Chewing My Cud

"Let us read good works often over.
Some skip from volume to volume,
touching on all points, resting on none.
We hold, on the contrary, that,
if a book be worth reading once,
it is worth reading twice,
and that if it stands a second reading,
it may stand a third."
--George Gilfillan

I just love Katrina's question for the Fall Into Reading challenge this week. She wants to know how often I re-read books, and what it takes for a book to be worthy of a re-read.

Well, in a nutshell, I am definitely a re-reader and have been since my childhood. I read Where the Red Fern Grows every single year beginning my third grade year when I received it as a gift and continued re-reading it clear through high school. Once I discovered Little Women at my Grandma and Grandad's house a couple years later, I had another favorite to revisit annually.

Similar "ruminations" have continued throughout my adulthood.

• Revisiting old friends: I love to re-read those really great books for several reasons. I know Billy, Little Ann, Old Dan--Jo, Meg, Beth, Amy and Laurie. To paraphrase another blogger, reading their stories again gives me a chance to revisit "old friends". Some authors have such a gift for characterization that our favorite characters come alive in our minds and in our hearts. I'm embarrassed to admit how many times I've read the Clan of the Cave Bear series (don't rat me out, dear friend and librarian--besides, the first time I read it, I borrowed it from a friend and I have since picked up paperback copies at garage sales, so the number of times my name is on the card isn't even an accurate count! chuckle). Jondalar and Ayla are so well fleshed out that I feel like I could pick them out of a crowd. And Hadassah, Marcus, Atretes (Mark of the Lion triology) have taught me some amazing lessons I will never forget. These friends are always available at a moment's notice for a refreshing visit.

How I do love books! Not merely to read once
but over and over again.
I enjoy the tenth reading of a book as much as the first.
Books are a delightful world in themselves.
Their characters seem as real to me as my friends of actual life.
--LM Montgomery Selected Journals I

• Savor the How: Sometimes I like to re-read books because the first time through I get so caught up in the storyline that I'm in a rush to get to the end to find out WHAT happens. The second time through, I'm better able to savor HOW it happened.

• Apply the next level: With other books, particularly those of the self-help variety, there is *so much* information that I can only apply the first level of immediate change and need to read it again to apply the "next level." In other cases, such as parenting books, I am at a different place or stage of my life so it's like reading the book for the first time as more relevant information stands out to me. For example, I first read Shepherding a Child's Heart when my first two children were toddler/preschool age, then I read it again with a whole new perspective when they were upper-elementary-aged, and frankly, now that they are teenagers, I NEED to read it again.

• Get more out of it: I also find that I simply get more out of a good book in successive readings. Sometimes it's because *I* have a different perspective now that I'm older and have had more experience. I'm finding this especially true in re-readings of classics and wonder how I missed some of these great points the first time through. I could almost wonder why we tend to push classics in high school and college as people tend to then look at a classic with the attitude of "oh, yeah, I read that back in high school" (and frequently hated it/didn't understand it) and never pick up the book again. But that's a whole other soapbox, and just another support of re-reading those classics as successive readings merely highlight our growth and maturity.

• Enjoy an easy read: Sometimes I pick up an old favorite just because it's a quick and easy escape. I already know the main things so I can read it really fast and not think too hard.

The greatest pleasure of reading
consists in re-reading.
Vernon Lee

My penchant for re-reading explains why I BUY so many books! Sometimes I borrow a book from a friend or the library, read it, then go out and buy a copy b/c it was *SO GOOD* I know I'll want to read it again. (I've never quite understood, by the way, why some people buy books only to read them once and let them sit on the shelf--what is the point of that?) When the book is my own, I can underline, highlight, and even "talk" to the author with scribbles in the margins. When I want to find a particular point, I can pick up the book and invariably find the passage as I know just where it is on the page, how I marked it (underlining or color of highlighter), and even if I scribbled a comment or scripture reference in its margin.

