I just popped in here and checked my statcounter. You gals are still checking in regularly to see if I've written anything. I'm so sorry!!!! I can't wait until summer when I'm done teaching for the year. This has been such an overwhelming school year... I can't even begin to convey how consumed I have been with school stuff. But I promise I'll be back eventually!
It's great to know I have such wonderful friends!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Deathly Hallows
I finally finished reading "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." I know I'm a little behind the times. I purposely avoided reading the Harry Potter books before now because I knew they would be all-consuming until I finished them and I didn't have the time to spare. But a month ago I decided that I really needed some escapist reading, as well as just wanting to know what happened in the books (I've seen all the movies so far.) So I have been carrying these huge library books around with me everywhere, hoping to snatch a few minutes of reading on my lunch break or after school, staying up at night until I can't keep my eyes open, reading, reading, reading....
First of all, I have to say that Joanne Rowling deserves all of the credit and fortune she has gained. She has created a fictional world just as shining and real and tangible as Tolkein's or Lewis's. I also have to give her a standing ovation for including powerful Christian themes woven within a tapestry that the post-Christian world can understand and accept. That is her greatest accomplishment in the books, I believe. Her Christian detractors (including my beloved Dr. Dobson) should be ashamed of themselves, for they know not of what they speak. Everyone who has worked on the movies deserves a standing ovation as well for bringing these works to life so amazingly well.
I am grateful to Rowling for showing me, once again, that It Can Be Done. Sometimes it seems that Lewis and Tolkein are standing up on such high pedestals, no mere mortals can climb up to their height. But she has done it, and more recently. So perhaps, just perhaps, I might be able to do it too. It is Encouraging. Not terribly, for the books are so very overwhelming in their finished form, but I have to keep reminding myself that all of them sat down with a blank piece of paper or blank screen in front of them and Just Kept Writing.
Some of my thoughts on the actual book (in case anyone cares):
I find Harry to be one of the most frustrating dolts I have ever come across. I was really, really getting annoyed with him in the last two books, but finally he grew up and shouldered his responsibilities like a man. I kept reminding myself that he is only a teenager, only seventeen by the end, and so I can't expect too much of him. Still, it was a relief when he finally stopped following emotional rabbit trails and Stuck To It. I also have to remind myself that Harry's flaws underline his role as an average guy - the Everyman we can relate to rather than some untouchable golden hero. Except when he's acting under pressure, he isn't really that smart, and it is his friends, mentors and a lot of luck that pull him through.
I wanted to wring his neck when he took Mad-Eye's glass eye from Umbridge's door. I was literally muttering at the book: "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Harry's outburst at Lupin when he came to offer his help was extremely upsetting... I hated him for doing that... however as an author I can see why it was essential for this scene to happen for two reasons: 1) Lupin's character had to offer to help them because it was both his nature and his role to do so, but that 2) Lupin could not go along because Harry, Ron and Hermione had to complete their quest without the help of a mentor. It was Show Time for the three companions. No grown-ups could come along. Using Harry's anger at the loss of his parents to drive Lupin back to his own family was brilliant.
I was relieved that Albus Dumbledore did not come back from the dead. The whole thing with the blue eye in the mirror had me worried. I couldn't believe it. My only thought was that perhaps, somehow, by nature of his violent and untimely death and Harry's dependence upon him, Albus's soul had somehow made an unintentional Horcrux inside of Harry, and it was Albus peeking out of Harry's own eyes in the mirror. It didn't make sense with all that we know about Dumbledore - he would never have done that intentionally - but it was the only explanation I could think of. When I found out it was really his brother using the other mirror, I was immensely relieved.
I was also relieved to find out that Albus wasn't a complete saint. This was quite reassuring and made me trust the story - and the author - even more. It also emphasizes the theme of redemption - that people can change and become more than they originally are.
I did think Hermione and Harry were more than a little dense for falling for the trap laid for them in Godric's Hollow, when the snake disguised itself as Bathilda Bagshot. How stupid can you be? Not the situation itself, but the fact that the house was so clearly decaying around her and that she wouldn't speak except to Harry, in parseltongue.
