It was very weird. It was very, very weird.
I was at the park with my mom and my sister. I was playing with my little sister but then I abandoned her.
(I did not abandon her; I asked politely.)
I was casually doing the monkey bars.
There was another girl. She came out of a tunnel. She just appeared.
She had the same name; she stole my name.
Her mom had the same name as my mom.
She was born the day before me.
She had the same hair as me and the same eyes as me.
Maybe it was my conscience.
Another year of Sunday School has come to an end. It was a good year and we go Christian to the Celestial City by the second last week.
I am pleased by how much my children remember of The Pilgrim's Progress. The boys were over last week (the girls will have their party this week) and we watched a truly terrible version of the book. They were able to notice not just the big changes but even the little ones, such as Christian and Faithful being caught in the Flatter's snare much too early; in fact, they knew it should be Christian and Hopeful. Then yesterday we did a quiz about the book and they were pretty good at remembering details. They also know that John Bunyan was born in 1628.
We ended the year with the quiz, cupcakes, juice boxes, trivia games, and mini chocolate bars. It was a good celebration!
Now I'm on break for a bit before I start to plan next year!
My Sunday School boys were over yesterday for our end-of-year party. We had planned to go to the park for the evening, but it had been raining and was wildly windy with more rain to come, so we stayed inside. There was pizza, cookies, chips, and pop, so they were well fed. They played together, building with Lego, checking out whatever toys I had, and making up games with the farm animals and Mr. Potato Heads. We watched the worst version of The Pilgrim's Progress I've ever seen, laughed at it, and complained about the missing and/or changed parts.
It was fun, but SO NOISY! Everyone seems to think that girls are noisier because they talk and giggle. No way. The girls may be noisy, but the boys are louder. Many of them don't have quiet voices and they try to fight and wrestle. They also laugh loudly for longer than necessary (there was some attention-getting going on). It was four hours of loud boys.
To be fair to my boys, there weren't all extremely loud. A couple of them are quieter and understood when it was time to settle down a bit; one walked away from a game when another boy wouldn't behave (the other boy straightened up right fast when he was going to lose his playmate).
They're good boys, but my main memory of yesterday evening is NOISE!
Tuesday is tutoring day. I spend the afternoon working with three lovely children; they are 10, 8, and 6 years old. I do some reading and math (and talking and educational games and whatever comes up) with each child individually and then we do an activity together.
Lately we've been learning about different countries. We find the country on the map, read a book about the country, and then they do a craft that is somehow related while I read stories that usually take place in the country.
Yesterday we learned a bit about Russia, and while they started on a simple nesting doll craft (pretty dolls for the girls and soldiers for the boy), I read them two stories from Russia. We first read The Turnip by Jan Brett. It's a fun story and the children enjoyed it. What really caught their attention, though, was The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah, written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Felishia Henditirto.
Rochel-Leah's main problem is that she is a girl living in a small Jewish village in Russia in 1835 and she wants to learn how to read. Her mom and aunts can't help her because they don't know how to read and everyone else doesn't think she needs to learn to read; in fact, she is told that the rules are that only boys learn to read. Rochel-Leah is determined, and in the end some rules are bent a bit so she can learn to read.
The story is based on the author's family history and a story that was passed down though the ages. She says in the book that it's true-ish.
Usually when I read, the oldest child listens and does the craft at the same time; the middle child stops working regularly as he listens; and the youngest mostly does the craft with some interest in the story. This time, all three stopped working and focused entirely on the book. I don't know how much was the story and how much was the excellent illustrations, but this one held their attention like few other stories do when craft time is involve.
My favourite part was when Rochel-Leah is learning to read. The youngest child was so excited because "Now she can teach her mom to read!"
My second-favourite part was after we were done, listening to her tell her mom the story with all the drama and excitement. I was asked to let them borrow the book so they can share the story with their mom; of course I said yes.
I am adding The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah to my list of books to read to the Wednesday morning kids next year.
I was at the homeschool convention over the weekend. Aside from the sessions, there's the exhibit hall. Here you can find various schools, suppliers, and organizations with information, free stuff (pens, candy, stickers, etc.), and things to sell.
My favourite part, though, is the lovely variety of bookstalls. There are new books and used books, a huge assortment of children's books (naturally) and a mishmash of other books. There are also games and toys and whatever people may want.
And, in an amazing display of self-control I didn't buy any books this year!
Trust me, it was pretty much a miracle that I didn't succumb to temptation, but I know the state of my finances and that buying books wasn't really in the budget right now.
I did buy a set of trivia cards for the kids, and a t-shirt and some soap from the kids, but that was it for this year.
After all, there's always next year!
And so May is done and June has started. I have one tomato plant that agreed to grow (I'll buy either more seeds or a couple tomato plants today to keep this one company), some onions that have started to poke up through the earth, and some sunflowers poking up (they grow fast and I love that about them). I'm waiting to see if the bulbs grow as well.
Things were supposed to quiet down in May, but it was still very busy! All of my spring meetings and reports were done by the 5th, and my program plans were checked and initialed by the 17th. We finished Wednesday morning women's study on the 7th and a couple weeks later history class ended. I marked their exams and am waiting for their essays this week.
