A Letter to My Sons... and to My Nation.

I have two fledgling birds about to fly the nest. And I am so proud. We have worked hard, failed big, learned much and lived well. Their big adventure is no longer waiting on the horizon, it is now. And they are going to continue to do beautifully. I am confident.

Of course, all that means my role is changing; as it has been since the day they were born. I remember back to when I was their only sustenance. Little by little, they grew and looked outward. I set the table for them. They learned to feed themselves, heaping their plates full with great ideas. I was their companion and guide. I will always be that. But, soon a host of other influences and activities will attract their attention and fill most of their moments.
And they will fly.

This is just as it should be.

Even so, it is stretching. And a little scary. And teary.
When I look at these men, I remember my babies. I know them so well.
How will we navigate these unfamiliar waters?

In some ways, it feels rather similar to what we’re experiencing as a nation. Things are about to change. It feels a little unsettling because we don’t know how it will go. But we love our country. We’ve come so far. We have worked hard, failed big, learned much and lived well. Our big adventure is no longer waiting on the horizon, it is now. And we are fully capable of doing beautifully. I am confident.

In order to secure success, there are some things we must not forget. Nations and sons alike.
So today, with much to sum up in just a few words, I’ve chosen these:

To my Sons (and Fellow Citizens):

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all you do be done in love.” 

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Be watchful.

Look for your Savior to save you every. single. day.
Stay awake - watch and pray.
Be on your guard to resist the flesh and the prowling devil that would devour.
Look for opportunities to do right, to be kind and to serve.

Stand firm in the faith.

Hold fast to the One at whose word even the wind and the sea obey.
Obey that voice, and love it, for He is your life and length of days.*
Strive side by side with one mind.* Remember freedom.*
Do not waver.

Act like men, be strong.

Here is an idea that may benefit from some expansion. When you think strong, what do you think of? You may at first envision biceps and sit-ups and being the winning buck of any contest. You are young men, after all.* But is that what it is to act like men? To be strong?

First of all, I can generously and safely assume the apostle is not being sexist because I know that God is not; and Paul is speaking for God here. He is applying to our knowledge of the nature of things and what we tend to think of (or at least traditionally thought) when we think of the role of men. Neither is he speaking of bodily strength only, which has some value. He is asking men, who are image-bearers, to be like God; to be strong.* The strong bear with the weak* and overcome evil. In this sense, the same goes for women also.

Sons of my heart and fellow Americans, it requires great courage, with a steady strength of character and of will, to remain watchful, full of faith, strong and in all things loving. This is my expectation for you. To be. To act. Let these be characteristic of all your dealings - as under authority, with your King, with yourself, with your closest ones and with the world at large.

Be strong and of good courage. You are never alone.*

Let all you do be done in love.

In all that you do, love. Rather a sweeping statement, no? A charge with such magnitude and scope will require special attention and much care. We were made to love, but we have been bent and broken by sin. When we want to do right, evil lies close at hand.* We have made and will make mistakes, but love seeks to covers offenses and in so doing, a multitude of sins.* If we live by the Spirit, let’s walk with Him in love. We can do nothing otherwise.*

Love; because even if I am ever watchful and faithful and strong but have not love… I am nothing, neither gain anything. Love generously, deeply, sympathetically, courageously and gladly. It is the greatest of all. While it will often require the momentary pain of self-denial, an inconvenient cross-bearing or perhaps long-suffering, it is a life-saving and worthy endeavor in which you and I can expect full success.

"But how good and pleasant it is to know that at the heart of all things is our God, who wills the good and right behaviour of every creature in His universe, and who enables us all for right doing, for that fulfilling of His law in which all things work together for good! Our little lives are no longer small and poor when we think of the great things of the world. They are a necessary part of the great whole, ordered under law, fulfilling His will, and singing as the morning stars in the gladness of obedience."

Charlotte Mason, Ourselves pg 124

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.*

Affectionately,
A loving mother.

reminiscing. #theyweresolittle #nowtheyaremen #collegebound #imissthemalready #redwhiteandblue

A photo posted by Amy Tuttle (@amadasoy) on Nov 11, 2016 at 3:00pm PST

P.S. May I make a reading recommendation for all Sons and Citizens in these turbulant days? Love really is the greatest of all. It is what the world needs more than ever. Our knowledge and experience of love began with God and it falls to us to continue to reflect this to the world. In these days, while the love of many will continue to grow cold, as a body, we are to continue to grow, being built up in love. In addition to the Bible texts that hold love on high, Charlotte Mason has written such sweet words of help in her book, Ourselves. I have found much consolation and conviction, over the past several weeks, especially in regard to the recent political climate, in Part III, The House of Heart, Lords of the Heart: Love (Chapters I - XI): The Ways of Love and Love’s Lords in Waiting: Pity, Benevolence, Sympathy, Kindness, Generosity, Gratitude, Courage, Loyalty, Humility, Gladness.

