The kids received a puzzle around Halloween and the answer was Frankenstein. The puzzle pointed out that Frankenstein is not the monster, but its creator. I was so intrigued by the fact that an 18-year-old Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when challenged to write a frightening tale at a dinner party. It is considered to be the very first book in the science fiction genre.
I checked the book out from the library, determined to read the classic a la A Thomas Jefferson Education. The particular version I got was from The Whole Story collection. I am crazy about this series because every page is beautifully illustrated (yes I’m 40 and I still like picture books!) and because all kinds of historical background information is provided in the margins. I bought a copy from Ebay, but there are several classics available in this series from Amazon.
At this point, you may be wondering if I have my holidays confused! Nope! I just finished reading this book and I loved it. I don’t even remember the movie, it’s been so long since I saw it. The story captivated me! The monster follows the once-prideful Frankenstein everywhere intent not on killing him, but on killing his joy and hope. Mary Shelley was an atheist, but she wrote a fictional work that could be my story and yours. We, too, are pursued by a monster who isn’t content with our death; he wants our faith, hope, and joy. Like Frankenstein, we create our own monsters and are then powerless to eliminate them. But praise be to God who delivers us from the enemy of our souls! This Christmas, we can celebrate having no reason to fear, but every reason to rejoice.
Several years ago I became enamored with Simple Scrapbooks magazine and with its founding editor, Stacy Julian. The Simple philosophy saved me from the stress of thinking I had to scrapbook every decent picture. I always felt hopelessly behind!
Today I scrapbook what I want, when I want, and that includes doing some digital scrapbooking. I took an online class from Stacy Julian’s website, www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com and unfortunately I was disappointed. I wrote asking for a refund and got the nicest response back from Stacy Julian herself! I was so impressed that I gave them another try. This page is the result of my first lesson! I’m delighted. If you’d like to learn more about the delightful craft of scrapbooking (paper or digital), get the big picture and sign up today.
Tonight I read one of my favorite childhood fairy tales to the youngest kids. If you’re not familiar with the story, I’ll give you the short version. A beautiful fir tree is growing in the forest. Though he is lovely and surrounded by the wind, the sun, the birds and more, he longs to be taller. He notices that other trees are being chopped down and he, too, longs to leave the forest. The birds tell him of the beautiful decorations that are put on some trees taken into homes and it is the tree’s dream to be glorified this way. One winter season, he is cut down and taken away. For the first time, he feels a little sad about leaving his forest friends. But when he experiences the excitement of the lights and decorations on his branches and the children dancing around him, he feels he has never been happier.
The next day the tree imagines he will be the center of attention once again. He is sure life will be even better! But alas, he is shoved into an attic for months. Still, he believes that he will one day return to the forest. When he is pulled from the attic and taken to the garden, he is certain his life is starting over. Instead, he is set on fire.
Yes, this is a depressing tale for a child! Kind of like Bambi’s mother being shot, isn’t it? I must admit I never got the deeper message of the story as a child, but tonight I got it loud and clear. I’m done wishing to be taller, but I still catch myself believing that life will be better for me the next season. I feel stuck instead of acknowledging how I’m growing. I live for the moments of glory, rather than glorying in the moments. I need to be like the apostle Paul, content to be rooted in Christ.
My tree is up, but I have a problem. The bottom lights keep going out. If you wiggle and jiggle long enough, they’ll come back on. To top it off (literally), my star is crooked.
I’ve been thinking that this tree is a lot like me this Christmas. At my foundation, I don’t have enough of the Lord’s light. I’m so concerned with the what’s, when’s, and where’s of Christmas that I’ve forgotten about the Who! As a result, my spirits are a little dimmer than usual. My star is crooked, too. I’m cranky!
If the what’s, when’s, and where’s of Christmas have your spirit shorting out, listen to what the Apostle Paul has to say in Philippians 2:14-16:
Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
I may not be able to get my lights to work or my star on straight, but I want His light to shine through me this Christmas. I want to be sure to get plugged into the Super Power every morning! How are you going to keep the Who of Christmas alive in your heart this season?
Using www.diyplanner.com allows you to create your own planner pages using your printer, a paper cutter and hole punch. If you’re a homeschooler, you’ll appreciate the flexibility of creating planning and record-keeping pages that fit with how YOU do school. Using this sytem, you can also create inexpensive planners for your kids!
In my next posts, I’ll give you more detailed information about how a paper planner can pump up your productivity (and your students’, too!).
Today I teach children what really matters, sing to little ones when they play in the tub, act like there’s nothing to be afraid of, and dance with little partners to the radio. I work to settle the nastiest disputes, diagnose the most painful owies, write little love notes, and manage many different ‘do’s. I track allowances, listen to children to determine what makes them tick, and speak to them motivationally. I am a mother. And that’s everything I ever wanted to be.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
