Picnic Along the Way

Life can get kind of crazy.
It's awfully easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and to-do-lists.
It seems we're always on our way somewhere--we have a goal we're headed toward and it's tempting to put on blinders and rush full speed ahead.
But the moments we pause and pull off the interstate to have a picnic in a park with outdated equipment (the fun stuff mom and dad used to play on!) are some of the most precious memories of the trip.
When we aren't in a hurry, when we aren't sticking to an itinerary. . .
but we just build relationships. . .

and explore our environment. . .these are moments to treasure.

A Couple Classics

Jane Austen
Our June selection for our book club was Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I must preface this review by sharing that it's only the second Jane Austen book I've read and that I'm not an Austen fan. There is my bias (and lack of culture?) out in the open.

The book started out okay. I enjoy the pre-Victorian writing style and the characterization is thorough. But it just gets old to me. I realize Austen was likely commenting on the shallow lifestyles of the rich in her time, but I just don't enjoy it. I get frustrated with the naive women, the shallow values and pursuits of the characters, and their aimless lives, which all translate into a lack of plot to me.

I made myself read it quickly just so I could finish one of the six books I was reading (I was about to go crazy reading all those books at once!) and was glad to see some growth in the main character and at least some consequences for the shallow people, but it still is not a book I have any desire to read again.

One benefit from reading it, however, has been an evaluation of my child rearing. I am revisiting the concept of being "innocent as doves but wise as serpents." I want my children to be innocent, but not so naive they don't recognize ulterior motives in so-called friendships. Several times throughout the book I wanted to either take Catherine under my wing and explain a few things to her. . .or shake her so she would wake up to what is going on in front of her face. So I guess it was good to read Northanger Abbey to remind me not to raise a Catherine.

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

I also read a children's classic, The Bronze Bow, with my older kids this month which I highly recommend for any young teen. The story is set in Ancient Rome during the time of Christ's ministry and features a Jewish boy who hates being under Roman occupation. I love the way the author creates characters to personify the various reactions the Jews might have had at that time dependent on their socio-economic status and religious commitment. This is a classic tale of love and forgiveness as Daniel learns to distinguish between the physical and the spiritual. It sparked wonderful discussions with Briana and Destry.

I was especially struck by one particular line:

"day after day the hope and promise in Jesus' words drew him back" (160).

The HOPE and PROMISE in Jesus' words is what draws people then and now. Too often that hope and promise gets obscured by some other emphasis; too often churches try to draw people with something other than Jesus' words.

I love the beauty in that simple but true line. May we be sensitive to the hope and promise in Jesus' words so they will draw us. . .day after day.

Drop by Drop

I struggle with consistency--or a lack thereof. I have all these great ideas of things I'd like to do, ways I'd like to improve the management of my home, homeschooling ideas, Bible study ideas, parenting improvements, ministry opportunities. . .but the follow through isn't as easy as the idea is.

I've long been a fan of Yeats's famous quote "Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire." I know I can't open my children's heads and dump in everything they'll need to know in life. For one thing, technology changes constantly, and for another, what I think they'll need to know and what they will actually need for their individual lives will likely be two entirely different things. Besides, there is much to be learned from the experience of actually learning--and that may be the most valuable and essential knowledge of all.

Espousing what is seemingly an opposite philosophy, I recently heard "Drop by drop, the bucket is full" and have been reflecting on this new saying. Our effort may seem like too little day by day; a task may seem too daunting and as if there is too much empty space left in the bucket. When will this child be potty trained? Why won't my little one stop when I say "no"? How will I ever get this child to be responsible enough to feed his pet? Am I ever going to get into the habit of daily Bible study? Why can't I get this house cleaned? Will this child we've brought into our home ever trust our love?

As I've reflected on this saying, "Drop by drop, the bucket is full" I have been encouraged. The big picture of the task is overwhelming and I'm pretty sure I can't do it. But I can handle this little drop. I can walk out with my child today to help him feed his dog. I can give my child a hug right now to make a small deposit in his little love tank. I can enforce this one 'no' that is in front of me. I can study my Bible today. I can set the timer and enlist the aid of each family member for a 10-minute-power-clean session.