"Have you ever thrown a stone into the water and watched the circles about it spread? As a matter of fact, they spread to the very shores of the pond or lake or sea into which you have thrown the stone; more, they affect the land on the further side. But those distant circles become so faint that they are imperceptible, while those nearest the point where you have thrown in the stone are clearly marked. So it is with our Love. It is as if, in the first place, our home were the stone thrown in to move our being; and from that central point the circle of our love widens until it embraces all men".
Charlotte Mason, Ourselves pg 82

*1 Jn 2:14, Deut 30:20, Galatians 5:1, Phil 1:27, Eph 6:10, Rom 15:1, Deut 31:6, Rom 7:21, Pv 10:12 & 1 Pet 4:8, John 15:5, 1 Corinthians 16:23-24

on motherhood as an artform.

i mentioned in another place that I wanted to give you a couple of gifts this Mother's Day. the first one i mentioned already you can find here. as it turns out, there wasn't room for the second 'under the tree' so to speak, so i'm putting it here where you can see and read it in all it's wonderfulness.

N. D. Wilson's quote on motherhood:

"i have unfortunately heard a lot of christian women say things like, 'i don’t really need to rigorously pursue my education, i don’t really need to be sharp and astute, a great integrator of themes. because i’m…' (and here’s my most hated phrase in the English language) '...because I’m going to just be a mom.'

well, what i do is, i just put words on a page for people to read.
that’s my art form.

what you do? well, you know, you raise immortal souls...

you grow them inside yourself, magically.
you feed them from yourself.
you are the great storyteller for these humans.
these little bleeding things.

i sit there and type. that’s my art.

and YOU’re the one who interprets all of reality for this one year old. You take all of it and you condense, you creatively condense and you give. You say, here! and it’s this type of art for them... and then they’re five and then they’re six, and you’re the MOM.

do you know what dad does? he keeps the lights on.

imagine. i think if you took the most psychotic, crazy, NY, wacko, installation artist, they wouldn’t have the guts to do what ‘just a mom’ does. or if i said okay, here’s the plan. i think i can get a federal grant. i’m going to give you some actual children… you create a life story. how’s this? maybe eighteen years... create a childhood. there quick, don’t just do your weird thing where you held your naked body to a block of ice. that’s their normal installation pieces. how ‘bout eighteen years in you do 3 meals a day. you shove stuff in their face and you create a life. you create a childhood. you create the first 18 years of a life story.

find me the crazy artist willing to take that on.
absolutely not.

the whole ‘just a mom thing’ is one of the most inverted lies around.
it’s like, i need an education because i write books...
because we admire the abstract. i condense thoughts into little black symbols on pulp, trees, which can burn and rot and go away.

YOU have little humans who will always be. forever. somewhere.
they are the beginnings of forever stories.

so none of that.
you must awaken to this glory and you must attempt to improve at noticing, receiving, processing, integrating, condensing and then giving.

...that is the process of ultimate artistry."

N.D. Wilson in his talk to Bethlehem College and Seminary, "Words Made Flesh: Stories Telling Stories and the Russian Dolls of Divine Creativity"

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watch a video of the whole talk here.

A few thoughts on Religious Training.

When considering Religious Training for homeschoolers, I got to wondering how and when this goes on in the average home. I realized in our house we don't have a formal time set aside called Daily Religious Training, that would be... um, well. Something anyway. Yet, you may have noticed? There is always a whole lot of training going on... whether we like it or not.

Regardless of whether or not we are aware of it, I believe that because we are humans created in God's image, we are religious, aware or unaware, and are being trained for better or worse from the time we're born. In that sense Religious Training doesn't really start in school years. It starts in Mom and Dad and is an integral part of the family culture even before the kids come. Matter of fact, I believe it's less what we do and more of who we are.

Our kids will sense our religion, what we believe and who we worship, whether we verbally lay it all out or not. We either show reverence toward God or we don't. We love Him or we don't. We serve Him or we don't. We may find that we show more reverence for Science or Nature than we do God. We may love or serve ourselves or some other thing more than God. Not showing reverence or not loving God or not serving Him comes in many different shades. Either way, our kids will know a great deal about our religion, regardless of what we say.

There is much more that could be said about that.

So how would you talk about the Religious Training that happens in your home?
When trying to pinpoint when religious exercise happens in your house, you might consider the following questions:

What place does God have in our home? Do we mention Him throughout the day? In what context? With what attitude? Is He only thought of during mealtime grace or while taking disciplinary action? Do we talk to Him? Alone and with our children? How often? With what attitude?
Do we love Him?

