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July 31, 2005
The Theory of Education in the United States - Part 1
Here is the beginning of my summary of Albert Nock's "The Theory of Education in the United States." This text comes from a series of lectures Mr. Nock delivered at the University of Virginia in 1931. Some things have changed since then, of course; but on the whole, his insights on our educational system of the early 1900s are still very much relevant today. Some things have changed, but most things have not changed.
Mr. Nock begins his lectures by establishing the fact that we, as a nation, are dissatisfied with our educational system. To see why that should be so, he begins by examining the theories on which our system is founded. These theories are, in a nutshell: equality, democracy, and the idea that "the one great assurance of good public order and honest government lay in a literate citizenry."
These are good theories. None of us would disagree.
The problem, he asserts, is not that the theories are not good. The problem is that our actual application of them is flawed. He begins with our application of equality:
So, when we set about the examination of this doctrine in relation to our educational system, we must first and above all ascertain which doctrine of equality it is that we find at the basis of our system; is it the philosophical doctrine recommended by Menander and espoused by Mr. Jefferson, or is it a popular doctrine which neither of them could or would recognize?There is no possible doubt about the answer. Our system is based upon the assumption popularly regarded as implicit in the doctrine of equality, that everybody is educable. This has been taken without question from the beginning; it is taken without question now. The whole structure of our system, the entire arrangement of its mechanics, testifies to this. Even our truant laws testify to it, for they are constructed with exclusive reference to school-age, not to school-ability. When we attempt to run this assumption back to the philosophical doctrine of equality, we cannot do it; it is not there, nothing like it is there. The philosophical doctrine of equality gives no more ground for the assumption that all men are educable than it does for the assumption that all men are six feet tall. We see at once, then, that it is not the philosophical doctrine of equality, but an utterly untenable popular perversion of it, that we find at the basis of our educational system.
Equality is a good and noble idea, but in this context the application of equality to mean "everyone is educable to the same degree" is ridiculous. He's right, of course. All it takes is a brief look at any group of people to show that he is right. And why should it be any other way? We all look different from one another. We have different tastes in food and music. Some people can cook and some can't. Much research has been done on the idea that each person's brain operates in a unique manner. It's logical and reasonable that people are educable to different degrees. There is a natural limit to the educability of each person, just as there is a natural limit to the ability to sing operatically.
Next he approaches our application of democracy: "Here we find something more than a popular perversion of a philosophically sound doctrine, which is what we found in our examination of the idea of equality. Here we find something even stranger and more interesting, a perversion upon a perversion." The first problem is that we have made synonymous the terms "democracy" and "republic." What we have, of course, is a republic. But republicanism of itself, he argues, does not even imply democracy.
The antithesis of democracy is absolutism; and absolutism may, and notoriously does, prevail under a republican regime as freely as under any other. Thus democracy is not a matter of an extension of the franchise, not a matter of the individual citizen's right of self-expression in politics, as the political philosophy of the eighteenth century regarded it. It is a matter of the diffusion of ownership; a true doctrine of democracy is a doctrine of public property.
Now, I am not much of a political thinker, and this is where the load of bricks dropped on my head. I've forwarded these ideas to my political adviser, and we'll have a nice discussion later. At any rate, Mr. Nock's point is that we claim to be founding our theory of education on our principle of democracy, when in reality we don't have a democracy.
(I cannot wait to read "Our Enemy, The State.)
On top of this error, he says, we have "accepted as democratic whatever was merely indiscriminate." The result is that the popular idea of democracy is one in which we resent the idea of superiority, the idea of an elite, the idea that there is a practical limit to intellectual achievement, the idea that there are any experiences and achievements that are only open to some and not to all. "... so the popular idea of democracy postulates that there shall be nothing worth enjoying for anybody to enjoy that everybody may not enjoy; and a contrary view is at once exposed to all the evils of a dogged, unintelligent, invincibly suspicious resentment."
We have now founded our system of edcuation on the theories that 1) everyone is educable, and 2) no one should be able to obtain that which we all cannot obtain. What kind of a school system can we form on top of these ideas?
Exactly the one we have, of course.
There will be more to come, in later installments. Tell me what you think so far.
Posted by lynx at 3:51 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
July 30, 2005
For Jo
Jo is my blog boss for the day. She's told me to blog about these three things:
1) My childbirth background.
