Back to the Classics Challenge Wrap-Up

I completed the Back to the Classics Challenge - reading and writing a review for books in all 12 categories (giving me 3 entries into the drawing). The reading part wasn't difficult, but it was sometimes hard to get around to writing the review. 

1. 19th Century Classic. 

Rob Roy (1817) by Sir Walter Scott. I read many books that would fit in this category. I just picked this one, because I found time to write a review about it. I did read my original pick Ivanhoe, but I never got around to writing a review for it.

2. 20th Century Classic. 

How the Heather Looks by Joan Bodger (1965). This was another easy category to fulfill; though not as many books in it are in public domain. This was a school geography books for my 7^th grader.

3. Classic by a Female Author. 

I did end up reading my original pick, The Shuttle (1906) by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

4. Classic in Translation. 
The Way of a Pilgrim by Anonymous Russian author (1860) that I received for Christmas. This was my first read for this challenge.

5. Classic Comedy. 

 Philip did indeed read aloud Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (1889) to me.

6. Classic Tragedy.  

Well, I never did get around to reading Wuthering Heights. Instead I read Kenilworth (1821) by Sir Walter Scott. I didn’t realize it was a tragedy until the end, but it was fortuitous that I was able to use it for this category.

7. Very Long Classic.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1867) Read as planned.

8. Classic Novella. 

Lady Susan (1871) by Jane Austen which is only 180 pages. I did also read Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but it was so disappointing and awful, I didn’t want to dwell on it longer by writing a review.

9. Classic From the Americas 

I ended up just read something from an US author, since One Hundred Years of Solitude was only available at the online library in audiobook, and I couldn’t any of the other books I wanted to read.  I went with Personal Rcollections of Joan of Arc (1896) by Mark Twain.

10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia). 

I had a hard time finding an available book for this category. I kept looking up books that weren’t available at my online library or at Gutenberg.org that I hadn’t read and actually wanted to read. Finally, I heard about A Town Like Alice (1950) by Nevil Shute which was available on the online library and partially set in Australia. I’m glad to have discovered it.

11. Classic From a Place You've Lived. 

Four Reigns (1953) by Kukrit Pramoj set in Thailand where I currently live.

12. Classic Play. 
 I ended up choosing Othello as Eris and were reading it together and almost finished. I had to finish on my own, though.

Book Review: Othello

This is my final book review for the Back to the Classics Challenge - the category of play. Eris and I didn't quite finish this before Christmas break, so I finished it on my own. I already knew the basic story line but never actually read it.

I was surprised by how wily and truly evil Iago was. The audience knows more than the characters, so it's amazing how fooled they all are about his character. He is thought to be honest and good, even his wife doesn't suspect his duplicity until near the end. It's scary how well his deception worked.

Since it's a Shakespeare tragedy, more people die than seems necessary. The language was not as beautiful to me as in some of his plays. Some of the best lines were soured in the mouth of Iago. Desdemona does have some nice lines on love near the beginning. I'm not a Shakespeare expert by any means, but I did not enjoy this play as much as some others.

Book Review: The Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc

This is the penultimate review for the Back to the Classics Reading Challenge. I read The Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain ahead of Eris for school. It's not the ideal book to choose for the "Classic from the Americas" category, because even though Mark Twain is a very American author, the subject is decidedly not. However, I had some trouble finding the books I had hoped to read for this category and was reading this one anyway.

Before reading this, I already knew much of the story of Joan of Arc; I even did a report on her in grade school. I almost decided not to read this book along with Eris, since I didn't feel I needed a refresher on the Maid of Orleans. However, while looking into the book, I came across some information claiming that Mark Twain thought this was his best book and was his personal favorite. I figured that if this was so, it would be worth reading.

The story is from the point of view of a man who grow up with Joan, served with her in battle, and was present during her imprisonment, trial, and death. I didn't learn much more than I already knew about the story of Joan; the majority of her story is famous and well known by many. However, I do feel like I know Joan better.  Of course, this is merely an illusion, since the story is actually written by a man who lived far after Joan and not by someone who was her friend. It was well done, and this feeling of personal knowledge is the best part of the book.