A book reads better which is our own,
and has been so long known to us
that we know the topography
of its blots and dog's ears,
and can trace the dirt in it to having
read it at tea with buttered muffins.
--Charles Lamb

As much as I love re-reading great books, it's hard to do, especially as my time is becoming more and more limited and I keep finding so many books I *want* to read (for the first time!). But I can't see myself giving up this practice. Just talking about it, in fact, has inspired me to hurry up and get through my Fall Reading List so I can reward myself with a book I've read before. I'm thinking it might be time to savor the incredible skills of wordsmith Khaled Hosseini again, for his book, The Kite Runner, is one of the best examples of my re-reading tendencies. IMMEDIATELY upon turning that last page, I returned to the front of the book and started reading it again. I needed to savor the rich symbolism and expert foreshadowing now that I knew the whole story. Yes, it was THAT good. How could I put such a masterfully written book away on a shelf never to be experienced again?

You know when you hear a piece of music once,
you haven’t heard it properly,
you want to hear it again.
A well-made book will reward you in exactly the same way as music does,
in that you will understand and love a piece.
You’ll feel the cadence and depth of it and hear things in it all the time.
If you pay it a little more attention,
it will reward you, like all art.
Like everything, actually.
--Ali Smith

The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study

As we're spending time each day studying algebra, biology, geometry, literature, composition and all those other subjects which are so important to our academic education, it can be easy to neglect "the best" in favor of what is simply good to study. We all know what is BEST to study, and what has eternal value, but how well do we show by our actions that the Bible is "The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study"?

After being challenged several years ago to compare how many physical meals we eat each day to our number of daily spiritual meals, we try to provide our children with two to three opportunities to study their Bibles each day. Alan starts each day with family Bible reading and prayer and currently he is jumping through chapters to highlight "stories" he wants to make sure the younger children have heard. Sometimes he just reads straight through a book of the Bible, and other times he does more of a "study" of a book of the Bible, particularly one of the epistles (or letters) from the New Testament.

The older children also have time scheduled after lunch to do some sort of personal Bible study. Sometimes they pick a topic to study and find verses about that topic from a concordance. Other times they use some sort of study guide that asks them to read a passage and answer questions about it. In addition to the random moments throughout the day that prompt us to look something up in the Bible, we also like to have some Bible study in the evening, but I have to admit this is the Bible time that gets dropped *at least* as often as it actually happens.

I always like to encourage people to spend time studying the Bible and sharing the Word of God with their children and am on the lookout for resources to help encourage this practice (although, truly, the Bible is enough on its own). When we use supplemental resources, however, I like them to be of the "read this passage and answer questions" variety--the "inductive method", if you will. I don't tend to use resources that tell me what the Bible says because man too often misinterprets and misapplies Scripture and we need to come to the Bible itself to understand what God is saying. If you similarly like a resource which basically provides accountability along the lines of "read this passage and answer these questions" for your middle school and high school kids, you might like Starr Meade's "The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study", a survey of the Bible. This study breaks an overview of the Old Testament into two workbooks and an overview of the New Testament into two additional workbooks and comes with an answer key.

I really like the idea of surveying the entire Bible for this age group. We can sometimes lose the "big picture" by studying small portions of the Bible for an extended period of time. Whether a young adult has studied various parts of the Bible in small portions for several years or whether he is completely new to the message of the Bible, I think this study provides that "big picture" both tying together previously studied stories and providing a nice foundation for him to delve in more deeply later.

I like the style of study as students aren't told what the passage says, but rather read an assigned passage and then answer basic "who is talking, who is addressed, what is said" types of questions. Students are pointed directly to the Word to find the answers to the questions. I also appreciate that *so far, anyway* in my perusal of this study guide, the author is not expressing doctrinal slants, but rather is focusing on simply what the Bible says. This study guide is also laid out in such a way that it's easy for a parent to "pick up and go", rather than requiring lots of preparation beforehand, which is sometimes nice for a homeschooling parent--or any parent really! (Indeed, the workbooks could simply be handed to a young adult to complete on her own.)