Yes, I'm a doula, though I'm not certified and I haven't attended a birth in years. I decided not to go through the certification process because I knew that with all my young children, I would not be able to doula often. As they get older and childcare becomes less of an issue (and Jeff's job settles down to a more predictable geological point), I may go ahead and certify.
I've given birth in a hospital twice (one terrible experience, one good), a birth center, and at home. I've worked with OBs, certified nurse-midwives, and certfied public midwives (midwives who have gone through a certification process, but who are not nurses). I've taken three entirely different series of childbirth classes. Apart from that, I've simply read everything I can get my hands on. By the birth of my fourth child, I had already read the textbook my midwife used - and that's not the only midwifery text I had read! The whole process of pregnancy and birth is fascinating. I'd love to be a midwife.
I also love being pregnant and giving birth, and would have 16 babies if I wouldn't then have to pay to raise them all, and attempt to give each one some good amount of personal attention. Four is the utmost limit of my abilities, there.
2) How do I cope with four young boys who are very active?
I get very laid back about a great many things.
My house is terrible, for instance. Many things are broken, stained, drawn on, etc. The place is dirty and loud. As long as what they're doing is not dangerous, or unkind, and is not driving me nuts, I'm generally okay with it.
Thankfully they love to play with each other, so they often keep each other occupied. I do use the TV more than I should, though. A mom has only so much energy. Especially an introvert mom who has this need to check out from time to time ...
3) What is it like to be politically conservative in the midst of others who are not?
Well, really, most of the people around me in real life *are* politically conservative. My husband is, my parents are, and about half of my friends are. My more liberal friends and I just don't talk politics much. So things are fine, as long as I stay away from any kind of religious gathering at which I would be welcome :)
But when talk turns to politics, I often find that, unfortunately, most people don't actually know what they're talking about. It usually is a conglomeration of repeated sound bites and positions held on the basis of emotion, but with no actual thought. In many cases, if you try to interject any thinking into the conversation, it's not appreciated. So I just generally try to avoid political discussions, unless I know the person pretty well.
How is it in your area? I have a niece that goes to school not far from you, and the political ideas she comes home with are very interesting. She's been taught that Pres. Bush is pretty much Satan incarnate. You find less of that in Texas ;-)
Posted by lynx at 10:19 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
July 29, 2005
I was just made by the Presbyterian Church
This is even funnier than the LOTR Engrish subtitles. It's the English subtitles to the Chinese interpretation of "Revenge of the Sith."
I can't finish reading it right now, because if I laugh too much I'll wake people up.
HT: Alexandria
PS: There's a bit of language (generally starting with the letter "f") in the subtitles that I'm guessing didn't occur in the movie (I haven't seen it yet).
Posted by lynx at 5:45 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
July 28, 2005
The Pain of Coins
I let my son order a bag of "Roman coins." You know, cheap, dirt-encrusted things. They came yesterday.
They are going to drive me up the wall.
I've probably spent half my day cleaning them, and the other half peering at my iBook screen trying to identify them. I'm morally certain I've looked at every ancient coin site on the internet. My head hurts. My eyes hurt. And only two of them (out of seven) so far show enough detail to begin to identify them.
Of those two, I think one is only part of a coin. It's a hexagonal shape, but it's not regular. Two sides are the same length and meet at a 90 degree angle; the other sides are smaller, and look like a hexagon. Both sides have designs that look like they're cut off. One side has Greek letters: pi, phi and gamma.
It may not even be a coin at all. Who knows? Not my aching head.
The other coin is easier. It most definitely sports the name "Constans." That would be the youngest son of Constantine I and Fausta, born around 320 AD. It looks more or less like this, though this isn't it, and I need to stop combing the internet for it before I lose this last sixteenth of my brain.
The coin collector sites warn against buying what we bought. They counsel me to not buy junk coins, or any coins that I must clean. They'll either turn out to be worthless, or, in the even that they are worth something, I'll likely scrape the patina off with my non-professional cleaning. They have missed the fact that it's the cleaning them that's all the fun! Let's take this lump of ground-in dirt, soak it, scrub it, and see if an emperor appears! Or a goddess! I don't care if our coins are collectable; why leave that fun to the pros?
These things spark obsessive tendencies, though. Don't buy them. You've been warned. I'm getting more.
