What truth do I preach better than I practice?
Oswald Chambers
Monday Ponderings {March 20th}
Category: Spring
Monday Ponderings {June 13th}
In the world at large, people who are able to free themselves from this self-centered way of thinking are truly uncommon. Above all, when one stands to gain or lose, it is exceptionally difficult to step outside of oneself and make correct judgments, and thus one could say that people who are able to think Copernicus-style even about these things are exceptionally great people. Most people slip into self-interested way of thinking, become unable to understand the facts of the matter, and end up seeing only that which betters their own circumstances.
Genzaburo Yoshino
Monday Ponderings {May 3Oth}
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians
Joy Journal: May 26th, 2022
What is inspiring you or bringing you joy currently? I hope to start a new series here. Please join me in comments, in your journal, or on your blog!
Right now, I’m loving…
|| the Betsy, Tacy, and Tib series by Maud Hart Lovelace || “With You” sung by Jimin and Ha SungWoon – I actually reimagine this as a love song to Jesus ♥️ || “The Peace of Wild Things” collection by Wendell Berry || barn swallow watching || Seattle’s Best decaf – thanks to Booktube friend, Tiffany for this recommendation || searching for new-to-me mystery series ||Kate Howe’s Booktube || a new to me Booktube, A Day of Small Things || finding 100 Days of Dante podcast || starting L. M. Montgomery’s Selected Journals Volume 3 ||
|| Harney & Sons Paris tea, fruity Earl Grey || first peony bud on bush friend gave me two summer’s ago || Salt & Sound music || Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright, anticipation for the sequel || bird and rabbit watching || rereading Little House series this summer with my younger children || endless cloud-filled skies || finding a math tutor for my son || Paul Johnson’s A History of the American People, who knew a tome like this could go down so smoothly? || contemplating reading some Moomins or another Tove Jansson book with friends || little boys in flannel button-downs || Schliech animal scenes perpetually in living room || Totoro socks from daughter || vignette series rattling around in brain || thinking back over favorite summer reads in years past, what are your favorites? || new fresh slate to start drawing upon for next homeschool year ||
What’s on your joy list?
Happy Friday, friends! Lots of love from Hearth Ridge, Amy 🌿♥️🌿
Monday Ponderings {May 23rd}
…the educator has to deal with a self-acting, self-developing being, and his business is to guide, and assist in, the production of the latent good in that being, the dissipation of the latent evil, the preparation of the child to take his place in the world at his best, with every capacity for good that is in him developed into a power.”
Charlotte Mason
Monday Ponderings {May 16th}
Light and life arise from the personal presence of our Lord.
Charlotte Mason, Scale How Meditations
|| on clouds ||
|| endless clouds extend to the horizon line. slate grey, white tuffed, take-deep-breath marshmallows , chewy goodness. softness, a gentling, sunsplit glints of gold, the dresden of heaven’s hutch. clouds come down, bringing middle earth to midwest. pillows, puffs, earth and sky gooey s’more center, coolness, and shade. buckets of liquid love dipped and poured over earth’s open and waiting hands. what would i be without clouds? i’m not talking about the science behind the loss of clouds, i’m talking about fluff-on-the-wind deep soul loss. the loss of the wisp and whisper drawing our hearts and our eyes upward. clouds crowd the crevices of my heart and i want to be forever enveloped in a squishy embrace. bright white, somber grey, i take this popcorn of the sky, salted, anyway. a true friend to sail away on, summer shape finding, a friend to count on hovering close by. a field of fluff for soul and spirit encouragement harvesting. a bit of white lace for earth’s blue and green dress. freshness, light, love…clouds. ||
Monday Ponderings {May 2nd}
It was rather that as I came to know the children and to think of them as persons rather than names in my grade book, I forgot my reactions and began to love them. I suppose the principle was that the higher affection will always expel the lower whenever we give the higher affection sway. For me, it was letting love for the mountain children come in the front door while my preoccupation with bad smells crept out the rathole.
Catherine Marshall, Christy
Monday Ponderings {April 11th}
The trunk of the tree grew thick as a wall. Anatole could not even see where it curved around to the other side. He looked up into the branches. No light broke through at the top. The tree grew into great darkness.
“It’s best not to think about the top,” said the north wind. “It’s best just to start climbing.”
Sailing to Cythera – Nancy Willard
Favorite Reads {1st Quarter 2022} 📚🌿📚
What’s up, Doc? Can you tell what my children have watching lately? 🐰 I thought it would be easier and fun to just highlight my favorite reads this year in a quarterly fashion. 🌿📚🌿
I had some BEAUTIFUL reads in January. Surprising reads, too, as Out of Silent Planet was a reread and was so much better this time around. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich was a semi-autobiographical, heart wrenching look at a Soviet work-camp. The Scent of a Water was a favorite, so introspective and lovely. About an older woman starting afresh and the things she learns from the journals of her relative, her new neighbors, and nature. Wives and Daughters just a pure character dive into depth and insight, people to root for and love. Gaskell is SO accessible and lovely. You don’t have to work hard to be rewarded.
February brought the the lovely read of Emily of Deep Valley, a book that’s been on my TBR list for a long time and it didn’t disappoint. A coming of age story with so much to learn for this almost 42 yo! My reread of Martha’s Vineyard: Isle of Dreams by Susan Branch was just perfect. My favorite memoir from her! I really enjoyed finding the work of Austin Kleon, his encouragement on creativity really resonating with me.
A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered.
C.S. Lewis
March brought the beginning of a huge reading slump, but I did manage to enjoy the adult historical fiction, The Morning Gift, by Eva Ibbotson, a new to me author whom I’m enjoying. This was about an girl trapped in Nazi-occupied Vienna and it was different, well done, and I really enjoyed it.
Love, Amy ♥️🌿
Lenten Gratitude {3} 🌿💜🌿
Continuing my Lenten List of Gratitude…
21. reflection in my rich, delicious coffee and cream of the light above, the ripple and movement of it catching my eye in the early morning quiet
22. marking up seed catalog with stickies, my 12 yo and I, the hope of green growing things to come, something to look forward to and tend outside of ourselves
23. the pleasure of a 2 yo over thrifted shoes, velcro and camo cuteness for $3
24. this song
25. evening and morning of little nothings that are something with husband to reset – peanuts, journaling, talking by the river, seeing a duck break through the ice, weasel bounding across, Sandhills bugling, crows, and the waddle of returned Canada geese, chicken avocado salad, and long meandering drives through farm country
26. juicy pears
27. this unique show I found on YouTube- yes, low budget, predictable, but heartwarming. Based on a true story!
28. a church friend asking us over for lunch and her lovely cat Smokey climbing in my lap, purring and so affectionate
29. coffee catch-ups lately with lovely women
30. potty “training” to help me learn yet again to move at the pace of a small child, so sobering, infuriating, and endearing at the same time
What gifts have caught your eye lately? I’d love to hear! 🌿💜🌿 Lots of love, Amy
Monday Ponderings {March 14th} 💚🌿💚
“…Thy need is sown and rooted for His rain…
Work on!”
George MacDonald, The Cloud of Witness, p. 153
A.M. Pine - Hearth Ridge Reflections 