The Greatest Christmas Present Ever

Wow! As you have probably already guessed from my ever-so-creative title, this year I was blessed with the world's most incredibly awesome, sweet, touching, loving, amazing Christmas present EVER (topped only by the Most Amazing Birthday Present Ever, which was the guardian angel bracelet Very Best Friend in the Whole Entire Galaxy gave me back on the birthday of 2007).

Like all great, presents, it was a total and complete surprise. Months ago, I was having a conversation with one of the teachers at my preschool about my personal collection of library books. Now, let me just insert that every teacher I've ever met has their own personal stash of kids' books; books that are their own favorites, books to supplement the typical classroom library with or books that are special to them in some other way. And, at the time, my personal picture book library included a whopping 2 books.

Well, time went by and I totally forgot about this conversation. Unbeknownst to me, however, this teacher sent out a letter to the 50+ families at the preschool, asking that, this Christmas, they give me a copy of their child's favorite picture book.

I had positively no clue this was going on, but for over a month the teachers, parents and kids sneaked around, whispering to each other and picking out books and hiding them all throughout the school. Possibly the most amazing part of this whole event was that every single child kept it a secret!!

Then, on the day of our Christmas parties, when the fellowship hall was packed, the teachers presented me with a GIANT SACK full of picture books, as well as a bundle of gift cards to Barnes & Noble to buy even MORE books! I was totally, totally blown away (there were tears and shrieks!) and, quite honestly, still am when I think about it!

Theses amazing families and teachers were so very generous, and I received a total of 42 incredible books. Many of them have sweet, beautiful messages written on the insides and even the handprints and signatures of the children who picked them out.

God never ceases to amaze me. It's funny, because just when I start to question if teaching is really my purpose in life; if this is really what He's calling me to do, He goes and answers my unasked questions in a BIG way. I mean, if I was looking for affirmation that teaching is my call, I certainly got it!!

It's an outrage! It's a scandal! It's....

*insert disgruntled snort here*

So, Anilee linked to this article in one of her recent posts. I read it, out of curiosity, and I definitely agree -- It's infuriating.

I would suggest you read the article for yourself, but in case you're like me, and rather short on time, and the idea of clicking on a link and reading an entire article makes you bite your lip and move on to the next post instead, then I'll summaraize for you:

The article, entitled Breaking Trust? talks about how many Twilight Series fans (who I'll refer to as the Refunders) have, after purchasing and reading the latest installment-- Breaking Dawn-- in its entirety, begun clamoring that the book was complete rubbish and that they should be able to return it to the publisher and get their money back.

Now, I read Breaking Dawn. Twilight is not my favorite series in the world (although I liked the first book; but New Moon was too melodramatic and Eclipse rather annoyed me), but I decided to read the fourth book because, quite frankly, you bloggers have been talking about it non-stop; and my friends' opinions were/are on every part of the spectrum -- some claim it's the most amazing book EVER; others that its so terrible that it should be burned.
So, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to read it and decide for myself.

And I can safely say that in my opinion, it's poorly written, has very little plot, is rambling and annoying, has some fairly disgusting and disturbing scenes, and overall was probably one of the worst books I've read recently. In fact, it's books like this that cause me to hate YA fiction to begin with.

On the idea that the book was rubbish and not worth buying, I would agree with the Refunders.
BUT, I would strongly disagree with the idea of returning the book to the publisher and getting a refund!

This is the real world, people. Wake up. Just because you buy something and it turns out to be different then you expected doesn't mean you can go running back to the store and give a sob story and get your money back. Hello?! Since when does purchasing something guarantee that you'll like it?!? Sometimes your purchases turn out to be garbage -- and it's precisely this; finding that you've just wasted your hard-earned money on something disappointing, that will teach you a lesson. Maybe NOW all those people who are vying for refunds will think a little harder or do a little more research before spending money on a book.

In the article, the author brings up the fact that some of the Refunders are saying that "returning" the book would send a strong message to the publisher and Stephenie Meyer that they shouldn't "profit from selling...badly-written, poorly-edited garbage".

