Today my family and I did what hundreds of thousands of other American citizens did.  We celebrated Memorial Day by watching parades, watching baseball, flying kites, boating, picnicking, and playing with our kids in a country where a tremendous degree of peace, freedom, and prosperity is still enjoyed.

And isn't that what Memorial Day is all about? 

Today we owe our deepest gratitude to the men and women who have served--and are still serving--our country in the most sacrificial way imaginable.  For it is because of their sacrifice that we enjoy all the benefits of being Americans.

And so this morning, we began our celebration of Memorial Day by remembering the sacrifice of Lewis D. Sibley and the family who loved him.

On Good Friday, March 30, 1945, Mr. and Mrs. Sibley of Newport, NH, wrote the following letter to their son, Lewis, who was serving his country with the US Army's 18th Infantry Division in Germany.

Hi Jo Mio--

The first Army is getting the big headlines here, even bigger than Patton's Third.  Warren Winter is in the 9th now so you may see him--he has your address and according to the papers, the 9th and 1st Army line ranged from Paderbourn in the North to Aschaffenburg in the South.  If you get into Cassel you are very near Gottingeu where I was so long.

I had a letter from Cedric yesterday full of your praise and a terrible discontent that he is sitting here.  The enclosed clipping, he said, illustrates what he will have to say when it's all over.

Your mother has washed the kitchen curtains this morning and is practicing now; she is going to sing "Were You There When They Crucified my Lord?" Easter morning.  I have got her a corsage of white gardenias as coming from you.  She is going to Claremont with Northrupp this morning.

(Note added in new handwriting)

Dearest Lewis, I can't help but see that I'm to have a gardenia on Sunday.  But honestly, I don't feel like wearing it until you come home.  But let's not tell Dad.  He wanted to write the letter today so I've given up the pleasure except for just this line or two which I feel better if I write.  God bless my son and please keep him well and safe.  Your loving Mother.

I am writing this in the north living room with no heat on--most unseasonable weather--about 90 degrees yesterday.  I have had to go into summer things.  We'll have to pay for this later, I'm afraid. 

We are going to call Mrs. Stang sometime over this weekend.  We had a letter recently that she had been sick and that Dick had heard from you.

Your mother wears your silver cross all the time with the exception of one night when she went out in the evening and wore the other one.   

Dearest Sonny, I can't help but picturing to myself in the squalor, the filth, the absence of all decencies of living, the awful din, the sights and stench of Death to which you are subjected, and I feel so humble and so helpless.

God grant that you come home to us sound and well--that is our constant prayer.

Vayar con Dios,
Dad

P.S. Bill Spanos has been missing since the Von Runstedt breakthrough, but his parents had a letter from him Tuesday morning, and a long letter in his own hand from a German prison camp.

Ten days after posting this letter to their son, Mr. and Mrs. Sibley received a Western Union telegram informing them of Lewis' death in Germany. 

Pt. Lewis D. Sibley died on March 24, 1945--six days before the Good Friday letter was written.

Oh, you are all so patient with me!! (Well, all except Arby, that is). It's a funny thing about life and priorities...it's when things get really crazy that you realize it's time to stop and think about what's really important.  And, as you've probably noticed, blogging isn't currently one of the most important things in my life. (annoying, isn't it?)

So, since some may be wondering what on earth could be more important than blogging, I thought I'd give you a quick update on what's been going on in my life.

FAMILY: Yep, I still have one.  And, of course, that means homeschooling (I'm finishing up the year with a junior in high school and a preschooler), cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, planting and mowing, playing trains, reading books, playing T-ball, etc.  Other family members help out with many of these tasks, but, well, being a housewife and mom is still my #1 responsibility (and joy)!

WORK: I'm still working mad hours for Alpha Omega Publications. Since December, I've been working on copy-writing, recording demo's, and now proofreading for our new website, which will hopefully launch very soon.  Hopefully then I can prove that I really have been working and not just sitting around watching Law and Order reruns or Chicago Cub games while dunking Oreo cookies in my coffee.  (Okay...so I do that once in awhile, too!)  While it is a HUGE blessing that the Lord has provided this work for me to do at home, working at home is a mixed blessing!  4-year-olds just don't understand what you mean when you say (for the 20th time), "No, honey, not right now, mommy's working."