I am extremely relieved that Snape wasn't a betrayer, and that Dumbledore was not wrong in his judgement of him. Snape as a tragic hero suits me much better. I never quite believed he had killed Dumbledore without his permission. Perhaps because I am such a fan of Alan Rickman, who plays him in the movies. That is one of the complications of seeing the movies first.
I am also glad that Malfoy didn't kill anyone, and that Harry rescued him in the end. I just loved Ron's line in that scene... it was truly classic... "IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU HARRY!" I'm glad that not all the main characters lived. Nothing bugs me more than a battle in which all the main heroes miraculously survive unscathed.
What else did I really love? Let's see... the redemption of Kreacher, the house elf. Fleur and Mrs. Weasley making up. Percy returning to the fold. Luna being so essential. Neville facing Voldemort and killing the snake. I just wish Hagrid had had a chance to do something really heroic. I do wish Sirius had lived longer, though. He was such a complex character... there was so much potential there for an author to play around with. I also wish we had gotten a final glimpse of the Dursleys. I suspect that she wrote it and had to edit it out.
The whole Room of Requirement thing, where all the Order and D.A. members and their families started pouring into Hogwart's, was also brilliant. The search for the Horcruxes. The fact that Harry himself was the final Horcrux. All the stuff with the Elder Wand and who was master of it... Dumbledore? Voldemort? Harry? Malfoy? Snape? The plot was spectacular, unexpected, brilliantly clever, just too too amazing for words (hear me sobbing into the sleeve of my bathrobe with jealousy?)
In short, it was the most exciting and satisfying thing I've read since "The Return of the King."
*sigh* *sniffle* *sob*
(deep breath)
I'll get there. One day. Really I will.
First of all, I have to say that Joanne Rowling deserves all of the credit and fortune she has gained. She has created a fictional world just as shining and real and tangible as Tolkein's or Lewis's. I also have to give her a standing ovation for including powerful Christian themes woven within a tapestry that the post-Christian world can understand and accept. That is her greatest accomplishment in the books, I believe. Her Christian detractors (including my beloved Dr. Dobson) should be ashamed of themselves, for they know not of what they speak. Everyone who has worked on the movies deserves a standing ovation as well for bringing these works to life so amazingly well.
I am grateful to Rowling for showing me, once again, that It Can Be Done. Sometimes it seems that Lewis and Tolkein are standing up on such high pedestals, no mere mortals can climb up to their height. But she has done it, and more recently. So perhaps, just perhaps, I might be able to do it too. It is Encouraging. Not terribly, for the books are so very overwhelming in their finished form, but I have to keep reminding myself that all of them sat down with a blank piece of paper or blank screen in front of them and Just Kept Writing.
Some of my thoughts on the actual book (in case anyone cares):
I find Harry to be one of the most frustrating dolts I have ever come across. I was really, really getting annoyed with him in the last two books, but finally he grew up and shouldered his responsibilities like a man. I kept reminding myself that he is only a teenager, only seventeen by the end, and so I can't expect too much of him. Still, it was a relief when he finally stopped following emotional rabbit trails and Stuck To It. I also have to remind myself that Harry's flaws underline his role as an average guy - the Everyman we can relate to rather than some untouchable golden hero. Except when he's acting under pressure, he isn't really that smart, and it is his friends, mentors and a lot of luck that pull him through.
I wanted to wring his neck when he took Mad-Eye's glass eye from Umbridge's door. I was literally muttering at the book: "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Harry's outburst at Lupin when he came to offer his help was extremely upsetting... I hated him for doing that... however as an author I can see why it was essential for this scene to happen for two reasons: 1) Lupin's character had to offer to help them because it was both his nature and his role to do so, but that 2) Lupin could not go along because Harry, Ron and Hermione had to complete their quest without the help of a mentor. It was Show Time for the three companions. No grown-ups could come along. Using Harry's anger at the loss of his parents to drive Lupin back to his own family was brilliant.
I was relieved that Albus Dumbledore did not come back from the dead. The whole thing with the blue eye in the mirror had me worried. I couldn't believe it. My only thought was that perhaps, somehow, by nature of his violent and untimely death and Harry's dependence upon him, Albus's soul had somehow made an unintentional Horcrux inside of Harry, and it was Albus peeking out of Harry's own eyes in the mirror. It didn't make sense with all that we know about Dumbledore - he would never have done that intentionally - but it was the only explanation I could think of. When I found out it was really his brother using the other mirror, I was immensely relieved.
