A Rainbow-Themed Post in Which I Open a Discussion About the Effect of the Internet

"Slide down my rainbow into my cellar door and we'll be jolly friends forevermore."

Hello there friends! Hope you are have a lovely summer/winter!

After battling an illness for over a month, I am at last feeling much better.

Today I want to say a hearty thank you. I've been blown away by all of the love and care that my kids, my husband and I have received from friends and family. There have been days when I've received phone calls that I haven't had the energy to take, but simply knowing that someone was checking in to see how I was doing has meant a lot. Many of you have sent me kind emails. Thank you so very much. It may take me some time to get around to responding, but I've read each one with a warm heart. Our community group friends have watched our kids, they've taken them to VBS, they've brought us meals. I could go on and on. When you have five kids, it truly takes a village to pick up the slack when Mom is down! And the prayers! Oh my word. I'm humbled.

There is something about this experience that gives me a pang though -- and that is you. It seems like the kind of support system I have is in global decline. Is this true for you? What would happen today if suddenly you crashed and could not get out of bed for week?  When the rubber meets the road all that matters is knowing you are not alone. I want to know where you are with that. Do you feel like you are literally holding everything together all by yourself? I used to be more of a loner. I used think I'm fine. I got this. And as I said, I am humbled.

The road home.

In my last post we talked about the subject -- "I am your keeper and you are mine." -- which is biblical, of course. A wise person once pointed out to me that the entire Bible could be viewed as a long reply to the question that Cain asked God after he killed his brother Abel in Genesis chapter four:

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 

The answer is YES! Yes, you are your brother's keeper! And God spent a lot of time and effort showing us what that is supposed to look like!

When I was a girl there was one family in my large neighborhood who had a computer in their basement. (My parents still don't have one!) I never would have dreamed then that I would one day be able to converse with friends all over the world!

Sitting in church last Sunday I looked around at all of the nifty new hair styles and I thought, Isn't Pinterest enriching? We are in a hair-renaissance!  Doesn't that just get you excited! It gets me really excited because it is a sign of how our global-connectedness is working it's way into our most mundane decisions -- like how we do our hair.

When you and I sit down to type out our thoughts or post pictures of a healthy, yummy bean salad we really have no idea how far our influence will go.

So in light of our Bible story today, the question I keep tossing around my mind is this: How does being each other's keeper work in the online world?

We are sitting here in front of our computer screens witnessing the dawn of a new era and we have no way to measure our influence over time. We are laying the groundwork for generations to come. The internet is a tool that meets needs in the here and now, but it is also a work of eternal significance.

So talk to me -- I want to know what you think being each other's keeper should look like on the web. Many of my readers are Christians like me, but some of you are not. I want to hear from you no matter what faith tradition you are speaking from.  Vision casters -- speak!

My online life did not start out incredibly meaningful. I had a homeschool blog in the beginning because I always saw myself as becoming a gloriously successful homeschooler. The plan was to show you how you could become a gloriously successful homeschooler like me. The only problem with that plan is that not too far into my homeschool journey, I realized I wasn't going to be gloriously successful. I found myself doggie-paddling, barely able to keep my head above water. Reading other homeschool blogs just made me feel bad about myself.

First I blogged the wrong way, now I'm learning how to get it right. (Yes, I'm still learning!) I know this much for sure: when you use the internet correctly it will have a positive effect on both your online and offline life. It is a powerful tool, but it takes time and practice and a lot of mistakes to get it right. 

Be patient with yourself and be patient with others. 

There is only love.

Now I want to hear from you. Tell me about your experience with the internet and it's effect on you. Tell be about how you use it and give me some suggestions on how to make our online experiences more enriching. 

Oh and before I forget, here's the recipe:

"Jolly Friends Rainbow Salad":

1 red pepper, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 orange pepper, diced

1 red onion, finely diced (optional -- it adds a nice purple color to the rainbow, but I rarely use it.)

1 can chick peas, rinsed

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 bag of frozen shelled edamame, rinsed to thaw

(In the above picture I used fresh parsley, b/c I happened to have some on hand. This recipe is really flexible. Just have fun with it. I added some peas to the baby's meal.)

Let your children help you mix this salad. Their eyes will pop when the colors start to blend. Season liberally with seasoned rice vinegar to taste. Take to a grill-out and and enjoy with friends.

Much love,
Adriana

Quest Notes

A warm cup of cyber tea, just for you.

✒ This week I've made a shift to drinking more green tea and less coffee. I love to sip on a hot drink all day long, but too much coffee makes me edgy!

Delicious with a little honey and cream. Also I've discovered peppermint tea is soothing for my children if they have an upset tummies.