Book Review: Kenilworth

I am working on finishing up the 2019 Back to the Classics Reading Challenge. Last night, I stayed up late to finish "Kenilworth" by Sir Walter Scott. It is a historical fiction novel set in the Elizabethan era involving court intrigue. I have been reading about his period of history with Meriel, so it was fun to read about some known characters. I did not know the full history of the main characters, so the ending was a surprise for me. (Hint: If you want it to be a surprise, don't search about Amy Robsart.)

I enjoyed the story of Sir Walter Raleigh and passing references to William Shakespeare. Certain descriptions of Elizabeth as proud and enjoying flattering were echoed in our history reader. Scott included some fun contemporary descriptions of celebrations and decorations for Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth Castle.

This is my fifth Scott novel, and my least favorite so far. The only characters I really liked were not minor and did not feature as much as I would have liked. A happy union I had hoped for is only mentioned in passing. A joyful meeting of characters leading to a resolution does not happen quite in the way of his other tales. I'll leave it at that, so you can decide whether or not to read it for yourself.

Book Review: A Town Like Alice

I really enjoyed "A Town Like Alice" by Nevile Shute (1950). I read this to fulfill the "Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia)" category in the Back to the Classics reading challenge. The main part of the story began in Malaysia, which seemed like home since I live in the Thai-Malay Peninsula. When it moved to London or Australia, I was in a foreign land.

Books like this are how I travel, and also make me want to travel. Of course, if I went to the Outback now, it would not be like the 1940's, though it would still be huge and rugged and sparsely populated with tough people. I enjoy strong characters, and this one contained a lovely woman. She was brave, intelligent, humble, and flexible. With the help of an inheritance, she figured out what she wanted and set about achieving it. 

This was a fun and easy read. I'm not sure I would have discovered it with this challenge. It was one of the few "classic" books I had access to about this part of the world.

Book Review: War and Peace

Well, I did it. I read all 1,392 pages of  "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy! It's a difficult book to write a review about, because it's much lauded. The story covers many characters, weaving in and out of their lives, traversing between the fighting men and those at home. It seems to give an in depth view of Russian upper class society during Napoleon's campaign against Russia and after. I didn't know much about this slice of history, and now I can say I know Tolstoy's impression.

Tolstoy doesn't just stick to a story. He includes his own theories of war and history and why people do what they do. To me, these were bumps in the narrative. I would be enjoying the story, and then Tolstoy's voice would jump in. Perhaps his views were novel and important at the time.

I haven't read any reviews about what is supposed to make this book so great. Other than its massiveness, I believe this tale tried to develop "true-to-life" characters. There are no heroes, few heroic events, tragedies drift into the past. People change - change their opinions, philosophies of life, romantic interests. The vast cast of character narrows to a handful in the end, about who the reader cares.

I read this over the year with a group of people. It was hard for me to read it on a schedule. I would read a bunch, and then wait a while before reading again. I was rarely eager to read it, though there were times I enjoyed it. It wasn't suspenseful; it was just there. A bit like daily life. So maybe that is what makes it special - we get to live a small section of life in Russia at the beginning of the 19th century.

Book Review: Three Men in a Boat

Both Philip (my husband) and I had heard good this about this 19th century comedy by Jerome K. Jerome, so he agreed to read this aloud to me. I think it was better read aloud, so we could enjoy our laughs together. There were a few times when I really did laugh out loud, though more times I just smiled or chuckled. The self-deprecating British humour is not really my style, I think. Philip appreciated it more, which made it more enjoyable for me.

The book is not really a story and most of it is not about "three men in a boat." It is a series of anecdotes that just happen to be centered around a boat trip up the Thames. Since I am currently studying two periods of British history with various children, I appreciated many references to places and historical events. These were the times I giggled or exclaimed with interested when Philip was silent. If nothing else, homeschooling is giving me a deeper appreciation for British literature.

This book has been listed as a travelogue, and in a way it is, but I believe the purpose for which it was written was as a comedy. It fit the bill well enough for me to agree. There are other purported comedies I read that did not seem funny enough to qualify for this category. I'm glad to have found one to tickle my funny bone, at least a bit.

