Silly Seasonal Synonym Songs

From the excellent book, The ADVENTure of Christmas (p. 39) by Lisa Whelchel, comes this delightful challenge:

Work together and see if your family can guess these common Christmas songs and carols from silly synonym sentences.

1. Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.  ("O Come, All Ye Faithful")
2. Small municipality in Judea southeast of Jerusalem.  ("O Little Town of Bethlehem")
3. Listen, the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds.  ("Hark, the Herald Angels Sing")
4. Nocturnal time-span of unbroken quietness.  ("Silent Night")
5. An emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good given to the terrestrial sphere.  ("Joy to the World")
6. Embellish the interior passageways.  ("Deck the Halls")
7. Diminutive masculine master of skin-covered percussion cylinders.  ("Little Drummer Boy")
8. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals.  ("Frosty the Snowman")
9. Expectation of arrival to populated area by mythical masculine perennial gift-giver.  ("Santa Claus is Coming to Town")
10. The first-person nominative plural of a triumvirate of Far Eastern heads of state.  ("We Three Kings")
11. Tintinnabulation of vacillating pendulums in inverted metallic, resonant cups.  ("Jingle Bells")
12. In a distant location the existence of an improvised unit of newborn children's slumber furniture.  ("Away in a Manger")

December issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

If you need a little encouragement today in your homeschool journey, check out the newest issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  It's inspiring and encouraging, as always!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Please enjoy this video of Ronny talking about how blessed we have been through the very special children God has given us to love and raise. It was made by our church for a special series on thankfulness. It touched my heart deeply, and I pray it will bring a smile to your face as well!  May God bless you richly as you reflect on His blessings, especially the grace of His son.

Joy in the midst of challenges

We attended the most wonderful webcast last week, called "The Works of God:  God's Good Design in Disability" with John Piper and several other excellent speakers.  It was so encouraging as we walk down this road of disabilities.  The point I keep thinking about is how we can see God's hand working through disabilities.  While we certainly experience many challenging times, God can give us joy in the midst of those challenges.  Not some, "fake it till you make it," shallow joy.  We don't ignore or deny the grief that we sometimes feel.  But we also have the hope of Christ in the midst of our sadness and struggles.  Two opposite emotions in the same heart at the same time.  We have hope and joy because we know that God is at work in the middle of our struggles and that He is using all things for His glory and our best good (Romans 8:28)!

Musings on Love

Here are some lovely words about love from my very eloquent, and loving, son, Josiah:

Do we ever stop to think what we are doing when we decide to love?  Love (take it in any sense you like, you can have your pick of the Greek) is an act of supreme hazard - some might call it a kind of violence.  There are, of course, differences in degree - the husband loves his wife with stronger ardor than one friend loves another - but the activity of the heart in both instances is of a piece.  In some way, some glorious, terrible way beyond our puny mortal comprehension, one heart is bound to another.  These very bonds which bring so much joy introduce the possibility of pain, as the very capacity to feel brings with it the potential for both pleasure and agony.  The bonds themselves are tainted by the filth of our hearts, as sin corrodes the psyche, clouding both judgment and emotion.  Yet the very fact that we are able to love at all is a miracle, a grace we should have no reason to expect from the Creator we rebelled against.

AND YET HE LOVED US FIRST.

Love itself is a kind of rebellion, an inclination of the soul which openly defies the power of darkness and its clamoring hatred.  The prince of darkness may still corrupt our love into a horror, a mere carnal desire or superficial attachment.  Yet when we love truly, with simple, honest devotion, we spite the enemy, moving - even if only by a fraction - toward the nature which we were intended to have, toward a vision of the Kingdom to come, toward the image of He who made it possible.

Love should not be an insipid, mewling little thing which we dress in the palest, least offensive colors and stoop to pet when it suits us.  This is not love, but an abomination masquerading as virtue in a world where virtue has no meaning.

Love is not harmless.  Love is dangerous.  Yet it is worthwhile, only insofar as it flows from the One who burns white-hot at the center of reality, Love Himself, the One who sacrificed His Son, who hung on the cross in agony, having done no wrong, that we might be truly loved.

Brothers and sisters, let's not proclaim our love - for each other and for the world - with platitudinous whispers and mutterings.  Let's declare our intent to love with one voice, roaring to the heavens.  Love is our battle cry, and our commander, and our prize.  Let us take love as seriously as He did.

Meaningful Existence

It breaks my heart that more than 90% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted when their mom has testing done during pregnancy.  This world is a richer and more wonderful place because of our special children with Down syndrome, and all the other children and adults out there.

John, John, John

We had a very interesting week in our homeschool this week.  First, we studied Johannes (John) Gutenberg, who revolutionized the world with the invention of moveable type for the printing press.  His invention ushered in an age where books could be published cheaply so they could be widely read, especially the Bible!  Then there was John Wycliffe, who fought against the abuses of power and unbiblical practices of the Catholic church of the late Middle Ages.  Among other issues he fought for, he wanted all people to be able to read the Bible so they could understand God's word for themselves.  Then the final John was John Hus who stood up for many of Wycliffe's ideas, including fighting against the sale of indulgences and fighting for the common people to have Bibles in their own language.

