiness for which we all long.

When fear creeps in, I will remind myself that Papa is closer to me than ever. I’ll ask for his prayers and know — good father that he is — that he’ll take them to the Lord. Papa told me not to be afraid. I plan to follow his advice.

Thank you, Gov. Heineman!

For proclaiming March 30 - April 5, 2008 to be Nebraska Home Education Week:


WHEREAS, The State of Nebraska desires to promote excellence in education; and

WHEREAS, Dozens of studies confirm that children who are educated at home score
significantly above average on national achievement tests; and

WHEREAS, Studies demonstrate that home-educated students excel in college; and

WHEREAS, Home education has a long history of success in this country, helping to
produce such notable Americans as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin,
John Jay, John Marshall, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall
Jackson, Booker T. Washington, Thomas Edison, William Henry Harrison,
John Tyler, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt,
Mark Twain, Irving Berlin, Rembrandt Peale, George Patton, Douglas
MacArthur, John J. Pershing, Standing Bear, Roscoe Pound, Edward
Creighton, Willa Cather, William Jennings Bryan and Bertram Goodhue,
architect of the Nebraska State Capitol; and

WHEREAS, Home education strengthens the family and promotes the highest standards
of honesty and morality, which are essential elements in the preservation of
a free society; and

WHEREAS, Home education promotes good citizenship and positive socialization; and

WHEREAS, The State of Nebraska recognizes the fundamental right of parents to direct
the education and upbringing of their children; and

WHEREAS, Home educators view the cost of their children’s education as their own
responsibility and do not add that cost to the burden of the state; and

WHEREAS, It is appropriate that home educators be recognized and commended for
their dedication to excellence in education and for their significant and vital
contributions to our society.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Dave Heineman, Governor of the State of Nebraska, DO HEREBY
PROCLAIM the week of March 30 – April 5, 2008, as
NEBRASKA HOME EDUCATION WEEK

and I do hereby urge all citizens to take due note of the observance.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand, and cause the
Great Seal of the State of Nebraska to be affixed this Thirteenth day
of March, in the year of our Lord Two Thousand Eight.

Momentarily liturgically confused

I awakened to temps in the 20s, and to a bit of snow on the ground.

Still in my morning fog, while checking email, I had a vague feeling that we're living in some sort of special time of year ... it's not ordinary time ... no, it's something celebratory, right?

Christmas?

No, wait.

It's April.

Easter.

Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket. It's Easter. For about forty more days.

Bundle up and enjoy this lovely spring day, won't you?