Excuse me while I commune with myself and subdue my feelings....

A few quotes from our reading...

The Family That Overtook Christ  by M. Raymond

"Man was made to know....that means that the intellect must be developed: for man was made to know both here and hereafter. In fact that is Christ's description of heaven..."This is eternal life, that they may know..." pg. 222

"...those who speak most glibly of intellectual pride are usually bogged down and almost inextricably mired in intellectual sloth." pg. 223

I am still in the middle of this book, but I highly recommend it. There are so many other great quotes, but these were from today's reading.

The Story of Church by Rev. B. N. Forner, C.S.B.  (this is an old Church history text I got someplace I can't recall)
I have not read this whole book that I can remember. But I was looking up something about Abelard and Bernard of Clairveaux and I found this:

"There were parish schools which taught reading, writing, arithmetic and grammar, but they were not very numerous unit the end of the twelfth century. Prior to that time, the average boy received his primary instruction from his parents or from private tutors. At the Cathedral School, he entered upon his secondary education and was introduced to the liberal arts. These consisted of grammar, rhetoric, and logic which were called the Trivium; and arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music which were called the Quadrivium."

The reason I liked this quote was because it confirmed to me that the liberal arts were originally part of secondary education. And primary, or elementary education was for basic skills like reading, writing and arithmetic, no to mention the work of children: play.

And, the source of this blog post's title, from our current bedtime read aloud: The Children of the New Forest by Captain Marryat.

"Your intelligence [as in"what you just told me"] has so astounded me that I can listen to nothing else till I have had a little while to commune with myself and subdue my feelings."

I am practicing this line to use in everyday life.

Living in the Land of Counterpane

Just reflecting on the blessings of sick days. 

Since last Thursday we have had a convalescing kid in the house. First D, then A (this is a common train of germs here--D to A often skipping M-we hope). 

Although I hate it when my kids are sick ("Don't say "hate" Mama!"), I am pleasantly relieved when it is a sickness that doesn't involve the stomach. 

I am thanking God for this and for the fact that I know, in a few days, all will be well. I pray and offer my little sacrifices for the mama's and kids who don't have the comfort of assured recovery and minor symptoms. 

Sore throats can be a little difficult to treat (who wants to swallow ANYTHING when your throat hurts) but, so far they have been short lived and have allowed just enough energy for listening to stories, watching and playing on the iPad (kids have it so easy these days!) and quiet play. 

I thought of the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson when I saw this scene yesterday. 

The Land of Counterpane

WHEN I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay
To keep me happy all the day.
And sometimes for an hour or so	5
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;
And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;	10
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.
I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,	15
The pleasant land of counterpane.

Watch for more this week about our last Sacramental Prep meeting this past weekend and about my changed opinion of soccer. 

A Lenten Journal for You

Today I offer a little plug for a great product from a wonderful group of people for whom I once had the pleasure to work. 

There is a new, very important website with lots of great new products for all who want to raise intentional disciples of Jesus Christ (and be one themselves).

It is called Education in Virtue and is brought to you by my good friends the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. 

The particular product that I am plugging today (like that alliteration?) is so brand spanking new that they are taking PRE-ORDERS!

It is a Lenten Journal (see a sample here) and it is meant "to help you prepare a ‘fitness’ plan for the heart in order to grow closer to our Loving God. "

Sounds good to me! I pre-ordered mine today and I had a question which was immediately answered (like within 15 minutes of sending the email) and then a second email after a response to the first (again, sent very quickly) I am told that I will be informed when the journal was ready to ship. Can't wait!!

I ordered 4 at $7 a piece, but haven't been asked to pay yet. They just need to get an idea of the number for the printing. 

We also own the Family Starter Kit of the virtue materials and are working on Orderliness. So far, the kids have added making their beds first thing in the morning to their list of good daily habits. Yea!!

NOTE: stay tuned for part 2 of my rantings and ramblings on the subject of religious education!

A TWO-FER just for you

Book 1: These Beautiful Bones by Emily Stimpson

I was really excited when I heard about this book. I have always loved learning more about Blessed John Paul II’s teachings on the theology of the body. But most of what I read was often too theological for this former theology student. I couldn’t maintain the focus necessary to slog through it all. 

Also, most of the writing on TOB is focused on the Church’s teachings on Sexuality—which is fine and all, but I guess I felt like I am on board with those teachings and didn’t need to rehash a lot of it. 

At any rate, a book on TOB that professed to be an “everyday theology of the body” seemed perfect. And when I read the chapter headings, I knew I was in for a treat:

• The Joy of Labor, Laundry and Lice: The Theology of the Body and Work
• The Steps Within the Dance: The Theology of the Body and Manners
• The Last and Other Suppers: The Theology of the Body and the Gift of Food

Emily Stimpson has a great style of writing. She is easy to read, always relevant, personal (in a good way) and yet theologically and doctrinally precise enough to not leave you confused. 

