It's a New Dawn

Two years ago, I followed Ali Edwards' lead and came up with One Little Word to inspire me over the course of the year. From her blog:

Essentially the idea is to choose a word (or let it choose you) that has the potential to make an impact on your life.

Maybe you want to invite something or maybe you are hoping to subtract something. Maybe your word will be practical or hopeful or creative or fanciful. Maybe you need a big word, something in-your-face that will challenge you everyday. Maybe you need something smaller and quieter that will whisper gentle tidings as you make your way throughout the year.

Last year, the word chose me. LOVELY. It was a beautiful reminder to find and create lovely in my life, and I have to say that it made a huge impact. As a way to wrap up the year, I'd like to share (again) the video that was my original inspiration for lovely.

As December draws to an end, I would encourage you to think about your hopes and dreams for this next year.

Our first Living. Lovely. challenge for January will be to seek out a vision for your new year,

and find a word that will whisper itself in your ear, day in, day out, as inspiration for living out that vision.

If you are willing to share your word in the comment section of this post,

I will add it to the list I post next Thursday (January 7th).


A vision is not just a picture of what could be;

it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.

~Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Come Walk With Me

I'm not a morning person. I'm not an exercise person. I'm not a diligent person. But for the past few weeks, I've been driving two miles down the road to meet up with my sister early in the mornings (before hubby heads to work) to go walking/running. For three weeks we've endured all sorts of weather and darkness. Some mornings we've been drenched. Some mornings we've marveled at the glittering sky and watched vivid shooting stars.

Tuesday morning I woke in the dark, layered on the clothing, headed outside into the heavy grayness, waited for the ice on my windshield to thaw, drove through the fog, and met Shannon to begin our walk on the quiet country road.

May I tell you, I'm loving the time change.

Halfway into our walk, we had the promise of rosy dawn on our left:

And the retreating full moon on our right:

Hello, sunshine.

Through the fog towards the west, you can barely make out the hill which I call home

(at least a little parcel of land at the base of it...), and see the acres of 'lawn' which span the mile or two between us.
Our walking/photo session ran long, I had to hurry back so that Russ could make it to work on time.

Back home, I stopped at the end of our driveway to capture the view back towards Shannon:

Russ hurried off, but there was more magic to capture.

Living. Lovely. ~ Kind Words

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,

or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

~Leo Buscaglia





How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged,

sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong.

Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.

~George Washington Carver





When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.

~Abraham Joshua Heschel





By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.

~Winston Churchill





Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight.

Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster,

and do it with no thought of any reward.

Your life will never be the same again.

~Og Mandino

Did you

Speak Kind Words

to someone this week?

Is there someone in your life (spouse, sibling, co-worker, child, parent) to whom your words are often unkind?
Did you make an effort to swallow the things you wanted to say,
and instead find words of encouragement?

Did it improve your relationship?

Did it bring you joy?
How did they respond?

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I love motherhood dearly. I love my children dearly.
I love homeschooling.

But, by golly, sometimes the 24-7-ness of it wears me down,
all my nerves frayed and exposed.

Boys. Gotta love them. With their noise and dirt and exuberance.
Everything about them screams LIFE! ABUNDANTLY!

Extroverts. Gotta love them. Talking. Touching. Constantly.
By the end of the day I desperately need to be ensconced in a 10 foot sound-proof bubble.

Over and over again, I find myself saying words that tear down.
Even if the words are benign, the tone of voice or body language is not.

What am I thinking?! These are little people God has entrusted to me!
Not only do my words have the ability to tear down,
but I am teaching my boys, by example, how to treat others.

How can I be angry at my boys for yelling, when I do?
How can I be angry at my boys for their attitudes, when mine is unacceptable?

I've made a huge, conscious effort to speak kindly to my boys (one in particular) this week,
even (especially) when I'm pulling my hair out with frustration.

This shouldn't come as any surprise, but the boys have responded to correction more quickly,
their attitudes are better, and they are treating each other with more kindness.

A few days are only drops in a colossal bucket.

God help me, I must keep this up.

