Last night at our weekly Bible study, one of the couples brought 2 guests with them who are staying with them this week. We had an interesting discussion centered on the question of "What is God's will for my life?" A deep, penetrating question with a lot of different answers, but which led one of the men to tell us how his life had changed after his perspective about God was changed from that of "Santa Claus," to more like a Father.
He told of his experience with his father being distant and shallow. They spent much time together, bonding in typical male ways, like camping, fishing, hunting and so on. But their talks were never deeper than those subjects, often they just chatted about the weather or their jobs or something like that. He felt the Lord impress upon his heart one day that his own relationship with his 4 adult children was turning out to be quite similiar, and that even his relationship with the Lord was at an impersonal level. He found himself asking God for things and never really going much deeper than that.
After reading a particularly helpful book on the subject of prayer, he began to experience God's love in a new way, and began to really talk with the Lord, and share his heart with Him. As he opened up with God, he saw that in the same way he needed to find a way that would help him open up with his kids, and that would allow them to really know one another in a deeper way. His idea was a newsletter. Only one of his four children live close by, the others are in different states. So he began to write his feelings down, sharing with them how God was working in his life, his struggles, his triumphs, his joys, his heartaches, his questions. As he wrote to them and opened his heart to them, they responded to him. Sometimes they call as soon as they get a letter and immediately want to discuss something important. Sometimes they write their own letters back to him. But what most appealed to me, was the idea that they now KNOW their father and what makes him tick. They have something to talk about now. They know what questions to ask him, they know how they can pray for him. This man has 3 daughters and 1 son. He told me frankly that he doesn't know what to talk about with his daughters... they have very different interests from his. So these newsletters have opened up whole new avenues of discussion that can keep the fires of communication burning.
With my mother no longer here to talk to, I spend much more time talking with my dad. There are times that our conversations seem to only be about the weather, or his job, or what's in the news. These are certainly worthy things to talk about, but it would be nice to get to know him on a more personal level. For me, it seems to be that I just don't know what questions to ask. So I asked Google.... "questions to ask your parents." I found a list of 100 questions I could ask my dad. I think some of them are kind of stupid, but some of them I really want to ask and hear the answer to. I decided to pick a few at a time and when we talk on the weekends I'll ask. I plan to write down his answers and keep them in a journal. There are lulls in conversations when a question would be perfect. There are also questions for family history interviews, which would be interesting to ask and have records of.
I realize now there are so many questions I would like to ask my mother. She isn't here anymore to answer them. I heard a song today that reminded me of her.. "Home," by Simon and Garfunkel. We had one of their records that she used to play. I don't remember being really fond of their music but when I hear it now it sure brings back memories.
"Homeward bound,
I wish I was
Homeward bound,
Home, where my thoughts escaping"
And when those memories come, I think of how she was back then. And I wish that I would have asked her more questions. "What was your biggest disappointment as a kid? What is your favorite song? What was the best thing I ever gave you?"
Instead, I'll have to ask my dad. And hope that he won't mind all the questions!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
It's A Dog-Walking, Book-Reading, Seed-Growing Life
The boys have jobs now - they are dog-walkers! A neighbor of ours has 2 small dogs and she has enlisted the boys to take them out for a walk every day for an hour. What a great first job for my young sons! They get to go outside every day, no matter what the weather, and spend time with 2 adorable dogs, and get paid for it! They get paid twice a month, half the amount in Croatian kuna and the other half in American dollars. Since we have no yard for them to play in I am glad they at least are outdoors every day, soaking up some sunshine and fresh air.
We're all itching to be done with school already. It is hard to concentrate once the time change kicks in, the weather turns nicer, and April starts knocking at our door. The boys have been reading the Series of Unfortunate Events books. There was a time when I was worried about ~N~ and his lack of interest in reading. But no more! He picks up books and reads on his own time now, without me making the suggestion. He reads at night before he goes to bed. He reads, he reads, he reads! And I am so glad! I am also reading aloud to them every day. We recently finished "Endurance," (by Alfred Lansing,) the story of Ernest Shackleton's voyage to the Antarctic, in which his ship is crushed by pack ice. It is the most thrilling true story adventure I've ever read. I read to the boys until my voice was nearly gone some days because we had to hear what happened next. Now we are reading "Benjamin Franklin," by Clara Ingram Judson. Though not the edge-of-your-seat adventure that Endurance was, we are thoroughly amazed by the innovative, imaginative, inventive Ben Franklin!