I was also relieved to find out that Albus wasn't a complete saint. This was quite reassuring and made me trust the story - and the author - even more. It also emphasizes the theme of redemption - that people can change and become more than they originally are.
I did think Hermione and Harry were more than a little dense for falling for the trap laid for them in Godric's Hollow, when the snake disguised itself as Bathilda Bagshot. How stupid can you be? Not the situation itself, but the fact that the house was so clearly decaying around her and that she wouldn't speak except to Harry, in parseltongue.
I am extremely relieved that Snape wasn't a betrayer, and that Dumbledore was not wrong in his judgement of him. Snape as a tragic hero suits me much better. I never quite believed he had killed Dumbledore without his permission. Perhaps because I am such a fan of Alan Rickman, who plays him in the movies. That is one of the complications of seeing the movies first.
I am also glad that Malfoy didn't kill anyone, and that Harry rescued him in the end. I just loved Ron's line in that scene... it was truly classic... "IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU HARRY!" I'm glad that not all the main characters lived. Nothing bugs me more than a battle in which all the main heroes miraculously survive unscathed.
What else did I really love? Let's see... the redemption of Kreacher, the house elf. Fleur and Mrs. Weasley making up. Percy returning to the fold. Luna being so essential. Neville facing Voldemort and killing the snake. I just wish Hagrid had had a chance to do something really heroic. I do wish Sirius had lived longer, though. He was such a complex character... there was so much potential there for an author to play around with. I also wish we had gotten a final glimpse of the Dursleys. I suspect that she wrote it and had to edit it out.
The whole Room of Requirement thing, where all the Order and D.A. members and their families started pouring into Hogwart's, was also brilliant. The search for the Horcruxes. The fact that Harry himself was the final Horcrux. All the stuff with the Elder Wand and who was master of it... Dumbledore? Voldemort? Harry? Malfoy? Snape? The plot was spectacular, unexpected, brilliantly clever, just too too amazing for words (hear me sobbing into the sleeve of my bathrobe with jealousy?)
In short, it was the most exciting and satisfying thing I've read since "The Return of the King."
*sigh* *sniffle* *sob*
(deep breath)
I'll get there. One day. Really I will.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I Miss You!!!!
Hello everyone there on the Internet....I miss you!!!! I know you are waiting for more installments of the Elfin Chronicles but those will be a while in coming. I'm sorry. Have some eggnog and think of me... better yet, think of Christmas Elves!
Merry Christmas!!!
Christine
Merry Christmas!!!
Christine
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Classical Momsense
This is a Mom's version of the William Tell Overture.... I didn't laugh out loud when I saw it... it was one of those things where my mouth was hanging open in a caricature of a silent laugh and tears were streaming down my face... it was so funny I couldn't even MAKE a sound... maybe that's because my caffeine hadn't kicked in yet... anyways, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anSpBUxsgAU
(the hyperlink feature isn't working... you'll have to cut and paste it into your browser)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anSpBUxsgAU
(the hyperlink feature isn't working... you'll have to cut and paste it into your browser)
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Sunday Morning
Hi everyone... it's me.... sneaking onto the computer on a Sunday morning when I should be working on lesson plans or paying bills. I got up early to do those things, but here I am instead.
There is no rest on the Sabbath for a mom/wife/teacher. I used to try to keep Sunday a day of rest but... forget it. There have been so many things cropping up to keep me overwhelmed and not performing my best during the past few weeks that I can't afford to take today off: the dog being sick, me being sick, car trouble, the refrigerator breaking, and so on. Nothing life-threatening but certainly stressful. I've shed a few tears this week as well. Did you know that tears actually release stress hormones from your body? I learned that this week from my sister. Yes, Carolyn, you DID know something I didn't! I can't wait to share that with my class.
So I'm sitting here with my coffee, hoping an elf will appear on my windowsill but I know it won't happen today. Too bad. We could all use an elf visit once in a while.