Well, it's called freedom, folks. Stephenie Meyer or anybody else on the face of the earth can write anything they please --great, terrible, or anywhere in between -- and yes, a publisher has the right to accept it and publish it and even *gasp* profit from it! If YOU, the READER, think it's a waste of money, then it is YOU, the READER'S fault for wasting the money! Just because it, in your opinion, isn't what you wanted/expected/hoped for, that doesn't mean it's wrong. It just means you didn't like it. Tough break. Suck it up and move on!

OR, here's a novel idea (pun!) for all the Refunders -- if you're so upset about wasting your money on a book you didn't like, try getting the book out from the library. It's free, and if you hate it, you return it and never have to think about it again. If you like it, THEN you can go out and buy it! Sheesh!

....Oh, yeah.....And don't even get me started on all the times the author of this article alludes to the idea that teenagers are silly, overly-emotional dramatic nincompoops....*I* beg to differ! We're not all like that!

Hmm

I am currently experimenting with the layout of the blog, though really, I don't know how much it matters since most of you are probably reading this via the bland black-and-whiteness of a feed reader anyway....but at any rate, your thoughts are most welcome :)

I am exhausted. Three parties in 30 hours is a lot for anyone; I think my (very limited) social abilities have been completely depleted. I need to recover from excessive amounts of mingling and cupcakes, so I am off to spend the rest of the night curled up in bed with my three latest library finds: Always Grace, by Tim LaHaye, because I love his writing and because this is much different the the usual apocolyptic fiction of his so I'm curious and because even I need a gooey romance story that makes me sigh happily every so often; Poetic Meter and Form, by I-don't-remember-but-it-looks-interesting-and-it-has-that-wonderful-old-book-smell-that-makes-me-swoon; and River Secrets, by (as most of you probably know) Shannon Hale, because Anilee and Somnite got me hooked on the BoB (haha, look at me, using Bayern-related acronyms!).

Ta-ta!

P.S. Check me out! This is post #10 this month. That's right folks, TEN posts this month; that's the most EVER. We're talking wowness of a record-breaking magnitude, here. AND!!! I still have nearly 27 hours before June is officially over, so who knows?! I might even EXCEED 10!!!

Top 3 Idea Books Every Writer Should Have

....to help conquer writer's block and get the creativity flowing!

1. poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words, by Susan G. Wooldridge

Ok, so it might have originally been aimed at poets or wannabe poets like myself, but in all honesty this book is fantastic for writers of any style or genre. It has wonderful exercises that challenge you to think and explore and is full of anecdotes and examples from the author's own life. My very best friend in the entire galaxy gave me this book for my birthday a few years ago, and it is my all-time favorite book ever. I kid you not; every time I have opened this book I've written something -- not always somethinig good, but it never fails to give me ideas and get me writing, and sometimes that's the hardest thing in the world to do!

2. The Pocket Muse, by Monica Wood

I just receieved this book in the mail today, and am positively in love with it! Again, it doesn't matter what you write -- this book is for you if you've ever suffered from lack of ideas or inspiration. It is a fantastic mix of tips and tricks to make your writing better, stunning black and white photos, lists, ideas, random words to get creative juices flowing, scenarios, characters in need of further development and prompts to get you thinking and writing. AMAZING! And the layout is gorgeous; each page is beautiful and unique and I swear, this book just exudes creative vibes.



3. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, by Philip Sexton

Filled with more then a hundred intriguing and interesting pictures, every page in this book has a photo, a lesson about some aspect of writing, an accompanying exercise or two to practice the lesson and simple questions and captions to make you think. The book is divided into sections like "Characters" and "Dialogue", designed to help you improve your writing lesson by lesson. This is incredibly helpful and useful, but I've found that the book is also fantastic just to pick up and page through and pick an image at random. Mix and match the prompts and photos to come up with interesting combinations, and then just write and see where the words take you.