My sweet nephew got married on the 9th on Vancouver Island. I spent a few days out there, enjoying time with family and friends (and the wedding of course).
There was a meeting for the women's ministry and a birthday party the following weekend; dinner with friends, the spring women's tea at the church, and a trip to the symphony with some young friends the weekend after; and the homeschool convention, complete with a staff meeting, for the final weekend.
It was a busy month, and I was also catching up on things neglected as I got through April, making plans for all the things to do in summer so I'm ready for fall, and sorting out summer reading goals.
Now it's June, and things do look quieter. I tutor on Tuesdays, and those are my main plans. Except, of course, for a birthday party, Sunday School party, and symphony trip next week, and another Sunday School party the week after! There are a couple people I'm going to be meeting with to talk about discipling them (because it seems I do that now), two more Sunday School classes, and then baptisms and the laundry that causes coming up. Oh, and my friend's cat had kittens, so there is a Very Important Visit to make!
So there's still a list, but it's a much shorter and easier list. The rest of everything fits in and around the big stuff; my schedule for the most part is flexible; and there's plenty of time to rest. Also, I have plans for a staycation the first week of July, which mostly consists of reading, building a puzzle or two while listening to audio books, and maybe spending time exploring parts of Edmonton or checking out the street performers' festival.
It's summer now and time to relax, prepare, and enjoy life!
Friday I headed out to roughly the middle of nowhere to visit with friends. Actually, I took the bus as far as I could and they picked me up for the rest of the drive. They have a lovely home and it's so beautiful out there. Mom, oldest daughter, and I went for a walk to see some of their property and I loved it. We chatted as she finished making supper and discovered more we had in common and that was nice.
After supper we all headed back into town for soccer. It's mostly church kids and there are teams from the little ones all clumped together chasing the ball wherever it goes to the high school kids who actually (mostly) know how to play. I watched part of 5 different games and cheered for everyone.
Saturday was the woman's spring brunch at the church. There were over 100 ladies present. We had fun talking and eating and then listening to the leaders answer questions about topics including friendship, confronting sin, and how to make your home welcoming. Also, there were new pens!
Sunday was the regular routine of church and Sunday School (and I don't say "routine" like it's anything boring or mundane, just that it's a regular thing, one that I enjoy greatly). Then I hurried home, dropped stuff off, picked stuff up, and raced out the door to catch the bus to downtown. There I met a couple small people in my life for our outing to the symphony. My young friends are around 8 and 9 years old and loved the symphony for kids; it was about the history of music, told with a lot of joking, fun, and brass instruments. After that, we took the train and bus back to my house (public transportation is part of the fun for them) and ordered cheeseburgers, fries, and ice cream for supper.
It was a full, busy weekend, and I'm very glad for a quiet day! It was also a wonderful, fun weekend, and I'm very glad that I got to enjoy it!
In my on-going quest for an organized life, I just read Do More Better by Tim Challies. To be honest, I started it during my outrageously busy time, then realized that I did not have time to implement ideas, and finally finished it this week!
I like the book. Challies starts with "why" we need to do more better: for God's glory. And what is "better": to do good for the glory of God and the benefit of others. He defines productivity as "effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm of the good of others and the glory of God." I work much better with a purpose and one that makes sense to me.
I'll be upfront with you: I am not implementing everything he suggested the way he suggested it. My life doesn't quite fit into nice categories simply because of the mix of "somewhat busy", "wildly busy", and "fairly quiet" months, and what works well for one month might not work for the rest. Also, Challies is very much a tech guy and I still prefer taking notes on paper and using my paper agenda. Just as with Redeeming Productivity by Regan Rose (see here for my review of his book), I read everything, started up things that I could see would help me, and will go from there. In fact, I'm now using my own system built from pieces of both books.
What did I find very helpful?
First, listing my areas of responsibility and breaking down what each one actually looks like. That gave me the opportunity to decide if I wanted to keep being responsible for all the tasks, if I was missing anything, and what to do about it.
Second, despite my desire for non-tech methods, I did download a task tracking program (a free one, at least to start). I have all of my current and summer responsibilities set up and I can see what needs to be done. I have a number of lists for this week, upcoming, regular items, and long-term plans, some of which are broken down into many steps; for example, there are 31 different tasks under "Sunday School Fall Prep"! It's a good system and I can add things as I think of them so I don't have to worry about forgetting things.
I suspect that someone who has a different sort of work and life schedule than mine might benefit more from this book. That said, I'm glad I read it and found some help in getting things more organized so I can be more productive for God's glory and the good of others.
Peter Waldo (or Valdes) was born in Lyons, France around 1140. He was a very successful businessman and was known for his kindness and generosity.
One day after dinner with friends, he saw a man fall down dead. This led Waldo to wonder how to become righteous before God. He asked the priests for answers, but was not satisfied with their answers. Waldo also tried doing penance, but did not find peace that way.