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Next week's Living. Lovely. challenge:

Celebrate Autumn!

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came -

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band.

~George Cooper, "October's Party"

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Do you have ideas for Living. Lovely. challenges?

If you would like to make suggestions for future challenges,
feel free to leave a comment or email me at heidi (at) poetsgarden (dot) com.

Living. Lovely. ~ Reading

In reading, a lonely quiet concert is given to our minds;

all our mental faculties will be present in this symphonic exaltation.

~Stéphane Mallarmé

Did you

Read Something Lovely

this week?

Tell me all about it!

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I finished up Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle.

It spoke volumes of lovely to my soul.

pp 98-99

But unless we are creators, we are not fully alive.

What do I mean by creators? Not only artists, whose acts of creation are the obvious ones of working with paint or clay or words. Creativity is a way of living life, no matter what our vocation or how we earn our living. Creativity is not limited to the arts or having some kind of important career. Several women have written to me to complain about A Swiftly Tilting Planet. They feel that I should not have allowed Meg Murry to give up a career by marrying Calvin, having children, and quietly helping her husband with his work behind the scenes. But if women are to be free to choose to pursue a career as well as marriage, they must also be free to choose the making of a home and the nurture of a family as their vocation; that was Meg's choice, and a free one, and it was as creative a choice as if she had gone on to get a Ph.D. in quantum mechanics.

Our freedom to be creators is far less limited than some people would think.

Levi and I read Walt Whitman: Words for America, a beautiful picture book about an incredible American poet. The illustrator, Brian Selznick (of The Invention of Hugo Cabret), does not disappoint, and generous text offers a wonderful introduction to the poet. Much of the book focuses on Whitman's experiences during the Civil War, and I found myself choking back tears while trying to read through his letter to a soldier's family.

I have listened to or read 'O Captain! My Captain!' a time or two, but it is so much richer reading it in the context of the end of the Civil War and Lincoln's assasination.

'O Captain! My Captain!'
Leaves of Grass

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck
You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will.
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

We also read A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, one more American poet. It is illustrated by another favorite, Melissa Sweet, who also illustrated The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon. Speaking of connections, I just now realized that she illustrated the Charlotte in (Paris, Giverny, New York, London) books, as well! We have the first three on our shelves, and I just checked out Charlotte in London from the library this week. I'll review it soon!

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Next week's Living. Lovely. challenge:

Speak Kind Words

Is there someone in particular (spouse, child, co-worker...) to whom you find yourself speaking unlovely words on a regular basis? Words of frustration or exasperation? Are you condescending? Annoyed? Irritated? Passive-aggressive? Do you nag or put down? Can this person ever do anything right? No throwing stones, here. I know what it is like to have my last nerve frayed, and I find myself, more often than I'd like to admit, saying things I regret. Or is it just me?

I'd like to encourage you (as well as myself) to pick a day (or an hour if a day seems impossible) to speak only words of encouragement or affirmation to that person. Find ways to honestly (the 'honestly' is very important) build them up. Notice when they do something right. Think of qualities you admire in them. Thank them for little things. If that isn't enough of a challenge, think of small acts of service you can do for this person.

Can we do it?

Living. Lovely. ~ A Handwritten Letter

And none will hear the postman's knock

Without a quickening of the heart.

For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?

~W.H. Auden

Did anyone

Send a Handwritten Letter

this week?

With the advent of emails and texting, do you still write letters often?
Did you ever enjoy writing letters in the past?
Have you ever had a penpal?
Do you enjoy receiving a handwritten letter?
Does a handwritten letter feel differently than an email or phone call?

What is the best letter you have ever received?

Speaking of letter writing...
I have a give-away coming Friday!
Don't miss it!

(Scroll down for next week's Living. Lovely. challenge.)

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I loved getting mail when I was younger.
I'd race to the mailbox each day.
I loved catalogs. I loved magazines.
I really loved letters.

I had several penpals over the years.
A boy in Korea.
A girl I met at summer camp.

An unlikely and unexpected friendship formed when I was in second grade with a much older student.
She wanted to be a teacher and made up these lovely worksheets for me to do.