TRAVEL: I LOVE this part of my job, but being away from home 4 days out of every 14 does get a bit crazy.  This Thursday, my daughter and I head to San Antonio for a convention.  Darcy travels with me in the summer months when she's not in school, which is a gigantic bonus of this job!  Great experience for her...great traveling companion for me!  In the weeks ahead we will be in San Antonio, Wichita (are you gonna be there, Arby?), Knoxville (I'd love to meet some of my Tennessee blogging pals!), Long Beach, and Atlanta. 

CHURCH: We've always been actively involved in our church, but this year we've taken on just a bit more than we should have!  Our church is in the middle of a large building project and my husband is the project manager (no, it's not a paid position!).  I have been putting in time on the decorating committee, painting, and sewing on top of my regular responsibilities in music ministry, high school Sunday School, and AWANA.  But, lo and behold, there IS a light at the end of this very long, very dark, tunnel.  Our final inspection is in two weeks and we might actually be able to make our evenings and weekends "our own" again. (Can you hear my HUGE sigh of relief?)

FUN: I DO make time for fun from time to time and here's just a few of the things we've managed to fit in: 

 

A trip to Brookfield Zoo (If you're ever in Chicago, be sure to visit this wonderful place!)

 

Lots of fragrant visits to beautiful Lilacia Park...

And lots of bike rides around town.

Well, I have LOTS of substantive blogs in my head just dying to be written, but I'm still having trouble finding the time to write them!  Soon....I promise! Thanks for continuing to stop by despite the lack of substance!! 

Although the increased work hours that I've had to put in this spring have resulted in a serious lack of blogging time, I really do LOVE my job.  Especially going to conventions! 

I absolutely LOVE talking with homeschoolers and helping them answer their homeschooling questions.  Sometimes it seems almost too good to be true that I'm actually getting paid to do something that I enjoy so much! 

Not only that, but I get to travel.  This year I have some REALLY great places on my itinerary.  Long Beach, Atlanta, San Antonio, Knoxville, and Worcester.  Not quite as exciting, but still very fun are trips to Wichita, Cincinnati, and Peoria and St. Charles, IL.

But by far the best part of doing conventions is the opportunity to meet people and make new friends.  And this weekend in Worcester, Massachusetts, was especially fun!!  One of the many friends I've made over the months since I started blogging is JenIG.  Well, she and her daughter Coie were representing Rosetta Stone at the convention in Worcester and we actually got to "hang out" a bit!   We were all far too busy to spend time together during our workdays, but I tried to keep an eye out for her since I was a bit concerned that she might actually give birth to a kidney stone right at her booth.  We were able to go to dinner on Friday night at a really fun (and VERY noisy) 50's Diner.  Jen is EVERY BIT as cool (and adorable) as I thought she would be, but be forewarned, if you ever get the chance to meet Jen in person, she asks lots of VERY personal questions  and is just a teensy bit wimpy when it comes to city driving.  Sorry, Jen, but I was HUNGRY and really wanted to get there!  Jen has a picture of the two of us on her blog...kind of icky picture of me, but a GREAT one of her!  I'm so happy to have been able to meet her and Coie!

While I was in Massachusetts, my family had a GREAT wildlife experience.  All spring we've been watching a Red-bellied Woodpecker build a nest in one of the ant-infested trees in our backyard.  Woody Woodpecker and his wife are both beautiful birds and seem to be very committed to each other and their brood.  They have built a very nice house in our almost-dead tree.  Well, over the weekend Jim and the kids noticed another home being built in our backyard neighborhood.  A Mourning Dove and his pregnant wife moved in and worked hard all weekend constructing their home. 

How did this happen?

Our first baby--the little girl who first made us a Mommy and Daddy--just turned 21!!  Since the first moment we laid eyes on her, and every moment since, she has been a joy and a delight!  Her sweet spirit and stubborn determination have combined to make her a force to be reckoned with.  Her love for the Lord and her desire to serve him have clearly become the guiding force of her life...and as parents, we could not ask for anything better than that!  We can hardly wait to see what the Lord has for her in the days and years ahead.

Now for a little stroll down memory lane with our "dark beauty"....

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY, DARCY!!

I can't help myself.  I HAVE to blog.  Several topics have coaxed me out of blogging oblivion.