Eventually, Waldo found some books written shortly after the time of the apostles. These books quoted the New Testament regularly, and Waldo became eager for an entire Bible. At the time there were very few Bibles available and they were all written in Latin. Eventually Waldo was able to buy a Bible, although it cost a lot of money. Through reading the Bible, Waldo finally learned about salvation: that it is through Christ alone.
After becoming a Christian, Peter Waldo read about a man named Alexis, who had given all his money to the poor. This, along with reading Matthew 19:21, led Waldo to do the same: he gave his money and possessions to the poor, taking care of both their spiritual and physical needs.
Peter Waldo wanted the Bible translated into French so everyone could understand it. The church disagreed, not wanting the common people to read and interpret the Bible for themselves, but Waldo had it translated anyway. It was likely the first translation of the Bible into a modern language. As the printing press had not yet been invented, the Bibles had to be copied by hand, making them very expensive. Waldo gave away many New Testaments and individual books, allowing many people to read and understand the Bible for the first time.
Peter Waldo also started a missionary society, which was known as the “poor men of Lyons.” These men took a vow of poverty. They were sent out two by two around Lyons, preaching the word. The often traveled as peddlers, offering the Bible to potential buyers.
The church did not like Peter Waldo and his teaching. He asked the pope for permission to preach, and the pope said he could only if the archbishop agreed. The archbishop did not agree; instead, he told Waldo that if he did not stop preaching, he would be condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake. The archbishop sent men to arrest Waldo, but the people of Lyons hid him for three years. In 1148, Pope Lucius III anathemized Waldo and the poor men of Lyons. The men had to flee, often having no place to sleep except the forest. In 1194, Pope Alfonso II declared that anyone who fed, protected, or listened to Waldo or his followers would be punished. Many people were burned at the stake as a result of this decree; at one time, 35 people were burned in the same fire. Waldo and his followers had to flee to other countries, and used this as an opportunity to preach the gospel to more and more people.
Despite attempts by different popes and other clergy, Peter Waldo was never captured. He was able to travel to many countries, preaching the word. In 1217, Peter Waldo died peacefully in Bohemia.
After his death, the Waldensians became more organized. They rejected the authority and many of the teachings of the Roman Catholic church, such as purgatory, indulgences, prayers for the dead, transubstantiation, and worship of the saints and relics; they held the Bible as the supreme rule of Christian belief and practice. They also started schools to train preachers and sent out evangelists.
The movement spread to other countries, often to avoid persecution. In 1487 Pope Innocent VIII pronounced a crusade against two Waldensian groups in the Alps along the French-Italian border, and many villages were destroyed. In April 1545 two Waldensian towns in France, Merindol and Cabrieres, along with twenty-eight smaller villages, were attacked by troops sent by the archbishop of Lyons. The towns were destroyed and about four thousand people killed. Many Waldensians fled to Geneva, where they found refuge with John Calvin.
The Waldensians did not have real religious and political freedom until 1848. They are often thought of as “Protestants before the Reformation”. Although many of them later joined with new Protestant churches, today there are still Waldensian churches in existence in Germany, Italy, Uruguay, Argentina, the United States, and elsewhere.
A conversation with a 4-year-old last Sunday:
Me (showing him a picture): It's a heart. You have one inside you. (Pointing to his chest)
Him: No, I don't have heart. Daddy has one.
Me: Yes, you have a heart. It goes bum-bump; bum-bump. It makes your blood flow through your body.
Him: I don't want a heart!
I also had to roll up my sleeves and prove to him that I have elbows since I could see his but he couldn't see mine!
One of our favourite authors in the homeschool room is Mo Willems. Although until today the kids didn't realize how many of his books we'd read; they don't keep track of authors, just books that they enjoy!
Since September we have read:
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Knuffle Bunny
Knuffle Bunny Too
Leonardo the Terrible Monster
The Pigeon Will Ride the Rollercoaster
Sam the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the World
That is NOT a Good Idea
The Duckling Gets a Cookie?
and today we added Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs to the list.
The kids love them. The slightly older kids (7-9 or so) get more jokes than the little ones (5-6), but they all enjoy the stories. I like some of the extra little jokes that all the kids miss, like the Go Asteroids! sports poster on the wall in the dinosaur's bedroom.
Mo Willems writes and illustrates good, fun stories that can be enjoyed by both parents and children. I'm very happy that I found one of his books on a list of best Caldicott Medal books and started looking for more.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” ~Matthew 28:5-7
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ~1 Corinthians 15:3-4
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ~2 Corinthians 5:21
It is almost Easter, so ham was on sale. I got an almost eight pound ham on Saturday.
Today I cooked the ham. I also made fried potatoes with carrots, onions, and bell peppers. I ended up with enough dinner for 6 meals (based on the amount of potatoes and veggies).
I saved some ham to make fried ham and eggs for breakfast on Saturday.
I put enough in the fridge to make ham and pineapple on rice on Friday (enough for at least 4 meals and maybe more).
The bone and some bits are in a container in the freezer for future soup (several more meals).
And I have another container of ham in the freezer that can be made into sandwiches or a casserole or whatever I want at a later time (even more meals).
