A Verse Hid In Our Hearts To access all of this year’s bird-themed memory verses A-Z click here.
A Hymn To Impart To access all of this year’s Bird-themed hymns click here.
A Sweet Little Prayer To access all of this year’s bird-themed prayers click here.
A Poem to Share To access all of this year’s bird-themed poetry click here.
How Our Week Was Spent
We had our first regatta. All the canoe clubs on the island were there and our club got 2nd place. We race in the specials because we’re the youngest and we got medals. There were big waves but we weren’t scared. Only Mom was scared. We get to have another race this weekend (by Titus, Joel, and Nate).
Teacher’s Two-Cents
Yesterday, my five-year-old asked me if he could run away from home…”just for a little bit…like an hour and 60 minutes?” And could I please pack him a snack and could he bring a knife in case of bad guys? Running away from home has been a great topic of intrigue around here ever since my older two boys read the “My Side of the Mountain” series. Not wanting to squelch this little attempt at manhood I gave him permission and suggested a few more things he might want to bring, including another brother, which was fine with him, and could he please wait until morning. He was all packed and ready to go right after breakfast so after a quick prayer and a kiss at the door they were off and “running away.” My two little men. And their snacks. And a very small knife. Very ill-prepared indeed for any real-world excursion but prepared enough for whatever bit of adventuring they had in mind for this morning. Someday they really will be leaving our nest and I suppose it’s little experiences like this one that will prepare them, and me, for the inevitable. The planning, and packing, and prayer, this playing at independence, gives us all a little practice for the real thing. Kind of like the canoe race. A whole lot of fanfare for a very short paddle and they were all cheered wildly back to shore. But that’s just play. Many centuries ago some young men left their mothers at the door and got into a great double-hulled canoe and started paddling. Over a thousand miles later they set eyes on an island and the story of Hawaii was born. Someday, my boys too, will be paddling out in search of their own story and when they do I want their going to be just as it was today; well prepared, with my blessing, and wrapped in the security of knowing they’re never too far to come back in.
Of Skies and Seas 
Wonderful post, Julie . . . home! Thank you for the home you lovingly provide for all those boys in our lives!
Our home is always even more so when you’re in it, too!
I get so excited to see one of your posts pop up in my inbox! 🙂 Brightens my day! I hope the race this weekend goes as well as the first. Wow, I am not sure I would have handled the running away so well. You have an amazing way of thinking past the moment to the future while I’m blinded by the now. Your two-cents is priceless. 😉
I’m sad to report that Nate missed today’s race due to a bug he caught from me and the baby so their team did not do as well without him. 😦
Where did those two runaways go and what did they do during that “hour and 60 minutes”? I can hardly wait for the next installment!
I’m not even sure they were gone that long! When I asked what brought them back so soon they said they ran out of food and they would have stayed longer if I had packed them peanut butter sandwiches. Now I know for next time. As for where they went, the boys have all claimed possession of a couple of caves along the rocky shore and made them their hide-outs. They also skirted the edge of the golf course and collected a few stray balls, an activity I think they learned first from you!