I look around my house and see many Bibles of many different translations, some fancy, some simple, including my favorite which is an app on the iPad.  It is almost unfathomable that just a few hundred years ago, most people did not have access to a Bible at all, let alone in a language they could understand.  Maybe I'll set the to do list down for a while tonight and go soak up some of God's wisdom and grace through his magnificent word!

As the deer panteth for the water ...

Just had to share a wonderful post from my son's Facebook page:


Josiah Wright updated his status: ""As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee . . . " In a weird kind of way, I think that many times this very longing is the kind of thing we long after. We feel empty and unfulfilled, so we go searching for something to search after; or we know that we ought to be seeking the Lord, and thus, we seek to seek Him. If I'm truly honest, sometimes I feel more like praying for the desire than for the Object of that desire. Yet always, like the fiercely majestic, transcendent yet violently, world-shakingly, personally immanent Hound of Heaven that He is, God seeks after me instead. What a glorious, absurd story He tells with our lives!"

Walk Thru the Bible

Wow!  We just finished learning all of the signs for Walk Thru the Bible - New Testament.  My youngest son, Zechariah, and both of my sons who have Down syndrome, Benjamin and Gabriel, learned all of the signs and love practicing and showing off what they know.  Not only can they do all 77 signs of the Old Testament, and all 77 signs of the New Testament, but they actually are beginning to understand some of the events and how they fit together.  It's very exciting!!  Woo-hooo!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to college we go!

Our oldest son, Josiah, has been safely deposited at Patrick Henry College, with many smiles, hugs, prayers, and a few tears (ours, not his, just for clarification). It was very hard to let him go, but you gotta love a school where the college president and his wife pray for the parents, then ask the parents to pray for their son or daughter before saying the last good-bye. What an awesome, godly school! As our nine-year-old son, Gabriel (who has Down syndrome), watched Josiah walk away and realized he was staying and we weren't, through tears said over and over, "No, Josiah going! Josiah going!" Yes, Josiah is going exactly where God wants him, and we are so proud of the fine man he has become - but we will all miss him terribly!

It's What He Does Best in TOS Magazine

It's What He Does Best

Here's an article I wrote for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine about how God uses the unique challenges of raising children with special needs to draw us closer to Himself.  Hope you enjoy it!

A Doctor Day

Well, it's been a doctor day!  My daughter, Abigail, who has Down syndrome, sees twelve doctors on a regular basis (pediatrician, dentist, ophthalmologist, cardiologist, pulmonologist, nephrologist, ENT, hearing and speech, GI, nutritionist, developmental pediatrician, and endocrinologist), and a few more here and there as needed.  Fortunately, several of them are down to every six months or once a year, but we spend a fair amount of time at the doctor's office.  So today Abby had appointments with three of her specialists.  She got a good check-up, just a few tweaks needed here and there to try to keep things on an even keel.  Doesn't sound like much, but to know Abby is to understand that God is still very much involved with His people's lives and He definitely still performs miracles.

You see, Abby is about to turn nine years old . . . which is amazing considering that, early on, her doctors weren't sure that she would make it to two or three years.  Compared to other nine-year-olds, she is a medical mess; but compared to where she has been, she is a walking miracle!  Abigail has had three heart surgeries (the first at seven days old), two cardiac catheterizations, more than a dozen hospital stays, and more labs/tests/procedures than we can count.  At almost nine years old she is a little over 35 pounds and 39 inches tall.  Yes, that is very small for her age, but the great thing is that she's finally growing!  Her medical chart and her list of diagnoses are both longer than she is.  She still needs oxygen.  A lot of oxygen.  All day and night.  Every day and night.   Because of her cardiopulmonary issues, she has to wear a heart monitor to make sure she is getting enough oxygen in her little system.  She still needs her feeding tube, but she is taking most of her nourishment by mouth.  She isn't steady on her feet, but she is walking!  She hasn't found a way to talk to us - yet - but I know she will.  Thanks to God's abounding grace, she is strong and healthy and vibrant and alive.

So I hope you'll forgive me for being very excited about things that we usually take for granted: for instance, a reasonably healthy, growing, child who got a good report at the doctor's office.  That Abigail could be making so much progress is a miracle.  Her smile and joy and hugs inspire everyone who meets her, and as a result, God uses our sweet little daughter every day to touch people's lives.  In short, her life is a daily testimony to the grace and miracles of God!

The Storms of Life

Wow!  What an amazing thunderstorm last night.  Kaboom! all night long.  I'm exhausted today from waking up over and over to the loud cracks of thunder.  My first thought every time I woke up was for the safety of my husband and children.  "What was that?  Is everyone okay????"  Only one of our children woke up through the storm and came downstairs for a bit of reassurance.  He was shaking from the sudden fear of this loud, ominous noise.  A big hug, a quick prayer and a few calming words and all was right again.  Isn't that how our lives often go.  We find ourselves in the thunderstorms of life and want some reassurance.  We turn to God, sometimes in panic, desperately wanting answers and for Him to make it all better.  Over the years, I've actually begun to thank Him (sometimes!) for comforting my heart but not taking away the thunder.  How many times those storms bring us closer to Him and help us be more compassionate to others around us.  We often have to walk through the storms to really understand that God is active and vibrant in our lives - not sitting on the sidelines watching with disinterest.  I don't like the storms, sometimes they are frightening, but I'm so grateful for a God that comforts us and walks with us through the calm days and the storms.