At a conservative count, that ham will help me make 21 meals.
It's a good thing I like ham!
Yesterday I finished reading Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham. It is, as the subtitle says, about "How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II".
I really, really enjoyed it. I like books about spies anyway, especially nonfiction. I like knowing how the world of spies really works, and while I like spy movies, it's not really that way in real life. Throw in librarians and university professors, and I'm in my happy place!
Basically, they needed people who can read large amounts of less-than-thrilling materials (and often enjoy it), do piles of research, and put all the ideas together in a way that makes sense and helps with strategic planning. It was just the job for scholars who like to do that anyway.
And no one suspects a librarian or scholar; they're too boring and too academically-minded to be any good at spying or warfare. They're just around to look at some books, right? Not to use those books to figure out how the enemy thinks, or where to sabotage a factory to do the most damage, or what type of ink the enemy uses on their paperwork so the forgeries look extra legit. Move along, nothing to see here.
They're also incredibly easy to overlook. One gentleman was so forgettable that he ended up basically running one branch of they spy agency in Istanbul, the one place where it was assumed that everyone was spying on everyone else, and no one suspected a thing. He was just that guy who sometimes came by to purchase rare books.
The book was interesting and entertaining and a good lesson on the importance of librarians and scholars in the world of espionage.
This comes up regularly in discussions about being single (of which I am an expert by now), and here is my attempt to answer the question.
March often seems like a very, very long month. It may have to do with it being winter, then spring, then winter, then spring, then winter again. In a few hours, it will be over.
It was a bit of a frustrating month as I had trouble booking my spring meetings and then had several cancelations because if illness, family emergencies, and weather. Although nothing can beat the year I had seven families in a row cancel! I am behind on where I should be by now, but not so much that I can't catch up and be done (roughly) on time.
It was a hard month because of some decisions a friend made. I was dealing with confusion and grief and anger and trying to understand things that don't make sense to me at all. And trying to help others deal with it.
It was a fun month as I read many picture books to the small ones, played many trivia games with the bigger ones, spent the night with my Edmonton family, took a couple boys on a public transit adventure and had them over for lunch and Lego, cuddled a wee baby, met with families I hadn't seen since fall, and acquired more art and crafts from the children.
It was a growing month as I prayed fervently and deeply for my friends, dealt with my own heart issues, turned to God again and again with my hurt, prayed fervently for others who were hurt, reevaluated my own choices (of how to spend time mostly), prayed more, and reached out to others, both to love them and to ask for help.
It was a good month.
Wednesday morning I was reading to my little guys. They had been impressed by how many books I owned (based on how many I've read to them) until I told them that most of them came from the library. They they reminded me that I have to give them back!
Once I got on with the reading, this conversation occurred:
Small 5-year-old girl: How do you know what the story is?
Me (slightly perplexed): I can read.
Me (pointing to the words): The story is right here.
Her: Those letters tell the story?
Me: Yes. The letters make words and they tell the story.
She can't read quite yet and was quite surprised to learn that letters can make words that can then make stories! She (and some of the others) were quite impressed that I can read all of the words!
I love 5-year-olds; they're so easily impressed.
"The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month." ~Henry Van Dyke
Two weeks ago it felt like spring. Last week winter returned with a vengeance (cold and snow). This week it's been starting to warm up again. By my calculations, we are moving from second winter to spring of deception (as some have called it) and have at least one more return of winter before mud season and proper spring.
A friend recommended Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose, and I'm very glad that she did. The book was heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time.
The book is subtitled A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II. Darlene tells her story as a young, newly married missionary to New Guinea. She left her home for language school in January 1938 and landed in Indonesia that August. The plan was five years and then a furlough; the reality was almost 8 years, four of them in a Japanese POW camp on one of the islands.
Darlene's story is heartbreaking. Anyone who has studied WWII history knows that the Japanese POW camps were not a good place to be: they included hard labour, little food, unsanitary conditions, sickness, beatings, and fear. The camp was for women and children; Darlene and her husband were separated and she was never to see him again as he died in a different camp. At one point she was taken to a notorious prison and interrogated/tortured as a suspected spy. It was a dark time.
Darlene's story is also beautiful. Her faith shines through in the midst of everything. She learns again and again to trust God and that He will never leave her. She witnesses to the much feared Japanese leader of the camp; her faith and words touch him and he becomes more gentle, eventually visiting her in the prison and saving her life. Many years later, she will learn that he eventually became a believer. Her faith in the middle of horrendous circumstances was beautiful and encouraging.
I absolutely recommend Evidence Not Seen.
"If she sins, speak of God's forgiveness. If she fails, speak of God's mercy. If she doubts, speak of God's faithfulness. If she suffers, speak of God's lovingkindness. And if she hurts or offends you, remember that as God has been gracious to you in your salvation, you must also be gracious to her -- especially when you speak."
When Words Matter Most
Cheryl Marshall and Caroline Newheiser
I've been reading The Pilgrim's Progress to my Sunday School class this year. Someone gave me a curriculum that I can use with them, complete with vocabulary and worksheets. We've been enjoying it, but they have found the 17th Century English a bit much (although they like some of the new words).