I can still picture them in my head.
Call me crazy. I loved worksheets. I loved the star chart she made for me.
I was devestated when she moved away.
And then the packet came in the mail. More worksheets lovingly handwritten.

After I outgrew the worksheets, we continued to write on occasion.
I have seen her only once since second grade...10 years later I attended her wedding.
Is it any surprise that she became a teacher and I became a homeschooling mom?
To this day, almost 30 years later, we continue to exchange Christmas cards.

I saved most of the notes passed in class during highschool.
Hundreds, it seems, from my best friend, Char.

Russ and I had a long-distance relationship for a few months.
I can't tell you what it meant to get letters from him.
This was before email...but he did send send me a fax at work on occasion.
I saved all of those, too. Grin.

Now I'm in the mood to go through my box of old letters....

I rarely mail hand-written letters anymore.

My boys do have penpals, though.
They exchange letters and pictures with the boys from Thoughts of Home.
We set to work this week on the latest batch of words and drawings.

I also sent a get-well card to a friend,

and notes with updated pictures of the boys to grandparents.

(Yes, Grandma and Grandpa, yours is in the mail. Grin.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our next Living. Lovely. challenge:

Read Something Lovely

Something soul-affirming. Something beautiful.

Something your mind can ponder after you've set the words down.

Poetry. Literature. Quotes. Lyrics. Memoir. Letters. Devotional.

Spend time interacting with the ideas and images that linger in your mind.

Think on things that are lovely.

Why should we think upon things that are lovely?

Because thinking determines life.

It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment.

Environment modifies life but does not govern life.

The soul is stronger than its surroundings.

~William James

I'm currently savoring the book, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L'Engle.

It is one of my favorite books I've read this year, truly on my all-time favorites list.

I'll share more next Thursday, but for now I leave you with this quote:

pp. 30-31

The writer does want to be published; the painter urgently hopes that someone will see the finished canvas (van Gogh was denied the satisfaction of having his work bought and appreciated during his lifeitme; no wonder the pain was more than he could bear); the composer needs his music to be heard. Art is communication, and if there is no communication it is as though the work has been stillborn.

The reader, viewer, listener, usually grossly underestimates his importance. If a reader cannot create a book along with the writer, the book will never come to life. Creative involvement: that's the basic difference between reading a book and watching TV. In watching TV we are passive; sponges; we do nothing. In reading we must become creators. Once the child has learned to read along and can pick up a book without illustrations, he must become a creator, imagining the setting of the story, visualizing the characters, seeing facial expressions, hearing the inflection of voices. The author and the reader "know" each other; they meet on the bridge of words.

Living. Lovely. (Late) ~ A Spot for Beauty (or Function)

(It's never too late to live. lovely. but my challenge fell through the cracks last week. We're back up and running, though.)

Did you reclaim a spot in your home for beauty or function

this past week or two?

I'd love to hear what you did (and see pictures!) if you care to share. Be sure to scroll down for next week's living. lovely. challenge, as well.

Oh, and if you have any ideas for living. lovely. challenges, I'd love to hear them!

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I have several spots around my house that have become mini disasters. The thing about mini disasters is that they seem to infect the neighboring spots and spread like wild-fire.

I could have chosen any number of places to reclaim, but my porch was really bugging me. Fallen leaves from our willow, toys and shoes strewn about, sidewalk chalk decorating the tables, stray blue 'moon sand' (I hate that stuff) in the cracks of our door mat, and a million other things that set a bad tone when arriving home. Definitely not a porch that said 'Welcome!' to friends and guests, either.

I 'let' the boys get in on the action. I filled a pot with warm soapy water and had them scrub to their hearts' content. Recess, right? I tried to include a before photo, but forgot until I had some of the toys and junk put away.

We put away the toys, swept, scrubbed the porch floor and railings, hosed off the front door mat, cleaned off the tables, and added some fall decor we had just picked up at the local produce stand. I even grabbed a bundle of corn stalks from our tiny garden, tied them together with copper ribbon, and propped them up by the front door. Ahhh! I'm inspired to get to a few other spots this week....