Clara is also a bookworm, though at age 15 months it isn't exactly reading! She will sit next to her pile of books in the living room and flip through book after book. Sometimes she'll pick them up and come to Daddy or me and want us to read to her. She especially adores the books that have flaps for her to lift and see the pictures underneath. She identifies many animals and makes the signs for them. She loves to go outside now and walk around our patio and sidewalk.
We started lapbook projects a couple weeks ago. Nolan is making one about the skeleton, and Derek is making one about the Revolutionary War. It is our first attempt at making a lapbook and it seems to be going along pretty well.
I started some seeds indoors a couple weeks ago. They have sprouted and are growing quite nicely in a sunny windowsill. So far, I have thyme, oregano, stevia, and chives. All of them, according to my gardening book, are not easy to grow from seed. But I'm giving it a try and hoping for the best. Next month, when the weather is dependably warm, I'll plant a few more herbs and some beets, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, peppers in containers. All are supposed to be varieties that are more suitable for containers.
Yesterday, for the first time ever, the boys and I sat down and watched Mary Poppins all the way through. Shocking, I know! I've seen parts of the movie, but never the whole thing. All the rest of the day, you could hear someone saying "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," or snatches of the song "A Spoonful of Sugar" being hummed or sung.
Clara is sleeping while I write this. I think it is about time for her to wake up, so I shall run along now and see if I can't get a quick clean-up of the house done before she does. I also have been invited to our patio, where ~N~ has promised to take my order for lunch, and then prepare it and serve it out there! Sounds like fun!
Have a great Tuesday!
We're all itching to be done with school already. It is hard to concentrate once the time change kicks in, the weather turns nicer, and April starts knocking at our door. The boys have been reading the Series of Unfortunate Events books. There was a time when I was worried about ~N~ and his lack of interest in reading. But no more! He picks up books and reads on his own time now, without me making the suggestion. He reads at night before he goes to bed. He reads, he reads, he reads! And I am so glad! I am also reading aloud to them every day. We recently finished "Endurance," (by Alfred Lansing,) the story of Ernest Shackleton's voyage to the Antarctic, in which his ship is crushed by pack ice. It is the most thrilling true story adventure I've ever read. I read to the boys until my voice was nearly gone some days because we had to hear what happened next. Now we are reading "Benjamin Franklin," by Clara Ingram Judson. Though not the edge-of-your-seat adventure that Endurance was, we are thoroughly amazed by the innovative, imaginative, inventive Ben Franklin!
Clara is also a bookworm, though at age 15 months it isn't exactly reading! She will sit next to her pile of books in the living room and flip through book after book. Sometimes she'll pick them up and come to Daddy or me and want us to read to her. She especially adores the books that have flaps for her to lift and see the pictures underneath. She identifies many animals and makes the signs for them. She loves to go outside now and walk around our patio and sidewalk.
We started lapbook projects a couple weeks ago. Nolan is making one about the skeleton, and Derek is making one about the Revolutionary War. It is our first attempt at making a lapbook and it seems to be going along pretty well.
I started some seeds indoors a couple weeks ago. They have sprouted and are growing quite nicely in a sunny windowsill. So far, I have thyme, oregano, stevia, and chives. All of them, according to my gardening book, are not easy to grow from seed. But I'm giving it a try and hoping for the best. Next month, when the weather is dependably warm, I'll plant a few more herbs and some beets, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, peppers in containers. All are supposed to be varieties that are more suitable for containers.
Yesterday, for the first time ever, the boys and I sat down and watched Mary Poppins all the way through. Shocking, I know! I've seen parts of the movie, but never the whole thing. All the rest of the day, you could hear someone saying "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," or snatches of the song "A Spoonful of Sugar" being hummed or sung.