I really appreciate the author's reason for compiling this study guide to survey the entire Bible and highly recommend her entire introduction "Getting Started". In one paragraph she explains why it's important to read the entire Bible:

What do we do with a book? We read it--from beginning to end, straight through, more than once if it's good and has a lot to say. But few people read their Bibles that way. If a teacher assigned Moby Dick for you to read, you would be foolish to open at random to a page and read it, then find another page two hundred pages later and read it, then close the book, confident that you understood Moby Dick. Although we all recognize the foolishness of that approach with any other book, we fail to see that this is how most of us read the Bible--a passage here, a passage there, confident that we have understood the meaning. We need to read the whole Bible, each book straight through and all of them together, to see God's overall message in it.

As a dear friend has recently challenged me to join her and about fifty others in reading through the entire Bible in 182 days (gulp--I've NEVER read through the entire Bible that fast!), I am especially struck by the importance of keeping the entire big picture constantly before me and hope you are similarly encouraged to read your Bible today.

I was provided one copy of this study guide by Crossway in exchange for my honest review.

Western Wisdoms or Idiot Boxes

I've been on a strange Louis L'Amour kick lately. I grew up reading his books with my dad and have always enjoyed them. It all started with a conversation as I enjoyed the hospitality of a fellow Christian family a few weeks ago.

The couple we stayed with are probably in their mid to late 60s and have always lived a rural lifestyle. The "mister" is the epitome of a "good ole boy" who doesn't know anything different from hard work, seal a deal on your word and a handshake, and doing what needs done. Their adult daughter and son were also visiting with us that evening before we all went to bed. I was rather amused at the "mister's" disgust as his 12 year-old-grandson sat beside a friend on the couch and they each were immersed in their individual "technologies" as the rest of us visited for a couple hours.

He was having a hard time remembering the name of our youngest, Tyrell. I repeated it again, finally adding that I got his name from a Louis L'Amour book as Tyrel Sackett was one of the famous Sackett brothers. Well, that was just the ticket to help him remember Tyrell's name and get us off on a whole 'nother tangent! :) The more we recalled L'Amour books, the more we realized what great lessons can be found in these books. At one point the "mister" of the house proclaimed the main characters to be "real men" who were prepared for life at a young age, who did what needed to be done, and didn't sit around "staring at those idiot boxes" like young men today!

Since I'm along for the ride as my oldest son transitions into manhood, I think and pray a great deal about how to help him become a strong man of character and integrity who lives his life for the Lord. I've directed my daughter to many, many books and studies to help her as she is becoming a woman, but I've been frustrated and disappointed at the sparse selection for my son.

As I've been reading these L'Amour books, I've noticed the main characters take up the cause of the underdog and protect women rather than being a bully or taking advantage of those who are weaker. I see men who are self-governed and do what needs to be done just because it needs done, without waiting for someone to tell them to do it or protesting that it's someone else's responsibility. I admire their strength, their willingness to learn and do something new, their strong family ties.

While L'Amour may never go down in the history books as an author of classic literature, his books are well-researched, descriptive, and paint an inspiring picture of an ideal to which few these days seem to aspire. So I introduced my son to the Sackett family. He has devoured three of these books already and we are having fun sharing our favorite lines.

In my recent re-readings, I've pondered several points L'Amour tucked within his stories. From the book "The Daybreakers" alone I highlighted the following thoughts:

What you say and do has an effect beyond what you imagine or intend in the moment:

Sometimes I wonder if anything is ever ended. The words a man speaks today live on in his thoughts or the memories of others, and the shot fired, the blow struck, the thing done today is like a stone tossed into a pool and the ripples keep widening out until the touch lives far from ours (48).

Sometimes we talk too much and do too little:

There is a time that calls for action and when debate makes no sense (52).

Expand your horizons and improve your associations and you'll learn how much you don't know.

A man never realizes how little he knows until he listens to folks like that talk (55).

Trials let you know who you really are

This country bred a different kind of man with guts and toughness no eastern man could use. Most men never discover what they've got inside. A man has to face up to trouble before he knows. The kind of conniving a man could get away with back east wouldn't go out here. You can hide that sort of behavior in a crowd, but not in a country where there's so few people (63).

Fear and courage go hand in hand

I've nothing against a man being scared as long as he does what has to be done. . .being scared can keep a man from getting killed and often makes a better fighter of him (82).

