Love of Libraries, whaledreamers, and Meaningful Stories

One of the best things about homeschooling is that we get to go to the library and check out all kinds of books about whatever we are interested in. While we were browsing among the whale section, I cam across a video that looked intriguing. It is called whaledreamers, and was produced by Julian Lennon. It talks about the connection between a tribal culture in Australia and the whales they had a special relationship with. It follows this tribe as they host a gathering of other indigenous tribes from around the world and share their stories of their connections with whales. The respect and closeness they developed between cultures was inspiring. The video also brought up issues of genocide and forced migration from ancient tribal lands. These topics were explained well, but would be best for older children. This video was over the head of my two children, and parts were more intense than I would like them to see, but the video and its message made an impact on me.

I started thinking again about the power of story. I have put my writing on hold for awhile after Aaron's cancer and job loss and beginning homeschooling and having surgery. But I started getting that "itch" again, remembering why I write and how meaningful writing can be. I thought also about the power of stories in our own home, on a more personal level. We begin our days with story time - snuggles, warm and cuddly, the two children sleepy on my lap, letting them gently wake up to begin the day. Stories later in the morning when we all need a break. Stories before nap to get Annika ready for sleep. Stories at bedtime, snuggling again with a child on either side, warm pajamas and blankets. Books for one of them when emotions overflow, helping them to calm down and become grounded again. Children loving reading and learning, asking questions and soaking up all kinds of information without even trying. Children hearing stories from all kinds of cultures and genres, looking at pictures and illustrations from wonderful photographers and talented artists, as well as creating images in their own heads with their imaginations.

What would we do without stories and books? Have you had any experiences with the power of story or books? I'd love to hear them!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day Eleven

Should this post be about storytime, books, the library.... or all of those?  I felt good enough to take Annika to the library for the toddler story time today.  We have an excellent fellow named Brian in charge of this program now.  He is a musician and theater guy, plus he is excellent with young children and picks fun books to read.  He does funny voices and sound effects, and mixes stories up with songs and dancing.  There is always a dose of classical music included, as well as the traditional nursery rhymes and ditties.  We are very fortunate to have such a man to lead our story times.  

There were over 40 kids plus parents in the room today, and there was another session after ours, as well.  I find it a bit overwhelming, and I think Annika does, too.  She is so different than her brother was at this age.  He would go up front by himself to get instruments or see the books.  She sucks her thumb and needs me to accompany her around the room.  But I know it is enriching for us both to be there, so we brave the crowds and get our dose of culture.

We picked up a few books afterward.  I love bringing home new library books to read.  I like the variety and the luxury of having new material.  Even so, I think I read each of our new books two or three times today.  I also picked up a bunch of magazines for myself.  I am already in the middle of 3 or 4 books (5 or 6??), so magazines are more realistic for me to finish right now.  Some of them are research for my writing, some are just issues that looked interesting or informative.  Either way, I feel nourished by our visit to the library.  Now, if I can just pull myself away from the computer......

Mail Call!

We got a bunch of stuff in the mail today.  I love getting mail (not bills, though!) I got a package of Wrap-N-Mats from Reusablebags.com.  They are little mats that you can wrap a sandwich or snack in, and you can wash them and reuse them over and over.  I hope they will help me reduce the amount of plastic zipper bags I use.  I try to wash those out and reuse them, but they still turn into garbage that will last forever, so I have been looking for opportunities to reduce the number I throw away.

Aaron got two packages of software, one is a trial version of a program and another is Photoshop, so we can work on our photos easier.  Aaron is also busy scanning some old glass negatives that we found in our garage when we move in.  Stay tuned for more on that in future posts.

Finally, I got a book I have been waiting for eagerly: Home: Chronicle of a North Country Life by Beth Powning.  It is full of luscious photos and sensitive, observant writing from her years living in a farmhouse in New Brunswick, Canada.  I started reading it as soon as I opened it, and had a hard time pulling myself away to attend to the children.  Eventually I did put it down, but am looking forward to diving in again this evening.  I meant to put a link to Powning's website here yesterday.  You can find out more about her there, and see some of her other books.

The Hatbox Letters

This weekend I finished reading The Hatbox Letters by Beth Powning.  What a wonderful book!  It is a novel about a woman who was digging through some old hatboxes full of letters, diaries, and other items from her family's past.  She learned more about her family's history while she was working her way through the grief of losing her husband over a year ago.  Powning's writing style is descriptive - she describes things so well that you can really picture the scene.  She uses surprising phrases, metaphors and similes to get the atmosphere of her scenes across.  In addition, she gets so into the character's heads that I felt immersed in their reality.  She explored grief, acceptance and renewal in a realistic and fascinating manner.  I had a hard time putting this book down.  Saturday I had large chunks of quiet hours to read uninterrupted, and it was so satisfying to be able to immerse myself in this book.  Already I want to read it again, to catch things I may have missed the first time.  But, I think I'll let it sit for awhile and start on the newest book I treated myself to, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  I'll keep you posted!