Because I bought this, I was well within my legal rights to mark it up and fold over pages.
To refresh: homeschooling Christian mother of 9 shares her realizations and discoveries.
Loves Jesus more than most. And promotes the idea that anybody can read the Bible. Only one minute of reading can yield 15 verses, and "even the most overwhelmed of us has one minute." (doing this method you can read through the Bible 10 times in your life) or better yet do a study plan that involves reading three chapters in the Old Testament and two in the New Testament each day and this will get you through the Old Testament in one year in the New Testament twice a year, which she has done several times. !!!!
Makes a case for learning Latin and poetry 😩
"Remember, if you can understand that people live in their own times, it will save you from becoming a politically correct ignoramus, only able to read things you agree with. Moderns are so quick and so arrogant to throw out things from the past because we are so much wiser in our own eyes. This phenomenon scares me." Yes, stop hating on people from the past who don't have up-to-date beliefs that match the current ones.
"A habit needs a sabbath" - the idea being that any habit we spend our time on needs a break to give us fresh perspective.
It takes time to be a part of a church community and you need to give yourself many years and not just try it out for a weekend expecting to make strong bonds overnight.
On bodies: "we have a duty to care for what hamlet calls this "mortal coil", to enhance it to cherish it, but we must be aware of that old enemy who's favorite trick is sleight of hand. One minute you're caring for your body, and the next year worshiping it in front of the mirror at the gym. Healthy habits come down one word moderation."
Like me, she had a blog years ago, and like me, she cringes at her old blog posts . She talks about how that allowed her to hone her craft of writing.
I love this so much: "there is an easy, modern way to keep your house clean. Don't have children and work all the time so that you were never home. Then you can decorate and have popular cool toned colors like white or gray and have Pottery Barn white couches. There will be no fingerprints on the walls. No stains on the upholstery. No crying in the background. Your sterile palate will be free from disease and failure and all the things through creativity feeds on." So true.
She encourages us to not wait till our home is perfect before entertaining people at our house. We aren't there to show off our latest decor pieces or fancy table. We are opening our hearts to hear their stories. (although I love showing off my fancy table.)
Another truism: "sometimes we have what I call River snobbery. We feel more comfortable in someone's messy house, then someone's pristine one when really, we should be accepting of both." I've been guilty of preferring the messy house so I can feel less intimidated.
"I am not sure." Same.
Make sure your children see you smile. Also, how hard it is to stop lecturing and barking orders and just listen. Just listen.
She dislikes hearing a constant barrage of opinions just like me!
"I think this is complicated by knowing a lot about our mothers, while at the same time, knowing very little ". Yes how much do we really know about our mothers And their lives.
Menopause: "I felt tremendously angry, and emotionally unstable for a couple of years. Suddenly one day, I stopped, crying and feeling angry, and I realized I had been through life's notorious upheavals. I haven't sobbed uncontrollably since then, and I am rarely upset. That's hormones for you". We need to factor in our hormonal state when judging our feelings and opinions.
"suffering is having what you don't want or wanting what you don't have"-Elisabeth Elliot.
"While it is easy to share our little disappointments in life, like our inability to keep the house clean or children in line, it is much harder to share our real failure and our real suffering."
Power of older women in your life to guide you along.
"To tell the truth, often no matter how many ball game you attend, It is the one you miss that the child remembers." Sad. That makes me wanna fight.
Love to the growth, ideas at the end of each chapter. Ex: google the 1000 good books list and check off the ones you've already read.
OK this is getting long I have spent an hour on it already.