One of the things I am learning is the incredible recuperative power of sleep. I can't believe how much better I feel in the morning than in the evening; God's mercies truly are new every morning. (Lam. 3:23). I spent most of my previous working life feeling depressed about one thing or another; it is like the difference between night and day working now. I am "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair" the way I used to be. (2 Cor. 4:8).
And there definitely are some bright moments. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see some protozoans through the microscope on Friday. We collected them from some stream mud in the woods behind the school. They were just swimming around, munching on algae before our very eyes - tiny little transparent one-celled organisms. The students got tired of looking at them before I did.
The teachers I work with are an incredible bunch. One of them shared some horrific struggles she is going through right now in her family. Another nearly lost her leg this summer in a riding accident. I'm sure that there are many other untold stories. When we meet for devotions in the morning, it seems like such a small group. About a dozen or so women who are responsible for the care and education of approximately 150 students in grades K4 to 8. And yet our task is so enormous and so crucial. I am constantly aware that we are on the front lines of a battle for the minds and hearts of these children.
More than one person has criticized me for teaching in a Christian school and for sending my son to a Christian school by saying that it is "sheltered" and not "the real world." I can't tell you how sad and even angry that makes me. This life that we lead as Christians is no less real than the life the secular world lives. In many senses, it is more real because we are consciously battling the spiritual forces against us as well as the temporal. (Secular people are also battling the spiritual but don't know it.) We are watchers on the walls over our families and children; we make many sacrifices in order to provide them this safe training ground in which to form their characters before they go out into the world.
And it isn't as isolated as many people think. We get some of the students who can't function in a public school setting; who have flunked out or been kicked out. We have to welcome them with open arms and teach the children how to welcome them as well. We are a spiritual and emotional hospital for some of these kids. Also, just because many of the families are Christian doesn't mean that they don't have their own problems. You can never judge a family by how clean and polished it looks on the outside. In some ways, Christians are better at covering up their problems than others who are more "in the world." Fortunately, this school and the home church seem to be places where it's okay to fail and struggle. The principal and staff make it their mission to support every family and child. I'm very glad for that.
They have supported me tremendously, especially on Friday when I needed to vent some of my stress. I can also go into the principal's office and tell him exactly what I'm worrying about or thinking and he will give me gentle, thoughtful guidance. He feels, as I do, that we have to prepare our Middle School students to go out to any high school and succeed both academically and spiritually. We are training them to be responsible for themselves in the wider world. Since there is a lack of Christian high schools in the area, this is going to be especially critical for my eighth graders. I think that perhaps my mission here is to use my experience in dealing with the secular academic world to help prepare these students for public high school and college.
I wrote here previously that I feel as if I am in the center of God's will for me. I still feel that it is a very good - if very challenging - place to be. When I am tempted to give up, I have to remind myself of the first morning of the school year, when I stood in my kitchen and felt the anointing of God fall upon me, telling me that He has given me this task and will help me accomplish it.
He also said that about my book and I haven't forgotten. He has promised me that He will help me complete BOTH of my callings and I am trusting Him to complete the work that He has begun through me. 41,067 words worth, to be precise.
There is no rest on the Sabbath for a mom/wife/teacher. I used to try to keep Sunday a day of rest but... forget it. There have been so many things cropping up to keep me overwhelmed and not performing my best during the past few weeks that I can't afford to take today off: the dog being sick, me being sick, car trouble, the refrigerator breaking, and so on. Nothing life-threatening but certainly stressful. I've shed a few tears this week as well. Did you know that tears actually release stress hormones from your body? I learned that this week from my sister. Yes, Carolyn, you DID know something I didn't! I can't wait to share that with my class.
So I'm sitting here with my coffee, hoping an elf will appear on my windowsill but I know it won't happen today. Too bad. We could all use an elf visit once in a while.
One of the things I am learning is the incredible recuperative power of sleep. I can't believe how much better I feel in the morning than in the evening; God's mercies truly are new every morning. (Lam. 3:23). I spent most of my previous working life feeling depressed about one thing or another; it is like the difference between night and day working now. I am "hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair" the way I used to be. (2 Cor. 4:8).
And there definitely are some bright moments. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see some protozoans through the microscope on Friday. We collected them from some stream mud in the woods behind the school. They were just swimming around, munching on algae before our very eyes - tiny little transparent one-celled organisms. The students got tired of looking at them before I did.
