What's In My Teapot?

My time for reading seems to constantly be under the whittling knife, but as all those devoted to the written word can tell you, there's always time for a few pages here, a chapter there, and so it is that I find myself working through the following selections: Chasing the North Star , by Robert Morgan, is the story of Jonah, who ran away from his master on his eighteenth birthday. and of Angel, who met up with Jonah at one point and decided to join him, even though he tries to leave her behind several times. In some ways the story moves slowly- and as far as I can tell, the entire book is about this epic race for freedom in the north- but the author is very talented with his descriptions and imagery, and the story is keeping me riveted. There are some acts of brutality and violence in the story that are hard to read, but they keep the story real and are a sobering reminder of what a black slave (and a runaway at that) may have faced in his/her quest for something we take for ...

I wonder how many choices most of us make on an average day? Some of them are mundane enough... Rise and shine a bit early or sleep a few extra minutes in the morning? Which kind of tea with breakfast? Do the ironing before or after school with Gavin? What should I make for supper to go with the salmon cakes? While others hold a little more weight... What should we name the baby? Which curriculum should we choose for Elasa's language arts? Where do we start looking for a new couch to replace the one going out for bulky pickup? How do I teach my children to stop fighting with each other? Do I want the grey diaper bag with lime accents or the tan one with orange? (Oh, wait! Maybe that doesn't count as a "weighty decision"...!) Life is constantly throwing choices at us, and while we make many decisions on any given day without a second thought, others require careful consideration. Or, maybe it should be said, they should require careful consi...

The best of the season is certainly found in the strawberries blooming in the garden, the dogwood blossoms turning to leaf outside my kitchen window, and the azalea bushes looking about as tropical as anything I can hope to see in these parts, but with the coming of this lovely season of spring has come an unwelcome guest, and four out of five in our family are currently suffering from a nasty flu that brings with it fever, congestion, stuffy noses, coughs, and more doses of ibuprofen than I care to count! This flu has coincided with some of the most gloomy, wet weather known to spring, and so between the twain, I have had my hands full with trying to keep my spirits up while I dispense pills, comfort feverish children, turn couches into beds, and try to keep the house limping along with clean laundry and food on the table. So far, I have managed to escape the scourge myself, and I know that despite how careful I try ...