I highly recommend this book to all readers from youth on up. Your high school student can benefit,  your college aged child, you, your mother, even your grandmother! And certainly your parish priest or seminarian. In short, read it and pass it on. 

Now for some favorite quotes that will serve to set up my next book review. 

 

“The Theology of the Body is like Hooked on Phonics for the sacramental worldview, offering the contemporary mind a step by step lesson plan for how to read the world rightly once more.” pg 26

Loved this quote. The sacramental worldview is really what makes a uniquely Catholic world view and it is so lost on the modern man. 

"…as the Catholic anthropology of the theology of the body reminds us, man is a union of body and soul, made in the mirage of God. Which means our bodies are us. Your body is you. my body is me." pg 27

Far from despising our bodies, we as Catholics highly respect our bodies, even reverence our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, Who dwells within us. 

"In all that, the theology of the body offers a resounding response to the modernist lies about the body, helping us see that the body isn’t a piece of matter to be molded, manipulated and used. Rather it’s a gift to be cared for and cherished. The body is us. It reveals our soul to the world, enabling us to love, serve, and give ourselves to others, while, at the same time speaking to the unique splendor of man in the order of creation as the only creature to posses both a material body and an eternal soul." by 36

Molded, manipulated, and used. Isn't that what we see in the culture around us? And does it not lead only to unhappiness and dissatisfaction? Women are especially tempted in this way. If you have ever felt that the particular shape of your body somehow makes you less than you should be, the Theology of the Body is the answer. 

Book 2: Alignment Matters: The First Five Year of Katy Says by Katy Bowman

And now, the unlikely second review: a book that on the surface seems to have nothing to do with Emily Stimpson’s book. In fact, the two online worlds in which I found these two books would seem to have little intersection at all. I doubt Ms Stimpson is a Katy Bowman fan (not that she shouldn’t be, just that she isn’t…yet), nor is Katy likely to be found on the Theology of the Body discussion forums (yet). 

But here they are together on my blog. 

I first came across Katy Bowman via a mommy blog that linked to a mommy blog that talked about PFD (pelvic floor disorder) and why Kegels were NOT the answer. And my first reaction to Katy’s stuff was that it made so much sense. 

Now, although I am a mostly conservative and traditional girl (I mean those here in the most basic way—not politically or liturgically), I tend to love anything that bucks conventional wisdom, yet makes perfect sense. 

And so when I read on Katy’s blog about what heels on shoes do to our feet and how her studies as a “biomechanist”* showed her that the foot was not created to be used the way we use it (stuffed into a shoe on an incline anywhere from 1/4in to 7+in and in a state of non-motion for the greater part of our day). 

Of course, her expertise spreads beyond the feet to the whole body, but my introduction to Katy was mostly via the feet (and the PFD thing too). 

Because of Katy I spend most of my days with pain free feet for the first time in my adult memory. Most of that has to do with my shoe choices these days, but it also has to do with stretches, exercises and ways of moving that I have learned from her. 

This review is as much about Katy, and her blog, and her classes, as it is about her latest book. In fact, it is as much about her first book as it is about this second book (and I think there is a third coming too!). Her writing style is easy to understand, and fun. She cracks me up all the time. And her videos on her blogs inspired me to JUST get it done and not worry about perfection. 

Her first book, Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief is a must for anyone who ever has any sort of foot pain (plantar fascists, corns, bunions, heel pain, ankle pain, cramped toes, etc.) but this second book goes way beyond the feet. 

Alignment Matters really is Katy’s blog in book form. It is organized by topics (rather than date) and so makes searching for the information that is most pertinent to you much easier. 

Coming upon Katy and world of alignment and natural movement can be overwhelming, but this book takes all that great stuff and arranges it in a way that helps you to take baby steps—starting on your own journey to better health where ever YOU need to start first!

Now, why, oh why you ask, did you put these two books together. Let me see if I can explain. 

Emily’s book shows us how God reveals Himself and His plan for us in the way He created our bodies. 

Katy’s book (and blog) show us how the way the body was created explains how it is best used. 

Make sense? 

When I came across Katy's blog and the way her study of the human body, from biological and mechanical point of view, helped her to come to conclusions about general health and the diseases that plague us moderns, it changed the way I looked at my own body. And it confirmed for me something that I have believed all of my life, but somehow hadn't taken to the next step. God created my body (and your body and every body) in a certain way knowing full well the sort of environment those bodies would be living in for most of human history. And, though He could see what modern life would be, He knew it would take thousands of years to get there. 

In other words...

your body does not need a chair in order to be at rest. 

your body does not need specialized shoes (that only modern technology could give you) to be properly aligned and protected. 

your body was not designed in need of a 1.5 inch heel.

your body was not made to be still for most of the day (what the heck are all those little muscles for, if not to be used).

you DO use that high school geometry in every day life...you're just doing it wrong. 