Book Review: The Shuttle

The Secret Garden is one of my favorite children's books, and I have enjoyed a couple of others by Frances Hodgson Burnett, but until recently I did not realize she had written any adult novels. I decided to try The Shuttle to see how if she captivates a mature audience as readily as the young (and young at heart). Written in 1906, this qualifies as a classic by a female author for Back to the Classics Challenge. After a rather slow start in which the analogy of a shuttle weaving between North America and England failed to engage me, I found myself engrossed by the protagonist within several chapters.

It is set during a time of history I hadn't know much about: when young American women married European men for their titles and impoverished European nobles married the American for their money. The main ladies in the story are Vanderpoels, the similarity to Vanderbilt is not an accident I presume. While the extravagantly wealthy can often become tiresome, Betty Vanderpoel managed to keep my interest. I identified with her dynamic and compelling personality. She planned and put her plans into action; nothing stood in her way because she had the intelligence and the finances to do them. Near the end, I did weary of her seeming infallibility, but then I regretted her one mistake.

This book has some of the charm of Burnett's children's books in her descriptions of the English country side and in a couple of characters. I enjoyed the English village vicar and the American typewriter salesman. However, particularly heinous character of the villain with a plot centered on deception and romance makes this solidly an adult novel.

I learn much of history from fiction books, and this provided a few good insights. I got more of the idea of the English village and how much the peasantry relied on the nobles and how the nobility were restricted by their societal standing. I've read many books that focused on the upper class English (Jane Austen) or the poor English (Charles Dickens), but not many that give insight on the intersection between the two. Shortly after finishing this book, I came across a non-fiction account of American heiresses and British lords, but I decided I had enough for now and would rather learn more about those who managed to visit Europe while making ten dollars a week.

 Regardless to a person's opinion of The Secret Garden, The Shuttle is an entertaining book in its own right. I learned a something, met some lovely characters, and was satisfied with ending - overall a book worth reading.

Book Review: Rob Roy

I'm catching up on my book reviews for the Back to the Classics Challenge. I've read multiple 19th century classics this year. I am participating in an online reading group for Sir Walter Scott's novels. I am abashed to admit that before December of last year, I had never read one of his books. I am making up for that this year. Starting with Waverly, I have continued by reading Rob Roy, Ivanhoe, The Talisman, and currently Kenilworth. I'm not sure if Waverly or Rob Roy is my favorite so far, but since the former was read in a previous year and doesn't count for this challenge, I will write a review on the latter.

As many of Scott's book, Rob Roy begins with detailing the background and history of the chief characters before diving into the plot. I have come to appreciate this style more, as I realize how much I know about and care about each principal character before the story truly begins. For this particular tale, I was nearly a quarter of the way through the book before I was sure who the eponymous character was. (Hint: it is not the protagonist; that would be Francis Osbaldistone.)

The book has everything a romance novel should: a lady, an unlikely hero, fighting, intrigue, and a champion of dubious integrity. The Scottish dialect made a few sections of the book confusing, but usually the import of the conversation would become clear with continued reading. It was actually fun for me to try to figure out if I could understand what was being said before Francis Osbaldistone did. The plot was wrapped up rather quickly. After spending so much time drawing us into the lives of the characters, I would have appreciated a few chapters at the end to allow us to enjoy their fates.

Since I have gotten asked 4 times, "What's for snack?" I better wrap this up. Now I am caught up on the reviews for now, and can read guilt-free. 

Book Review: Lady Susan

I admit that I am a fan of Jane Austen but somehow had never read her epistolary novella, Lady Susan. Written in 1871 with only 180 pages, this books qualifies for the "novella" category in my Back to the Classics Challenge. Lady Susan is as unprincipled of a character as I've ever met. Vain, avaricious, and cunning, she will balk at nothing to get what she wants. Although, I didn't feel as attached to the characters as in Austen's longer novels, I did find myself caring about what was going to happen to Lady Susan's various "victims" and hoping that virtue would win out.

