I'm sitting here in my library with my mind and life full to overflowing, so I thought I'd start a blog. I'm in a stage of my family life in which I think it is time to begin to record things from our past and link them to the future. I have children that will soon be flying the coop and my youngest will soon be a young lady, leaving childhood behind. I want to put some things in print for posterity. I also plan to keep notes here of books I am reading, school lists of Jared's and Bryna's remaining school years, get on my soap-box every now and then, etc. It will be somewhat of a hodge-podge.

The name of my blog comes from one of the books I read to the older girls when they were little, The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli. The opening page of the book is a reference to Revelation 3:8. "I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door and no man shall shut it: For thou hast a little strength and hast not denied my Name."

The story is about a ten year old boy named Robin living during the Middle Ages. His father, a knight, has gone off to fight in the Scottish wars. His mother, after arranging for her son to be taken to a faraway castle to learn the ways of knighthood, leaves to be the Queen's lady-in-waiting. Both parents, say their farewells to their son with, "Be brave."

However, Robin soon falls ill and becomes lame. The servants left to care for Robin all either abandon him or fall ill of the plague, and Robin is left alone. The only one to care for Robin is Brother Luke, a wandering friar. Brother Luke, knowing this child is threatened with the despair of his situation and may be only seeing the impossibilities, reminds him of the long wall around the garden of his father's house, and of the long wall around the Tower of London, and of "any other wall." Then Brother Luke asks, "Have they not all a door somewhere?" "Yes," says Robin. "Always remember that." says Brother Luke. "Thou hast only to follow the wall far enough and there will be a door in it." Robin doesn't understand what Brother Luke means, of course, but promises to remember.

The story is lovely and one of my favorites. A lump rolled up my throat and tears washed over my eyes when, at the end, we finished the story with a sleepy Robin, after a long night of celebrating some truly wonderful things that Robin helped to make happen, asks Brother Luke, "Where am I?"

"Thou'rt here, Sir Robin," said the friar. "'Tis the feast of Christmas, and thou hast found the door in thy wall."

I've found the wall continues one's whole life and one has to find many doors. I want to leave a map of the doors we've found along the way.

Thanks for reading!