If any of this makes any sense to you I highly recommend visiting Katy's Blog. And if you find yourself going from blog post to blog post looking up your particular issues, I HIGHLY recommend getting Alignment Matters. 

Now for a little quiz. Who said these two things? 

“Lectio divina is a way to mediate with the written word….of course, you can always read this way, but what makes it a meditation is that you have chosen a time in which your behaviors match your choice of behaviors exactly….Your body executing your mind’s wishes is mindfulness.”

“Once upon a time, before the automobile, the steam engine and the jet plane people moved every day of their own accord. They had to. Their survival depended on it….Today, however, moving is mostly optional. For many of us the only movement our work requires of us is flapping our lips or tapping our fingers. That is not enough to keep a body fit.” 

If you think you know, leave a comment.  

Book Review: Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell

I finally finished this book. It wasn't the one (in my stack of books) that I thought I would finish first. 

I highly recommend it to anyone who does anything at their parish (CCD teacher, administration, parish council, welcoming committee, donuts, etc.) Actually, even if you don't do anything, I highly recommend reading it. There is so much valuable information on the state of the Church right now and what God calls us to do about it. 

That being said, I have a very mixed reaction to the book. For one thing, some of the statistical information (it is not dry stastitic-- the numbers are very well presented) will make you sad----or maybe even frustrated and angry. 

Yet, the focus on DISCIPLESHIP is so important and so hopeful. 

But, I am getting ahead of myself. The way that I came to this book is an interesting story (at least to me!) and may explain my reactions. 

I was surfing one day looking for discussions on one of my favorite topics, Sacramental Preparation. I found a discussion of the age of Confirmation (an issue I love to go on and on about) and I scanned the comments to see where I fit into the discussion. 

I have been out of the world of parish/school catechesis since my kids were born and part of the reason I backed away (aside from the obvious motherhood aspects) was a growing dissatisfaction---even feelings of hopelessness---about the way catechesis plays itself out in parishes. So, for a decade now those thoughts have developed and morphed. But I wasn't sure whether I had drifted so far from my former colleagues that we were no longer on the same page. 

Back to the online discussion. I found a comment that went something like this: If we move the age of Confirmation back, we will lose these kids at a younger age (since so few kids remain active in parish life after Confirmation) and will essentially see the end of catechesis for children at the parish level---the programs will die. 

And my gut reaction was to say--Okay! Let them die! Lets start over with something that works. 

At the root of my reaction is a belief that the grace of the Sacrament of Confirmation is needed earlier in life and so waiting until the teen years means that kids are faced with overwhelming challenges without the grace needed.

In addition is the firm conviction that parents are "the primary educators" of their children for a reason---the atmosphere of the home is the best place to foster a relationship with God, especially in a child. Children do not often take the content of a 1-2 hour class and transform their lives with it. Yet, this is the goal of Catechesis: transformation in Christ. 

I have felt for a long time that CCD-type programs are only successful if they build on a strong family life--in which case they are almost not necessary. 

Thus my reaction to the fear that parish level catechesis for children will pass away if we give kids the Sacrament of Confirmation too early. And of course the flip side of the argument is that we must postpone such a crucial sacrament of initiation in order to be sure those programs remain full and active. 

But…back to the book. I found myself wondering about the background of the commenter in this case. So I googled her. Then I found she had a blog. Then I found she wrote a book. Long story short, I bought her book. 

The commenters name was Sherry Weddell and her book is called “Forming Intentional Disciples”.

So I started this whole mental journey in disagreement with the author on a point of strategy…not a point of Faith. And this is where I still find myself. Though I am less confident in my own approach than I was when I first stumbled upon her comment in the Confirmation discussion. 

I have a negative gut reaction to the multiplicity of parish “programs” aimed at Catechesis. Part of that comes from a conviction that “programs” do not bring about conversion. 

Personal relationships with people who know Jesus Christ bring people into personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

After saying “yes!” and “exactly!” through most of the book I was hoping to read something like “So lets scrap all these “programs” and get to know Jesus!" But that is not how Sherrie concludes her book. 

To be fair, I have on my mind children’s catechesis and she has on her mind youth and adult catechesis. We may not be so far apart after all. 

Yet, I need not agree with everything in a book to enjoy it and get a lot out of it, right? 

I highly recommend you read it…then come back here and discuss it with me. Lets see if we agree. 

What We're Reading Wednesday (late afternoon/evening)!

I am joining the folks over at www.housewifespice.com for a late What We're Reading Wednesday link up. 

