Bookworms and a Lookworm

As young as she is, Calla knows that books are important and special. When she escapes into the room our family calls the library, she runs to the bookshelf and pulls out a book. Sometimes she will sit on the stairs or couch and page through it, intently peering at each page. Other times she will return for book after book until she has a pile nearby. She has a great example with three older sister readers. Eris has long been a bookworm, and Meriel is entering the realm of bibliophiles as well. Although Hollis prefers more active pursuits, she is frequently found perusing a short "chapter book." Simeon recently coined the term "lookworm" for himself, meaning a person who likes to look at, rather than read, books.

Yes, books are important to us. When my parents come to visit us, we fill their suitcases with books and Tillamook Cheese. Most of the "chapter books" I read aloud with my children or buy for their birthdays, I read and enjoyed when I was a child. I am reading aloud through the Anne of Green Gables series with Eris, and I've just started the Chronicles of Narnia with Meriel. (Starting with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; no chronological nonsense for me.) However, I've been lucky enough to find a few new discoveries, as well.

One of these new treats has been the author Elizabeth Enright. A couple years ago, we got Eris the four volume Melendy series, starting with The Saturdays. The stories are wholesome, the children are respectful, good lessons are taught without being preachy. The plots are interesting but not too flashy. The first two books are about four children; later a fifth is added. The children are excited to read about families with five children, and we are always on the look out for those. Even though I missed these books as a child, I am glad I get to enjoy them with my children.

Every year for Christmas and birthdays, Philip gets a book to read aloud to Meriel - a book which Eris had not read. The latest was Gone Away Lake by the same author. Meriel enjoys re-reading to herself those books which have been read aloud to her. I have not read this one yet, but I have heard some of it discussed at the supper table. I look forward to reading it to Simeon when he is ready. For now, we are eagerly anticipating the sequel, Return to Gone Away; maybe Meriel will get it for her birthday!

We are always on the lookout for great books to share with our children. Meriel and Hollis enjoy receiving books which none of the other children have read. By the time Calla is a reader that will really be a challenge! Please share any ideas you might have.

Remembering Our Prayers

God always hears our prayers, and He always answers them. The way He responds to them is meant to increase our faith. The Bible also explains that if we delight in Him, He will give us our heart's desires. Now God's ways are not ours, and His eternal timeline may diverge from our "here and now" mindset. So how do we know when God answers our prayers?

Today the kids and I read a story in Luke 17. Some lepers, ten in fact, are crying out to Jesus - praying to Him - for mercy. Jesus responds with a command, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." Without hesitation, they obey. On the way, they were all healed; one turned around to show worship and show gratitude to Jesus. He remembered who had answered his prayer and his faith was increased because of this.

We need to remember our prayers so we can thank God when He answers. If we receive a delayed blessing and forget that we asked for it, we cannot obtain the full benefit. God's response to my prayers seems to often be, "Hold fast and wait to see what I will do." During that waiting period I can often forget my urgent prayers and then take it for granted when I do receive my request. I forget to go back and fall at Jesus' feet and thank Him.

Often, it is not circumstances that need changing, but my desires. I need to fully delight in Him and then my heart's desires will be His. My heart needs molding; my attitude needs transforming. I don't fully realize the changes God has made in my heart in response to lifting my desires to Him. The reworking is so slight and slow, I fail to notice and praise the Lord.

God had the children of Israel build monuments and altars to help them remember how the Lord helped them. Their children would ask, "What is that pile of stones by the Jordan River?" And their parents would have the opportunity to relate the story of the river drying up for them to cross. The stories would be passed down through the generations.

So what can I do to make sure I remember my prayers and my faith can grow by seeing God's faithfulness. Sometimes, I remember through stories. The kids all know how God provided for the three of us plus our dog Maiden as we traveled around the United States during my fourth year of medical school. They remember our four month wait for a house with a garden in Bangkok and how God fulfilled that promise. We recount these parts of our family history as a remembrance, as a monument, as a thanksgiving.

I thank God as I am making a request. I try to model my prayers after Philippians 4:6 "with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." I thank Him for His response before it comes, knowing that it will be the best decision for me. Of course, I want to remember to thank Him after as well, so I sometimes write down my prayers. If I have certain strong desires that I am waiting for God to fulfill, I record them. This way I can see how God changes my heart and how He answers in amazing ways beyond my grandest hopes.

Pray, wait, remember, praise so our faith will increase as God does great and wondrous works. 

The Gift of Touch

I grew up in a hugging family. Anyone who knows my parents, will recognize that truth. We never need a reason to give a hug; and any occasion is a reason. "Good morning," "home from school," "good job," "needs encouragement," "do better next time," "I'm sorry," and "good night" are just a few of the types of hugs we like to give and receive. I continued the tradition by giving hugs to those I cared about throughout high school, college, and into adulthood. It is a way of showing affection and solidifying friendship.

As a physician, I learned about the importance of touch. A gentle hand laid on an arm while listening to the heart and lungs can make a person feel better than a round of antibiotics. A patient receiving a careful physical exam will feel more cared about than one who is does not, even if the exam is not entirely necessary. Even if the treatment given is appropriate and identical, a patient who has been touched by the physician will feel the visit has been more successful than one who has not. People crave contact with others.

Thai culture does not regarding touch in the same way as the culture in which I grew up. People do not greet even by shaking hands. I can greet all the people at church on a Sunday without touching a single one. I didn't fully realize how much I missed feeling connected with people in the way I am familiar with. More than a month ago, while we were still going to Immanuel Church in Bangkok, I greeted a man with the traditional "wai" - hands pressed together in front of me and little bow. This particular man has spent much time in the United States and even some of his grown children live there, so he speaks English well and is familiar with the customs. He "wai-ed" back and then, smiling broadly, grabbed my hand for a warm, hearty handshake!

