Please join me at my new home.
See you there!
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something: and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” – Helen Keller
Here I thought that I was onto something new. I’ve been working with my children – organizing our own personal academy designed to build their characters and prepare them to fulfill personal missions – I called it ‘mission-based education’. Today, I thought to google ‘mission-based education’ and see what might come up and I was absolutely thrilled to discover the amazing resources on the matter. I stumbled upon what is called ‘Character Education’. Hello!
Just let me list 3 really awesome sites I have been hungrily skimming:
What can be said about all this? Well, there is a sway in the educating of our children – a returning to teachings of morals & values. This type of education goes beyond ‘how to deal with bullies’ or ‘how to communicate effectively’ – although that is part of it. Character Education is about developing our strengths to overcome our weaknesses. It’s about changing the world around us. It’s about living with purpose. It’s about utilizing our talents for the good of mankind.
This to me is powerful stuff and I feel it is the foundation of any Leadership education. I am particularly interested in ‘service-learning’ - I’m in the processes of studying the concept but check it out – learning through community service sounds like a wonderful way to learn.
This morning I was reading past posts from Redneck Liber about the 7 (plus a few she’s added) missions one might choose from in order to do good in the world around us. The theory is that we each have one particular mission we are drawn to (from this list). We were born to serve in this mission and it’s up to us to figure out just what it is we are to do.
From a spiritual perspective, Jesus Christ commanded us to do them all. As I ponder this list I see how focusing on one mission intertwines us with the rest. Another way of putting it - by focusing on one mission we help prepare the way to fulfill all the missions. Give it some thought.
Feed the Hungry
Heal the Sick
Comfort the lonely
Create Beauty
Spread Truth
Liberate the Captive
Educate the Unlearned
Protect the Innocent (one Redneck Liber added)
For example if I felt particularly drawn to say, ‘Educate the Unlearned’ and focused my talents on fulfilling this mission say by teaching children in poverty stricken areas of India, can you see how I would be paving a road to each of the other missions?! Incredible thought.
It is such an in depth discussion with numerous avenues of approach. There are so many ways to look at each mission. For example, how can one ‘comfort the lonely’? Well, there are many types of lonely people; ‘the widow and fatherless’ or the ‘aged and shut in’. What about the ‘haggard housewife’ or the ‘new kid in school’, there is the ‘misunderstood’ or those ‘in prison’. Do you see the many avenues? Do you see how long this entry could be?!
So, I am gathering and pondering on the subject. There are two books that come to mind. One that our family is reading together – it’s a children’s book written by Sean Covey titled The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. The second I have yet to read – Now, Discover your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham.
If you so feel inclined to read them please come on over for a ‘spot of tea’ and let’s talk about ‘hundreds of character building things’.
“….enchanted worlds still exist because the child within us never dies. The doorways may be more obscure, but we can still seek them out. There are still noble adventures to undertake. There are still trees that speak and caverns that lead to nether realms. There will always be faeries and elves within nature because they will always be dancing within our hearts.” ~Ted Andrews
I made a fairy-door today. Why? Because I’m a Fairy-bringer and it’s going to be spring soon - A perfect time to coax the children out of doors to explore the wonders of nature. What better way to greet the return of spring than by inviting the fairies in?
Really, I’m just itching to get started on the garden. I have plans, big plans. My mother – a born-again gardener – will be doing most of the work and having most of the fun (for you see, baby is coming the beginning of May. What chance will I have but to plan and delegate?)
The goal is to create a garden/playground where plant and child intertwine. My mother thinks it’s horticulture homicide but I disagree. I think children can be taught to play amoung the poppies and radishes, dill and beets. I believe that if the playground is the garden, my children will fall in love with all things growing. They will learn their names, they will recognize a herb by smell, they will feel compassion for the tender shoots, they will pull the enemy weed, they will learn to live beside the bumble bee and butterfly with reverence and without fear. Because of these lessons, in each child will beat a ‘heart of eternal spring’.