Yesterday I finally broke down and started reading to them from a slightly updated version. It's the only one that I approve of so far as it only updates a bit of the language and sentence structure. Much of the very good vocabulary stays, but there's a remarkable lack of "whither" and "goest" and "wherefore" in it. The children were happy and focused better than they had been; while it wasn't that different, it was enough that they thought it was much, much easier to understand.
I only had one complaint. We were up to Faithful's trial in Vanity Fair. In the original, one of the witnesses was called Pickthank, which means someone who flatters. In the new version, his name was updated to Flatterer. While it means the same, Pickthank is a much better name. One of the kids even said that he preferred it to Flatterer. I fixed it as I read, in part because the worksheets used Pickthank.
Overall, it was successful and I've decided to keep with the easier version. They've heard enough of the original to at least be introduced to the language.
My approved text is this one: https://www.crossway.org/books/the-pilgrims-progress-cob/ It seems to be very faithful to the original, it doesn't dumb things down, and it has great illustrations.
Yesterday one of my younglings suggested that I could go teach another class and Pastor James could come in and preach for them. I confirmed that he was not suggesting a one time substitution; no, he was ready to replace me with Pastor James!
I considered being offended, but I was laughing at how calmly he suggested the change! Also, I was thankful that we have pastors who take time for the children rather than focusing only on adults as the important people. I have seen Pastor James (and sometimes the others) talking with the youngsters who have very important things to tell him and sometimes pictures that they have drawn for him. He's very patient with them and interested in all they have to say.
Side note, the rest of the class was willing to keep me around!
Anyway, I explained to my young student that Pastor James already preaches twice on Sunday and he would not be able to teach Sunday School as well. I did tell him that I would ask Pastor James if he would like to teach, or at least visit, one Sunday when he isn't preaching.
He seemed to be okay with the possibility of a visit from Pastor James and that he's stuck with me!
According to Christian History Institute:
February 28, 1944:
"Nazi soldiers arrest Corrie Ten Boom and her family in Harlaam for harboring Jews. Her father and a sister will die in concentration camps, but Corrie will be released because of a clerical error and become an international speaker for Christianity, author of The Hiding Place, and subject of a movie by the same name."
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/today
Corrie Ten Boom grew up in the Netherlands in a tall, narrow house with a large family, including some of her aunts. Even after most of the family was gone and it was only Corrie, her sister Betsie, and her father at home, there were always others who needed a place and stayed with them.
She became the first woman to be licensed as a watchmaker in the Netherlands.
She loved a man once, deeply, and believed that he loved her as well, but he married someone else. Corrie remained single, serving her family, working in the watch shop with her father, working with youth and the mentally challenged, serving her God in all that she did.
When World War II came, Corrie and her family risked their freedom to help the Jews survive. They were eventually betrayed and arrested. Her father died in prison; her sister Betsie in a concentration camp. Only Corrie survived.
After she returned home, Corrie founded a home for those who were returning from the camps and needed a place to live and heal. She later included, in a separate house, the Dutch who had collaborated with the Germans and now had no jobs, no homes, no friends. She recognized that both groups needed help and healing.
She later traveled around the world, speaking of God's forgiveness, hope, and love, and the salvation found in Christ alone.
She wrote many other books as well, including In My Father's House; Tramp for the Lord; God is My Hiding Place; and Father Ten Boom.
In 1967, Corrie ten Boom was honored by Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations.” Her father, Casper, and sister, Betsie were likewise honoured in 2007.
Corrie Ten Boom died on April 15, 1983, her 91st birthday.
Some quotes from her books:
“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.”
“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
“There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still.”
“There is no panic in Heaven! God has no problems, only plans.”
After her young man became engaged to someone else:
“...suddenly I was afraid of what Father would say. Afraid he would say, "There'll be someone else soon," and that forever afterward this untruth would lie between us. For in some deep part of me I knew already that there would not--soon or ever--be anyone else.
The sweet cigar-smell came into the room with Father. And of course he did not say the false, idle words.
"Corrie," he began instead, "do you know what hurts so very much? It's love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain.
"There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill the love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or, Corrie, we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel.
"God loves Karel--even more than you do--and if you ask Him, He will give you His love for this man, a love nothing can prevent, nothing destroy. Whenever we cannot love in the old, human way, Corrie, God can give us his perfect way."
I did not know, as I listened to Father's footsteps winding back down the stairs, that he had given me more than the key to this hard moment. I did not know that he had put into my hands the secret that would open far darker rooms than this--places where there was not, on a human level, anything to love at all.”
My Sunday School room is set up with two rows of tables facing the front and a table along the side. For reasons I still don't understand, there is a group of boys who love the side table. As soon as first service ends, they rush into the room and toss their Bible's on the table to save their spot, then run off the play or whatever until it's time for the class to start. (First service ends at around 10:30 and Sunday School starts at 11:00.)