The teachers I work with are an incredible bunch. One of them shared some horrific struggles she is going through right now in her family. Another nearly lost her leg this summer in a riding accident. I'm sure that there are many other untold stories. When we meet for devotions in the morning, it seems like such a small group. About a dozen or so women who are responsible for the care and education of approximately 150 students in grades K4 to 8. And yet our task is so enormous and so crucial. I am constantly aware that we are on the front lines of a battle for the minds and hearts of these children.
More than one person has criticized me for teaching in a Christian school and for sending my son to a Christian school by saying that it is "sheltered" and not "the real world." I can't tell you how sad and even angry that makes me. This life that we lead as Christians is no less real than the life the secular world lives. In many senses, it is more real because we are consciously battling the spiritual forces against us as well as the temporal. (Secular people are also battling the spiritual but don't know it.) We are watchers on the walls over our families and children; we make many sacrifices in order to provide them this safe training ground in which to form their characters before they go out into the world.
And it isn't as isolated as many people think. We get some of the students who can't function in a public school setting; who have flunked out or been kicked out. We have to welcome them with open arms and teach the children how to welcome them as well. We are a spiritual and emotional hospital for some of these kids. Also, just because many of the families are Christian doesn't mean that they don't have their own problems. You can never judge a family by how clean and polished it looks on the outside. In some ways, Christians are better at covering up their problems than others who are more "in the world." Fortunately, this school and the home church seem to be places where it's okay to fail and struggle. The principal and staff make it their mission to support every family and child. I'm very glad for that.
They have supported me tremendously, especially on Friday when I needed to vent some of my stress. I can also go into the principal's office and tell him exactly what I'm worrying about or thinking and he will give me gentle, thoughtful guidance. He feels, as I do, that we have to prepare our Middle School students to go out to any high school and succeed both academically and spiritually. We are training them to be responsible for themselves in the wider world. Since there is a lack of Christian high schools in the area, this is going to be especially critical for my eighth graders. I think that perhaps my mission here is to use my experience in dealing with the secular academic world to help prepare these students for public high school and college.
I wrote here previously that I feel as if I am in the center of God's will for me. I still feel that it is a very good - if very challenging - place to be. When I am tempted to give up, I have to remind myself of the first morning of the school year, when I stood in my kitchen and felt the anointing of God fall upon me, telling me that He has given me this task and will help me accomplish it.
He also said that about my book and I haven't forgotten. He has promised me that He will help me complete BOTH of my callings and I am trusting Him to complete the work that He has begun through me. 41,067 words worth, to be precise.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
I've received an award!!!
I've just been given the "Nice Matters Award" by my friend Michelle Gregory."This award is for those bloggers who are nice people as well as good friends, provide inspiration to others and are a positive influence on the blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to seven others whom you feel are deserving.”
First of all, I am very honored and would like to thank Michelle for inspiring me to do my own blog and encouraging me so much with my writing. And all the people at Blogger.com who keep this site up and running free of charge. And of course my mom and dad, who have always supported me in my creative endeavors, and my husband who doesn't complain (too much) about the amount of time I spend online. And my dog Teddy who reminds me when it's time to get up and go for a walk. And all the little people who are usually overlooked... (the elves... hee hee.)
Oh, is my time up? I'm not finished yet! Hey, you can't drag people off the stage by their hair, I'm a celebrity now! Where's my stylist? Where's my dressing room?
I don't actually read 7 other blogs, but I would like to pass this along to my friend Jen at Journeys of Life. http://jenslifejourney.blogspot.com/.
She is one of the most gentle, uplifting people I've ever met. So, here's to you Jen... because Nice Matters.
Monday, August 20, 2007
A Tiny Interruption
Dear Readers,
I'm afraid that I won't be able to post any more installments for the next couple of weeks. I will post on the Greenleaf forum and send an email out to those whom I know are reading it as soon as the next episode is written.
Enjoy the last two weeks of summer, everyone!
Christine
I'm afraid that I won't be able to post any more installments for the next couple of weeks. I will post on the Greenleaf forum and send an email out to those whom I know are reading it as soon as the next episode is written.
Enjoy the last two weeks of summer, everyone!
Christine
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