The drops truly do add up. My tendency is to want to make a big production of something, to do something really big and amazing, and fill the bucket in one giant drop. But too often, the bucket remains empty while we try to figure out an idea to accomplish that giant drop, or to muster the time and energy into our schedule. I'm learning it's the daily drops that are most important--those consistent, daily drops. A large splash may, after all, knock the bucket over or hit the empty bottom so hard that half of it splashes back out.

Perseverance. . .self-control to keep on keepin' on. . .

I'm keeping the vision of the bucket before me so I don't lose track of the goal, but I'm going to focus a little more on those daily drops trusting that "drop by drop, the bucket will be full."

The Book Thief

I just love it when authors have a way with words, and Markus Zusak didn't let me down in The Book Thief.This is one of those books I couldn't read fast because I kept pausing in order to savor his word choices, descriptive phrases, and rich personification. After reading it a couple times, I would even read a section aloud to my husband or one of my children. I never cease to be amazed by the things people can do with words. Just a small sampling:

her mother sat with clenched thoughts (25)
"The boy is crazy," he muttered, although he conceded that with six kids, something like this was bound to happen. At least one of them had to be a bad egg. (58)
Hans Hubermann wore a face with the shades pulled down. (63)
They could hear nothing, but the manner in which Hans Junior shrugged loose was loud enough. The sight of Papa watching him walk away roared at them from up the street. (105)
The sound of crying children kicked and punched. (380)
his eyes looked painful and loud (465)
Hot tears fought for room in her eyes as she would not let them out. (512)

And really, words are what this book is about. I knew I had to read it when I read on the inside flap "an unforgettable novel about the ability of books to feed the soul." Ooooooooh. And Zusak himself said "I thought about the importance of words in that time, and what they were able to make people believe and do." Oooooooh again.

The Book Thief is set in Nazi Germany. Death himself narrates this story about a young girl and the lives that touch hers, which is both macabre and appropriate. It is a story about life and death, growing, and relationships. It is about individuality in enduring life's trials. It is about boiling each individual down to the substance that lies (or doesn't) in each core. It is about finding something to live for.

As is the case with the great books, there are many themes woven throughout these pages.

• The ability to continue on, even in the face of great trial or tragedy. "How could that woman walk? How could she move? That's the sort of thing I'll never know, or comprehend--what humans are capable of" (25)
• "It's much easier to be on the verge of something than to actually be it" (87)
• There is power in words--Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). "She gave her a reason to write her own words, to see that words had also brought her to life" (524).
• What would you do? Would you "watch the parade with pride, temerity, or shame"(392). Or would you interrupt it?

My favorite theme was that of how we face death, for surely "it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Some are afraid to die, others are afraid to live. Still others are ready.

His soul sat up. It met me. Those kinds of souls always do--the best ones. The ones who rise up and say "I know who you are and I am ready. Not that I want to go, of course, but I will come. . .He lay in my arms and rested (532).

The Book Thief is powerful. At one point tears were rolling not just down my cheeks, but down my neck. At another point I startled my husband when I couldn't restrain a sob. The horror of what people truly endured in not-so-distant history is beyond my ability to fathom. I think it's good for us to remember and thus possibly prevent a repeat performance, and rich, insightful novels like this one are an effective means to that end.

I am reading another book about this time period, the recent biography of Bonhoeffer. I was struck during this simultaneous reading by Zusak's fictionalized account of one of the Nazi's book burning parties. My non-fiction biography told about these paganistic offerings as the Nazis burned "un-German" thoughts. The prophetic words of German poet Heinrich Heine written in 1821 were just one example of the fuel that powered those flames: "Where books are burned, they will, in the end, burn people too" (162).

The Book Thief uses rich characterization and beautiful language to paint us a picture of the power of the word and the lives of the people who were caught up in that time when books, and indeed people, were burned.

Tractors and Relationships

Destry is seriously into tractors. I've never seen anything like it. As I'm driving down the road I suddenly hear an urgent "slow down, Mom!" I quickly press the brake while looking for signs of animals or flashing lights only to hear him mumbling random numbers "1066, 4020, 1800, 560, 400. . ." I never know what amazing piece of machinery is going to catch his eye, and now he has Easton doing the same thing. Easton drew a tractor last week and painstakingly wrote "1066" on it!

This interest is partly due to his grandpa, Alan's dad. Grandpa recently called us to insist we bring the boys to a tractor show. While it was all about tractors for the boys, I couldn't help but observe the relationships between the generations of this tractor-crazy family.
Alan was just as into it as his dad and sons.