Somehow, that handshake made me feel more special and loved than all the other greetings that day. The touch meant that the cared about me. My favorite gospel is Luke. He describes over and over again how Jesus touched the untouchable, the unclean - lepers, a bleeding woman, children, prostitutes, the dead. Jesus knows how a simple touch can heal a world of hurt, can convey love and hope. In the appropriate context and proper manner, a hug, a handshake, a hand laid on an arm can be a cross-cultural message of caring.

I am not purposing to go around hugging everyone in Thailand, or even shaking hands. Thai women and girls do hold hands sometimes, so physical touch is not taboo, just more unusual than in many cultures. So, I do think that introducing a hug to those women I count among my friends is a good thing. Or at least accompanying a greeting with touch a shoulder or arm. I daily strive to respect the culture yet infuse my life with Christ's love.

Our Preschool Activity Jar

I don't have any exciting events or spiritual insights from our life to share this week. We did have a fun day Monday at Chatuchak Park. We met up with our friend Ryan, a missionary from Hong Kong who will be going on furlough soon. He came with English Emma and Thai Lynchee, so it was really an international playtime and picnic. The other notable event was at three o'clock this morning: cleaning up after a little boy got sick on his bed without running water, since the municipality decided to shut our water off for two-and-a-half days without advanced notice. I have never been so happy to see water running out of my faucet as I was this afternoon!

I didn't really want to write a whole blog post about either of these, so I decided to share a bit about what I have been doing with Simeon for preschool. With three older sisters vying for my attention, it is easy for me to not give him much attention. I'm not worried about him "falling behind," and he doesn't need any formal education at this time, so I prioritize math lessons with Meriel or grammar review with Hollis. But he does need some "Mommy-time," and he does want to learn.

At the beginning of the school year, I was using a schedule in which we used Bible stories to teach a letter a week. It had Bible stories in order with a letter that went with them, instead of being in alphabetical order. We started with "X" marks the spot for treasure; the treasuring being the Word of God. I tried to have multiple letter activities for each week, including a nursery rhyme and a coloring page. I realized that Simeon does not like to color, and he didn't seem to learn any letter after "x." His binder was full of letters he didn't recognize and worksheets he didn't want to do.

During Christmas vacation, I put together a preschool activity jar. I cut notecards into eighths and wrote an activity on each one. I put the forty tiny cards into a small drawstring pouch and placed that into a jar. A few activities are repeated twice (such as "read a book together") but most of them are unique. I created an equal number of letter and number cards, so we wouldn't end up being too heavy on math over language arts or vice versa. Each school day, Simeon pick two cards out of the bag. I find time somewhere during the school day to do those with him, often one in the morning and the second after lunch. After we do the task, the card goes in back in the jar but not into the bag. This way, we rotate through many games and exercises throughout the month.

So far, this had worked well for us.  Each day, Simeon is excited to choose the activities and is ready to learn with Mommy. It is easier to include a variety of games since I don't have to remember what we've done recently and what the options are. I don't have to plan or print anything. Simeon is learning in a fun way, and we get our one-on-one (with interruptions, of course) time. We have played a modified Master Mind, made play-doh letters, learned numbers with Winnie the Pooh matching cards, colored by number, matched lower case and upper case letters written on milk caps, found "f" and "F" in a "Life of Fred" math book, counted miniature vehicles on a road mat, and much more. Simeon and I are both looking forward to preschool in the weeks ahead.

Goals

Throughout the year, I evaluate how homeschooling is going. Is each child learning? What is the special focus for each child and am I helping them to grow in it? For example, if a child doesn't know how to read well, that is the subject we hone. All other subjects are secondary. A natural reader and writer needs to be pushed to understand math facts. I pick a goal, or a few, for each child. If nothing else gets done in the week, those particular areas are touched upon. During the Christmas vacation and at the beginning of the school year, I delve more deeply how the year has been going and what I might consider changing.

This year, one of the areas we have been weak in is "PE." I want the children to be physically active and fit. I would like for them to be able to run fast and far, dribble a ball, shoot a goal, do a cartwheel, touch their toes. We don't have a television and the kids do spend plenty of time in imaginary play, but they are less active than I would like. We don't have a street down which it is safe for them to race their bicycles. When they ride in the driveway or "outback" (the covered cement slab behind our house), they can't go fast or far. They need a bit of extra help to find the potential for strenuous activity in our home.

Several times last year, I went downstairs with them for "PE." We practiced "basketball" with a rubber ball - dribbling, passing, and guarding. More of a keep away game since we didn't have a goal. I certainly kept moving and gave myself some exercise, but the kids had fun for awhile until they dropped out one by one. They didn't have enough motivation to push themselves.

This year, I introduced fitness goals. Each child had two pick goals in two of four areas: cardiovascular, flexibility, strength, and skill. I gave them examples of each and they all choose the same. All of the wanted to be run for a certain amount of time. We did a "pre-run" to see how long they could run now and used that to develop their goal. They also wished to be able to do good headstand or handstand.

With these goals in mind, the children have been headstanding and running nearly every day. Their headstand/handstand form is improving. They feel good about their successes. They are running more than they have since we've move to this house and slowly seeing improvement. Some days - especially hot and humid ones - they notice setbacks, but they continue to press toward the goal.

This trial of "homeschool PE" had reminded me of the importance of goals. If we have only a vague idea of what we want to accomplish, only inconsequential achievements will result. However, if I present a clear and tangible objective (to myself, my children, my husband, my patients, etc.), it is more likely to be realized. If the target is straightforward; challenging, yet within reasonable grasp, odds of actualization increase. I need to use this tool more often in my teaching and maybe even personal life.

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:14