Trying to write a story purely through letters and notes is a challenge. In Austen's day, letter writing was a common form of communication, so these letters don't feel like they're stretching too much to tell the story. Even Austen, however, couldn't quite figure out how to wrap everything up in this fashion and attached an epilogue to let us know how everyone fares in the end.

This story lacks the laugh out loud moments, I deeply prize in Austen's other works. It is not so poignant nor witty. From her other books, I know that Austen must have carefully studied human character and interactions. She portrays the character of Lady Susan amazingly well, giving us insights into her motives and her lack of remorse. Though it's certainly not a favorite of mine, I believe any Austen fan would enjoy a few evenings reading Lady Susan.

Book Review: Four Reigns

I have been reading plenty of classics, but I have not been writing my reviews for the Back to the Classics Challenge. I won't catch up today, but I will write one. I recently finished Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj translated into English by Tulachandra. As I have already read and reviewed a classic in translation, this will be my "classic from a place I've lived." The book was originally written as a newspaper serial and was published in its complete form in 1953. The story follows the life of Ploi as she lives through the reigns of Kings Rama V-VIII.

The book opens with young Ploi, a member of upper class Thailand in the latter half of the 19th century, leaving her family home by boat to live in the Inner Court. Thus from the beginning, I guessed I would be receiving a picture of the lives of the Thai elite of the day. I caught snippets of how life might have been for servants and those once wealthy who had lost their means and status, but almost nothing of life for the majority, especially those living outside the Bangkok area. Throughout the book, it also became apparent that Ploi and her family each represent a certain ideal and stereotyped persona. Also, since the book was written in Thailand by a Thai person, it treats royalty and events related to royalty carefully. Within these limitations, I believe the portrayal is fairly accurate and a worthwhile read.

Living in Thailand and having lived in both Bangkok and Ayutthaya, I can picture many of the places mentioned. In my imagination, I stripped away modern buildings and roads, replacing them traditional wooden Thai structures, dirt roads, and many canals. While Thai dress has been modernized and government has gone through various transitions, many of the cultural constructs are still intact, though slightly changed. My familiarity with modern Thailand helped me to understand the actions of the characters, and certain cultural aspects elucidated in the book helped me understand parts of modern culture. Having been in Thailand during the death of King Rama IX, I could easily sympathize with the characters as they mourned each successive King, particularly King Rama V who reigned for 37 years.

For those of us who read Thai but not well enough to read the original, it would have been nice to have names and certain Thai words written in Thai script in parentheses the first time they were used or in an appendix. This would have facilitated pronunciation and understanding.

Overall, the story was well written; I cared about what happened to Ploi and her family. I gained insight into that period of history in Thailand. I have a shared knowledge and experience with others, foreigners and Thais, who have read this story. I generally enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others who are interested in Thai history and culture. I am still on the look out for a good non-fiction book to provide a historical overview of Thailand.

Now

I've read and heard many musing from mothers of grown children wishing for bygone days. As a busy mother of young children, it's hard to to realize just how fast the days slip through our fingers. We feel like we can hardly manage until our children are tucked in bed after another long day. At some imperceptible point, our children mature and become more independent. Is it too late, have we already zoomed through those golden days which we will so miss?

I feel that I've been given a gift in that I know those golden days are now. Not that there weren't wonderful days in the past; not that I don't already have large storerooms of precious memories. But there is something different about now. I don't know how long it will last, but after many years of struggle and exhaustion, now is a time of amazing blessing and joy.

My youngest child is at my favorite of age of exploring and learning to express herself with language. So knows just enough to build on her own experiences and yet so much is still new to her. The only thing that would be more amazing would be if she would get potty-trained (ha! ha!). My two oldest children are extremely helpful. They can cook meals and clean up. They can help the little ones. And most of the time do it with a cheerful attitude. They love God and studying His Word. Eris especially loves discussions about the Bible and doctrine. Hollis and Simeon are ready to learn almost anything I am willing to teach - about math, hermit crabs, reading, birds, Jesus.