What we're reading aloud these days:

A month or so ago we started reading aloud from The Story of Trapp Family Singers as part of our evening routine. We chose the book as much for Jim and I as for the kids. I had read the book years ago, on the eve of my move to Steubenville to study theology. So reading it again, as a wife and mother, was interesting. The kids have enjoyed it mostly, and though it isn't written for children there have been many funny scenes and life lessons for them. 

If your only connection with the Trapp family is through the movie The Sound of Music, you will be surprised and enchanted. Though the details were enhanced for the sake of excitement in the movie, in real life the decision and the consequences of escaping the Nazi occupation of Austria were, I think, even more moving. 

But that is just the beginning of the book. You will learn all about their life in America as well. I have done very little on-the-fly editing as I have read aloud, but I am approaching the most moving chapter of the book (which includes a death scene) and I am doing more editing at this point. You'll have to judge you audience….or just read it for your own pleasure!

For our lunch-time, tea-time, any-time reading we have returned to one of our favorite families, the Moffats! The Moffat Museum is our last Moffat book (though some of them were read to one kid, rather than all three so we may revisit one or two others!)

Janey Moffat (my alter-ego) has had a brilliant idea. It all starts with the old bike, called Bikey, which they all learned to ride on and which sits against the old barn behind a bush because no one can bear to part with it. Bikey becomes the first artifact in the soon-to-be-famous Moffat Museum. 

The Moffats life is a peek into a different era of childhood, in which kids have lots of free time and interact, on their own, with the adult world of shop owners and elderly neighbors. 

Highly recommended read alouds for the under 80 set. 

On My Kindle: 

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

I decided to check this out for future reference since I read about it on some homeschooling blogs. It seems that it was being read by kids older than mine so I didn't attempt to read it to them. I am glad I chose that route. 

A recent experience with a book from audible (The Candymakers) caused me to be more cautious. We started listening to the book and were all enjoying it when I started to get some hints that the characters in the book had had some traumatic experiences which were going to become part of the storyline soon. A little online research confirmed my suspicions. Though it didn't seem like it was going to be written in a horribly dramatic or scary way, I just didn't think we needed ideas that my worry some of the more sensitive Kennedy kids, or their Mama. 

Well, The Mysterious Benedict Society has a similar storyline. The main characters are orphans, one was abandoned, another ran away from neglectful parents (apparently, but both of those story lines may change) and they are all subject to bullying and mean kids. 

While I am enjoying the kids as spies narrative along with the way the love of truth and the virtues of honesty, kindness, and hard work are valued, I am not sure the kids are ready for it. 

Frankly, I am not sure when a kid is ready to hear about people being mean or cruel to children. We have set aside a number of highly touted among the homeschool crowd (who I tend to trust on these sorts of things for the most part) books due to a storyline of adults or other children being cruel. 

Which explains why we love the Moffats so much! (and the Fairchild Family, and Betsy Tacy and Tib, and the Little House Books…)

In my study bag…

I have a bag of non-fiction books that I am reading and hoping to eventually write reviews about. I won't share them yet except to say that one is about the human body, one is about the Theology of the Body, and one is about the Body of Christ. 

Now, lets hope I actually get around to finishing them and writing about them soon!

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride Finally Makes Sense

I grew up in Southern California where a trip to Disneyland was pretty much expected to be an annual thing. For us it was more like every 5 years, but that still meant that I went often enough to have favorite rides and lots of different memories. One of the favorites was called "Mr. Toads Wild Ride" and it was a very low tech ride (in fact it is one of the original rides from 1955) in a two man car that went along a track through various scenes and doors that would magically open before you just short of crashing into them. 

In case you never get the pleasure of taking this ride, here is a video version I found. Enjoy:

Thanks to Auntie Leila, I finally get---forty years later--this favorite Disneyland ride from childhood. Why did I love it so much when I didn't really get it? I vaguely remember attempting to read The Wind in the Willows when I was a kid and I just didn't get very far. 

We have been listening to the wonderful book since Auntie Leila wrote about it a few weeks ago. I am glad we chose an audio version because the language is so beautiful and I have enjoyed listening to it as much, or more, than the kids. 

We tend to avoid animal books in this house because we really feel they tend to blur the lines between the dignity of the human person and the place of animals in creation. 

But I have noticed a distinction between the animals-are-like-humans stories (in video or book form) of today and the human-like creatures who happen to be animals in books like the Narnia series and The Wind in the Willows. 

If you take for example, the Lion King movie, you find animals in their natural habitat doing everything that animals do naturally, except we have added speech, feelings, virtues, and even vice that don't apply to animals. This often ends up elevating animals to creatures at least as important in creation as humans. While animals are entrusted to the care…and USE…of humans, they do not share their dignity. Humans are the only creatures made for their own sake---so that they might attain eternal life. All the rest of creation is made to serve the ends of mankind.