Posted by lynx at 10:24 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
July 27, 2005
On a Lee Shore
Our local librarian called me today. Instead of reminding me how much money I owe them, she called to tell me that I have won the prize drawing for our summer reading program. All summer long I've been filling out little entry strips at the library, one book read for each strip. Since I'm re-reading the Aubrey/Maturin books, eight of my strips had Patrick O'Brian's name on them. The librarian was amused.
I'm near the end of "The Ionian Mission." Fans of the series will know that by this book we've already become familiar with Mowett, a sailor with a penchant for breaking out into poetry that his fellow sailors believe is original and extemporaneous. Quite apart from my reading, I decided to do a bit of Charlotte Mason-style picture study this year. We're studying early modern history. I thumbed down a list of artists of the appropriate time period and settled on Winslow Homer to start.
I'm familiar with Winslow Homer's name but not his art. After five minutes of Googling his work I was thrilled to find art and literature come together in such a lovely synchrony:
Winslow Homer's On a Lee Shore
And from O'Brian's Mowett (channelling William Falconer)
Oh were it mine with sacred Maro's art
To wake with sympathy the feeling heart,
Then might I, with unrivalled strains, deplore
Th'impervious horrors of a leeward shore.
Sigh. Winslow Homer it is.
I wonder what I won from the library drawing? Or do you think it's really just a trick to get me to come in and pay my fine?
Posted by lynx at 12:11 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
July 26, 2005
Kum-Ba-Yah
Definition of a Good Friend #2: One (or two) who will show up (when invited) over for a game night, realize it's your anniversary, and immediately volunteer to stay there with your kids while you go out to eat.
Completely unprepared, we headed for our usual special occasion eatery, only to discover that they're closed on Sundays. So we went for Plan B, which was to drive around until something sounded good. Sushi won. I've never actually gone to a sushi restaurant. It was good. We ordered too much food, and I think I actually counted the minutes until I could eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Now I'm hungry.
Luckily, we were already dressed for going out. Why did we happen to be dressed up on a Sunday? Well, it was because ... we went to church. No, really.
Go ahead. I'll still be here when you pick yourself up from the floor.
Yes, we went to church. We might even go to church next week. It's a fairly new, local, Unitarian church. Now, we're not Unitarian; however, a Unitarian church is a place we can go where our beliefs will be accepted. It's a place where our kids can have some type of faith community, in an atmosphere that is religiously tolerant and broad-minded.
The worship service itself didn't do much for me. I was searching for the right adjective afterwards, and Jeff supplied "Kum-Ba-Yah." Ah, yes, that was it. Everybody sang. Then they sang again. And again. Then a man came onstage and taught us a little tai chi. The lead ... pastor? minister? talked a little bit about Taoism and a lot about writer's block. Then everybody sang again.
Next week I understand that they're going to talk about Islam and sing "Peace Train."
There's really no worship to it. It's really a big room where people come together every week to sing and talk about something interesting, that has to do with faith or spirit or life. It doesn't do anything for me spiritually.
But that's okay. The kids will love it, and it was nice to go to a place where people sang a lot and talked about interesting things, where I didn't have to worry about qualifying or hiding my beliefs. And whenever anyone asks the boys about church, they can have an answer that invites fewer follow-on questions than "we don't go."
Posted by lynx at 11:47 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
R is for Rocket
No matter what problems NASA has, this is always a beautiful, awesome sight.
Posted by lynx at 11:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 24, 2005
I've been tagged
Jo tagged me, and I told her I'd answer. So here goes.
If you don't like reading blog memes, here's something with far more meat to chew on. Read me if you're bored, but read the Opinion Journal link anyway.
Ready?
1) Where were you ten years ago?
I was in Dallas, pregnant with our first child, living in an apartment, working at a job I hated. Well, the job itself was fine, but I hated the company. I was going to an OB I hated, too, though I hadn't realized yet. It was our 3rd anniversary.
2) Five years ago?
I was still in Texas, though no longer working, heavily pregnant with our third child. It was our 8th anniversary.
3) One year ago?
Chicago, with four children. It was our 12th anniversary, and we took all the kids to The Cheesecake Factory on Michigan Avenue.
4) Yesterday?