In my opinion, every garden should have at least one fairy-door in it. Let the children build fairy homes to their hearts content among the peas and hollyhocks. I don’t know which new life I’m more excited about – the one growing within me or the ones underneath the snow…
“Books Fall Open – You Fall In”
This is the theme at the St. Louis Public Library and we’ve adopted the theme at our private family library – located just ‘kitty-corner’ from the sitting room.
Books. Who’da thunk I’d be such a fan? As a child, I never really took much interest. Reading was a chore in school. However, there were books I remember as far back as pre-school. I remember a book of fables and fairy tales. The gingerbread boy was one of the first stories I remember reading and how I wished he hadn’t jumped on the back of that sly fox to get across the river! Poor ginger-boy! What was I learning? Not to be cocky? Not to trust strangers? Not to put yourself in situations you can’t get yourself out of? Maybe I just loved the illustrations. The point is one of my earliest memories was of a book.
I do remember getting Black Beauty as a gift from my 4th grade teacher. I remember reading before bed, fighting to get the last rays of sunset so I could finish one more chapter.
Black Beauty came at a perfect time in my life and corrected me in an important -life changing way. It taught me how to be compassionate toward all animals – a very valuable lesson for every child. You see, I was a bit of a tomboy and curious about things in nature. Unfortunately, I had a mean streak mixed with ignorance. I was not gentle with little animals – I liked to play and play rough.
I was never more proud of myself as when I finished reading Black Beauty. I think I sensed it was more than a story of a horse but a life lesson in humanity and compassion. Whatever the reason, at the age of 9, my soul had expanded because of it. The book tamed me and I am so grateful for it.
In High school I fell in love with poetry – Shakespeare sonnets, Poe, Frost. That love has never really waned. I am not a great connoisseur of poetry – more of a taste-tester. I was attracted most to the emotion and passion in each stanza. I had lots of that in my teens and poetry became a huge outlet for me.
The real love affair with literature started in my late 20′s early 30′s when I was introduced to the Bronte sisters, Austin, and Dickens. Soon I discovered Potok, Stowe and Porter now I have developed eternal friendships with Celia Thaxter and Corrie ten Boom.
However, I am finding my ‘inner child’ is craving literature too. I have discovered Burgess, Clara D. Pierson, Enid Blyton and of course Kipling (Just so stories delight me to no end! I’ve never laughed so hard than to ‘How the First Letter was Written’).
Let me talk of my new love affairs in children’s books especially for core phase children. I can’t keep from sharing Tasha Tudor – especially for little girls. Beatrix Potter. Jane Pilgrim’s Blackberry Farm series, Molly Brett, Jean Bilder, Else Homelund Minarik’s Little Bear series, and Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad series. Sigh, it might be because I have a toddler teetering about the library. Let these be her earliest memories!
It took time for this love affair to bloom and bear fruit. That is why I do not worry that my eldest son is a bit shy of the whole literary experience. I know that if I surround him with the best books to fall into he’ll eventually trip up and take the plunge.
What I hear most from friends is their concern that their children aren’t reading. I am no expert in the field and can only speak from my own experiences (every child and home is different). The best inspiration I have found is to read to my children, read myself, surround them with great books, play audio books and never never never push the issue.
I believe beyond a doubt- beyond a doubt – that if we take the chore out of reading, books literally ‘fall open and children fall in’. For some children it is an instant discovery for others it takes time to build trust that reading isn’t so much a chore but an adventure.
I have seen that if a parent treasures a book – even jealously sometimes – a child is tempted out from behind indifference.
I have learned never to push finishing a book. This was really hard when I first started homeschooling. If we started a story we had to finish it. What I discovered was that often killed enthusiasm. Eyes rolled, ants crawled into pants and the thrill deflated into indifference.
I had to rethink what I was doing. I felt we had to finish the book because I wanted to teach my children how to endure to the end. I have come to believe I should never use reading as a means to teach this lesson. I realized I’d have to find a different way to teach ‘stick-to-it-ness’.