First....Happy Anniversary to me!!  This week marked 23 years since Jim and I said "I do"!  And it has been a wonderful 23 years indeed.  Here we are looking very young....way too young to get married (I have to say that because my oldest turns 21 on Saturday...the same age I was when I got married!)

Arby posted a great post earlier this week that elicited two responses from me. The first reaction I am accustomed to experiencing whenever I read Arby’s blog. The second reaction was not as familiar. It was by no means the first time that I laughed out loud at the hysterical writings of this funny man (and I mean that in the best way), but when I read his post I also wanted to scream. Don’t worry!  I'm not mad at Arby—only at some quotes he posted in reaction to the recent California court ruling.

I’ve been hearing statements like these quite a bit lately—and, personally, it’s starting to get old. Here’s a sampling of the statements found in Arby’s post and a few other places. Oh, and by the way, the spelling and grammar errors in these statements were theirs, not mine!

Then let’s not forget when credentialed teacher, Katie Criss, wrote: “American citizens, together let's promote our very prestigious and notorious public school system and crusade against the leniency of home schooling that consequently will benefit our country by providing a solid education for all.” (Does Katie know what the word “notorious” means?)

The premise that only “credentialed” teachers are qualified to teach children is flawed on so many levels that I hardly know where to begin. Yet, despite its many obvious flaws, this assertion has become an extremely popular argument of both casual and “official” critics of the homeschooling movement. But a critique of the assumptions that underlie the premise very quickly reveals its faults.

You don't need a teaching degree to do that.

This week's theme is PARTY. 

A party in honor of St. Patrick. Gramma's ready to party....

Proper party attire....

Right down to the shoes....

There is really nothing more I can say about this post than...well...enjoy!

Thanks everyone for bearing with me as I continue to have little time for the fun things in life....like blogging!  My project deadline is March 1st, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! 

In lieu of a "real" post, I thought I'd pass on something that just made my day...heck it made my entire week!

Coffee drinkers are ALWAYS looking for reasons to feel less guilty about downing multiple cups of the most delicious poison known to man.  This article and its accompanying linked research will keep me indulging guilt-free for many years to come. Never mind that this article is written by a self-proclaimed caffeine addict.  Never mind that there is just as much research which tells me that coffee is bad for me.  Never mind those pesky little heart palpitations.  I'm not gonna have post work-out muscle pain, alzheimers, cirrhosis of the liver, Type 2 Diabetes, Parkinsons, or eyelid spasms!

So go grab a cup of coffee and then go read this  and this....you'll probably want to follow it up with another cup of coffee...for the health benefits, of course.

Thanks to several posts on Dana's blog, I'm back on the issue of socialization. Again.

I've been giving this some thought lately in response to an article which was posted by a youth pastor from Nebraska. In his post, the Serial Youth Pastor cites lack of social skills in homeschoolers he has known as one of his arguments against homeschooling:

"Social skills usually aren’t great - again this is the norm and NOT the exception. I have witnessed this more times than I can count."

And in an article entited Homeschooling Researched, Katie Kriss writes:

"How can a parent make such a crucial decision without their child's consent to remove them from a world that is considered to be the 'norm'..."

How many times have you heard someone say,

"Well, I met this homeschool family, and frankly, they just weren't normal"?

When a youth pastor says that the majority of homeschooled teens he knows lack social skills, I wonder exactly what he means by that.  I wonder by what standard he has measured these kids and found them lacking? Is it a fair measure? And more importantly, is it a right measure?

In a reply to one of his commenters, the Serial Youth Pastor gives an indication of exactly how he measures the social skills of the kids in his youth group. He says, "I do think the ones that have better social skills do blend in."  Blend in?  With whom?

Think about the social climate of the youth culture around us.  Have you sat in the food court in a shopping mall and watched teens lately?  Have you watched kids at a schoolbus stop? I've had the "privilege" of working as a substitute teacher in our local public school.  It is abundantly clear that the way for a child to "blend in" in this setting is to be disrespectful, rude, and disinterested. Is this behavior normal?  Well--yes--it is normal.  In today's youth culture, it is normal. And it's disturbing. 

And here's my point.

Kids who are not fully immersed in this culture WILL be different. They will NOT blend in. And I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I'm not concerned that people continue to raise the socialization question. I AM concerned that these people insist that the social culture of today's youth is the standard by which all children should be measured.

Youth culture in our country is in serious trouble.

We need a lot more kids who are not "normal".