When Silence Becomes Singing

Today at preschool I was reading a picture book called Musical Max by Robert Kraus (a fantastic children's book author!). It's about Max, a hippo, who loves to play music all day long. He practices every instrument known to man (or, well, hippo), including the trombone, bass, trumpet, drums, piano, cymbals, and synthesizer. His mother thinks it's wonderful, but she is in the minority, because his father and all of his neighbors are NOT HAPPY with Max's continuous "music".
"This noise is driving me crazy!" says his father, who begins to wear earmuffs.
"This noise is driving us CRAZY!" say his neighbors, who give him Evil Glares and tell him to stop and spent most of the book lamenting over how they long for peace and silence.
So one day, Max announces that he no longer feels like practicing. He's not in the mood, he informs everyone, so he takes up baseball instead. And for days, there's no music. Max's father removes his earmuffs.
For weeks, theres's no music. The neighbors breathe a sigh of relief.
For months, there's no music.
"This silence is driving me crazy!" says Max's dad.
Still no music.
"This silence is driving us CRAZY!" say the neighbors.
Seasons change.
Still no music. "I'm not in the mood," says Max.......


In e e cummings' poem, "i am a little church (no great cathedral)" there is a line that caught my attention:

"i am not sorry when silence becomes singing"

I really liked this line, because it really describes my outlook on life...or at least, what I'd like my outlook on life to be.

Now, at some point, everyone likes silence. Everyone LOVES silence, in fact, and I will wholeheartedly agree that there are times when silence is the at the top of my wishlist. Like today, for instance, when both dogs were barking at the cat who was hiding in my brother's room who was gleefully clapping at the excitement which was causing my mother to yell, "QUIIIIIIET!" which caused my father to come stomping up the stairs from the basement to find out what all the racket was about and I just really wanted to write my silly essays and be done with it. Silence would have been blissful right about then.

"i am not sorry when silence becomes singing".

Look at this tiny line for all that it is. Think about what else e e cummings might be trying to convey there. I'm not sorry when silence becomes singing. I'm not sorry when nothing becomes something. I'm not sorry when uncertain hesitation becomes confident proclamation. I'm not sorry when boredom becomes joy. I'm not sorry when fear becomes relief. I'm not sorry when someone finds the strength to express themselves. I'm not sorry when seriousness is shattered by praise....

It's so easy to get so caught up in our want of silence that we are frustrated, irritated or annoyed at singing. My brother has a rather annoying habit of walking around the house "singing opera" (it's really neither singing nor opera, but he thinks it is) at the top of his lungs at any given hour. And yes, believe it or not, most of the time, if I was given the option I'd choose silence over that "singing".

But that's because I'm more focused on my own selfish needs or desires instead of someone else's. I'm thinking about what I need -- time to concentrate on schoolwork; time to think; 10 whole minutes without a headache...and I miss the point. That singing signifies joy. Happiness. Singing is a form of praise, and who am I to try and squash that praise with my own dull, callous, selfish silence??

I think we'd all do well to encourage a little more singing and a little less silence.

Remember our hippo friend Max?

He eventually decides that he's in the mood to play music again. He goes back and picks up his music and from the looks on the neighbor's faces, he's still just as noisy as he was before.
But his father and neighbors have made a great discovery -- that silence that they thought they longed for? It turned out to be dreadfully uncomfortable. It turned out to be horribly cold and dark and it wasn't what they wanted at all. They actually longed for the comforting sounds of Max's practicing.

So when Max started to practice again, not only did they encourage him and jump for joy...
They all joined in. Yup. All the neighborhood animals and Max's father, too, all joined in. They formed a great big band and made great music together.
They turned that awful silence into singing.
With Max as the conductor.

Here's to a little more singing and a little less silence.
Maybe we can all join in.

Words and Meanings

Happy Birthday, C. S. Lewis!!

Today, (November 29, 2007) one of my favorite authors would have been 109! In celebration of his birthday, I googled some C.S. Lewis quotes. Here's one of my favorites:

"Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite."