Now take a story like The Wind in the Willows. Here you find animals who dress like people, live in houses like people, drive cars, have money, and relate to each other like people. They just happen to have some animal characteristics---the mole prefers to live underground, though he is learning to enjoy the life of the river rat. The toad has very little of toad-ness about him, except his looks. These talking animals interact with  people as if they were all the same. Toad is arrested and helped to escape all by people. In this particular book they also happen to have names that identify them as animals. 

In the Narnia books there is a distinction between "talking animals" and the more ordinary animals that are considered "dumb brutes". Thus it is horribly immoral to tie a bunch of talking horses to a heavy load and force them to pull it. That is akin to slavery. If they had been "dumb brutes", well then, all is okay. The talking animals, for their part, live much like their human counter parts.

This way of using animals in stories gives the story a feel of a parable or fable and helps to bring about a message about behavior--good or bad---without the added confusion and complexity of persons. You can make generalizations about animals without offending or confusing people. 

The Lion King version* of the animal world is the one that leads to what we have today---a world in which dog's sit in strollers and babies are aborted.  

*I am NOT saying that The Lion King leads to being in favor of abortion. I AM saying that the train of thought that attributes too much dignity to animals also tends to devalue persons. 

Chocolate and Heaven

So...slow readers that we are, we are STILL reading The Last Battle. But we are still loving it! Currently, we are near the end and the characters are all trying to figure out where they are. They saw Narnia die, at least the Narnia that they knew. But this new land looks a lot like Narnia. Here is what Lord Digory says:

When Aslan said you could never go back to Narnia, he meant the Narnia you were thinking of. But that was not the real Narnia. That had a beginning and an end. It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia which has always been here and always will be here: just as our world, England and all, is only a shadow or copy of something in Aslan's real world. 

When we finished the chapter we had a great discussion of this life and the Next Life. We talked about how everything good that is here points us to the good of heaven. 

At this point, the seven year old said. "You know what? Chocolate is a copy of heaven." A girl after my own heart! Is a taste for good chocolate genetic?

I got this image from Googling chocolate. I do not own it but I hope it is made from dark chocolate. 

Sometimes the simplest things are the truest (if one thing can be truer than another, which it can't, really…but you know what I mean). 

Yes, chocolate is a thing that points me to heaven. So is that beautiful flower. So is a beautiful painting. So is a crucifix. So is the face of an innocent child. So is a venti, iced, cinnamon dulce latte. 

Perhaps they aren't equally clear copies of heaven. But, any created good in this life is a taste of the eternal Goods of Heaven. 

That is why we sin when we make a created good our god. That incredible sunset is meant to point you to its Creator. That love you experience from your friends and family is meant to point you to the Lover (God) and the Beloved (God). 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (second only to Scripture as a self-help/answer-all-the-questions-of-life-book) says this. (the big print is my addition) 

#1060 At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. Then the just will reign with Christ for ever, glorified in body and soul, and the material universe itself will be transformed. God will then be "all in all" (1 Cor 15:28), in eternal life.

If our love for this world is properly ordered it will lead us straight to the Triune God who awaits us in the Next World. 

So, the next time you taste some great chocolate, praise God and long for the Chocolate of Heaven. And if you have to skip that great chocolate, you can offer it up and remind yourself that you are building a store of REALLY Real Chocolate in Heaven! 

Narnia, Nylons and What's Wrong with the World

We are almost done reading the Chronicles of Narnia, and there are so many great parts that we have talked about...or I have talked to the kids about. But yesterday there was a part that I could only begin to rant discuss with the kids before their eyes glazed over. So, I saved my lecture thoughts for you (and for them when they read this in ten years).  

SPOILER ALERT: You may learn stuff about the series that you don't want to if you haven't already read it. You can always skip the quotes and go right to my rant..umm opinions. 

Towards the end of "The Last Battle" we meet up with all the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve that have ever been to Narnia, except one. 

Susan is missing. She is "no longer a friend of Narnia."

Why? Jill begins to explain: 

"She's interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up."

But Lady Polly clarifies a bit: 

"Grown-up indeed," said the Lady Polly. "I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she'll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole ideas is to race on to the silliest time of one's life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can."

Wow! So this infatuation with the teen years, the time that is meant to be a transition from childhood to adulthood, is nothing new. Even in C.S. Lewis time, racing to the young adult stage, and then never wanting to leave, was a problem. We just need to replace nylons with racey underwear, lipstick with tattoos, and invitations with tweets and it could be our world. 

Today we have, first of all, a name for this new (since sometime in the late 50's) stage: "Teenager." Next everything must be focused on that time in your life. Children younger than 13 were first called "pre-teens"...now they are "tweens". 

Once they have arrived at "Teenager" they have whole industries vying for their attention and telling them what they should do, wear, think, eat, say, want, etc.

