Knitting and Reading

Knitting

I have a bit of finishing work left for the lace sweater for myself.  We all know how quickly I do finishing work.  In other words, I’ve cast on another project to take to the lake, and carry around in my bag.  This is the first knitting project for the new baby.  It’s a Latte Baby Coat for this winter for him.  I chose Cascade Superwash wool.  I tend to favor “real” wool to super wash, as I don’t mind hand washing them.  I actually think sometimes it’s easier, and it has properties to the fiber that benefits babies so well.  But this happened to be cheaper, and there’s some great colors to choose from.  I’m nearly done with the body, as this is a super-fast knit, and will likely be onto the sleeves in the next few days.

Reading

Several people have told me in the last few years that I absolutely must read For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.  I favor more of a traditional classical homeschooling style, and this book is centered on a Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling, which in all honesty, Charlotte Mason is just a flavor of classical.  Some classical educators say that Charlotte Mason was the greatest classical educator of all time.  The reviews my friends gave said it encourages you to learn deeper, and not spread your time so thin.  I love the idea of digging deeper, and developing observation skills and imagination, which I believe are the strong points of a Charlotte Mason style education.

Since I have started reading it, I’ve been underlining things like crazy.  I’m absolutely loving this book, and can’t believe I haven’t read it before.  I love the base philosophy that children are persons.

Children in need are in every church, school, and community.  They are often emotionally adrift, without the sweet and natural security of their parents’ marriage to give a base to their family life.  Parents become tense and stressed, trying to fit fast-moving careers into ordinary human life.  Schools become mechanical, where the child all too often doesn’t really count.  TV becomes a sedative, stilling active play, reading, talking, sharing.  Planned activities crowd out personal growth and creativity.  And the god of money, status, and personal ease and pleasure seeps in everywhere like a noxious gas.

If Christianity is indeed true, then every last little child matters.  Bright to dull, privileged or from any variety of troubled background, each is valuable.  Persons matter.

Here’s another:

This is an individual who thinks, acts, and feels.  He is a separate human being whose strength lies in who he is, not in who he will become.

And another:

Look well at the child on your knee.  In whatever condition you find him, look with reverence.

That last one reminds me of how my grandpa used to look at me.  It’s as though he never forgot that every person is made in the image of God, therefore every person reflects God in some way.  This book is laying a foundation of education based on this principle, and I’m loving it.

Then she mentioned “L’Abri” and I nearly fell off my chair.  L’ABRI?!?!  As in, Francis Schaeffer?  Edith Schaeffer?  Edith’s book The Hidden Art of Homemaking is one of my favorites!!!  I’ve read it at least 3 times so far.  I love how Edith wrote about the ministry of hospitality at their L’Abri home in Europe.  When homeless men would come to her house, asking for food, she would make them up a tray of food.  She said that she was always sure that the tray had linen napkins, and a vase with a flower bud on it.  She always arranged the food on their plate in an artful way because she wanted to remind the homeless wanderer that he was made in the image of God, and that imagine within him cannot fade no matter his circumstances, and that every human deserves that respect.

I love the Schaeffer’s writing.  As it slowly dawned on me, and I finally looked at the author biography, I realized that this book on homeschooling is written by Francis and Edith’s daughter: Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.  I had a mild fan-girl, freak out moment.

Why didn’t anyone tell me she was a Schaeffer from L’Abri?!?!  I would have picked it up years ago had I known they had a book out on homeschooling.  Why did I not know this?!?!

So, needless to say, I’m eating this book up like candy now.  My mind can barely handle this.