We live so close to the beach that we can see it from our house. We can play in the sea and on the sand without much effort. We have a beautiful yard with grass, bushes, and trees. The kids play outside every single day, and I don't have to help them get coats and shoes on. I get to teach my children at home. My husband brings home supper five days a week on his way home from week, which allows me extra time to study Thai, play fiddle, and just play with the kids. After bedtime, I usually still have enough energy to read for an hour or two.

It might not be long (or it might be years) before we have to move for a job for Philip, for visa paperwork, or for other reasons. I might have to find a way to make money. Certainly the kids will grow up. There will be other wonderful years, but I know that when Calla is away at college and Eris has children of her own, I will look back on these sun drenched, full yet not chaotic, busy but not exhausting, beautiful years at our home in Tha Sala and wish for just a slice of it back. So I will try to enjoy it to its fullest - cancel classes on an afternoon when Calla takes an early nap and run across the street to the beach, read an extra chapter of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at bedtime, snuggle a bit longer during tuck in, play another game of Nertz, say 'yes' to another goal in football (soccer for those of you who still live in the U.S.), and store up each memory for when such delights are harder to come by.

Review: How the Heather Looks

Here's my second book review for my challenge this year. For the 20th century classic, I read How the Heather Looks by Joan Bodger. An American family steeped in British literature takes a trip to Britain to find the settings from their favorite classics. The Bodger family goes about this is a different way than I expected. Mr. Bodger is a historian and Mrs. Bodger a literary literalist (how's that for a tongue-twister). They expect to find actually places that correspond to illustrations and descriptions in their storybooks.

Although I consider myself to be well read, there were some books with which I was unfamiliar. Caldecott (yes, the Caldecott of the picture book award) illustrated nursery rhymes and tales were not a big part of my childhood. I had never heard of another mentioned illustrator. These chapters of the book were a little tedious for me, as the family searched for specific landscapes and townscapes with which I was unfamiliar. Some sweet anecdotes of two-year old Lucy and escapades of nine-year old Ian kept my attention.

Even those stories mentioned in the book that I do know and love, I would not have considered trying to find the exact place described. I would have been happy to see a Yorkshire moor and know that it was a place like this where Mary Lennox of Secret Garden played. I would have been content to paddle along the Thames River, believing that Toad Hall and Water Rat's home were nearby without spending days searching for the actual whereabouts. Searching for King Arthur and exploring some storied places traditionally associated with him were highlights of the book for me.

Overall, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I could not relate to the family's preoccupation with precise locations. The more you know about the stories for which Mrs. Bodger and her family were searching, the more you will enjoy this book. Maybe you can find a list online, so you can read or re-read them before reading this. If you do enjoy, or have enjoyed as a child, British literature, you will find this book worth a read.

Pink!!!

This morning the kids and I headed across the street to play at the beach. I planned to play in Rainbow Cove (the one nearest our house) since the waves are calmer there, making it easier for Calla to play in the water. The sea was a glassy, silvery calm. Hardly a wave rippled the sand. It's been months since the sea didn't crash, at least a little bit, onto the shore. We were about to wade into the water, when we noticed the translucent floaters with turquoise four-leaf clovers in the center - moon jellyfish! We weren't ready for their return. They were all small, less than 2 inches in diameter, but there were all along the shoreline. Their stings are mild and not dangerous, but no one wants to get stung by hundreds of little jellyfish.

We headed for jellyfish cove, hoping for better luck there. We call it jellyfish cove, because that is where we first saw a jellyfish, not because it has lots of them. It seemed clear. We climbed on the rock wind-break to scan the water. No jellyfish in sight in that cove. The sea was calm enough that Calla could easily play even in this cove.

We splashed and played and floated. Calla played in her frog floatie, just her size. Eris and I passed her back and forth. Simeon floated on his face with his snorkel vest, mask, and snorkel. Tiny fish swam around our feet. I watched several fish splash out and back into the water. The sun beat down, but it was comfortable in the water with my hat shading my face.