We spend tons of money on their high school experience: sports, clubs, dances, the Prom, social experiences of all sorts. Forget the disappointment they will feel when they can't afford a limo and a wildly expensive dress for every special occasion in their life.

Then, they go off to college where they are still called kids (until they are 26 and FINALLY kicked off the parent's health insurance) and they get to have "the college experience" which is apparently about four years of financed play, with some learning tacked on---or at least some classes endured in the hopes that learning will happen. 

Now, apparently college graduation doesn't end this focus on the World of the Teenager. For the rest of their lives they will mourn their passing youth, recapture those good old days, shop at Forever 21, and strive for their teen-age figure. Eventually, they will learn to live vicariously through their own teenagers. 

I know...not everyone does this. But you can't deny that TV, film, radio, and fashion all conspire to convince us that TEENAGER is where it's at. 

This is why I am all in favor of abolishing the high school. I say, give them internships and then let them spend their spare time studying what they need to know to get into a university (though I could make an argument against the university too---at least most of them). 

And I am only being slightly humorous here. Let's face it, when it comes to my opinions on education I am counter-culture even to those who are already considered counter cultural. 

For more insight into my radical opinions, read Anthony Esolen, wherever he may be found.

Favorite Quotes from my Weekend Reading

Some days we laugh and relish. 

Some days we are just glad we survived.

Rachel Balducci

Testosterhome.

We relished these days.
I looked all through my pictures for a day we "survived"---apparently we don't take pictures of those days. 

<  >

Faith in men is for slaves.  

Faith in man is for fools.  

Faith in God is for men.

Anthony Esolen from his series "Life Under Compulsion". 

It looks to some like "Faith in men" but it is truly "Faith in God". 

St. Anthony, pray for us. 

Give Pollyanna A Break!

Today I read this line in a blog post: "To be clear, it isn’t a Pollyanna version of positive thinking we’re going for." *

We all know what the blogger meant. "A Pollyanna version of positive thinking" is unrealistic, blindly optimistic, simplistic. 

Who really knows Pollyanna? If we have any idea who she is, most of us probably picture Halley Mills in the Disney movie. And that was a delightful film. But, as usual, nothing compared with the book. 

"Blind optimism" is not what the real Pollyanna (in the fictional story) promoted with her "Glad Game". 

In the book, Pollyanna tells the story of how her father invented the "Glad Game". Her father was a preacher, his wife had died and he was raising his daughter alone. The two of them relied on donations for most of their possessions. 

One Christmas, Pollyanna was hoping a doll would show up in the missionary barrel that they knew was coming their way. But the barrel, which was usually filled with whatever was available to pass on, did not contain a single toy, let alone a doll. 

It did contain a pair of crutches, though. 

You can imagine what a therapist, or modern novel writer would make of that. Tragedy. Hoping for a doll, getting crutches. 

A typical story accused of being too "Pollyanna" may have had some wealthy person (or "virtuous" government program that would take her from her father since he obviously couldn't provide for her) bringing her a beautiful doll. 

A typical story trying hard NOT to be "Pollyanna" may have had the little girl go on to a horrible life of crime and drug addiction--she couldn't help it, her childhood was so sad!

But, Pollyanna's father knew that growing up in poverty didn't have to be tragic, if you had the right attitude. So he invented the glad game. There is always someone worse off than you. There is always something to be glad about. The game is to figure out what that is. 

What was there to be glad about when you got a set of crutches instead of a doll for Christmas? 

Well, as Pollyanna learned, you could be glad that you didn't need the crutches. {it is important to note that for Pollyanna it was never "I am glad I am not that person" but "I am glad for what I have"}

For Pollyanna, that put her circumstances in perspective and, as children often do, she took the lesson to heart. Most of the book takes place after the little girl's father has died and she has gone to live with a wealthy, emotionally distant and severe aunt. She is in a small town filled with many unhappy people, feeling sorry for themselves, nursing old grudges, gossiping about each other and caring more for public acclamation than actual good works. 

Being glad no matter what does not always come easy to Pollyanna. She often struggles to find the Glad thing in her situation. And it is often her determination in the face of difficulty that causes others to sit up and take notice. 

Ultimately, with her "Glad Game" and her cheerful life-loving nature, she teaches the town to see the good in each other and the joy in their lives. 

Far from being "un-realistic" and "blind", being a Pollyanna means humbly admitting that things can always be worse. And those things in my life that I have little to no power over---things like the age and developmental stage of my kids, the size of the pay check we have chosen to live under, the amount of work it takes to feed and clothe and love the kids God has given me, even illnesses and disability---those things are crosses to bear, but they are not unbearable. And to "bear" them means to carry them with JOY. 

Is that easy? Of course not. 

But lets give Pollyanna a break. Playing her Glad Game can help us avoid the traps of self-pity and negativity. 