Yesterday I slept late, bought groceries and two Explode the Code books. I cooked a Vietnamese chicken salad for dinner, and we all had a nice walk afterwards.
5) Today?
Today is our 13th anniversary. And we're ... not doing anything special. I may try out a new Unitarian church this morning, but only if I get off the computer and into the shower. We'll hang out with friends, and I will keep trying not to think about the fact that my kid needs a tonsillectomy.
6) 5 snacks I enjoy:
Chocolate, chips, chocolate chips, ice cream, blueberries, chips and queso dip
7) 5 bands that I know most of the lyrics to their songs:
The Beatles, INXS, the Hooters/Largo/Eric Bazilian, Def Leppard, Yes, Rush
8) Things I would do with a million dollars:
I'd buy you a green dress (but not a real green dress, that's cruel).
9) 5 Bad habits I have:
What, I'm going to admit to my bad habits on the internet? (evil cackle) I think my bad habit *is* the internet. That's all I'm giving you.
10) 5 places I would run away to:
England, Chicago, Calgary, Vegas (without the kids), England
11) 5 things I would never wear:
Anything that gives me a muffin top. Spike heels. I'd wear a bikini if I looked good in one.
12) 5 things I like doing:
Reading, puttering around on the internet, talking to the kids, traveling, listening to music, being with Jeff.
13) 5 biggest joys:
Husband and 4 boys.
14) 5 famous people I would like to meet:
Living, or dead?
Albert Nock, Queen Elizabeth (either/both), President Bush and Laura Bush, Keith Emerson, J.K. Rowling, Tolkien
15) 5 movies I like:
The Princess Bride, Apollo 13, Galaxy Quest, Shakespeare in Love, Gone With the Wind, Being John Malkovich, LOTR, Pirates of the Carribbean, That Thing You Do ...
16) Favorite toys:
They all tend to start with 'i' - iBook, iPod, iTunes ...
And I'll tag Diane, the Irish Princess, and whoever else wants to ...
Posted by lynx at 9:02 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
July 19, 2005
God's Keyboard
Surely that's what this is.
Hmmm, how things change. It used to be that if I used the words "keyboard" and "God" in the same sentence, I was talking about Keith Emerson.
Posted by lynx at 9:01 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
School!
We "officially" started our school year yesterday. The kids have no idea. It's not any different than the rest of their lives, really.
I'm trying out a new planning system this year. I'll plan out six weeks in advance. I'll set goals for those six weeks, focusing on keeping them reasonable and not allowing myself to stuff the six weeks with huge amounts of work. I'll break down what we need to do each week to meet the goals, taking into account holidays, field trips, vacations, etc.
This way I can:
* Stay focused on our goals
* Identify our progress
* Stay flexible - if we don't meet our goals in one six-week period, we can plan to beef up in that area next time. If we want to blow off a day or a week, we can, because we know what we want to accomplish in the six weeks.
I'm using a homemade planner in which I write out the goals. Then on a daily basis I record what we did. No checklists, no schedules. We'll do our normal routine, and I'll always know what we need to work on in a given week.
So far I had planned to do four lessons in Right Start Math this week, and we finished that today. At least I know I'm not overplanning.
Math and Latin are our major subjects. They get top priority, and will be done every day. After that, Connor is working on Writing Strands 3, to get us ready for Classical Writing/Aesop later in the year. I read to them out of "Little House on the Prairie," "Atticus the Storyteller's 100 Greek Myths," and "Famous Men of Rome." We're still working through Story of the World 3 and Real Science 4 Kids chemistry, in no hurry, as we please. Right now Aidan is reading "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," and Connor is reading a conglomeration of Encyclopedia Brown, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and, when I remind and urge, Hawthorne's "A Wonder Book." Oh, he's also nearly finished with SOTW 4, which he's reading for fun.
Next month we'll start piano lessons with an outside teacher, and Aidan will have a music/sight singing class as well.
Let's not forget the younger set, who have suddenly, thanks to that magical DVD, learned all their letter sounds and are trying to figure out this reading thing. Griffin likes me to sit down with him and "Phonics Pathways," so he can sound out letters to his heart's content. He doesn't get blending yet, so we just sound them all out singly. Is there a DVD that teaches blending? :)
To be honest, I was a little worried at the end of last year. There were certain areas in which we were definitely behind most peers. I've seen great leaps ahead in the last month, though, and I'm encouraged that we're headed in the right direction, in the right way.