What place does the Bible have in our home? Do we read as a family? In what context? With what attitude? Do our kids see us feeding from it for ourselves? Are we familiar with all its parts? Is it basically seen as a rulebook? Do we understand it and know the stories?
Do we love it?

What holy days does our family recognize? In what ways do we keep them holy?

::
There are many other questions we could probably consider when thinking about this Very Important of Topics.

I didn't make time to post more this month, even though I wanted to very much. I have lots of thoughts. Alas, the demands on my present are more than will allow for much time for writing these days. I hope, however, that we might take some time to ponder the questions mentioned above and earmark a few for future thought and action.

::

To read more and in its proper context, read ch.13 of School Education in its entirety here.

This post is based on thoughts on Chapter 13 in Volume 3, School Education by Charlotte Mason. The topic, Some Unconsidered Aspects of Religious Training, is one option for posts advocated by the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival 2014 Schedule for April. 

If you'd like to read other posts on the subject, be sure to read all the April editions.
If you'd like to share your post with the upcoming carnival, find out how here.
Find links to past CMBCarnivals here.

CMBC - Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival - April!

Welcome Homeschoolers and fellow Charlotte Mason fans!

Though many of us don't follow the same school schedule, especially those schooling year-round or those living in the Southern Hemisphere, most North Americans are coming into the home stretch this schoolyear. I hope you've all had a productive year meeting challenges head on and coming out having learned something useful!

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This month's theme for the carnival is:
Some Unconsidered Aspects of Religious Training - Chapter 13

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Without further ado, I'm pleased to present the submissions to this edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!

In her post, Pease porridge... not. Mama Squirrel asks us to consider,

"But why do we, through our institutions, so equally mistrust young students that we attempt to deceive them with a bit of "pease" instead of the real food that is so readily available?"

Liz helps us to remember back to what it was like as kids to REALLY imagine, in The Substance of Things Not Seen...

"Can you step back in your misty memory and recall some of the fantastic imaginings of your childhood, some of the absolutely unbelievable things you used to unhesitatingly believe? There really was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, a jolly old man in a red suit that slid down the chimney, and a monster under the bed, wasn't there?"

Camille shares with us some personal reflections about some experiences with her son in her post, Parenting Challenge - Religious Training.

Nebby talks about reading comprehension and it's place in a CM education and asks us 'Where does it fit in?'

Celeste relishes in Laurie Bestvater's wisdom from her recently published book The Living Page.

In her post The Charlotte Mason Method, Megan walks us through an inspiring quote by C.D. Lawe, "The purpose of education should be to lead a child into the fullest, truest, noblest, and most fruitful relations of which he is capable, with the world in which he lives."

Based on years of experience, Tammy looks at this month's topic through the lens of an autistic family. Beautiful in Its Time is an insightful read for all of us as we care for others in our community.

In her last couple of posts Patti has been inspiring our artistic side by highlighting the works of Jacob von Rueysdale,  Georg Philipp Telemann and  A.A.Milne.

Last but not least, I've posted a few questions to consider about Religious Training here at A few Thoughts on Religious Training.

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I hope you've enjoyed this edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!

Please consider sharing your blog posts with us in a future edition!

See the CM Blog Carnival Schedule page for a list of dates and topics for the whole year (in progress).

By subscribing to the Carnival Announcement/Reminder list you can stay up-to-date and never miss another carnival. Plus, you'll receive handy dandy monthly ideas & links pertaining to the current topic... for free! ;) oh wait, it's all free! heheh.

Also, please encourage your bloggy AND non‐bloggy friends, who love Charlotte Mason and/or those who are newly interested, to visit the CMBCarnival, the more the merrier!! :)

April CM Blog Carnival Announcement and Invitation!

This coming Monday, the next edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival will be posted! Hopefully, you have already sent in a blog post to be featured in the carnival next week, but if not, you have two days left!

Please join us by submitting a post, or just reading along. Posts are due by 4/7 before 5pm EST. Send the link to your post in an e‐mail to: charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com. *Remember, you are welcome to share an older post (written by you or someone else) that goes along with this month's topic, we'd love to read it again!

As always, we gladly receive all Charlotte Mason inspired blog posts! Bloggers vary widely in their gifts and experiences, which means, we can all learn from each other. We hope you'll share with us!