To imitate Pollyanna you need not pretend as if nothing bad has ever happened to you, instead you move forward, changing what you can and taking joy in the cross that cannot be taken away. 

*(no need to link to the post--it was a good post, but not about Pollyanna and I don't want to criticize the blogger for a passing reference.) 

Why My Girls Won't Be Reading Anne of Green Gables Any Day Soon.

"Oh, don't speak about freckles to me...It isn't delicate when I'be got so many."

Anne

"Well, they didn't pick you for your looks, that's sure and certain"….She's terrible skinny and homely, Marilla….Lawful heart did any one ever see such freckles? And hair as red as carrots!" 

Mrs. Rachel Lynde.

My girls have freckles and red hair. They are beautiful little girls who will grow up to be beautiful women and their red hair and freckles will always be part of them. 

Anne of Green Gables also has red hair and freckles. But, she isn't happy about it. And neither are some of the people around her. 

We all know we are surrounded by a society that OVER emphasizes appearance and under emphasizes character. And this is especially problematic for girls. Girls tend to focus on BEING more than DOING. With that comes a focus on appearances. That isn't all bad…it is, in a certain way, how we are wired. 

The 7 year old comes down stairs in her pink leotard and tutu and asks for her hair to be put in a ballet bun. She wants to BE a ballerina---and looking the part is all she needs for now. Of course she doesn't care that her undershirt is all bunched up under the leotard, or that the tutu is hanging too too low. Someday she will attend to those details, and that will be appropriate, then. 

Both the 11 year old and the 7 year old are learning how to dress modestly. They usually follow our family standards for this virtue (not that there is anything written in stone, just a few rules for what sorts of clothes go together) without much discussion. They are both developing their own sense of style and opinions about what looks pretty. 

However, when they begin to look at the things that are "the way God made them"---their bodies, their physical features--I want them to be accepting and appreciative of the unique gifts that they are. For MY kids, that means freckles and red hair and it has never occurred to them yet to dislike those features. They often get comments from people that are positive--though I wish people would not do that. I know that they are just trying to be friendly and complimentary. But for some kids any attention from strangers is negative and embarrassing.

I read an interesting blog post last week about how to talk to your daughter about her body. I agree with the article but I also see the point of one commenter who said that not hearing anything about her appearance from her mom left her assuming it was because she wasn't very pretty. I have tried to not speak negatively about my own body in front of my girls. I have also not spoken to them about things like weight--we don't talk about foods as "fattening" but healthy or not-healthy, foods that give you good energy or those that don't. But, I also think there is a danger in pretending that they don't care about their physical features. They do. 

Can I expect my girls to not notice that they have red hair and freckles? That ship has already sailed. They look in the mirror, they know. But what I hope for them is that they can grow up to accept their unique physical features as "they way they were made" and to resist the destructive thoughts that lead a girl to stand in front of the mirror and say "I hate my…". 

Maybe someday my redheads can read Anne of Green Gables and gloss over or laugh at Anne's insecurities. And they will see the young lady she grows up to be and all her other great characteristics. But for now, they do not need to be introduced to anything that might make them look in the mirror and question their beauty. 

What We're Reading (and listening to) Wednesday

We continue to read St. Louis and the Last Crusade as well as the Far Blue Mountains in the evening.

We are also reading The Last Battle from the Chronicles of Narnia at lunch or tea time.

Our newest edition to the read aloud cast is our audio book for the car. We are about 18 chapters into Men of Iron by Howard Pyle and narrated by Jim Weiss. So far it is interesting and fun. It is a great introduction to medieval life and the life of a young knight-in-training.

I am still reading Theophilos by Michael O'Brien and still enjoying it. My problem is that I only seemed to get a few minutes before bedtime to read it, so it is slow going.

Normally I would bring Theophilos with me to M's class on Tuesday and Thursday but I keep forgetting it. So this week I had my Kindle with tons of stuff on it that I have mostly read and I decided to click on Common Sense by Thomas Payne. I had already started it before and can't remember anything from my first reading, but I decided to just pick up where I was. The part I read was a fascinating treatise on the flaws of the British system of government along with a criticism of Monarchy that included many references to Scripture. I recently read about how this little pamphlet changed the course of human history in an article that I can't, for the life of me, find!!

But, the story of this little booklet "Common Sense" is fascinating when you think about who it was written for (a bunch of farmers and shop keepers more than two centuries ago) and how it influenced the thought of the time. Many attribute the success of the revolution to the booklet and its influence.

Read it and ask yourself if you pictured a farmer in the 1700's being intelligent enough to read it, understand it and discuss it with his neighbor.

Then try not to get depressed about the current state of political discussion and education in this country.

I am also reading The Religious Potential of the Child by Sophia Cavelletti and am awaiting the edition addressed to ages 6-12. These books are the foundation for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and they have my wheels turning about the fall.