Grandma even got into the excitement as she toured the tractors with Easton and talked about all the tractor parts.Kiana was mostly interested in hitching a ride in the sling while Daddy packed Tyrell. . .but eventually even she chose a favorite!
Some see tractors. . .I see memories and bonding.

A Love That Multiplies

I liked it. I have really enjoyed both the first Duggar book and their latest book, A Love that Mulitplies: An Up-Close View of How They Make it Work.
It was a quick and easy read. They write with a very conversational style as Michelle and Jim Bob share about their life. A Love That Multiplies spends a lot of time talking about their faith in adversity as they examine some of the trials they've had in the last couple years with parents dying, sickness, storms, chicken pox (can you imagine?!) and most challenging of all, the premature birth of Josie and the family's seven-month separation. They spend more time on the premature birth than I really expected to read, but it was still interesting to see how they handled this trial, and I can see that it would be helpful and encouraging for other parents of preemies to be able to relate to their story. I appreciate that they "deliberately chose to allow that life storm to draw (them) closer to God, trusting His promise to bring good out of every situation" (79) and their honest transparency that "our hearts still bear the emotional scars from those moments when fear, exhaustion, and confusion seemed to muddle our thinking, steal our focus, and make us concerned about the future" (210).

I think my favorite thing about the Duggars, which continues through this book, is their humility. Multiple times they say "we don't know everything about parenting" or "we aren't experts" and "We may not be polished speakers, but our hope is that a message from our heart will reach another heart and make a difference in someone's life" (109). They confess that they don't have it all figured out and they give credit for ideas they have gleaned from others, such as with stewardship, parenting, marriage, and organizing their days. They are real enough to share their experience in learning to interact with their children with gentleness and kindness rather than anger, which was quite encouraging to me this week.

I was also quite blessed by their reflections regarding some of the criticisms their family receives. "We're going to incur criticism--justified or not. We can learn from our critics (they tell their children) either because what they're saying is true--or because of the way we respond when it isn't" (114). Their counsel on this subject was particularly relevant to a situation in our lives and I was encouraged when they quoted Joseph "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good" (Genesis 50:20).

Having said that, I can't help but roll my eyes at a couple stories that just don't seem like real, normal life. For example, they frequently allude to "Super Grandma" helping out with the kids during busy or stressful times, and of course there's the lady who just "loves" to do laundry so did their laundry twice a week (seriously?! this would never happen to me!). Then there are the surprise treat activities like bungee jumping and my favorite: the poor-man's water slide and swimming pool. Let me explain here, that the "poor-man's water slide" was created by using a backhoe to "scoop out a shallow hole at the foot of our sloping front lawn. Then we unrolled a giant roll of black plastic sheeting, twelve feet by one hundred feet all the way down the front-yard hill, brought out the garden hose, and greased up the plastic with Dawn dishwashing liquid and water" (19). I'm not sure what part of "poor-man" they don't understand, but in northeast Missouri "poor men" don't have free easy access to a backhoe, black plastic sheeting, etc. So, those sorts of things just kinda made me chuckle and count my reasons why I don't see any possibility of us having 19 children and living like the Duggars! :)

I really appreciated the way their faith is sprinkled throughout the book. There are more verses than I remember being referenced in the first book and while they are not prigs (just love that word and having an excuse to use it!) about it, they make no apologies or concessions regarding their faith. I respect them very much for both their courage and their graciousness.

If you're looking for an easy, encouraging book, this is a good summer read.

This Little Piggy

My son doesn't have any shoes that fit.

Oh, I know I need to get him some, but he lived in (homemade by a friend) Robeez those first several months, and now the weather is so nice. . .and his toes are so cute.Seriously, he has the cutest little feet and toes. How could I cover them up? He loves to play with his toes, and I love to tickle his toes. My dear Grandma always said it was mean to tickle a baby, so I try not to do it too much. But when I just touch them he giggles and squirms and curls them so sweetly.All I have to do is start the little nursery rhyme "This little piggy went to market. . ." and he's curling his toes, grabbing his feet, and giggling. This is a rare time in his life when he can go without shoes--to church, to the grocery store, to the ball field, or to a friend's house. I'll put off buying shoes just a few days more. . .