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Next week's living. lovely. challenge:

Send someone a hand-written letter... Snail mail.

Living. Lovely. ~ Random Smiles

Random Smiling in Public



Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love,
a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

~Mother Teresa


A smile costs nothing but gives much.
It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give.
It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.
None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it
and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it.
Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen,
for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away.
Some people are too tired to give you a smile.
Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much
as he who has no more to give.

~Author Unknown

I wanted to post every quote from this page, but I felt the above two quotes most eloquently expressed everything I hoped for with this past week's challenge.

Did you step outside of your own world, look someone in the eye, and give them a genuine light-filled smile this past week?

Did they smile back? Did it affect your own attitude, outlook, or focus? Do tell!

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Next week's living. lovely. challenge:

Reclaim a spot in your home
for beauty and/or function.

Do you have a spot in your home that used to be pleasantly functional, that now is a disaster?
It can be small (a junk drawer) or large (the spare room). I know I have several.

Let's reclaim one of those spots this next week!!
(May I request before and after photos?!)

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful,
or believe to be beautiful.

~William Morris

Our Lovely Lists Displayed

I decided to let my kids in on this 'lovely list' exercise.
We talked about things they love,
and I wrote out a list for them on their chalkboard.
Now we all have lovely lists!
Wait, Russ hasn't made one yet...
We'll put him to work when he gets home. Grin.

Living. Lovely. ~ Lovely List

The Lovely List

What says 'lovely' to you?

Did you make a list? Write it out? Print it up?
Create art out of it?

Did you put it up in a place where it can regularly inspire and
remind you of the lovely things in your life?

What is on your list?

Do share!

(Check out Renee's lovely list art collage!)

(Be sure to scroll down for next week's challenge.)

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I've made a few lovely (or happy) lists over the years.

My first was an on-going list in a journal.
My second was in paint and covered a whole wall in my bedroom.
My third was written on an artist's canvas and hung on my living room wall.

My fourth is now a collage of images that represent lovely to me
(with a few corresponding words)
printed in poster size and mounted on a large corkboard.
It's resting on my mantel. I'll post photos later today or tomorrow.

Did you know that Costco will now print 20" x 30" posters?
For only $8.99?
I upload my image file at costco.com and pick up my poster just a couple hours later.
(Do you have any idea how nice (and expensive)

it is to have a Costco only 2 miles from my house?)


I made my collage and added text at picnik.com.
The creative possibilities are endless.
And at 8.99 and easily changed out on my bulletin board,
I'm going to be experimenting with photo posters often.

The picnik collage wasn't a high resolution, so the large poster size turned out a bit pixelized,

but I wasn't aiming for perfect. I was aiming for
'just do it (without spending a fortune) and enjoy it.'

My single photo images are a higher resolution (even when I edit and add text at picnik)
so those posters turn out much clearer.

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This next week's living. lovely. challenge:

Random Smiling in Public

Whenever I'm out and about, I find myself in my own little world.
I'm thinking about the grocery list.
I'm wondering what on earth I'm going to make for dinner.
I'm trying to keep 3 little boys from running through a parking lot.
I'm running on auto-pilot.

But sometimes, when I force myself to open my eyes and look around,
I see living, breathing, unique people. People who have lives of their own.

Their own thoughts, struggles, disappointments, worries,
fears, hopes, plans, desires...

I want to look them in the eye and give them a genuine smile.

A smile that says:

I acknowledge you.
You are a real person who has value.
All I have to give you is a kind smile,
but I am happy to give it.

So when you are out and about this next week,

I challenge you to brighten a stranger's day with a smile.
Not a cursory half-hearted smile, but a true light-filled smile.

You might find that it brightens your day more than you expected,
and you will do it over and over again. It's addicting and contageous.

Give it a try. Even if you think it's silly. Really. Trust me on this one.

Need some encouragement or inspiration?
Read here.

Living Lovely ~ Use the Good Stuff

Well, did you

Use the Good Stuff ?

I'm curious to hear what lovely thing(s) you put into use this week!