And finally, though this doesn't count has reading, I am listening to Andrew Pudewa from Excellence in Writing. I can't believe I haven't listened to him before. I watched a little introductory video and heard him mention two of my educational influences Robert Doman and Oliver DeMille, not to mention Charlotte Mason and others. The audio download that I listened to yesterday was called Nurturing Competent Communicators and it was really great. Not only am I confirmed in all my efforts to including reading aloud in our routine, but I am inspired to do more.

I highly recommend this talk to all my homeschooling friends. But also to my friends and family in the field in education. I wish I had heard it when I taught elementary school.

"You must choose, but choose wisely."

It was born then, this idea that I must have books, not only for our children but for Abigail and myself. We must not lose touch with that we were, with what we had been, nor must we allow the well of our history to dry up, for a child without tradition is a child crippled before the world. Tradition can also be an anchor of stability and a shield to guard one from irresponsibility and hasty decisions. 

(All quotes from the character Barnabas Sackett in To The Far Blue Mountains by Louis L'Amour)

It is amazing how the wide availability of books has been a norm for a relatively short period of time in terms of human history, and yet they have become indispensable to basic happiness in life. A child growing up in a house without books is a child deprived of a basic necessity. Yet even today, children are raised without books in the house--and not always due to poverty, per se. 

But for most of the children raised in this country, books are plentiful. They can be easily gotten out of a library, they are all about them at school, and they can buy cheap ones at the corner convenience store. Yet, 42% of college graduates will never read another book after they graduate (if you can trust the statistic…but even if it is close, it is tragic!)

What books then? They must be few, for the luggage of books is no easy thing when they must be carried in canoes, packs, and upon one's back.

While some of us have trouble housing all of our books, I suspect that most people with books in their homes have a bookshelf or two filled. A trip to the local library or bookstore will reveal shelves and shelves of the latest books on every subject under the sun. It is hard to even imagine having to pare it down to a handful that will last you a lifetime, or at least a few years till you can find more. 

     Each book must be one worth rereading many times, each a book that has much to say, that can lend meaning to a life, help in decisions, comfort one during moments of loneliness. One needed a chance to listen to the words of other men who had lived their lives, to share with them trials an troubles by day and by night in home or in the markets of cities. 

There really is nothing better than a good book. One that can be read again and again. Sometimes I feel like I go through books like TV shows--living in that world for a short time only to leave it and forget it utterly. "Have we seen this episode before?" "Did I read that book yet?"

But, then there are those books that you read again and again, or if you don't reread them, you at least re-live them. And you can't wait to share them with your kids. 

Is it possible that in today's world we have too many books? Is it possible that it is too easy to get a book to print? 

Would more young people continue reading after they leave school if there were fewer choices? If books were more rare, more dear?

Not every book is worth reading. Many are at worst harmful, and at best a waste of precious time. 

The Bible of course, for aside from religion there is much to be learned of men and their ways in the Bible. It is also a source of comments made of references and figures of speech. No man could consider himself education without some knowledge of it.

     Plutarch aslo. My father, a self-educated man, placed much weight upon him. He was, I quote my father, urbane, sophisticated, and intelligent, giving a sense of calmness and consideration to all he wrote. "I think," my father said, "that more great men have read him that perhaps any other book." 

If you had to carry on your back the books you would read for the next 5 or 10 years, what would they be?  

Bonus points if you guess what movie the title of this post is from.

My Name Day, Come for Dessert

I have this old book. I have had it since I was single and dreaming of having a family and all the great liturgical year things that I would do. 

Here is what my imagination looked like: 

Actually, that is a picture from the book---got an idea when it was written? 

The book is full of lots of neat ideas for celebration, and choosing, name days. Choosing can be difficult for some (like those with Marian names) because of the abundance of feasts. For others (like people named Carol) it is more difficult. 

But I learned that there is a feast called Our Lady of the Carol. Of course no one seems to know where it came from or what it refers to (a vision of our Lady....on Christmas? Or is it just a title of the Blessed Mother that became popular in Paris?)

But today is D's name day. St. Declan was a predecessor to St. Patrick. He was a bishop in Ardmore, Waterford, Ireland. We were able to visit there back in 2008. There is a well that was said to have had healing powers, and a "camino" that leads from St. Declan's Monastery and Cathedral (now only a ruin, but where St. Declan is thought to have been buried) in Ardmore to The Rock of Cashel. It is called St. Declan's Way or "The Irish Camino". On our trip to Ireland we drove from Cashel down to Ardmore and stayed on the coast for a few days, exploring and getting to know D's patron. 

Today we got up early (really early) to make it to Mass which was followed by donuts. This evening there will be a special dessert and hopefully, if I can get it together, a special prayer to be said. 

St. Declan of Ardmore, Pray for us