I have told them that if they're not back in time for Sunday School to start, I'll move their Bibles and let someone else sit there. I have on other occasions threatened to mix up the boys and girls if they don't behave.
Totally unrelated to the children: I am trying to get the teachers to understand that 10 minutes early is on time. We need to be in the classroom to greet the children and be ready to teach. Because I need to keep an eye on everything, I get to the class early to get ready and then go and check on the other rooms and deal with other issues, so I count on my helpers to be there to make sure the children are settled if I don't get back until closer to start time. I tell them often enough that 10 minutes early is on time.
I've noticed the boys getting there earlier in the past couple weeks; yesterday, they were talking outside the door and when they saw me coming down the hall, they shot into the room and were seated by the time I got there.
One boy's sister told me what is going on. While my teachers are still sometimes late, the boys have taken "10 minutes early is on time" to mean that they have to be in the room 10 minutes early or I'll probably make them sit with the girls.
I'm trying to decide whether to tell them that they don't have to be there quite so early, or enjoy having most of the students settled and ready to go when I get back!
Over the past couple weeks, I've had two families from the church over for dinner. I fed each family chicken and potatoes (although cooked in different ways); they each brought a salad; I had ice cream treats for dessert. I'm not really adventurous when it comes to cooking for company.
The families are different but each enjoyable. The kids played or joined in conversation or both (between the two families, they ranged from 8-ish to 18-ish). We talked about church and life and books. One dad took pictures of some of my books so he could look up the titles later! I learned about South Africa and the ending-apartheid years from someone who actually lived there and knew the issues first hand, so that was interesting. I learned the names of the dads (don't judge me; I generally deal with children and moms)!
It was fun. I haven't had people over for a while and I'm glad I finally reached out again. Of course, I'm about to hit my "so very busy" time, so there won't be much showing hospitality for a while. I'll try to remember to make the time for people as they are more important than all the stuff.
At the age of 12, Ajayi (who hadn’t yet taken the name Samuel Crowther) was captured by Fulani slave traders from his home town of Osugun in what is now Oyo State, Nigeria. He ended up in the Lagos slave market, where he was sold to Portuguese traders who put him on a ship which was then attacked by a British anti-slavery warship. Of the 189 enslaved people on board, 102 died in the attempt to rescue them, but Ajayi survived and was taken by the British navy to Freetown, Sierra Leone. Here he was placed in a mission school, where he learned English and was taught the Scriptures. Along with many others, he decided to follow Christ and, in 1825, was baptized. At that time, it was common to take a new name at baptism and Ajayi took the name Samuel Crowther.
Crowther returned to Abeokuta in what is now Nigeria in 1843 and was reunited with his mother and sisters, whom he had not seen in 24 years. He now applied himself to the Yoruba spelling system, and then started translating the Bible. In 1843, he published his first Yoruba grammar and vocabulary, and in 1852 he published a translation of four New Testament books. Crowther and his assistant, Thomas King, continued to work on the Yoruba translation of the Bible for much of the rest of his life. He also researched and promoted significant work in Nupe, Igbo and other languages. His research eventually led to his receiving a doctorate from Oxford University. The whole Yoruba Bible was published in 1884.
Crowther acknowledged what he called ‘the vernacular principle’ in missions. That is to say, there is no special, sacred language nor one cultural expression of the faith.
I had some leftover ham and a can of pineapple chunks, so I looked for a recipe that used both of them. I ended up with a multitude of results from simple to way too complicated (I don't mind cooking, but I'm not interested in anything with twenty ingredients and three pages of steps to follow.) Eventually I found a very simple recipe and almost followed it.
It was basically ham, green onions, and pineapple chunks. The sauce was pineapple juice, cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, and corn starch.
I didn't have any green onions, so I used the bit of red onion I had in the fridge.
I didn't have enough pineapple juice but I just adjusted the amounts on the sauce and had less of it. That worked well, actually, because the picture in the recipe had a lot of sauce and I was just as happy with less sauce.
I didn't have enough pineapple (as with the juice, it's simply that I only had one small tin of pineapple), but that was okay because I had most of a small bag of matchstick carrots that I added.
I don't have any cider vinegar; instead, I used some red wine vinegar.
That's only 4 changes (and one was just a reduction in the amount of sauce so it barely counts). I think it still counts as the same recipe!
At any rate, I made some rice to go with it and it turned out to be a very good meal. I have enough leftovers for tomorrow and three individual meal-sized containers in the freezer. It's definitely something I will make again when I have leftover ham.
A combination of None Else and Mr. Pipes has been helping me think more about who God is and to praise Him; the hymns even find their way into my prayers.
I saw the dentist because of concerns about a couple teeth. He said that there's no signs of decay and it may just be a slight shift in my teeth affecting my bite; since it doesn't really hurt, we can leave it for now. I'll get a cleaning done next week (it's been a few years because of not having insurance) and that may help things too.
One little habit I've started this month is afternoon tea or coffee time. It's a little thing, but somewhere between 3:00 and 3:30, when I'm home, I stop everything, make some tea or coffee (in the nice mugs) and a little snack (on the nice plates) and enjoy about 30 minutes of quiet time. Sometimes I use it to muse about things; often I use it to read a bit of something light and enjoyable. It's just nice and then I get back to whatever needs doing.