Be discerning, not gullible.

People believe whatever they read must be true--or it would not be in print. Most folks don't stop to think that the writer of a book or the publisher of a newspaper may have his own axe to grind, or he may be influenced by others, or he may not be in possession of all the information on the subject of which he writes (125).

The more you learn and grow, the more responsibility you have. To whom much is given, much is required.

Now I was beginning to see where reading can make a man trouble. Reading Locke, Hume, Jefferson and Madison had made me begin to think mighty high of a man's public duty (134).

Sometimes we prefer the illusion of peace to true freedom

His kind would outlast my kind because people have a greater tolerance for evil than for violence. If crooked gambling, thieving, and robbing are covered over, folks will tolerate it longer than outright violence, even when the violence may be cleansing (135).

Yes, I think Destry will find some very worthwhile lessons to ponder as he enjoys these adventure tales.

The Trip to the Firestation

One fun thing about beginning this homeschool journey again is the field trips. Sadly, my middle school and high school students take fewer and fewer field trips and spend more and more time in the books. I haven't missed the crafts (glitter and glue and construction paper--ugh) these last few years, but I must admit to missing the field trips and that excitement at learning about the adult world.

Their first field trip of the year was to the fire station and they were simply brimming with anticipation as we left big brother and sis at home to tackle their algebra and geometry (bet they were missing the days of field trips too!).
Every kid wants to be a firefighter, if only to slide down the pole, right?
Or perhaps it's those big, red, loud trucks that hold the appeal!
They were properly impressed with the automatic steps which made it easier to climb into the huge cab.
They didn't get to try on the 50-60 pounds of firefighting gear, but they watched a fire safety movie (featuring Timon and Pumba, can you believe it?!), toured the station, and got to give the firefighters a big five and thank them for sharing their day with us.Next planned field trip: the post office!

The Corn House Filled

“For now, the corn house filled, the harvest home,
Th' invited neighbors to the husking come;
A frolic scene, where work and mirth and play
Unite their charms to cheer the hours away.”
--from 'The Hasty Pudding'

Our corn is all picked and we had lots of fun and made more memories gathering the crop. Destry is like his dad and just loves harvest time.
And I think Alan comes by it honestly as, when his dad heard we were going to be picking corn last weekend, he just had to come and take a few spins around the field. Three generations of men who love to work the land.I am quite proud of the two older generations who allowed Destry to pick about half of the field, even as I could fairly see them itching to do it themselves and nearly bursting with tips gained from their years of experience.
'As a family' is just the way we do things around here, so even one-year-old little Tyrell got his first experience in harvesting corn. He found the effort of walking in such uneven terrain to consume all of his focus and energy however.We got some fun shots from in the wagon as the corn picker hurled ears of corn at its riders. . .and the kids played "Dodge Corn" instead of "Dodgeball".
Grandpa passing on some experience as he takes a spin for old times' sake.
Then we head to the corn crib to unload the wagon for the next spin around the field.
Daddy tips the wagon and the kids kick ears of corn down to the little door to unload the corn onto the elevator.
And the elevator carried the corn to the corn crib Alan and Destry built.
They even finangled a handy-dandy door to enable them to get to the corn more easily this winter.

We are so blessed this year with our corn crop. We have about $60 total in the entire crop and corn prices are H-I-G-H this year!!! This corn is all organic, we cultivated instead of spraying for weeds, and we know exactly what our animals will be eating--and thus what *we* will be eating (and drinking from the milk cow!). We will be able to feed our steer, pigs, and chickens this corn for a minimal investment.
Here is some of the finished feed product, ground corn and cob, sitting in our feed bin. Sometimes we grind it with high-quality hay to increase the protein of the feed.
The Lord has richly blessed us, yet again, with a fruitful harvest!