Posted by lynx at 8:36 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Short Verdicts
*"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" - Good. Go see it. It's funny, snarky and well done. I don't think they needed to give a backstory on Willy Wonka, but whatever. The casting was superb. At this point, I'll go see any movie that teams Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. Just point me towards the box office!
I noticed in the previews that Tim Burton and Danny Elfman will have a new animated movie this fall. Since "Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my favorite movies, I'm sure I'll go see this one. I also noticed that Terry Gilliam will be doing "The Brothers Grimm."
*"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" - Yes, that editor! Thanks for letting him out of the closet, Jo. It was a fun read, and I'm sorry I'm finished. Without letting spoilers out, I do not believe that the bad guy of this book is actually a bad guy. I think he had a very good reason for what he did. I guess I'll have to wait two years to find out.
Posted by lynx at 8:22 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
July 16, 2005
Blood
What was going to be a nice afternoon of library followed by the Harry Potter release party was abruptly changed into a fun family field trip to the good ol' ER. Yes indeedy, complete with speeding through traffic, a thunderstorm, and a small child bleeding all over everything.
I will swear to you that I've never seen so much blood. And I have boys. Four of them. And I've given birth. Four times. Still, I've never seen so much blood. I certainly have never seen so much blood being spat out in great mouthfuls by my baby.
Not good.
Diagnosis? Lachlan bit his mouth.
Let me say, by the way, that a good friend is one who, when you call to say "I'm on my way to the ER with all the kids in the car," responds with "I'll be right there." Boy, am I ever glad I have a friend like that. Somewhere along the way, I must have done something right.
So that was our fun.
Jeff has first crack at the HP book this time (which means I get the last one first! Nyah nyah nyah!). I figure he'll finish it tomorrow, and then I'll disappear to read. Meanwhile, I've go to have the Nock book back to the library by the 31st, so I'll have a report on that soon. Hope you're all having fun reading ...
Posted by lynx at 10:34 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
July 15, 2005
Prayer of the Day
Please God, or Goddess, or gods, Nameless Power, Gaia, the Universe, or the Great Green Arkleseizure, hear my prayer. Please let J.K. Rowling have rediscovered her editor, allowed him out of the closet, unchained him from the cellar, or in general taken back whatever she did to remove him from proceedings with her previous book.
Amen, Blessed Be, om, gesundheit.
Posted by lynx at 2:16 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
July 14, 2005
I came to blog
... but I have a four-year-old tugging at my sleeve, saying "Mommy, I want you to teach me math!" So, in brief:
Thanks for the good wishes. The a/c is back on (it was 95 degrees and 80% humidity yesterday, just so you know), though I'm giving it three weeks, at best. I predict that in three weeks it will quit again, and then we'll be stuck in a nasty argument with our home warranty company ... or out $3K. We'll see.
MFS, Ms. MentalMultiVitamin, dropped by to leave this link to her family's unofficial Brian Hamman Fan Club. I fell for Mr. Hamman's rapping Puck too. I'm jealous that they get to see him in other shows. He was fantastic, and so much fun!
Just the other day Jeff was musing in the car: "I wonder if you can rap Shakespeare? Nah, that probably wouldn't work."
He didn't see that performance. Nor, apparently, does he listen to his wife much. That's okay. I can rap it for him. Not as well as Brian Hamman, perhaps, but that's the price he pays.
Off to teach math ...
Posted by lynx at 10:46 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 13, 2005
In which she whined.
The air conditioner is broken again.
The shuttle is not launching today.
On a positive note, my ILL copy of Nock's "Theory of Education in the United States" is in. At least I'll have something good to read while I swelter.
Posted by lynx at 2:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
July 12, 2005
Anyone up for a nice theological discussion?
Is the idea that there may be more than one god logically definsible? Discuss.
Posted by lynx at 12:38 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 11, 2005
Oh, the shame ... ?
Eh, not really.
For some time now, I've casually introduced Griffin and Lachlan to the concept that letters make sounds. We've read books, and talked about the words. We've looked at specific letters and practiced the sounds they make. Although Griffin will soon be five, not one thing we've talked about has stuck in his head. Nope. Zip. Zero. Nada.
I am not terribly worried. He talked late. I have always figured he'd read a little later.