After awhile, Calla took hold of my hand and said, "Rock." She led me over to climb on the rocks; we walked slowly, watching for crabs and snails in the cracks, while I kept one I on Meriel and Eris in the water. Suddenly, Meriel shouted, "I saw something big out of the water - a big fin- maybe it's shark!" Her eyes were big and round. Since I had seen quite a few fish jumping, I thought maybe it was just an unusually large fish. Eris saw it too, "It's really big!" Time to get out of the water. We have been told by locals there are no sharks, and I was not really worried, but it's better to be safe.

Suddenly, I saw it, actually them! Two large fins and bodies gracefully curving out of the water. "Dolphins!" I shouted, "and one of them is pink!" We had heard of pink dolphins, supposedly there is a place about an hour north where boats take tourists out to see them. I had not thought they were really pink, maybe just slightly tinted. But this one was really pink. The fin was a lovely "it's a girl!" pink and the body, a paler shade. The other dolphin was the typical purple-grey. They were both swimming within a couple yards from us, so graceful and beautiful. I wanted to dive into the water, but I had little children to watch after. Instead we watched them from the rocks as they swam past us and into Rainbow Cove.

Eris ran to the house to call Philip to come see. Thai children, also on the rocks, taught us the word - "bla-lo-ma." The dolphins continued to get farther from us, but stayed just outside the cove. I hoped they would still be close enough to see when Philip arrived. He came over, in his swimsuit. He offered to let me try to swim out to them, but they were far enough out that I didn't think I would make it before they swam away. They swam farther out, then nearer end, tantalizing near but really to far to reach. Philip decided to try, with the kids' kickboard for support. He swam out and out and out, but the dolphins remained out of reach. The closest he got was about 20 feet. Then they swam away and out of sight.

A memorable day, and I learned that those dolphins are really pink! I hope we will see them again some day!

"Not Quite Our" Cat

Since living in Thailand, our diet is a bit different than it was when we lived in the U.S. Many ingredients we used regularly are prohibitively expensive or not available here. Some of our dishes we've been able to adapt but are quite different from the original. When I make them, I don't want those who remember what the dish was like in the U.S. to get their expectations too high, so I say I made "note quite colcannon." Now we have another happening that is almost like but "not quite" like the true thing.

On Christmas Day, a cat appeared on our back porch. She curled herself comfortably among the towels on the table and didn't run away when we approached her. We've had a number of cats in our garden, and a few have even snuck into the house, but they always run away when we try to get close. Not long before, I had been trying to entice a cat to be friendly by feeding it. The smoky grey cat would only come out of the tree or off the wall when it thought I was in the house. But now here was a cat that let Philip pet her. She allowed the kids to stroke her and even set her in their laps. We fed her some scraps of fat from our Christmas ham, and she decided to stay.

Since then, the tortoiseshell cat spends her days lazing on our back porch. We usually have plenty of chicken skins, bits of fat, or leftover pork to feed her. She greets us in the morning with her squeaky, hoarse mewing. She is not an affection cat, only rubbing against us to beg, but she is extremely tolerant. Calla has used her as a pillow and hugged her. Simeon has taken her on our swing. She has only scratched twice - once when I startled her from a deep sleep and once when Philip held her down for her rabies vaccine.

Yes, we've had her vaccinated against rabies since that is still a problem in Thailand. Most animals are strays or communal, so nobody take responsibility for their health or possible threats to human safety. We also took her with us in an old rabbit cage when we evacuate for the storm. And the kids have named her. She is Mistletoe, since we found her on Christmas Day.

So is she "our" cat? Well, we've not had a pet since we moved to Thailand because our plans our always precarious and temporary. We never know exactly how long we are going to be in one place or even in the country at all. We don't want to have to abandon an animal, and since Thais don't have pets in the same way we do, it would be hard to give one away. So Mistletoe is not allowed in the house; she catches geckos and moths to eat, and we hope she doesn't rely on us too much. But we named her and feed her and the kids consider her part of our family. She is "not quite our" cat.

What will happen when we have to move? Will we have to move? This is just another reminder to live for today and not worry about the future. We wouldn't have purposely acquired a feline member of the family, but since she has adopted us, we will enjoy her for now and worry about tomorrow when it comes.

