"Farther Up and Further In!"

There is more.  So much more than we can imagine.  As Aslan the Lion prompted the children in C.S. Lewis' "The Last Battle" to continue onward and upward, we too should be encouraged in this so-called "real" world to continue on until the perfect light of that coming day.  To that place where our current afflictions will seem light and momentary in comparison to those eternal, weighty glories.

There is more.  More than the political affiliations and geographical citizenship which seems so important to so many in this life.  More than single, married, divorced, or "it's complicated."  More than our present job or career, which may seem to be our identity, but which in fact is merely what we do, for now.  More than even what we believe we are right now, from our age, weight and complexion, to our physician's current diagnosis.

There is more.  So much more than we can even hope for.  We think we understand the concept of "God" or "God-ness."  We think we understand what sin and salvation and redemption are all about.  We think we understand even a part of what spiritual and heavenly things are.  We fall far short, since we are only human and can only use physical, corrupted words and experiences to understand or label those things which we have never seen or heard, those things which the God of the Universe has prepared for us before time ever was.

There is more love, more joy, more peace. This is why couples that have been married for many years say that Love has grown in their lives as excitement wanes, why older or poorer folks might say that they have a Joy which we can't see, why a person like you or me can actually feel Peace when all around us there is strife, anger, hatred, fear and doubt. There is faith that is an evidence of what we cannot see or hear or feel - and there is more of it the more we grow in it.

There is more to learn and know.  How can we say we are "satisfied" with where we are, truly?  And how can we say harshly that another man does not 'get' something, when we are seeking to find the same Eternal Truth, but will never fully grasp it in this life? If even the wise men of old, who experienced and meditated much more than we have, did not claim to know all, to have all, who even did not stand up to condemn or slander those who were obviously in the wrong, but said, "the LORD Jehovah rebuke you," how can we be snide or purposely hurtful just to "make a point" to those who are in the same state as us?

Oh, there is so much more.  More in this life.  More in the life which is to come.  More.  And what a grasping, greedy word that appears to be.  Should we not be content to take that which we were given and "sit on it", hiding it in a hole in the ground, where we count it among our blessings to have and hold onto in this life?  Why should we keep striving for more, if we cannot have it?

Ask the widows and the fatherless why we should look for more.  Ask the crawling babies, and the young children following after their parents and elders as quickly as they can.  Ask the lovers of books, the writers of papers and blogs and poetry and songs.  Ask those who are driven from their homes and places of worship around the world, who lose their jobs, their families and their lives simply because they know that Something More exists.  Ask the poor in Zimbabwe who were unlucky enough to be born during the reign of a tyrant, who requires a wagon load of cash to purchase a loaf of bread for their family, or ask the people in war zones around our globe, who did not choose their place of birth, but now must try to live through famine, destruction and fear, while the nations around them refuse them refugee status because quotas for immigrants are filled. Ask those whose children were born with what most of us call "handicaps".  Ask the young men who have come back from war "handicapped".  Ask those who doubt and who wonder why bad things must happen in this life if there is a God.

There are not words really, but there is more.

May we continue to strive for more.  All we need are eyes to see, and ears to hear, and a heart to understand.  May the beauty of the simple and lovely things of this life inspire us to press on.

e-books, anyone?

I realize that I do not have a regular readership, but I am looking to understand the new literature culture of e-books, and would like to hear from you - anyone of you!

What do you think of e-books and e-readers? Are you a reader? An e-author?

Let me know in the comments, please!

"Boy Meets Girl"

There's a child being raised today whose parents won't tell the child's gender. This particular segment of this show came to mind. Do you remember this show? Every year we watched in school on special days and I remember enjoying it. I know now it was mostly (all?) about gender equality; even so, in this scene they had to admit that there was something different.



Was it ONLY the body parts, like they seem to want to enforce here? Or have we figured out that we really are different in more ways than this? A girl may want to be a fireman, and a boy a cocktail waitress, but it doesn't change the fact that we were made male or female. "It's all right to cry" for boys and girls (thanks, Rosie), but that doesn't mean that we're interchangeable in every way.

Edwardian Games

Please check the Road to Avonlea page for "Intellectual Party Games," for some real old fashioned lady fun! :)

Also see the website: "Parlour Games - V&A Museum" for children's games.

Royal Wedding Thoughts

Royal wedding. *sigh* I enjoyed everything from the pomp to the music to the sermon and the crazy people in the streets. Oh, there's a heavenly royal wedding to come that will be infinitely better, and of course, winning the war was "quite good" as one wedding watcher said, but this is right up there. Maybe we need a little royal wedding every so often to break up the tragedy and warfare. Eh?

-LisaM

Remember, that one guy said every wedding is like a royal wedding in a sense! ♥

-my daughter

Wedding Prayer (Written by Prince William and Catherine Middleton)
"God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.
In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.
Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer."

Jennifer wrote:

I found myself feeling guilty at times while I watched it knowing all of the sadness and hardships in the world, but I had to remind myself of the Chinese proverb "One joy shatters a hundred grief.s" I have to believe that by living in joy we are simultaneoously adding to the joy in the world and through that helping heal the sorrows ♥

Peggy Sue wrote:

I felt very "girlie" all day at work today. It was just so joyous to watch and gave me a lift all day. : )

Danni wrote:

"I was trying to stay away from all this wedding stuff, but got dragged in after seeing Kate's dress. I was happy to see that it was very modest. Girls today don't have anyone respectful to look up to. It seems like all the "stars" are competing for who can wear less clothing. The fact that she wore the dress that she wore, and the way she dresses on a regular basis, gives Kate major points in my book."

From CNN


This is one of those fantasies pointing towards the Real that Tolkien wrote about, I think.

- LisaM

DVD Sale at Vision Forum

The folks at Vision Forum are having a sale that might be of interest to blossoming old fashioned ladies and those who guide them. Homestead Blessings Bestseller Collection ...

Through April 15, save 45% on the Homestead Blessings Bestsellers Collection when you enter coupon code FRUGALHOME while viewing your cart or during checkout.

Baby Wearing

As I travel through this life, I find that many of us "old fashioned" ladies have certain things in common. We stay at home to rear up our children, which often leads to our being home school teachers or very active in our children's education. We dress modestly, which often leads to wearing skirts and/or head coverings. We are called hippies, and some times our minimal reliance on makeup and modern hairstyle (many of us do not cut our hair) gives us that "look". We do things with our own hands: gardening, sewing, knitting, crafting, building, farming (some even do all of the above!). Most of us breastfeed our babies for longer than the 'recommended' 6 months, and we probably sleep with our babies for those midnight feedings. We also prefer to carry our babies.

Now, I realize that all of these categories are done by a new and modern "old fashioned" girl, and it can look very trendy and chic (and get quite expensive). Some of the baby carriers out there are way overpriced, and it seems crazy, to me, that it would cost a fortune to return to the old and respected way of doing things. But I digress.

Just posting today a link to a French lady's photo collection of baby wearing throughout the ages and around the world. Though some of the photos may provoke sad feelings, all of the photos together are quite lovely. Enjoy:

"L'art de porter", from "maternage proximal avec ma Bambina"

"Being Ladylike"

Please, dear Readers, find and read a lovely new blog: Being Ladylike. The articles that she has written so far on how to stand or sit like a lady are quite refreshing - little details that we ladies use to, well, to just be ladylike.

Kristina Cole is a teenage blogger from the USA. She loves to blog and has a passion for being ladylike.