Below, you will find an optional topic, a thought provoking quote and several ideas for those who need a little writing prompt or who would like some direction for further study. :)

**Announcement**
I completely failed to send out the e-mail announcement for the last CM Blog Carnival!
I did have an-ever-so-slightly-busy week... but still. ;) If you missed the last edition because of my negligence, please don't hesitate another moment, go read it now! :)
**

If you'd like, please feel free to grab the logo for your blog's sidebar or to include in your post.

The optional topic for discussion during the month of April is:

Some Unconsidered Aspects of Religious Training - Chapter 13

Several thought (and blog post) provoking quotes & ideas (read the entire chapter online here):

"It is a very sad fact that many children get their first ideas of God in the nursery, and that these are of a Being on the watch for their transgressions and always ready to chastise." v3,p145

"The importance of reverent attitudes isa little apt to be overlooked in these days. We are, before all things, sincere, and are afraid to insist upon 'mere forms,' feeling it best to leave the child to the natural expression of his own emotions." v3,p141

• Authority in Religious Education & How it Works.
• The Habits of the Religious Life: of Reading the Bible, of Praise, of Sunday-keeping.
• Habit of the Thought of God.
• Reverent Attitudes & Regularity in Devotions
• Inspiring Ideas of the Religious Life.
• The Fatherhood of God, the Kingship of Christ, our Saviour, the Indwelling of the Holy Ghost.

To read more and in its proper context, read ch.13 of School Education in its entirety here.

Please see the CM Blog Carnival Schedule page for a list of dates and topics for the whole year (in progress).

By subscribing to the Carnival Announcement/Reminder list you can stay up-to-date and never miss another carnival. Plus, you'll receive handy dandy monthly ideas & links pertaining to the current topic... for free! ;) oh wait, it's all free! heheh.

Also, please encourage your bloggy AND non‐bloggy friends, who love Charlotte Mason and/or those who are newly interested, to visit the CMBCarnival, the more the merrier!! :)

Pre-requisite to Moral Traning: A Living Example

"A child's whole notion of religion is 'being good.' It is well that he should know that being good is not his whole duty to God, although it is so much of it; that the relationship of love and personal service, which he owes as a child to his Father, as a subject to his King, is even more than the 'being good' which gives our Almighty Father such pleasure in His children." v3 p136

"...that most delicate and beautiful of human possessions, an educated conscience, comes only by teaching with authority and adorning by example." v3 p129

And I don't venture far to say that the only true authority is one that is fleshed out by A Living Example. Authority won't get you very far if you don't practice what you preach.

A rather long, but oh so good illustration from my recent free-reading:

"Thus had Gibbie his first lesson in the only thing worth learning, in that which, to be learned at all, demands the united energy of heart and soul and strength and mind; and from that day he went on learning it. I cannot tell how, or what were the slow stages by which his mind budded and swelled until it burst into the flower of humanity, the knowledge of God. I cannot tell the shape of the door by which the Lord entered into that house, and took everlasting possession of it...

So, teaching him only that which she loved, not that which she had been taught, Janet read to Gibbie of Jesus, talked to him of Jesus, dreamed to him about Jesus; until at length—Gibbie did not think to watch, and knew nothing of the process by which it came about—his whole soul was full of the man, of his doings, of his words, of his thoughts, of his life. Jesus Christ was in him—he was possessed by him. Almost before he knew, he was trying to fashion his life after that of his Master...

Whatever Janet, then, might, perhaps—I do not know—have imagined it her duty to say to Gibbie had she surmised his ignorance, having long ceased to trouble her own head, she had now no inclination to trouble Gibbie's heart with what men call the plan of salvation. It was enough to her to find that he followed her Master. Being in the light she understood the light, and had no need of system, either true or false, to explain it to her. She lived by the word proceeding out of the mouth of God."

Sir Gibbie, George MacDonald. Kindle Edition (Loc 2499-2532).

I cannot recommend Sir Gibbie highly enough. It's my new favorite.
I kinda wanna memorize it.

The following quote from Charlotte Mason, as well as that at the beginning of the post, make me wonder if she might have read Sir Gibbie herself. Either way, I hope you'll be inspired to read it someday. It's so good. :)

"A child cannot have a lasting sense of duty until he is brought into contact with a Supreme Authority, who is the source of law and the pleasing of whom converts duty into joy. In these rather latitudinarian days, there is perhaps no part of religious teaching more important than to train children in the sense of the immediate presence and continual going forth of the supreme Authority." v3 p137

This post is based on thoughts on Chapter 12 in Volume 3, School Education by Charlotte Mason. The topic, Some Unconsidered Aspects of Intellectual Training, is one option for a topic advocated by the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival 2014 Schedule. If you'd like to read other posts on the subject, be sure to read all the March editions.
If you'd like to share your post with the upcoming carnival, find out how here.
Find links to past CMBCarnivals here.