Fashion Diva

Why must it require this. . .
to come up with this???:)

A Refreshing Visit

I read Charlotte Mason's works several years ago, maybe 8 or 9 years ago, and promptly sold the series. (That was before my book fetish was completely developed. At that time I had the silly idea that after reading a book, the information was in my head and I could recycle the book and thus the money. Now I know I will need to reference back so it's best to keep the book and just have your husband build more bookshelves, chuckle.) Anyway, I read Charlotte Levin's books discussing Mason's philosophies a few years after selling the original series, implemented what seemed useful, and moved on. This last summer, however, I decided to read Karen Andreola's "Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning" as my "annual-summer-educational-perspective-renewal" selection.
I think this book was one of my favorite summer reads for this purpose of renewal. I was exhausted from homeschooling at the end of last year and Andreola's gentle love both for her children and for education was just the breath of fresh air I needed. She helped me remember *why* I do this day in and day out: because I love my children, I love being with them, and their education, whether intellectual, emotional, spiritual, or moral, is more important than anything I might otherwise do with my time.

Perhaps it's because my first set of children was getting older, but I was starting to think we had "outgrown" CM's educational philosophies. With a kindergartner starting up, however, I wanted to revisit CM. And in so doing, I realized how many delightful tips she has for children of all ages.

There were many, many nuggets I copied from this book onto index cards to meditate on over the summer, but I'll highlight my two favorites.

Be sure that your children each day have:
something or someone to love,
something to do,
something to think about.

I love this thought and think there is much merit in it. I've pondered this for hours. What a well-rounded child-to-adult this would develop! Indeed, even as adults don't we need these same things? If we have someone or something to love, it teaches us compassion. It takes our focus off ourselves. It teaches us to think about another and "love our neighbor as ourself".

When we have something to do, we are more motivated, we have more energy--we have a purpose. As Proverbs 19:15 says, "lazyness casts one into a deep sleep." Children without purpose are bored, get into trouble, and become disinterested in living. I have experienced this myself--on the occasional lazy Sunday afternoon I get *so* lazy I don't even enjoy the day. I become irritable and frankly can't even stand to be around myself. How much better it is to have work to do, a focus, a PURPOSE for our days and lives.

And finally, when we have something to think about we develop our curiosity. The more we learn, the more we realize how much there IS to learn and the more likely we are to explore and investigate. This produces growth, independence, and a desire to learn more. Besides that, people who think are simply more interesting.

Our aim in education
is less good conduct
than good character.

My very favorite tidbit Andreola shared was this aim in education. At first glance, we might think our aim is good conduct in our children. We might want them to act respectful, obedient and polite. We might want them to earn good grades, be competitive in sports, and proficient on a musical instrument. But if that is our only goal, we have missed the target completely. Our aim in education is to point these precious children to the Lord and shape their character to prepare them for a life of service to Him.

Truthfully, the education of our children is more a means to the end. As they juggle their schoolwork and chores, they will learn time management, self-control, and thoroughness. As they practice their instruments they will learn diligence and responsibility. As they struggle through algebra they will learn endurance and determination. As they volunteer in the community they will learn resourcefulness, generosity, hospitality, and compassion.

I can't let myself settle for short-term goals and successes, but must always keep the big picture in mind. These two tidbits have been great to refocus me as this new school year begins and I hope I won't get distracted with the daily responsibilities as the school year continues.

And, just for free, here are a few more tidbits I have copied onto my index cards for further pondering.

• The atmosphere of a close family: a respect for parents, the satisfaction of learning together, a fondness for simple pleasures, good humor amidst hard work, sympathy in sorrow, and the joy of worshiping together.
• Open communication: the freedom to express opinions in an atmosphere in which discussion is open and far-reaching
• Main causes of bickering: selfishness and harsh judgment of others
• The teacher's business: Let them learn from first-hand sources of information. indicate, stimulate, direct and constrain to the acquirement of knowledge.
• Children must be left to ruminate.
• We feed upon the thoughts of other minds, and thought applied to thought generates more thoughtfulness. No one need invite us to reason, compare, imagine. Like the body, the mind digests its proper food; it must have the labor of digestion or it ceases to function.
• Knowledge is not assimilated until it is reproduced. Whatever a child or grown-up person can tell, that we may be sure he knows, and what he cannot tell, he does not know.