Love for reading is far too valuable to sacrifice to other life lessons. I believe it must be preserved but that’s just me. When a child comes to love literature, finishing the book (if the book is worthy of getting you to the last page) becomes the ultimate reward for endurance.
I’m sorry this post is so long. I may have written these thoughts before. They come to my mind again and again. I just cleaned out of the library those books we’ve read and haven’t fallen in love with. I do love books but I can’t keep them all. I need to keep only those we’ll return to. Perhaps that is what has got me all fired up.
Happy Reading!
“Find yourself a cup; the teapot is behind you. Now tell me about hundreds of things.” Saki Story
I found an antique store in a neighbouring town – it was a serendipitous discovery. I collect tea-dishes for myself and my daughters. We aren’t big tea drinkers but hot chocolate or sparkling apple juice transforms into a charming elixir when sipped from a teacup.
This collection waited at my favorite thrift store for many many months. Every time I went I would pause at the display and imagine the tea parties we could have only to convince myself we couldn’t afford it. Later I would lay in bed and think about this lovely collection and kick myself for not bringing it home.
“If it’s still there in the morning I’ll buy it!” I’d promise myself but when faced with the price tag I’d again and again talk myself out of the purchase. This happened a handful of times when finally one day my ‘teacup-angel’ had enough of my ‘humming & hawing’ and marked the set at 1/2 price. Lovely for me!
Something about a tea party gently lifts me into my femininity. Teapots make me smile – something about them remind me of friendship. So, friend, please come on over. I’ll pull the ’tea’ on while we talk of hundreds of things.
The other day I stumbled upon the blog site of an artist in Portland by the name of Martha Miller. As I was reading, Martha shared some dream journal entries all about hummingbirds. I was so inspired by one in particular that I couldn’t get the words out of my head. They were just what I needed to hear that day.
I decided that I would compose a little sketch with the quote. I studied hummingbirds all day sketching over and over different hummingbirds in different poses until I figured out how to capture the image to my satisfaction. This is the finished result.
Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed I write this quote (although abbreviated) or I doodle a hummingbird and I find calm.
” I dreamt – of a hummingbird – it went to my ear and then to my nose. I think it was telling me to listen and breathe.”
I hope it may be a source of calm and inspiration for you as it has been for me. Let us all listen and breathe more.
I love toys. You might assume I buy them for my children… but those assumptions would be wrong. The toys are for me. Mine. Mine. Mine. (Okay, I have been known to share my toys).
One of my favorites right now are Playmobil. I have been collecting the Castle series. Oh joy! War horses! Knights in shining armor! Tiny little swords and shields! Hours spent with one’s imagination, transported to another place in another time.
Take some time to play unabashed and unashamed- release the inner child. It is great therapy.
A few Christmas’s ago, Liam drew me this wonderful picture inspired by the art work of Tascha, a Folk artist living in Ontario. Well, I fell in love with Liam’s gift, only he didn’t color in the background. So, I cut the picture out and on canvas I painted a backdrop, added a favorite quote and pasted the lovely lady on. Liam loves the finished result but insists he did most of the work – I concur, he did the best part. I only need to find a suitable frame and it’ll hang in our library.
“Joy is not in things; it is in us.” Richard Wagner
“Friends cherish each other’s hopes. They are kind to each other’s dreams.” Henry David Thoreau
This morning was a slow and gentle waking from a night of celebrating. I stayed in bed and skimmed back issues of Victoria Magazines with my new 2009 Journal ready and waiting for the yummy words and ideas I get from those old periodicals.
It didn’t take long for a phrase to pop out at me and direct my course for the day and perhaps the whole year. An article in the April 1998 issue read…
“The Care and Feeding of Dreams”
My heart sang! This is my purpose! This is my focus for the year to come!
A friend asked in a post if I had any ‘thought projects’ going on. I certainly do now. I feel a call to care and feed the dreams of my children, family and friends. And so, I ponder and plan this new ‘thought project’ and hopefully tickle you a bit with ideas and experiences throughout the year.