Clara is sleeping while I write this. I think it is about time for her to wake up, so I shall run along now and see if I can't get a quick clean-up of the house done before she does. I also have been invited to our patio, where ~N~ has promised to take my order for lunch, and then prepare it and serve it out there! Sounds like fun!
Have a great Tuesday!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Sorry!
To anyone who regularly checks in here....and keeps finding that I'm stuck on the post from a month ago... I just want to say I'm sorry for the lack of new posts! It's the blogging blahs! I should probably just tell you that I'm on a blogging break, but truthfully I don't know if I am or not. (How's that for indecisiveness?)
We are busy with school,
busy with life,
busy with a toddler,
busy with starting a container garden,
busy with playing outside in the spring sunshine,
and
busy with watching March Madness (yes, I love to watch the NCAA basketball tourny!)
So, I don't know when the mood will strike and I will feel like (or have time to) post again. Don't give up on me completely! I hope I'll be back real soon!
We are busy with school,
busy with life,
busy with a toddler,
busy with starting a container garden,
busy with playing outside in the spring sunshine,
and
busy with watching March Madness (yes, I love to watch the NCAA basketball tourny!)
So, I don't know when the mood will strike and I will feel like (or have time to) post again. Don't give up on me completely! I hope I'll be back real soon!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
A Croatian Castle Tour
In the northern part of Croatia, actually on the Slovenian/Croatian border, is a wonderful castle named "Trakoscan Castle." We have heard it is the most beautiful of all the castles in Croatia. I think it must be true!
We drove up there this morning and spent the day walking up the hill to the castle, touring the inside, and walking the paths around the lake that is situated behind it.
There was a wonderful little restaurant on the lake where the guys enjoyed a hamburger and I shared a pork cutlet with ~D~. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the temperature around 60 degrees.
The castle was built in the late 13th century, but was badly damaged during a family clash, then restored between 1840-1862. The boys were especially in awe of the knight's room, the hunting room and the arms collection with firearms dating from the 15-19th century. The castle contained a large group of portraits showing more than ten generations of the Draskovic family and their relatives. I especially enjoyed the portraits of the children. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the castle!
The back of the castle, with the beautiful lake...
On the way to the castle, we drove through "Krapina." You can imagine how glad I am that I don't live in a city with a name like that! This church really stood out as we passed by, though it is a common fixture in every Croatian town. To me, most of the Croatian villages and towns look the same as you drive through them... just like this....
They seem plain, quaint and quiet. There are no billboards, neon signs, or golden arches towering above. No Walmarts, no fast food chains, no coffee to go. Services are few and far between and are recognized by the blue signs advertising what will be available a few kilometers ahead. Other than that, there is nothing but houses and a church here and there as you drive on and on and on. It is so utterly different from the U.S.
Sometimes we really like it.
Sometimes we wish for a Taco Bell to appear out of nowhere.
We drove up there this morning and spent the day walking up the hill to the castle, touring the inside, and walking the paths around the lake that is situated behind it.
There was a wonderful little restaurant on the lake where the guys enjoyed a hamburger and I shared a pork cutlet with ~D~. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the temperature around 60 degrees.
The castle was built in the late 13th century, but was badly damaged during a family clash, then restored between 1840-1862. The boys were especially in awe of the knight's room, the hunting room and the arms collection with firearms dating from the 15-19th century. The castle contained a large group of portraits showing more than ten generations of the Draskovic family and their relatives. I especially enjoyed the portraits of the children. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the castle!
The back of the castle, with the beautiful lake...
On the way to the castle, we drove through "Krapina." You can imagine how glad I am that I don't live in a city with a name like that! This church really stood out as we passed by, though it is a common fixture in every Croatian town. To me, most of the Croatian villages and towns look the same as you drive through them... just like this....
They seem plain, quaint and quiet. There are no billboards, neon signs, or golden arches towering above. No Walmarts, no fast food chains, no coffee to go. Services are few and far between and are recognized by the blue signs advertising what will be available a few kilometers ahead. Other than that, there is nothing but houses and a church here and there as you drive on and on and on. It is so utterly different from the U.S.
Sometimes we really like it.
Sometimes we wish for a Taco Bell to appear out of nowhere.
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