Time seems to go by more swiftly the older I get. “I’ve got plenty of time to write a blog post,” I said to myself earlier today. And now it’s 4:00 p.m. and the hour draws nigh for going to church for soup supper, Lenten service and choir practice.

Where did the day go? I don’t necessarily feel like my life is very productive, but yet it still seems busy, even if that “busy-ness” isn’t jam-packed with significant and meaningful activities. Want to know what I did today? Here goes:

6:30 – 9:00: got up, did some stretches, reviewed some Bible verses, read 6 chapters of the Bible, prayed with hubby, read World magazine, read a section of Mere Christianity, read a few Emily Dickinson poems, read a section of “Every Moment Holy” by Douglas MacKelvey. Oh, and breakfast happened somewhere in there, too. And some kitchen clean-up.

9:00-10:30. We did our Hillsdale online class: Great Literature 101, Lecture #6 out of 11. We watched the lecture, taking notes, took the quiz, and then watched the Q&A session afterward.

10:30 – 11:30. Did some mending and a little watercolor painting. Worked on an email concerning a board meeting next week.

11:30 – 12:00. Worked on a puzzle.

12:00 – 1:00. Lunch and Perry Mason. More kitchen clean-up occurred.

1:00 – 2:30. Worked on the family history photographs, finishing up the section on my grandfather and his college years.

2:30 – 3:15. More work on the puzzle. It’s somewhat addicting.

3:15-4:00. Emails. Sent a friend some book recommendations. May have gotten carried away. Other emails got written, too.

So now you know! This rather laid-back schedule is a far cry from the days of homeschooling six children, but I had more energy then, too. Some days are busier than others – I haven’t even stepped outside yet today! I’m looking forward to warmer weather.

If you’ve read this far, you’re a better blog reader than I deserve. Thanks!

I’ll probably delete this in the morning if I can fit it into my extremely busy schedule…

Farewell to this post,
Tomorrow’s ghost…

We raised six children, five boys and one girl, an adventure that is almost unparalleled. When I was growing up (in a family also of six children), my parents occasionally had what they called “family council,” where we’d gather to discuss items of family interest. At some point, my husband and I decided to do the same. He was president in perpetuity of this council and I was the secretary, dutifully taking notes.

The first meeting was on June 8th, 1997 when our oldest was 9 years old and our youngest wasn’t yet born. The last meeting was on December 30, 2016 when our oldest was 28 and our youngest was 18. Sometimes the meetings were weekly; sometimes months (or even years) would go by between meetings. Sometimes we held votes on things, other times the parents used their power of “divine fiat.” (So it is written, so it shall be done!)

Here’s how the meetings went. Hubby opened with prayer and then went around the table asking the various participants if they wanted any topics on the agenda. Typical topics in those early years coming from the kids would be things like what desserts to have in the next week, the desire to get a dog for a pet (this came up often over the years), grievances with a sibling, summer vacation plans, requests for computer games, reports on their activities, etc.

Typical issues from the parents were the generally fun-wrecking topics of obedience training, chores, setting down of family rules, reports on the progress made when we were trying to work on some family issue, setting forth computer and TV watching schedules, etc. But we also brought up prayer requests, special privileges granted, commendations to the children on things well done, fun events in the future, and movie night plans.

Looking over the minutes from these meetings is a hoot. Here’s a sample from our first meeting:
Item #7. Breakfast topics: There will be a 2-bowl limit on cold cereal – anyone still hungry can have a piece of toast. If there is any fighting over cereal boxes, they’ll be removed. No breakfast after 8:30 a.m.

Yes, these are the types of things that we wrangled over as part of a large family.

At that first meeting, we also established a family program that endured for many years: the Boy Of The Week (BOTW), which had to be amended to Child of the Week when Ruth got old enough to participate. From my minutes, “Privileges include having the seat next to Ruthie in the car, being Cook’s Helper all week, being chosen to pray at the table (unless Mom or Dad are praying), helping make a special treat during the week, going on errands alone with Mom or Dad, and helping set and clear the table. We established seating rotation for the van and for the dining room table.”

Sounds like a well-oiled machine, doesn’t it? Well, as any of our kids will tell you, our household wasn’t so much of a well-oiled machine as it was a rollicking ride in a bumpy jalopy. Oh, the many arguments, fights and tears over the years. But oh, what joy we had along the way. Those wonderful Family Council Minutes are a snapshot of a family that was not perfect by a long shot, but which toiled together regularly to pray, work through problems, tell our stories, and create treasured traditions.

I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Meeting adjourned.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127 3-5

I’ll probably take a motion to delete this post in the morning. Seconded?

The Snake: A Story in Three Parts.

Part 1: The snake sighed. Another snake enthusiast had come to peer into his aquarium, watching his every move. Was nothing sacred? Was there to be no privacy? Time for slithering, sliding and hiding.

Part 2: Maybe he could get the hapless curator to put up a sign: “Stop Staring at the Snake. It Makes Him Nervous.” The snake knew that this would make SOME people just press their faces closer to the glass, especially with their fancy black boxes with clicking noises.

Part 3. The snake wondered if there was still a Snake Stakeout going on. Really, these people are relentlesssssss, he hissed to himself. “I’ll just poke my head out a tiny bit to see…”. Click. Click.

Sigh…

So, the old aphorism about there being no privacy for snakes in glass houses is true. Never heard that one? It might not be that old. Okay, I just made it up. Sigh…

I’ll probably slither away and hide this blog post in the morning.