Merry-making can really wear a person down. We've had a little too much merry-making in the past week. We've had my husband's company party for the children, a lovely Advent Tea (which was truly enjoyable), a dance skating party, a trip to the City of Lights, and co-op closing ceremony. Today we have CCD Christmas parties and we're still faced with the annual KC party, the nursing home Christmas party for PawPaw, basketball team Christmas party, and our up-coming Christmas Starr's celebration. It's a surreal time of year and I'm anxious for this week to end so we can settle into a more gentler, reflective state of mind.
I'm not sure why I do all this craziness...including the Christmas shopping this past weekend that left me thoroughly Blah! I really don't know. It isn't me. I'm a homebody and I threaten any little finger that dares to touch my radio knob when a Christmas carol comes on. It's the only time in the past few days I've been able to sit in sweet reverie and remember the reason for the season. But I do like to please my family and so I try to tackle celebrate what they like to do. Then there are some things we are duty-bound to make and I carry out those obligations with as much cheer and gaity as I can muster. And, during the actual festivities, I really do enjoy myself. It really is fun. But, in the end, I like to turn my thoughts to things of greater value.
But...enough...
Right now I'd like to take this moment to relax and discuss one of my favorite topics...Literature!
I've always loved to read. Literature has a way of capturing all these real life events and festivities into the compact pages of two covers and allows me time to reflect on the personalities I meet, the history of events, the planning and decorating, and the reason we do all this. Literature suits my pea-size brain. It helps me to focus and get a grasp on all the things flying over my head like reindeer in the night. Amazingly enough literature brings me back to reality. It helps me to see and analyze the beauty and richness of life that I can't always appreciate because it goes by so fast and furious. Literature helps me to stop the time-clock and breath a little; it helps me to unwind and drift through the pages of life at my own leisure. I can restart the clock whenever I'm ready and the characters and events will stay neatly put into this virtual time machine until I'm ready to join them again. In a life which I have little control over, literature helps me to gain control.
I have already written about my admiration for Maureen Wittmann...a real-life friend as well as online one...but her commitment to education, the homeschool community, and literature in general is inspiring...and humbling. Let me illustrate this with a story. While in Kansas this past summer, someone stopped at Maureen's table asking questions about literature. Maureen gently, and quickly, guided them over to my table. The lady, a bit surprised said, "What a gal! Instead of trying to sell me her book, she brings me over here to buy your book!"
And that's the kind of gal Maureen is. She looks out for her readers. She helps the homeschooling mother with her many questions. And she always keep in focus the reason why she does this ministry. It isn't all about her or her family. It's all about the family of Christ. And she gives without counting the cost.
Maureen is the mother of seven with her oldest fixing to enter college so she certainly has the experience to write this book. She knows what forms of literature are out there for your child's (and your) educational journey (whether homeschooling or not). She has shuffled the card catalog at the library and has unearthed a tome of wealth then mined it all into one book: For the Love of Literature. Within the compact pages of this book, Maureen has captured the life of math, history, social studies, geography, and more for "teaching core subjects with literature".
This book needs to be on your reading bookshelf next to Laura Berquist's Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum. And now you have a chance to win a free copy of it. This Thursday we have have one more Book Walk before taking a break for the Christmas holiday and the winner will receive a free autographed copy of Maureen's new book For the Love of Literature.
Even if you don't win this book, buying the book will basically afford your child a free education for the reasonable price of $12.95. Can't beat that, can we?
Remember, all you have to do is email me your name and mailing address and your number will be dropped into the Cake Bowl which has a literary story all its own.
And while you're waiting for the music to start on Thursday and since we're in the season of festivities, why not waltz over to Maureen's blog for a Book Launch Party today! You are given a personal invitation to do so and I wish you the best of luck in winning a book that makes a great gift and addition to your personal library.
So put your life on auto-pilot, if only for a minute or two or a day, and enjoy the love of literature. It's a wonderful life!
This reminds me of a funny story. The other day, my 15-year-old daughter said to me, in all seriousness, "We'd be rich, if you weren't so nice Mom!"
The other kids and I about busted a gut laughing. It was only half a minute and Teen Daughter started laughing too.
We all agreed that it's much more fun to be nice than rich.
And we're still laughing!
Thank you Cay for your kind words -- you are far too generous.
Posted by: Maureen :) | December 12, 2007 at 06:44 PM