Did you have a hard time thinking of something?
Or justifying getting it out and using it?

Can't wait to read your comments and visit your blog posts!

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It has been ages since I've had a tablecloth on our dining table.
Since we only have one table in our house, it gets a lot of use....
every meal, crafts and coloring, school work, snacks.
I decided to iron my favorite cloth and put it on anyway!

Having a cloth on our table made me want to have a tea party!
I feel badly, but I rarely think of doing tea parties with the boys, and they really enjoy them.
So, we got out some nice dishes, real tea cups, and special cookies.

My sister recently brought over a couple wonderful illustrated poetry books for us to enjoy.
I decided that I would make the best of my captive audience
and share a few poems by William Blake.
The boys have been doing their fair share of coloring and writing lately,
so I added paper to some clipboards for a nice coloring surface.
The colored pencils were all sharpened and ready to go.

The tea party was a hit!

I think I would like to start making tea time a part of our routine (at least weekly),
having the boys color while I read poetry.

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Our challenge for next week:

Make a Lovely List.

I shared a project some time ago, painting my 'happy' list on a large canvas.
I want to challenge you to think of things that represent lovely to you.
Post this list in a visible place where it can be a source of daily inspiration.

Write it out on a chalkboard.
Paint it on a wall.
Print and frame it.
Use your imagination!!

I would REALLY like to see some pictures this next week.
Come on, you can do it!

Claiming...

Photo by Russ

As Summer Flies Swiftly By...

(Scroll down for Living. Lovely.)

We are soaking up the last drops of summer.
I'll be back here Thursday for Living. Lovely.
See you then!

(I'm running behind schedule around here, so we'll add our Living. Lovely. to this post for this week.)

Did you MAKE A SPLASH this week?

I'd love to hear about it in the comments or on your blog.
(Be sure to leave a link to your blog address with your comment!)

We did, indeed, make it to the coast on Sunday for a wonderful family day.
I'll be posting a few more pictures when life settles down!

Next week's challenge:

USE THE GOOD STUFF!

Clothing, dishes, whatever strikes your fancy.
Don't wait for that 'special occasion'
somewhere in the distant future,
celebrate today!!

Living. Lovely. ~ Make Someone's Day

Make Someone's Day

Did anyone join me this week in living lovely?
Our challenge was to make someone's day.

A neighbor. A stranger. A co-worker. A child. A spouse.

A little thing. A big thing. Or anything in between.

Would you be willing to share in the comments?
If you've blogged about it, please leave a link with your comment!

(If we get a lot of responses, I'll add a Mr. Linky next week.)

(And scroll to the bottom of this post for our next
Living Lovely Challenge!!

Feel free to jump in at any time!)

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I donated blood for the first time EVER this week,
which I've been meaning to do for a long time
considering I'm O-.
I really hope that it makes someone's day!

Now that I know what to expect (it was easy,
even if I've felt a little drained the past couple days, grin)
and I'm on the call list,
I'll be donating blood regularly from here on.

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This next week's
Living Lovely Challenge:

Make a Splash!

As the temperatures are in the 90s around here,
and our summer is rolling to a close,
I can think of several lovely ways to make a splash!!

Will you join me?
Come back next Thursday to share!

Living. Lovely.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true,

whatever is noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable

—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.

~Philippians 4:8

Why should we think upon things that are lovely?

Because thinking determines life.

It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment.

Environment modifies life but does not govern life.

The soul is stronger than its surroundings.


~William James

Lovely:

2. delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace
4. eliciting love by moral or ideal worth

It is time to put thoughts into action.

I am completely and utterly impressed upon,

that this is a venture I am to undertake:

encouraging others to live lovely.

Each week, I'll be presenting a 'lovely challenge' (inspired by the 'Make...' list from The Beckoning of Lovely) to be met over the next seven days and shared here at Mt. Hope Chronicles the following Thursday. Anyone and everyone ~ man, woman, parent/no kids, married/unmarried, empty-nester, or young person ~ is welcome to participate in whatever manner they so choose.


