Out my window: darkness. I don’t love the early-morning dark, but I do love the evenings that are bright and warm enough to take a walk after dinner. There are so many signs of spring around here, most notably that the birds have returned.
In the kitchen: We had lots of guests this weekend, and I did lots of cooking – chili and cornbread, chicken pot pi and peach pi, make your own pizzas- but alas, we have very few leftovers to show for it. The children will be happy, but I do love leftovers for lunch.
On my book table: The Monument Men (Edsel and Witter). How to Read a Book (Adler and Van Doren). (This one is very dense, and I’m learning so much!) I’m making a stack to take on vacation, too. Any suggestions?
In the school room: Goodness, it’s been hard plowing here lately. I’ve planned a lighter week with some breaks and lots of good reading. We finished with the Armenian Genocide and Great Depression and are now into the cheerful days of WWII. Ahem. I need to order our standardized tests, but I think we’ll wait until May , when SweetP is out of her cast. All those little bubbles to fill in would just be too much for her left hand.
On my mind: I am so grateful that I’ve gotten to shape the conversations we have about hard issues. There is a lot of political discussion at my kids’ once-a-week school, most of it at the middle school lunch table and much of it not very nuanced (hard to imagine, I know). Last week I fielded questions from my kids about capitalism and totalitarianism, abortion, gun control, immigration, infant baptism, the shooting in Madison, adultery, and fiscal policy. I really want my kids to be able to look at a question or issue from many sides, and I want them to listen to the heart of someone else’s experience before they make judgments. I know that snap judgments and either-or thinking is very developmentally appropriate for children, but I believe that the art of listening (truly listening, not just nodding while I formulate my own opinion) is a skill that has to be taught and practiced. So we’re practicing.
Grateful for: Spring! Spontaneous and well-planned get-togethers. Deep conversations. Our church. My friend’s new job.
Praying for: Mandy. Judy. Clare. The people of Vanuatu. The Simons and Neals. My patients. Patience.
Learning As We Go 