Something I like about the South:

you hear "Sir" and "Ma'am" by the young toward their elders more often.

And wine to make glad the heart of man

The best thing ever said to me about wine: "Christians are the only ones who should drink wine. We're the only ones who can understand its spiritual significance."

My eyesight's not as good as it used to be.

I woke up from my Sunday nap, looked up on my wall where I tacked my definition of Christian Classical Ed. ..."Enabled to see with the eye of the heart"...I had written. I put it there to remind me what I am trying to accomplish with my two youngest children's remaining years of homeschooling.

Then I read some blogs. I read Andrew's at CiRCE. This guy's always talking about attentive perception.

Then I head over to Kiernan's blog where she is talking about wanting to see the world anew.

After I'm done with that, I decide to click on one of the blogs on the right side - presumably the blog of a friend of hers.

Guess what? This girl starts talking about creating vistas to show off the world that we see.

What does Father Stephen want to talk about? This and this.

I begin to think it's a conspiracy. Some would say it's a coincidence. "Don't make more of it than you should," they might say.

My eyeballs are, to use Andrew's words, "cloudy, befogged, dysfunctional." My eyes are fading (after all I'm almost 47.)

But Andrew's not talking about eyeballs, of course, but "seeing things as and for what they are."

I want the eyes of my heart to grow ever clearer, ever more perceptive. And it's clear that others want to see too.

But I'm cautious. My eyes can't take too much truth all at once, or I'll be blinded.

Architects for Our Day

Having a son who is interested in architecture and who is hungry for beauty, I am very excited about this. I showed the website to Jared. He was draw in by how different the houses are from the ones he sees every day. We liked the designs of these architects for their traditional, yet fresh, styles. He loved Andrew's house. He loved the inside of George's house, but wasn't as crazy about the outside.

One quote from the website:

"We think houses ought to feel like home, neighborhoods ought to seem neighborly, and churches ought to feel holy."

I couldn't agree more.

A Definition

Here's my working definition of Christian Classical Education:

the way of teaching and learning through the Mimetic and Socratic modes, centered in the Logos, and in synergy with the Holy Spirit, that orders the soul of the human person such that they are enabled to see with the eye of the heart (the nous), enjoy truth, goodness and beauty, and share the life of holiness.

I've started a new educational pursuit. It's an apprenticeship program under the direction of Andrew Kern with an amazing institute called CiRCE. It's already stretching me and challenging me so much. One of our first assignments has been to write our own definition of Christian Classical Education. Of course, some of this probably requires additional definition (what's the nous?), but I won't go into that now.

I had a hard time trying to write down what I believe Christian classical education is. I knew I wanted it to include something about ordering the soul, but I wasn't sure about the rest. I just knew it needed more. I also knew I had to include some of the how (which is the Mimetic and Socratic.)

I wasn't getting very far until I thought of my girls. I decided to use them as my "Types." Beginning with the end to see what I should start with.

They are both graduated now, young ladies at the beginning of their lives. And I've got to say, I love who they are!! I'm meeting more and more Moms who are disappointed in 'how their kids have turned out.' Why this is I couldn't say, but it's highlighted for me how very pleased I am with my girls.

They are virtuous without being arrogant, legalistic, judgmental, or prudish. Well, true Virtue would never allow those vices into her company anyway, would she?

They are also wise. They "see" - the kind of seeing with the heart that is depicted pretty well in the movie, Signs. And they don't just know what is true, good and beautiful, they desire them because truth, goodness and beauty give them pleasure.

And I've seen them both yearn and struggle for personal holiness in their lives.

As I said, I decided I would start with them because I was pleased with what I saw and work my way backwards. I also knew that, while I hadn't done everything perfectly (who does?), that I hadn't been a completely ineffective teacher either, by the Grace of God - and that's where the Holy Spirit came in. :-) As a person in the Holy Trinity, I knew it all would have been wood, hay, stubble had He not been a integral part of our efforts.

So, there it is. All the elements. I just needed to put it into a sentence. :-)

Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling

Icons

Renouncing Iconoclasm

We have to renounce iconoclasm. In so doing, we inherently set ourselves against certain forces within modernity. The truth is eschatological, that is, it lies in the future, but we also believe that this eschatological reality was incarnate in Christ, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. We do not oppose the future in embracing the Tradition we have received. We embrace the future that is coming in Truth, rather than the false utopias of modern man’s imagination.

From Father Stephen's blog, Glory to God for All Things

Icons are one of my favorite things about Orthodoxy. This is a good explanation of one of the many reasons why: set yourself against modernity; embrace the future.

My 27th Anniversary

Today is my 27th wedding anniversary! (I don't know how that can be because inside I still feel 27 years old!)

To my dear husband:

I love you.

You have shown yourself to love me more than anyone else ever has. You've always communicated to me that I am beautiful, talented, intelligent, creative. Even if no one else ever thought so, yours is the opinion that I've learned to trust because you are good and wise. Thank you for doing that for me.

You opened up the world to me - causing me to experience other parts of the country by moving us. I was very resistant to that! But I'm so glad now that we moved a lot. Taking me to England to live, taking me to Scotland, Italy, France. Giving me a week in Ireland with my chosen friend (Kiernan!) for my 40th birthday. Thank you!

You have believed in me and encouraged me in pursuits that bless me and cause me to grow as a person. You believed in my abilities to homeschool our children. Your job kept you away most of the time, and unlike other moms who felt that they could only do it if their husband took on some of the teaching, I always knew that I had your strongest support in my efforts and that made all the difference. Your trust in my ability to homeschool them kept me going when times were tough. And homeschooling our children has proven to be a means that the Lord has used to stretch me and mature me. Now you are supportive of the apprenticeship program that I am doing with CiRCE. Thank you for that.

I love how we've always been on the same page when it comes to all of the really important decisions about our life together, especially concerning raising our children. As we've made choices that others see as 'risky' or controversial, I'm reminded that we are One when others ask, "how does your husband feel about that?" and I can answer, "Oh, he feels the same way about this." I'm so thankful for that.

When I had some health problems you did whatever you could to help me get well again. You did more than your fair share to let me rest and recover. Your protectiveness was a comfort.

Thank you for having four children with me. Thank you for having the last two at home with me. With my labors and deliveries, you were really the only one I wanted around. I felt safest with you.

You have been faithful. You have sacrificed so that your family can have a good life. You have set a great example for our children. You've set the bar really high for our girls when looking at potential future mates! :-)

I'm proud of you for starting your own business (well, our own business :-). I'm proud of you for involving your family in the business - stretching us and teaching us again, for our good!

I love that I can laugh with you! I love all of the private jokes we share. I love the life we share.

Thank you, honey. I look forward to 27 more years...

Bryna and Bullet