If you care to participate at any time, you may blog about the challenge and enter your link here on Thursdays. You may share here in the comments. Or you may follow along on your own schedule without sharing here at all. You may choose to follow the challenge to the letter, or use it as a jumping-off place to create your own lovely. If the challenge doesn't fit into your situation, tweak it or give yourself a new one! This isn't meant to be strict or competitive. Just try to stay in the spirit of things!

There are only a few basic rules:

1. All comments and links must be family-friendly.

2. No whining.

3. No excuses.

Blog posts can include a photo(s), a description of what you did, comments on what the challenge meant to you or other people involved, what you changed to make it meaningful to you, or how it affected your thoughts, actions, or perceptions. Whatever you want to share (big or small... even just an 'I did it!' in the comments) is wonderful!

Speaking of sharing, the more people participating, the more encouraged we'll all be in this endeavor. Feel free to use the above image (or small button on my side bar) on your blog. Invite people to join in. Tell your friends. Share the challenges with co-workers or family members. Small lovely actions add up and encourage us and those around us.

Our Very First Lovely Challenge:

Make Someone's Day

I'm leaving this first challenge completely open. You choose when, where, who, how, and what. Your actions can be small or large. Use your imagination. Will it be someone close to you? A random act of kindness for a stranger? The first move in a troubled relationship?

Come back next Thursday ready to share!!

If you would like to read more about living lovely,
I'm guest posting today at Heart(h) Management.
Stop by and say hello!

Lovely

As I mentioned (for those of you who made it aaaalll the way to the end of my Note to a Friend),
I am on a quest for Lovely. (Much more about that coming up later this week....Stay tuned.)

As a visual person, much of what moves me is
artistry, nature, moments, details,
and emotion captured in images.

I receive so much encouragement and hope from God's astounding artistry in nature.
It reminds me that He is a God of beauty and hope and strength.
I feel as if I have an opportunity to participate in that artistry with my camera,
and focusing with my lens causes me to observe, interact, appreciate,
and drink in what I normally would not take the time to acknowledge.

I am also deeply affected by the friendships and human connection
I've experienced through this blog. You all, with your comments,
support, and interaction, have meant more than you realize.

You are lovely to me.

What encourages you?

I'm (in).

The Globally Aware Child (and Adult)

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.

~Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad

Your world is as big as you make it.

~Georgia Douglas Johnson

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

~St. Augustine

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.

~Lillian Smith

If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.

~James Michener

Today we reach our final topic in our Living Lovely with Family series:

Raising a Child with a Global Perspective

What does this mean to you? Is it on your list of priorities? What things can we as parents do at home to promote a healthy view of the world and its people for our children? Do you plan on traveling to another country or continent with your children? What might this travel look like? Have you already traveled with your children? Where and how?

Everyone is welcome to participate. Simply voice your thoughts on your blog and add the link to your post in the Mr. Linky below. Feel free to join in at anytime in the next week. You may grab the image above (or the smaller button on my side bar) to add to your post. If you do not have a blog post to share, I would love to hear your voice in the comments. (Scroll down for my contribution to the discussion!)

Here are links to our previous Living Lovely with Family topics and discussions:

1. What is something you do (or plan to do) daily (or several times each week) to connect with your family, either with individual family members or your family as a unit? Do you have any memories of daily family rituals from your childhood? (Photos, list...)

2. Weekly activities (or even once or twice a month).

3. Special treats. Random surprises. Seasonal activities.

4. Yearly traditions.

5. Vacations (out-of-the-box, shoe-string budget, meaningful adventures).

6. Milestones with children (accomplishments, birthdays, graduation...).

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To me, a globally aware child is conscious of the fact that he is not the center of the universe. He has a simple grasp of geography, is interested in new places and cultures, has respect and compassion for others (no matter what they look or sound like or where they live), and knows that God loves every person in this world.

I think the things we do at home to foster this attitude are even more important than taking our children on a trip to Europe. A child who is given this awareness will be likely to carry his interest into adulthood (when he may have more opportunities to travel), but I believe that a child who is (often inadvertently) taught that he is the center of the universe will have a harder time gaining the interest as an adult. (Clear as mud?)

