A Verse Hid in Our Heart…L is for…
“Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings.” Psalm 61:4
A Hymn to Impart…“Praise to the Lord”
A Sweet Little Prayer…“Morning Hymn”
A Poem to Share…“Who Stole the Bird’s Nest”
How Our Week Was Spent
We played bird school and Pete the Parrot was the teacher and he really talks because he has batteries inside him. We have real parrots here too. They are green. They don’t talk (Nate, 6).
We learned about eggs and how their shells are really strong. We held them and squeezed them as hard as we could but they didn’t break. Only if part of it gets hit they will break (Titus, 9 1/2).
Mom gave us fake eggs and told us to crack them open. There was a gummy egg inside that looked just like a raw egg and we ate them and mine had 2 yolks!” (Joel, 8)
Teacher’s Two-Cents
“Birds of a feather flock together.” And little boys of very different feathers will flock together, too, especially when on holiday in Hawaii.
The start of holiday season marks an upswing in the tourist season here in Hawaii and we’ve had more families than ever before fill the vacation rentals around us. Families from Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada and from all over the United States. There has been an army of little boys from all over the world around our place lately. They may not all speak English very well and they may not all like the same foods but I haven’t met one yet that doesn’t love playing in the water, climbing trees, catching geckos and chasing each other around with sticks. And they ALL love Legos! It’s been a delight to watch my boys making friends so quickly with these visitors and just as quickly finding out the fun things they have in common. This past week they were especially excited to report that one of these new friends was a Christian! Last year there was a family visiting from Canada with 3 boys and 5 minutes into their new friendship they were rejoicing in their shared faith. They were inseparable during their stay here and have all kept in close contact since then. So this is only the second time since we’ve moved here that one of their new friends has been a like minded believer. And, oh the thrill when they discover that fact! It’s an instant bond. It’s more than a holiday friendship. It’s an eternal, everlasting, unbreakable brotherhood and I’m so thankful that even at their young age my boys are able to recognize how special it is to flock together with others of the same “feather.” It’s called fellowship and it goes beyond the boyhood games they so enjoy with their other buddies. And frankly it makes me ashamed of myself. How often in the supermarket or on the airplane or out and about in the community have I met other Christians and regarded that knowledge in the same way I would as if we were from the same state or attended the same college. We have the same Father, folks! That’s a really big deal! “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit”(Ephesians 2:19-22). Happy Thanksgiving to all you dear co-heirs! I am so thankful for each one of you!
Of Skies and Seas 
Great, Sweetheart. This makes me look forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday with you and the boys even more!
I’m thawing the turkey for the Imu pit right now!
Hi Honey!
The boys will be international celebrities before long with all the acquaintances they’re making. Interesting, Legos seem to be a universal toy.
Love you all,
Opa
Happy Thanksgiving, Opa! We do laugh when we think about how many tourists leave Hawaii with us in the background of their vacation pictures :). And no kidding about the Legos…why oh why did we not buy stock in that company 20 years ago? Hugs to you and Oma.
We are constantly blessed as we read your “Winged Wisdom” blogs! We truly enjoy the bond of being birds of a feather, having the privilege of meeting people like your family during our visits to Kona. Happy Thanksgiving with many rich blessings to you!
And blessings to you dear Glen and Helen! Always a joy to hear from you. Hope your holidays are filled with Aloha!
Well, SISTER, we are thankful for you! 🙂 I read somewhere that there are 62 Lego bricks for every person on Earth! Ha! How many of those are at your house? Oh, and we started a study of the state flowers thanks to some inspiration from you! Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!
Hmmm…62 Legos at about 5 cents a brick times 7 million people = some very wealthy CEOs. And for your study of state flowers, Dover has a beautiful coloring book called State Birds and Flowers. It says your state bird is the Mockingbird which is my most favorite bird in the world and your flower is the Apple Blossom. How pretty!
Ok, I’ve seen the coloring book. I loved it, but I didn’t buy it. I have been using the Donna Young 1/2 lined paper ( http://donnayoung.org/f13/penmanship-f/handwrtg/hw-rule-1-2-bt.pdf ) in a folder and the kids are drawing the flower on the top and writing the name and state on the bottom. We have a library book that shows the flowers for each state and explains a bit about why the flower reflects the state. That’s about it. When you learn the state birds, what exactly do you guys do? I should have asked yesterday. 😦 No rush 😉
The state birds are part of our geography study. Each week I read aloud 2 or 3 chapters out of “How the States Got Their Shapes” which goes through the states alphabetically and tells the history, often quite humorously, of their borders. While I am reading the boys are working on some U.S. Geography puzzles or coloring in their map books or the State Birds and Flowers coloring book I told you about. Then we look in this cute little book my sister gave me called “United Tweets of America” for some fun little tidbits about the birds in whatever states we were reading about. We do all this in one day and it takes less than an hour. Do you think Ms. Mason would approve? 🙂
Ha ha! Yes ma’am! I’m sure she would. 🙂 I will check out your books! They sound so fun and interesting. You study 2 a week, correct? Thanks for the ideas and inspiration, as always . I need you on speed dial, or whatever the modern equivalent is?!?!
Finally made it up to Nelder Grove today and had a wonderful hike! Saw candy shaped like Lego bricks in a shop in Oakhurst and thought of the boys. Tell them to look for a package to arrive in the mail soon, but it’s not Lego candy.
I’ve seen the Lego candy too! Glad you got to the grove before the snow closes it off. I loved the dogwoods there in the fall and spring. Oh yeah, and those monster Sequoia trees are pretty neat, too :).
Likewise, I’m so thankful for each one of you too! I trust you will enjoy the food and especially the fellowship with one another on this coming Thanksgiving Day. We do have so much to be thankful for and to give thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father for all His benefits. Blessings in the name of the Lord!
Amen to that, Mikey!
Hi to all ~ late in posting . . . thank you Julie, again, for the wonderful reminders of God’s provision in this growing family! Learning about God, Our Creator, is foundational to knowing Him as our Redeemer. Thank you for teaching them TRUTH! Love and hugs to all!