✒ Made turkey stew, multi-grain baguettes, salad, and "Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies" to take to a friend last night. I was reminded of this helpful post, "How to Take Dinner to a Friend":

A delivered meal is a token of your friendship–a visual, tangible, edible one!  Never mind that it frees your friend to divert her attention away from the daily demands of life and on to the more pressing concerns of the moment.

After giving birth to five babies, I've certainly been on the receiving end of meals more than a few times! It's really nice to have some practical go-to meal plans when a need arises.

✒ Our "Advent Literary Countdown" is underway! My children are excited. (I've even heard them brag about this new tradition to some of their friends.) I've been amazed at how delighted they are to open a pretty package, even though they know it most likely contains a book which has resided on our shelf for years!

✒ Book # 1 -- The Nativity. This is a book of images from the movie of the same name. (I couldn't find the link to the book, so I linked to the movie.) It is filled with Biblical passages related to the birth of Jesus. I helped design costumes for our church nativity play several years ago with a friend. The costumes from the movie were our inspiration. We combed through this book many times as we worked out details. I coaxed my kids to open this book first because I thought it would be nice to read a few short passages from it each night of Advent. So far we've read verses of prophecy from Isaiah and Jeremiah.

✒ Book # 2 -- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I read the first chapter to my kids and they begged for more! Even my husband chuckled here and there. Unfortunately, we got started a bit too late last night for a second chapter. Maybe tonight we will be able to read more. My 5 yr. old son slept with this book last night.

"The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world."

✒ Anna Karenina Inquiry news: There is no news! My goal is to finish the list of questions by the end of 2012. I've done a quick glance over the questions and typed in my initial gut responses, but that is as far as I've managed to get. I don't plan to read any of my friends' wrap-up posts or to watch the new film until I answer those questions! The third and final "Blush" post should be up Wednesday (or maybe Thursday -- I seem to be running a day behind this week).

✒ My Christmas shopping is done! (Hip,hip,hooray!) I took advantage of a few Cyber Monday deals. Also, my husband and I were able to go out together twice! One day my aunt and uncle watched our children, and another evening our church offered free baby-sitting for three hours. It's not easy for us to square away time to shop together, but this year it happened and it was very nice! I'm grateful!

✒ I followed the "Four Gift Rule" this year for each of my children:

1 THING THEY WANT

1 THING THEY NEED

1 THING THEY WEAR

1 THING THEY READ

This plan really helped simplify things! I thought long and hard about what each of those four gifts should be. I feel very good about what we're giving each of  them. (We also added a family gift, stocking stuffers, and a few other small things.)

On top of our mantle, the prophet Isaiah lifts his hands.

✒ I'm enjoying "The Return of the Native Synchro-Read" on Facebook very much!

Here's part of the conversation yesterday:

Sandy: Good morning! I had planned to check in yesterday, but didn't finish chapter 4 till I was in bed. Having this accountability really helps -- I would not have finished the reading if it weren't for this synchro-reading plan. I think I need to have synchro-chores, too, heehee. : ) Have a great day! 

Me: I'm with you there Sandy! I had a hard time falling asleep last night b/c I was so excited about getting up to read with you all! I found myself chuckling about jumping out of bed before dawn to read a 135yr old book as if it's hot off the press! Love it!

Normally, I try to start reading at 5am EST, but I have to go with the flow of my family, so occasionally the start time will be different. Many of us dwell in different time zones anyway so  just join in when you can and stop by to leave a comment on the Classical Quest Facebook page at some point during each day to let us know you're still with us!

✒ Working on memorizing John 17 -- a prayer of Jesus. It has been years since I've attempted to memorize a whole chapter! I realize this is not a passage you would normally match with the Advent season, but it's a passage I feel strongly drawn to. So far, I've learned the first three verses:

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 

² As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 

³ And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

✒ I've hand copied these verses twice and placed them over my kitchen sink and on the wall in my laundry area. I've found memorizing verses while doing routine chores is much less challenging!

✒ A word about the new badge in the sidebar: I went to a Christmas concert with my daughter this past week and there I learned about "Show Hope". I was able to speak to a few children (young teens, actually) who were adopted into loving homes through the aid of this organization. I must say, I'm intrigued. A few months ago, my oldest son asked me why it is so expensive to adopt a child.

"Every child should have a family, Mom!"

These words came to mind when the speaker at the concert exhorted us, "Not everyone is called to adopt, but everyone is called to do something for orphans." I'm eager to learn more about this ministry and ponder what I can do.


Oh friends! I still have so many thoughts to share with you! But this post is already too long! One more thing -- here's a little video that made me smile this week:

Sometimes security cameras catch people doing good!

How's your holiday plans coming along? I'd love to know what you're up to!

Blessings:)

Adriana