I love this quote because it applies directly to me :) I am forever using humongous, gargantuan words in place of teeny tiny normal (and rather dull, I must admit) ones, because I, being the crazy homeschooler that I am, loooove vocabulary :) However, Mr. Lewis is entirely right. But really, this whole phenomenon of stripping words of their true value is something that really bothers me. When we use strong words in situations when we don't really need them, their meaning becomes less and less intense. And slowly, throughout time, we begin to get desensitized to the true meaning of some amazing words.

Take love, for example. We have so over used love that it has lost so much of its meaning. "I LOVE chocolate!" or "Have you watched American Idol this week?! I love that show!" are exclamations we hear all that time. But what does "love" mean? Well, that could be a rather long, off-topic post, so let's check dictionary.com:

Love (v): to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for someone

So, as much as you might enjoy, savor or appreciate chocolate, or your favorite TV show, chances are, you probably don't feel "profoundly tender, passionate affection" for either of these things. (If you do, well, then you really need to get out more!!)

Love is a powerful thing. Love is what, more then anything else, characterizes our relationship with God. Through love for us, He sent His Son. Through love for us, Jesus took our place and died. Through love, we are forgiven -- over and over again. Through love, we have a place in heaven -- a place we do not and can not ever deserve. We cannot afford to lose the meaning of love, because it defines so much of what we believe in. Never forget John 3:16:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that we may not perish, but have eternal life.

That's a pretty powerful love, if you ask me!! Something far more powerful then that which could descibe chocolate or TV :)

Now, please know that I'm not saying you should strike the word love from your vocabularly in order to preserve its meaning. All I ask is that you really consider what love means. We can see love whenever we look at God; we can learn about love whenever we read the Bible; we can experience love through our relationships with Him. Bear all this in mind -- because this is the true meaning of love.

With that being said, just remember to think about the meaning of the words you're using.

So, once again, Happy Birthday C. S. Lewis!

And, just a thought: even if you've all read "The Chronicles of Narnia", I highly recommend you read the series...or at least, the first two books...again. They just get better every time! Also, The Screwtape Letters is one of my all time favorite books -- a must-read!

Best Books to Read: Classics!

Ever been to the "young adult" section of a library or bookstore? I try to avoid it at all costs. Given, there are a few contemporary authors I love -- Lois Lowry, Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling. But for the most part, I find today's authors to be shallow, whiny, and unskilled. Inevitably, most of the books will center around the same few themes (with a few minor variations in a pathetic attempt to be "different"). Usually, you've got the whiny teenage "love" affairs (more on my take on teenage "love" and dating in another post) -- "My boy/girl friend left/cheated on me, how on earth will I ever survive?!?!". Or, you've got the stereotypical, "I hate the world and the world hates me" point of view. This bothers me quite a bit -- no wonder teens have such a negative stereotype in our world today! We're always portrayed as angry, shallow beings, and books like this just encourage that view. If you do manage to find a book not relating to these kinds of themes, it will more likely then not be filled with immorality of all sorts -- cheating, lying, stealing, drugs, sex, you name it; all because somehow, young adult authors have gotten the idea that this is what appeals to teens!

Obviously, nobody asked me.


Because of all this, when I walk into a library or bookstore, I always gravitate towards the "Classics" section. I feel much more at home among the rows of the works of Shakespeare, Poe, and George Orwell then I ever would among the contemporary young adult "novels".

Now, admittedly, many of us have read these books in school. But I strongly encourage you to read them again, on your own time, for no reason other then exploring them and enjoying them. I've found that often when reading a book for an assignment, I race through it in order to complete it on time and often miss the meaning, and the "magic" (yeah...I know...that sounded corny. But it's true!).

And so, here is a list -- though most definitely not a complete list, because there are millions of great classics out there! -- but a list nonetheless of 10 great classics that everyone should read -- or re-read, as the case may be:

• Animal Farm, by George Orwell
• 1984, by George Orwell
• War of the Worlds, by Orson Wells
• Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
• To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
• The Lord of the Rings Triology, by J. R. R. Tolkien
• A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare
• Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare
• And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
• Lord of the Flies, by William Golding