Kids' Home-Church Service

Some of the kids have had a stomach bug, and Philip had a teaching workshop at the university all weekend, so the kids and I stayed home from church this morning. The kids were disappointed but took it in stride, creating a fun home-church service for us.

Hollis began with leading us in the Gospel ABC's (ABCDEFG, Jesus died for you and me...). Then Simeon had all the kids participate in his mega-tic-tac-toe. I'm not sure of the Biblical application of this, but he wanted to contribute. Next up was sharing from the scriptures. Meriel read about Jesus welcoming the little children, and Hollis read the calling of fishermen to disciples. We sang, "I will Make You Fishers of Men," and "Let the Little Children Come." Then Eris asked Bible trivia questions she had written. There were some at each level so all the kids could participate.

Ever since I told the children about a church I went to when I was really young that played "The Farmer in the Dell," they like to include that in home-church. We did so, and Calla did not want to be picked for anything. She only wanted to continue around in the circle. After playing and couple of times, we ended the service with the Doxology. Those who wanted could do the craft Hollis created.

It was a fun morning with worship and Bible, and I didn't have to wrangle kids to be quiet during the service. I enjoyed seeing how the kids worked together to contribute to the special morning. While I certainly don't enjoy vomiting children, this restful morning was a good part of a tough weekend.

Review: The Way of a Pilgrim

Here is my first review for the Back to the Classics Challenge. I don't enjoy writing book reviews, and I don't yet have a good format. Maybe this challenge will help with that. In fourth grade, we were supposed to write a short summary for every book we read on a little paper train car. Our class goal was to have the train go all around the classroom walls by the end of the year. The end of the year was approaching and we weren't there yet; I had a stack of train cars in my desk with the name and author filled out. I decided to get busy and filled out all the summaries. When I turned them in, the train finished its way around the room and continued winding almost another quarter of the way around. For this challenge, I'm hoping to not wait until the last minute and to "fill out my train cars" as I read.

I read The Way of a Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues His Way written between 1853 and 1861 by an anonymous Russian pilgrim translated into English by R.M. French for the "Classic in Translation" category. As part of his journey of faith, he challenges himself to "pray without ceasing" as exhorted by Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians. I myself have wondered about this and have read and listened to various interpretations. This particular pilgrim wandered about listening to sermons on the subject from the well known Russian Orthodox teachers of the day, yet he still didn't feel satisfied that he knew how to pray without ceasing. Finally, he finds a teacher who is able to share with him the (or maybe a) secret of praying in this way. This begins his adventures as he learns the technique and continues his travels, praying and teaching others.

I wanted to read this book because I am interested in prayer and have been challenging myself in prayer for the last few years. As far as relevance to me, I did find much of teachings applicable to my life and what I believe. I am not Russian Orthodox, so I did not agree with some of the exposition, but this was minor compared to what I felt I could agree with or at least believe possible.

Since this book is meant to be a record of a journey and to teach fellow pilgrims, plus the fact that I am not reading it in the original language, I don't feel must critic is warranted on the writing style. It was an enjoyable read and the narrative was easy to follow. It contained many stories within the story which broke up what could have otherwise become a tedious list of places and people.

I would recommend this for any Christian who is interested in learning more about prayer and is open to styles and teachings possibly different from what s/he is comfortable with. I plan to write a separate post on my personal reflections from the book (if I get to it ;) ). But for now, I am going to call this review finished and get the kids ready for bed. One down 11 to go!

Lessons Prepared

It was the first day of school in the new year. I had the schedules all printed and lesson plans ready. Calla was still sick and fussy, but I thought I could press through the day. Hollis was awake before Calla and I got up, with her new garden gloves on gathering grass to turn into hay. I don't know why the kids like to "make hay" since we don't have any hay eating creatures, but they've got a few piles of it now. I got a load of laundry started before Simeon awoke, hungry for breakfast. The four of us had breakfast together, and Eris joined us at the end. Meriel was the sleepy-head.