The snow over the past few days has been very pretty. I love the way it coats the tree branches and makes everything look clean for a while.
All of the new recipes I tried this month turned out very good. I would make them all again.
The cleaning and organizing and purging is done and things look tidier (especially the bedroom where mess tends to accumulate). It was helped by replacing the old rickety bookcases with the nice white ones that the church was getting rid of.
It's been a good month. It's been a good start to the new year.
Most of my homeschool and Sunday School stories come from the kids, but this one comes from one of the helpers! He is only 16 and many of my earlier stories were about him, so it's no surprise that he's still coming up in "things the kids say".
Anyway, I was with my older group of younger kids when this particular helper came from his room across the hall to talk with me. The conversation went something like this:
Him: I need to leave the room for a couple minutes.
Me: No you don't.
Him: I need to get some water.
Me: You're supposed to do that before we start.
Him: I know, but there's something wrong with my coffee. There's something strange in it.
Me (and the children): <guessing random things that may be in his coffee>
Him: No, there's something black in my coffee.
Me: Is it coffee?
Him: No, it's like black bits in the coffee.
Me: So coffee grounds?
Him: Oh...yeah....I didn't think of that!
Me: You were concerned because there was coffee in your coffee?
Him: I was wondering of the sugar could go bad or something.
He left and returned to his room while we laughed and then returned to our game.
This morning I was back in with my Wednesday morning kids. We haven't had women's study since the end of November, so I was really happy to start up again. For trivia we did Birds of North America which turned out to be incredibly challenging. Then I read my little guys our weekly stack of picture books.
We were reading Room for More by Michelle Kadarusman, illustrated by Maggie Zeng. The story takes place in Australia during a bushfire. Two wombats, Dig and Scratch, are happily hiding out in their nice, deep burrow when they hear footsteps overhead and start inviting animals to join them to escape the fire. First there's a wallaby and her joey, then a koala. Then along comes a tiger snake. One wombat is concerned because snakes have venom.
After I explained what venom is and that if a venomous snake bit you, you would get sick or maybe die, and that's why the wombat was worried, one small child piped up, "I bet that's what happens!"
Honestly, what type of children's story do the think I'm going to read to them? Happy, friendly animals until they rescue a tiger snake who bites them all?
I mean....there was the Babar incident. I had quite forgotten that his mother dies at the beginning of the story (shot by poachers while Babar was on her back) and that later the king turns green and dies. And the first one I read in the homeschool room many years ago was Charlotte's Web, so there is that.
But these ones were just babies when I read those stories (in fact, Charlotte's Web was so long ago that these ones may not have been born). All they get are happier stories, but they still predict (or hope for) character death every now and then.
I should read them Where the Red Fern Grows. That would scar them for life!
I just finished reading The Keeper of the Hidden Books by Madeline Martin. It falls under the category of "World War 2 historical fiction about librarians/bookstores" which is a particular favourite of mine.
The book takes place in Warsaw, spanning the years of the war (with an epilogue that takes place after the fall of communism when Poland is finally free). It's about a young lady who works at a library, gets involved in the underground, and hides banned books from the Nazis. It's also about so much more: life in Warsaw during the war; the attempts of the Nazis to destroy Poland's culture and keep them poorly educated; and the challenge of knowing how and when to fight back and when to keep silent; the importance of literature in people's lives even (especially) when they have nothing else.
This is the third Madeline Martin book that I've read. The other two were The Librarian Spy and The Last Bookshop in London (both World War 2 historical fiction about librarians/bookstores). I have enjoyed all three books: her characters read like real people; there are no easy answers to the problems they face; not everything turns out perfectly (but enough turns out well to make the reader happy). She doesn't downplay the war and a lot of bad and ugly stuff happens, but the books are about the people who are living their lives in the middle of the turmoil. And while there is some romance, it's not the point to the story and it's kept clean. Overall, they're really enjoyable books.
I have had plans to get going on various projects, but something comes up to stop me or things take longer than expected. Not much has been started. I did get started on organizing and purging, but only because I'm getting new bookcases for the bedroom tomorrow to replace the old rickety shelves.
I undecorated from Christmas but just discovered 4 angels still on a shelf.
I had plans to eat better but then Mum's Christmas parcel with Christmas treats came, so it's Christmas again! Although my main meals are mostly healthy (I did get fast food for lunch with a friend today).
I remind myself that it's only January 9th and not everything has to be figured out already. It's okay to take time to figure out what plan will work best for this year (or at least this month).
And....I started a new devotional (None Else: 31 Meditations on God's Character and Attributes by Joel Beeke and Brian Cosby) that I'm quite enjoying.
I spent time with a friend today, partly cleaning out the Sunday School rooms and partly just hanging out and catching up and enjoying each other's company (with a bonus visit from another friend who ended up at the same fast food joint as us).
I've been reading and resting and recovering from a very crazy November and December and a miserable virus or something (my throat is still not quite up to par again) which is also important.