Knighting Ceremony

We recently had the most wonderful birthday celebration for our oldest son, Josiah.  He was turning 18 - officially becoming a man!  For his 13th birthday, we had a ceremony where he was dubbed (with a plastic sword and simple costume) a squire, or knight-in-training.  Now it was time to dub him officially a knight, after the tradition of the Knights Templar.  This time it was a real tunic, a real sword, a real shield, and a real helmet.  Each piece of the outfit had a significance based on the armor of God listed in Ephesians 6:13-17:

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

It seems like only yesterday he was a sweet baby ready to explore his world.  Now he is a charming, bright, caring man, full of faith and ready to follow God's path for his life.  In 35 days (not that I'm counting or anything!) we drive him to Patrick Henry College to continue his lifelong pursuit of wisdom and knowledge.  Oh, how we will miss his wit, his laughter, and his kindness!  We have worked on giving him solid roots, now it is time to let him test his wings.  He is ready, and God is always faithful to guide and direct those who seek after Him with all of their hearts and all of their lives.  We love you so much, Josiah, and we are so proud of the fine young man you have become!

Here's a delightful young girl telling the story of Jonah.  Her name is Mary Margaret and she is a truly gifted storyteller.  Enjoy!

Overwhelmed!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed?  I know I do - fairly frequently, in fact!  This post is for my own encouragement, and I hope it will encourage any intrepid readers.  I'm frustrated tonight because I feel so overwhelmed, yet there is really nothing wrong!  Our "to do" list is a mile long, and will probably never get done in our natural lifetimes, but there is not a single thing on the list that is really a "problem."  There's not one thing that is life-threatening, financially ruining, emotionally devastating, or otherwise detrimental to anyone's health and well-being.  There's just a whole lot of little and big things that need to be done NOW.

Life seems too short to be frustrated over such a petty thing.  Aren't there problems enough during our existence, that we shouldn't get upset over the small stuff?  If you feel overwhelmed today, let me offer you the same encouragement I'm giving myself tonight:  God knows what we have need of!!! (Yes, that sentence ends with a preposition and isn't exactly a direct quote of a Bible verse, but it is one of our favorite family mottoes.)  If He knows how many hairs are on our head, and if a sparrow cannot fall without His knowledge, doesn't He also know the challenges and joys of our lives?  Doesn't the Bible consistently say, and prove in myriad ways, that He cares deeply for every aspect of our lives?  Would a God who is willing to allow His own son to die on our behalf, not also care about our paperwork, phone calls, messy basement, pile of laundry, etc.?  I can always tell when the most important thing (prayer, Bible study and time with Christ) on my list has gotten shoved down way too far because I start fretting over the little things of life.  So let's all take a deep breath, open up the Word, bow our heads, and let the creator of the Universe realign those priorities and provide a comfort and peace that only He can do.  Thanks, I feel better already - hope you do, too!

Cedars of Lebanon

When we moved to North Carolina and had to choose a name for our homeschool, my husband and I chose to call it Cedars of Lebanon.  Why name our homeschool after a tree?  The Cedars of Lebanon have been prized for centuries for their excellent, strong wood.  Palaces and temples throughout the ancient world, including the Temple of Solomon, were made from these lovely trees.  Not only is the wood very tough and durable, but the cedars grow unusually straight, making them ideal for building.  They have a lovely aroma that is released in their forests and when cut down for use.  The Cedars of Lebanon also have amazingly deep roots, often growing several feet deep for every foot of the trunk.  This allows them to survive long droughts that kill lesser trees.  In addition, Cedars of Lebanon can release a remarkable acid from their roots that breaks up any obstacles that stand in the way of their growth; these lovely trees often break even heavy boulders.

Aren’t these the same things we want for our children as we homeschool them?  We want them to be strong in their learning, in their faith, in their character, and in their love for God and others.  We want them to grow straight, staying true to the path that Christ prepares for them.  We want their lives to be a sweet aroma to others and to God.  We want their roots to go deep as they surrender their wills and lives to the love and grace of Christ.  Roots that are firmly planted in Him will not soon be led astray by the whims of the world.  We want their knowledge of God’s Word and His world to make them effective warriors for Him, knocking apart all obstacles through faith in Christ and the workings of the Holy Spirit.  We hope to teach our children much academically, and that is very important.  But it is so much more important that our faith is contagious, that our love runs deep, and that we lead them to the Living Waters that alone can quench their thirst.  We want to raise our children to be adults who are useful to God and who love Him with their whole hearts and their whole lives.  With God’s help, we want to raise our children to be like the glorious Cedars of Lebanon!