Learning

This evening Lauren (15) was preparing for a Biology test while the rest of us watched “Marley and Me.”  She took a break and came downstairs to give us a preview of what she was studying.

Lauren understands that she is a visual learner and uses flash cards to very good effect.  Somewhere along the way she determined that she doesn’t respond as well to blue or black writing as she does to other colors, so she made her current set of flash cards with purple and yellow pens.  Don’t ask me.

Allow me one little example of her approach to learning:  knowing that “ventre” is the French word for stomach helps her to remember that “ventral” refers to the front surfaces of any structure.  Same thing with “dos” (French word for back) and “dorsal.”  Lauren thought French and Biology were completely unrelated subjects, then she started discovering connections like these.

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Our thinking about education has always been that we want the kids to love learning, as that’s something they’ll enjoy all their lives.  Lauren showed us this evening an awesome example of how she’s drinking in facts and information and finding new ways in which to connect pieces of her world.  It’s a great encouragement and delight to see her education actually blossoming – like she is – right before our eyes.

Close to home

Our friend Andrea sent this along…

from The New Yorker, Feb 23, 2009

Renaming our house

I’ll never forget visiting the home of a lifelong friend of my grandparents when I was a kid.  It was an estate, actually.  And like any estate worth its salt, it had a name:  Broadfields.

Three details about the house stick in my mind:  1) There were buttons in nearly every room that rang a buzzer in the kitchen and indicated the room from which the signal came.  2)  In addition to buttons mounted on the walls, a mound in the carpet under the dining room table concealed a switch that the hostess could press with her foot.  For a kid who loved lights and switches and buzzers and buttons, this was the stuff of dreams.  I did not then – nor can I now – comprehend that these wonderful devices would actually summon a member of the household staff.  So much for being able to press buttons whenever I wanted.

The third detail was a Bentley with a driver named Thomas.  It was a family car, though it’s hard to imagine doing anything practical like grocery shopping, giving rides to sweaty kids after a soccer game, or bringing home a few bags of compost.  Can’t picture pumping my own gas at Costco in a Bentley.  But I digress…

Broadfields always inspired me to give names to my homes, be they ever so humble.  Another inspiration came from “Stately Wayne Manor,” home of Batman’s alter-ego Bruce Wayne.

But we drive two almost 20 year-old cars, neither of which would ever be mistaken for a Bentley.  We do have a buzzer with a button at the kitchen sink.  No servants are summoned; we use it instead of standing at the top of the stairs and shouting, “Time for dinner!” Though we love our home, it’s not really the sort of place that says “manor.”

Center for Casual Living is much more descriptive.  The vacuum hose sometimes doesn’t get put away for days or weeks at a time. We’re hesitant to replace carpeting because it contains so much of our family history.  Our bedroom also serves as an intermediate stop for things on their way to Goodwill or for sale on Craigslist.  Current inventory in the loading dock/bedroom includes an electronic keyboard, a telescope, a small TV and old VCR, and some shelving.

Center for Casual Living.  I should make a sign – there’s probably a nice scrap of lumber somewhere in our bedroom, and some paint, too…

…and to The Republic

“The Republic” is a Seattle indie rock band.  Following are excerpts from my note to one of the band members.

I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed seeing The Republic’s performance last Saturday evening.  Here’s a little background:

• Susan and I are both 57.
• She is not as much of a rocker as I am.  In 23+ years of marriage I have never come home to find her with the stereo cranked up.
• She told me during the day on Saturday that she’d probably want to leave the show early.
• Lauren (15) and Zack (13) are pretty sure that most things we like would be real snoozers for them.

Well – we all stayed for the whole show and:

• Susan loved every minute of it.
• The kids enjoyed hearing and seeing the band.
• Zack has loaded Kingdom of Noise onto his iPod.
• He’s more interested than ever in playing drums, and will have the youth group’s drum set at our house this summer.
• Lauren came home from school the other day, thought the house was too quiet, and put on Kingdom of Noise.

I’m sure you guys get lots of positive feedback about your shows.  I think you’re in a class of your own.  As an old-timer, I lack the language to describe your genre and style, but there are tangible qualities of love, joy, and conviction – so much heart – coming through your music and stage presence.  I’d even say that I felt loved just seeing and listening to The Republic.  Quite different from a DEVO concert I attended years ago in which the members of the band actually got off the stage and walked on people in the audience!  I suppose their actions matched their beliefs.

. . . . . . . . . .

I’m a true blue fan and would be happy to do whatever I could to advance the cause of The Republic.

Supporters

No, not that kind of supporter…

I had a job interview yesterday.  In anticipation of it, I emailed a number of friends and family members to ask for their prayers and ‘good thoughts.’

The responses to this simple request were overwhelming, one more crystal-clear reminder that God has filled my life with people whose generosity toward me and others is beyond my ability to measure.  A few samples:

I was just thinking about you and this position earlier this evening. May God confirm this position for you, Tom.

I can feel the stars aligning now, Tom.

Right on, Tom.  What a catch that’d be–I’ll be praying.

Let us know how far you knock it out of the park.

See what I mean?  Two results were immediately apparent:  1) the hour-plus conversation was relaxed, informative, and enjoyable.  Seemed to me that it went well;  and 2) I came to the interview all wrapped up in the love of God as expressed in the support and encouragement of friends and family.  This is an awesome offset to the potential stress of an interview, and I highly recommend it for other job seekers!

I would be delighted to make it to the next round of interviews and hope to hear something soon.  Meanwhile, the search goes on and I’m newly mindful of God’s gifts of provision in times of need.