I'm starting some tutoring again next week with a family I love.
So, really, it's been a good year so far.
Sometimes I like to try different reading challenges. I have found that I don't like them too long or too structured; I would rather have more flexibility in my reading. I tried a history challenge, but determined that I would spend too much time trying to find books that fit each category (and there were a lot of categories) and gave it up. The bingo type ones are better because I can make my books fit the categories, but they still have categories that don't interest me (I don't want to read horror).
Last year I found The Book Girls' Guide and their various yearlong reading challenges. I decided to try the decades challenge, which is basically read a book from a different decade each month. Not only do I get to read historical fiction, memoirs, and nonfiction about history (all things I love), it's one book a month so it's not too demanding. Also, the Book Girls have done a ton of work to gather book recommendations for each month and have included genre, a summary, and their thoughts on the books. They have a variety of genres so there's something for everyone. It was fun to find new books and authors. I have a pile of books still waiting on my "for later" list in the public library.
Last year I didn't sign up to "officially" do the challenge; this year I am signed up to do two challenges (we'll see how that goes). I am doing Book Voyage: Read Around the World and their new one: Book Lover's Challenge (books about books, reading, libraries, and bookstores are generally favourites). All the challenges can be found here.
Last year's books (many of which I have mentioned in the previous two posts):
1880s or 1890s: The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee, about being Chinese in America in the late 1800s
1900s or 1910s: Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee, about the San Francisco Earthquake
1920s: One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson
1930s: Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts
1940s: I was tutoring a child in WW2 at the time, so the list just says "All the WW2 books"! There were several nonfiction (including picture books) and a few fiction books. I didn't write them all down.
1950s: Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
1960s: Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
1970s: Argo by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio (granted, this takes place mainly in 1979 and 1980, with the actual rescue in early 1980, but I'm counting it because it starts in the 1970s)
1980s: As You Wish by Cary Elwes, about the making of The Princess Bride
1990s: The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klostermann, about the culture and such of the 90s; not my favourite book
2000s and 2010s: The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede, stories about the people of Gander and their guests when the flights were diverted after 9/11
Books that Spain Multiple Decades: The Wings of Poppy Pendleton by Melanie Dobson, moving between the 1900s and 1910s for one part of the story and the 1990s for the other part.
In looking over my lists for the past year, I discovered that I read a lot more fiction than nonfiction, something I hope to change next year. Some of it is because fiction is great for reading on the bus and during my busy months I spend a lot of time on the bus. Some of it is that fiction is usually just easier and quicker to read. Still, I'd like more in-depth reading this year.
That said, here is my list of favourite fiction books read in 2024:
The Fate of Arcrea and The Isle of Arcrea by Nicole Sagar. I read the first book in the trilogy in 2023 and finished it up in January.
Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide. This one is youth fiction about the expulsion of Indians from Uganda under Idi Amin. I learned a lot of history that I had never learned before (along with the story was a timeline of the actual events, and of course I did some research as well).
The Percys and Aunt Jane's Hero by Elizabeth Prentiss.
Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards. I wanted to see if Julie Andrews could write or was published because she was famous. She can write.
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson. There was only one bit of "No, that doesn't mesh with Anne of Green Gables."
The Staff and the Sword series by Patrick Carr. I got the first book for Christmas and borrowed the other two from my friend's son. Also, I just remembered that we have the first 2 in the church library and I need to buy the third one.
The Last Devil to Die and We Solve Murders by Richard Osman. The first is part of his Thursday Murder Club series; the second is a new series (I hope).
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. The book starts when Aminata Diallo is a child and is kidnapped from her home in Africa and sold into slavery. It tells of her life in slavery; how she found freedom; her involvement in the Revolutionary War; her time in Canada and eventual return to Africa. It is a brilliant piece of historical fiction.
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts. Letts describes her book as "a fictional story based closely on the truth". It is the story of L. Frank Baum's wife, Maud. It tells of her childhood, her life with Frank, and her interactions with Judy Garland during the making of the movie The Wizard of Oz. While it is fiction, it is very well researched fiction.
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan. I've written about this preciously (I really, really liked it). While is is fiction and the main story is pure fiction, the parts about C.S. Lewis are at least based on fact.
War in the Wasteland by Douglas Bond. More historical fiction, again about C.S. Lewis and his time in World War One.
9 books in the Elm Creek Quilts series by Jennifer Chiaverini. For the most part, these are fairly simple reads (and great bus and bedtime books). They are sometimes historical fiction about the people who once lived in and around the Elm Creek area, and sometimes contemporary fiction about the people working at and attending the quilt camps. Also, there are a lot of quilts.
The Wings of Poppy Pendleton by Melanie Dobson. Technically I finished this on in 2025, but since it was around 2:00 this morning and I hadn't gone to sleep yet, I'm counting it as the last book of 2024.
I read many more books, of course, but those were my favourites. I haven't started with this year's book yet, but I have a stack of library books, a new one from Christmas, many that I own and haven't read, and more coming (thank you, givers of gift cards). The only challenge is what to read first!
