a quote instead of science

True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Laughing

"There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor."

Charles Dickens

About dinner

"Respect your dinner; idolize it, enjoy it properly. You will be by many hours in the week, many weeks in the year, and many years in your life happier if you do."

- William Makepeace Thackeray, "Memorials of Gormandising" (Quoted in October REAL SIMPLE)

I used to very much dislike making dinner.  Then I realized I would be doing it all of my life so I might as well enjoy it.  After that, I gathered recipes, asked good cooks questions, and made a shopping list.  Voila!  Making and eating dinner is now enjoyable (most nights).  I can't help but agree with this quote.

Tilapia with sour cream sauce, rice,  and celery ... It may not always be pretty but it did taste good

Crossing to Safety, a Review

This is a story about a friendship between two couples over a number of years.  It's a book that celebrates the general normalcy we go through in life.  The author, Wallace Stegner, draws out the simple joy of the experience and the power we find in relationships.  It was a bit hard for me to read at the end because it was sad, but in the sadness there was that touch of irony and poignancy that came through.

Quotes I liked include:

In talking about himself, the author notes, "[Writers are] exalted by having made use of [grief and resentment], by having spilled [their] guts in public.  We are strange creatures, and writers are stranger creatures than most."  

Would you say this is true of bloggers to a certain extent?  Replace "grief and resentment" with "personal experiences" and I'd say most certainly.

And another quote about the miracle of pregnancy:

"I see [the two expecting friends] there, and think how in those two women four hearts are beating, and it awes me."

I am always amazed at the miracle of babies, and this seemed to sum it up nicely.

Teaching Kids

"Kids don't remember what you try to teach them.  They remember what you are."
 - Jim Henson

I know this is true for me and my memories as a kid, and I'm sure it holds true for the kids I teach on a weekly basis.

Bread

My sister has a quote from Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov in her kitchen:

"...Nothing is more certain than bread."

Recently, this same sister taught me how to make the perfect honey whole wheat loaf.  Thanks to her, I enjoyed making a batch of four loaves.  We quickly ate some and shared with others, so now we're ready for another batch!  Good bye store bought bread.  Hello bread with certainty.

Reading

I read to Oliver, age 7 months

Jess reads to Oliver (and Oliver says "bubbles" for B), age 16 months

Jess reads to Oliver, age 25 months


You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be--
I had a mother [and father] who read to me.

Strickland Gillilan, "The Reading Mother", addition is mine

Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters

A perfect book to read around Memorial Day, Beyond Band of Brothers is the story of Easy Company, a paratrooper unit that dropped into Normandy on D-Day and achieved great success in combat. The book is written by Easy Company's leader Major Dick Winters, a man who is celebrated for his innate leadership skills and amazing acts during World War II. He wrote the book as a result of the success and interest in Steve Ambrose's book, Band of Brothers, which is about Easy Company and their completed mission on D-Day and beyond. Ambrose's book was made into an HBO series and had a big following. As a result, many hundreds of people wrote to Major Winters thanking him for his service and requesting to hear more about him, his company, and their experiences. His reply, this book. I have never read a war book for obvious reasons (so intense, so violent), but Jess read it first and gave me the okay. Winters does a wonderful job conveying the resolve, the commitment, the character of he and his men without the extreme intensity that I was able to really focus on the men, what they were able to do, what they had to deal with, and how they could handle and be a part of such an experience. Amazing indeed. Toward the end of the book, Winters gives the reader a simple explanation of how to become a good leader, he explains:

How do you become a good man? You start with a cornerstone - honesty - and from there you build character. If you have character, that means the guy you are dealing with can trust you.

And Major Dick Winters did just that. He was honest with his men, they knew they could trust him, and they were willing to do anything he asked. I enjoyed this book so much, I'm reading another WWII book about another amazing company. Happy Belated Memorial Day and a very sincere thanks to all servicemen past, present, and future.

Swinging

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

- from "The Swing" by Robert Louis Stevenson

Storyteller: The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl

As a big fan of Roald Dahl (his book Matilda worked it's magic and made me like reading when I was a youngen), I was excited when Jess told me he had heard about a new biography about the author. I quickly put the book on hold at the library (I was the 75th person in the queue!). When it came my turn to check it out, I eagerly opened it as soon as I got some time.

My first reaction was one of surprise. Roald was no perfect chap, not in the least, and it kind of bothered me. He was definitely a character. He liked gambling and getting people riled up, he was a womanizer and very quick to judge. But he was great with children and loved his family, he was very charitable and dedicated to his craft. And he sure knew how to write superb kids' books. He was the master of the edit, rewrite, rework, and edit of all his writing. He said the key to writing a successful children's book, in part, was to make it funny and make it move fast (no long descriptions). His recipe worked for me and reading this biography made me want to read more of his stuff. Would I have wanted to hang out with Dahl? Sure, that is, if he was in a good mood, I knew that he liked me, and he didn't feel like getting into a debate.

One passage that I liked and wrote down the minute I read it was one dealing with just living your life and getting on with it, regardless of the circumstances (Dahl had to deal with the death of a child, the near death of another, the stroke of his wife, and his step-daughter passing away unexpectedly). Emphasis is my own.

Superstition is something that one grows out of. You try avoiding all the cracks in the pavement or you touch all the posts in the fence. But then you find out later that it doesn’t help. You find out that it’s not going to make a bit of difference if you step on the cracks or not. I think I just realized subconsciously that if you start thinking about bad luck, you’re going to weaken. The great thing is to keep going, whatever happens.

4 days

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit my sister's home. She just had a new (very cute, very sweet) baby and I went out to assist with anything that may need assisting. It was a wonderful stay and this baby's parents are already pros. Holding the little one reminded me of when Oliver was weeks old. It was a lot of fun.

On the plane ride there and back I read a lot. There was no cheesy, ridiculous, or mildly entertaining film available, which I was bummed about at first, but once I started reading the Pearl Buck Reader (thanks mom-in-law) I brought, who cares about the film, or even the beverage service. Wonderful stories. If you ever want to read a great book, try The Good Earth. I also read portions of her autobiography and found a wonderful quote:

There should be a deep attachment [between parents and children], heart should be tied to heart between parent and child, for unless the child learns how to love a parent profoundly, I believe that he will never learn how to love anyone else profoundly, and not knowing how to love means the loss of meaning of life and its fulfillment.

Putting the generalization (by using the word "never") aside, I found this quote so apropos for my visit.

A Universal Conclusion, by Betty Smith

To live, to struggle, to be in love with life - in love with all life holds, joyful or sorrowful - is fulfillment. The fullness of life is open to all of us.

Rings true

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were . . . We live outside the touch of time.

- Clara Ortega

photo of stained glass window, Notre Dame, Paris

Mother's Day

"There is nothing in this world as personal, as nurturing, or as life changing as the influence of a righteous woman."
Elder M. Russel Ballard

"God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers."
Anonymous

Thanks George

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
-George Bernard Shaw