Now the fun part: how. Set an example as a parent. Treat others with respect. Be curious about our world. Be aware of opportunities to serve others, at home and in other countries.

Fill your home with maps and books about other places and cultures. (You knew I would say books, right? Right?!) (I have many of my favorites available in my bookshop.)

I remember visiting my Grandpa's home as a child. He had a wonderful globe which I could sit and look at for hours. I think every home should have a globe available for children to use. You could have an inexpensive beach ball globe, or something of higher quality (or both!). A child's world atlas, wall maps, puzzles, and even geography games are wonderful to have around the home, as well. The World Geography Songs CD and workbook is a fun, painless way to learn the names of the countries.



What we do:

During our geography studies, I've printed off photographs of famous places and landmarks to create 'around the world' cards. I paste the photo to large index cards and write a few details on the back. The boys have enjoyed learning about the Easter Island Moai statues, the Sidney Opera House, Stonehenge, Big Ben, the Space Needle, the Taj Mahal, and Mt. Everest, as well as finding their locations on a map.

We read books about other places and peoples. Some are non-fiction, some are beautiful picture books, some are myths and folklore.

We watch travel videos about other countries. I love the Countries Around the World series from Schlessinger Media. We've borrowed a large number of these from our library. If those aren't available to you, try watching Rick Steves' travel shows (and others) on the public broadcasting channel or renting travel videos from Netflix.

Second on my list, after books, is always food. Any excuse to eat, I say. I think a parent does a great service to their children by introducing them to a wide range of foods and flavors. You can use a children's cookbook with international recipes for starters. I love the Little Round the World Cookbook. It is indeed little, but packed with gorgeous photography and recipes. It portrays one region at a time, and is interspersed with beautiful two-page spreads of breads around the world, vegetables around the world, fish, cheeses, and other food groups. And don't forget the valuable internet links!

People is an incredible, fascinating, detailed picture book celebrating the diversity of people all over the world. It is one of my favorite picture books of all time.

It is helpful for children (and adults!!) to have a basic grasp of world religions, if for no other reason that religion plays a huge part in shaping cultures.

Children should learn about the things other nations have, and don't have. Material World (and others in the series) is on my wish list.
Get involved.

Once children learn that we are abundantly blessed, and that many children in other nations are in deep need, there are endless opportunities for giving and being involved. Looking through the World Vision Gift Catalog, and choosing between a yak, baby chicks, fish ponds, or musical instruments is one of my favorite holiday activities. Consider sponsoring a child from another country. Children may write letters and draw pictures to send to your sponsored child.

Read stories about missionaries in other countries. Pray for missionaries from your church and learn about the country in which they are ministering.

I think it is also important that we as adults continue to broaden our horizons and never stop learning. I recently read Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time. It gave me so much to think about!

In addition to geography studies, teaching world history, beginning in the elementary years, helps children gain a valuable world perspective. History is our favorite subject around here, thanks to The Story of the World!

(ETA: I can't believe I forgot to add learning foreign languages to my list! Can't forget that one!)

(ETA, again!: I can't believe I forgot to mention our 'around the world' celebrations at Christmas! St. Lucia Day, Las Posadas, etc. What fun!)

All this way, and I haven't even touched on traveling yet! Traveling is an incredible experience that everyone should try!

I have a great desire to go on a Europe tour, Rick Steves style. While we plan on budgeting for this adventure, it may be that is just isn't feasible financially. If that is the case, the boys will be working a summer to earn their own airfare, and I will send off my four men to hike across Europe.

All of our boys will be encouraged to go on a missions/humanitarian trip. If the boys show interest, we will look into work/service/educational opportunities for them in other countries during their late high school/college years.

If traveling isn't an option, consider getting to know people from other countries. Invite a missionary family over for dinner and learn about their experiences. Host an exchange student. Befriend the Japanese family living two doors down. Set up play dates with the Russian kids in your child's class. Check with the local college and find out if any international students need an adopted family.

I'm sure I've forgotten something, but I'm spent! I'm looking forward to reading what you all have to share!