During our recent bout of illness, though, I read WTM ladies' glowing reports about a DVD by LeapFrog called "Letter Factory." These ladies raved about it. Their kids know all letter sounds now. So what the heck, I thought. Why not?
Folks, this stupid little DVD is fantastic. Really. A week later, he knows all the letter sounds. Lachlan knows about half of them, though he still tends to insist that most letters say /b/.
It's somewhat irritating that my gentle, loving, cuddling with books didn't produce this leap of learning. It's irritating that they are learning to read from a DVD.
Griffin begs to watch it every day. On top of that, every day he begs me to write down letters for him, and tell him what they say. I can hear both of them right now, in the living room with Daddy, asking over and over "What's this letter? This one? What letter is this? What does this say?"
My parental pride is a bit wounded, sure, but I'll live with it.
Posted by lynx at 10:30 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
July 7, 2005
Block Art
We have a couple of bags full of colored, wooden cubes that came with our Right Start manipulatives. I don't know what they're for - we're almost finished with the book and haven't used them. They're pretty, though, and the little boys like to play with them. Lachlan likes to make patterns out of them that look like people. You know, a little block head, a torso, block arms and legs, etc. He's managed to get fairly detalied (as detalied as you can get with one-inch cubes), and often adds hands and feet.
Today he told me that he made himself out of the blocks. "Oops! But I forgot my bottom!"
"Your bottom?" I asked.
"Yes!" He selected a yellow block and put it, well, between the block legs. "There's my bottom!"
O-o-o-kay.
Then he made me with blocks. He used three blocks for my bottom.
It's a good thing he's cute, eh?
Posted by lynx at 10:35 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Attitude from London
From Europhobia
19:16 - Just had an email request for details of how to give charity donations to help the victims. Nothing that I've heard of so far. I'd say give it to Oxfam or Make Poverty History - Londoners are fairly well-off. Bunk it to people who matter - the African buggers who were meant to be getting helped out at G8 today. The terrorist bastards have screwed them over more than they have us.
And that's why, in the end, the terrorists will not do nearly as much damage as they like to think they will.
Posted by lynx at 1:52 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
London
I love London. Deeply, dearly, passionately. I've spent days walking its streets, touching its stones, drinking in its history. And riding its trains.
According to the BBC, "Mr Blair said it was 'reasonably clear' terrorists were behind the blasts." I know what Mr. Blair means, but do I misunderstand the meaning of terrorism? Isn't anyone who commits such a barbaric act against innocent people a terrorist? Is there any way that this could not be a case of terrorism?
We do understand what he means, though. And we understand that these terrorists will continue to commit acts like this, and we will continue to do what we are doing, until they stop.
Scanning the news articles, here's the opinion piece I like best on the subject (from the Jerusalem Post):
Whoever turns out to have been responsible for today's terrorist assault on central London, and however grave the death toll ultimately proves, there is already no mistaking that July 7, 2005 is Britain's September 11.Now in the UK, as then in the US, those who lust for death have struck at the heart of a civilized nation, exploiting trust and freedom to cause indiscriminate murder and mayhem.
And now as then, one suspects, the response of the targeted nation will be resilience and a determined response, rather than capitulation. London is not Madrid.
Posted by lynx at 9:38 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
July 6, 2005
Is this thing on?
What a week.
We had an unexpected death in the family. My 25 year old cousin had a seizure - apparently from low blood sugar - and died. Just like that.
What can you say, when something so unexpected happens? I'm still at a loss.
We didn't make it to the funeral, but my cousin was active in his church and I understand that many, many people came to pay their respects and support my aunt and uncle. I am so glad.
We spent the holiday weekend with Jeff's parents in Arkansas. My two oldest boys are still there. This is their first time away from home. How strange it feels to not have them around! I miss them, terribly, but I know they're having a great time, and they're building some wonderful memories. They're out in the middle of nowhere, with a real forest to explore, a pond to fish, and rabbits and deer to sneak up on. Grandpa is teaching them to shoot bottle rockets and do other things that Mom is pretending that she didn't hear.
The rest of us are home now, Lachlan and I with terrible colds. It's funny how empty the house seems, even though there are still two kids in it! I hope this is not a precursor to how I'll feel when they're grown and start to move out.
Posted by lynx at 9:12 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack