The author’s early reading of the Raggedy Ann books gave way to a preference for animal stories, valuing virtues over modern, frivolous children’s literature.
Tag: Reflections
Tiny Jars of Apples
It is apple season here in Wisconsin. We live in a place with very harsh winters, late springs, and cold falls. In our city, the “snow/cold day” school cancellation policy doesn’t activate until -35F° (with windchill). My respect for the pioneers and settlers who tamed this bitterly cold wilderness is boundless. My admiration for their…
Sabbath Schedule
A few months ago I wrote an article about our obedience to the spiritual principle of Sabbath-keeping. Since then, I have received a number of requests for an explanation of what a normal Sabbath looks like for us. Because I appreciate being able to peek into the lives of others, I am happy to share…
Hospitality Recharge
In this article I wrote about Sally Clarkson’s A Life Giving Home and a beautiful weekend of hospitality when we were hosting our Gourmet group. In that article I explained that we anticipated the weekend with a gentle approach to our preparations and a sharing of the work. No matter how wonderful our call to hospitality is,…
My Life Giving Home
Last winter I read Sally Clarkson’s newest book, The Life Giving Home, and experienced a sense of support and calling that profoundly deepened a calling that I was already wrestling with. More than a year ago, my husband and I were called into a difficult and disorienting life-changing situation. Our natural introverted tendency is to…
GK Chesterton: Architect of Spears
In my Potato Peel Pie book club we are reading a little Chesterton every week. And by “little,” I mean one essay every Sunday from In Defense of Sanity. Each week we read and reflect on one short essay or article from G. K. Chesterton and play with the ideas he articulates. Some of the…
Listening to Readers
I am not an expert. I am not even trained for early childhood education. I make no claims of expertise. I am just a mom who is a voracious reader and who will do anything reasonable under the sun to make sure that her kids have the right relationship with reading. A reading relationship built…
Missionaries, Mystics & Martyrs
Millions of people know who Brother Andrew is, I think. I, however, had never heard of him before last year. I came across his name when I read Corrie Ten Boom’s story in The Hiding Place. In the opening of The Hiding Place, the Sherills explain that they had discovered Corrie Ten Boom while doing…
Live on the Rest
The new school year looms. I feel more apprehension than excitement. Like Martha, I am anxious and troubled about many things, most of them months away. Yesterday I was reminded of a story that became personal this time. Remember the prophet’s widow (II Kings 4) who goes to Elisha for help? Her husband has died…
Reading Plan: Sara’s Approach
I grew up loving the Ben Hur film with Charlton Heston. Thanks to Anne Shirley, I discovered that it was based on a book by Lew Wallace and now I love the book even more than the movie. There is a key moment in the story of Ben Hur when Judah’s character is evaluating a…
Why I Sabbath
When I was a student at Hillsdale College, one of my dearest friends was the daughter of a professor on campus. My friend’s family is Jewish and I was regularly invited to their home on Friday evenings to participate in their Sabbath dinner. Those Friday evenings were a time of profound beauty for me. Leading…
Planning Reflection
“…the more a man looks at a thing, the less he can see it, and the more a man learns a thing the less he knows it.” – The Twelve Men, GKC Like nearly all of the homeschool moms I know, I approach term planning with a mixture of anxiety, guilt, and eager anticipation. I…
A Person of Ability
I just finished reading Ben Hur, by Lew Wallace. For the third time. I’ve always been mildly curious about the man who could and would write such a story. This time I decided that I was curious enough to actually dig up a biography. Based on the stories in the first chapter of Lew Wallace:Militant…
Teach Them to Learn
In the middle of a phone conversation with my oldest son the other day, he said, “Oh, Mom, I’ve been wanting to remember to tell you something. I want to thank you for teaching us how to learn.” What? Huh? I’m choking up already. “Young people these days (he’s 33 and already complaining about the…
Loving Evening Read Aloud
When I was eight years old, my parents took our young family to Europe including my six year old sister and four year old brother. It was 1984 and the dollar was worth almost one British Pound. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. My mom packed three canvas army duffle bags…