I began the school day with those who were ready. Simeon and I started our new Winnie the Pooh book, The House at Pooh Corner. Then I did lessons with Hollis: Spelling, Math, Reading. By this time, Eris had finished her daily math problems and Meriel was eating her breakfast. I decided to do Eris's math lesson. At the end of her math lesson, the phone rang. "Probably Philip," I thought, "I'll call him back when I finish this lesson."

I finished up, then called for the children to get ready for our "together" subjects which we would do after I got of the phone with Daddy. When Philip answered, he said, "Did you see my Line (text) message?" I had not, so he went on, "There is a tropical storm headed our way, and we need to plan what to do."

So the day changed from the first day of school, to disaster preparation. Now the storm is just a tropical storm, not a typhoon, but the last time one hit our area was sixty years ago and 900 people were killed. I think the government is better prepared this time, but it is still something to be taken seriously. People build shacks right on the beach and do not have enough resources to prepare for a disaster. Our house is solid but is within sight of the sea. Large enough waves with a strong enough storm surge could bring a wave to, and possibly in, our front door.

I called my dad for clarification of terms and advice. Then we began the task of taking all our books, papers, photos, and towels to the second floor. Simeon and Hollis packed books in boxes, Eris carried them upstairs and stacked the books, bringing empty boxes back down. Meriel washed and filled empty milk jugs with drinking water. I scoured the first floor for valuables and important papers to take up. When the first floor was nearly empty, we worked on outside. We gathered spades and nets, buckets and badminton rackets, snorkel vests and floaties to take to the "storage room."

Over a quick lunch of leftover New Year's potato soup (our tradition using the fat and scraps from our Christmas ham), we discussed how this day was not how we thought it was going to be. Meriel had managed to read a chapter of Skylark  which she had been waiting to read since the break started. I had planned for an organized day of lessons; instead all our school books were in piles upstairs.

A friend of Philip's from the university planned to be in Bangkok for the weekend, so she offered us her house on campus. We are now settled in the house with rain drumming on the roof wondering what the next twenty-four hours will hold for us. Will our yard be covered with drift wood? Will our large unbarred upstairs windows be shattered? Will our neighbors houses be blown or floated away? We are thankful to be safe and comfortable with plenty of water and food. How will God use this storm to impact our lives and those around us?

Maybe next week, we will begin school. Or perhaps we will be cleaning our house, helping neighbors rebuild, serving food from our church. Whatever it will be, it will be good. And eventually, we will get to the finish our chapter of The House at Pooh Corner and complete the lessons which have already been planned. Right now, we get to walk the path which God has planned, which is better than any lesson I could prepare.

Expecting God's Best

This past year has been a year of change and surprises. We began the year with much uncertainty. The Lord promised me a year of blessings, and I believed but wasn't sure what kind of blessings He meant. We began church services in Tawipon Church, a challenge and also a blessing. We had a wonderful week long vacation in the jungle with my parents - splashing in waterfalls, hiking, relaxing, roasting hot dogs and the marshmallows we splurged on over campfires. We made multiple trips to Laos for visa runs and finally ended up moving 800 km away from everything and everyone we've ever known in Thailand. But that's where the blessings kicked up a notch....

You know how God blessed us with our home. I can't stop feeling so amazed and thankful for this. This school year has also been a blessing with a new outlook, support group, and curriculum (more about this in the future). We've been blessed with a church that has a heart for the lost, the poor, the weak, the neglected. We've been blessed with ministries at home, at church, at the university. We've been blessed with new friends. A few of the kids and I even got a quick trip to Oregon to see so many family members. And my parents were here for their first tropical Christmas! I have to admit, when God promised a year of blessings, I underestimated His generosity. This year has refreshed me and given me new strength for the challenges ahead.

When I think I pray about this year, the word that comes to mind is "expectant." I expect God to do great things: in my heart, in my family, in Tha Sala, in those for whom I'm praying. There are a lot of unknowns in 2019 but also many opportunities. As with every year, there will be many unexpected happening, but I know that God will use it all for His glory.

As I sit here with a feverish little one in my lap, three children running up and down the stairs, and my oldest writing in her notebook, I am excited for what this year will bring. God always gives good gifts, and I expect the best from Him.

Happy New Year!