Learning a Lesson from Daffodils

To Daffodils

by Robert Herrick

Fair daffodils, we weep to see

     You haste away so soon;

As yet the early-rising sun

     Has not attain'd his noon.

          Stay, stay

     Until the hasting day

          Has run

     But to the even-song;

And, having pray'd together, we

Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay, as you,

     We have as short a spring;

As quick a growth to meet decay,

     As you, or anything.

          We die

     As your hours do, and dry

          Away,

     Like to the summer's rain;

Or as the pearls of morning's dew,

Ne'er to be found again.

I can't read Herrick's lovely poem without wanting to include an addendum to it.  Its melancholy conclusion reminds me of Psalm 103:15-16:

The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

"But no!" my heart exclaims.  "That's not the end of the story!"

Wrapped around those doleful words are beautiful, life-giving affirmations.  The verses that precede the mournful thoughts are these:

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

And then we read:

The life of mortals...

Immediately after that heavyhearted section, our spirits rise with this encouragement:

But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children--
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

 When I see daffodils in these early days of spring, I have a few choices.  Do I think only of the bright cheer they lend to the still-a-bit-dreary earth?  Do I mourn the brevity of the daffodils' blooming season and wish they could be around for longer?  Or, more meaningfully, do I reflect upon the lesson learned from the poem of Herrick and the musings of the Psalmist and pause to thank God for His compassion and faithfulness?

I choose Option C.

Field-Tripping {Unabridged Version}

It's late already.  Little time = lots of pictures = few words.  Maybe.  ;-)

The field trip I mentioned a few days ago was to New Market Battlefield for their annual Homeschool Day.  This was the second time I had gone--the first being two years ago (briefly mentioned in this blog post...I just noticed that, in the picture in that post, David was wearing the coat that Tobin wore this year, and Josiah was wearing the coat that David wore this year...my boys are growing up...and wearing lots of hand-me-downs!).

If you're not familiar with the Civil War battle held at New Market, I'll just mention that the big deal about it was that cadets from VMI (Virginia Military Institute) marched a gazillion (more or less) miles to take part in the fighting.  Some of them were only 15 years old.  The South won the battle.  And that's about all I know about it, but when I think about those boys...and my boys...it makes my heart ache.

The Homeschool Day focuses, not so much on that battle, but on what life was like during that period of history.  I had initially been a little reluctant to go because the weather that morning wasn't very good (cloudy, cool, and a chance of precipitation); but as soon as we exited the highway, Josiah recognized the frontage road that leads to the battlefield, and he got all excited.  "I love this place!" he exclaimed repeatedly.  That moment made it all worthwhile.  :)

 Enough with the wordiness - on with the pictures!

The sight of Tobin trying so hard to hold his "gun" like his big brothers just makes me smile.  Sweet boy!

Shav, always up for a challenge, decided to walk...and push the stroller...over uneven ground and rough grass.  That didn't last very long.

From the Civil War "camp," my boys raced over the battlefield to the next item on our itinerary:  the fair.

I couldn't decide which of these pictures of colored bottles (for a ring toss game) I liked more.

These rings suspended in the air were for tossing a paper airplane through.  I tried, and failed dismally.  The wind must have caught my airplane and thrown it to the ground.  It couldn't have been operator error.  ;-)

Shav held onto the ropes supporting the tent and watched all the excitement.

No Homeschool Day could possibly be complete without a rousing game of Spin the Hoop.  :)

 Josiah has played this on enough field trips that he's actually learned how to do it!

 Then it was time to march up the hill to the craft barn to do...well...crafts.

Wait.  Did I say, "to do crafts"?  I really meant, "so Mommy could take a picture of a weathered old door in the barn."

 But there was some craft-doing as well.

While the craft-doers were busy at work, Shav was busy perfecting the art of walking down a little hill and around a corner while holding onto a fence for balance.

While the older boys listened in on a few demonstrations (cooking, school, games, etc.), I stayed outside with the wandering Shav and had fun taking pictures and finding beauty in random places.

And then, before the older boys were ready to go, Shav hit the wall:  the I-can't-possibly-be-happy-another-second-because-I'm-so-tired wall.  

We marched back across the battlefield to our van with Shav in the stroller, and the only reason the entire group of people at the Homeschool Day didn't hear his wails all the way across the field was because I had put a bag of fruit snacks in my pocket--"for such a time as this."  By carefully doling those out to him as we walked, he stayed quiet nearly all the way.  By telling the other boys that they too could have a bag of fruit snacks when we got to the van and they were buckled in their seats, I was able to generate more cooperation from reluctant departers than might have been expected (particularly from a certain three-year-old whom I know well).  Once the van started rolling, Shav fell asleep immediately...

...still clutching some Goldfish in his little hand.  :)

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the best part of the day.  Are you ready for this?  The Chick-fil-A cow was there, and the boys got to meet him, give him high-fives, and get hugs from him.  The boys--especially David and Tobin--were ecstatic about this; and as we moved around the battlefield to the various activities, they were always looking around for that cow.

I have no doubt that, in years to come, when we return to that battlefield, they'll ask where the cow is...

...and will never forget that they met him there.  They might not remember how many miles the VMI cadets marched to help the Confederate troops, but they'll remember the cow!  :)

Wordless Wednesday {Freckles Are Adorable}

Further Proof

He walks.

He walks!

HE WALKS!

When an anticipated event is SO long in coming, great indeed is the rejoicing when it does arrive.

Did I mention...

HE WALKS!!!!!!!!  

:)

He Still Doesn't Like It

I sat down to work on the post about the field trip, but promptly got distracted by these pictures of Shav that I took on that day.  

 My mind flashed to a post I did on my old blog, nearly a year ago.  I still laugh when I remember "What Shav Thinks About Grass."

 Not much has changed, it seems.  Shav still doesn't like to be on the grass; and even though he was fully clothed in these pictures, he seemed completely disgusted to be placed upon the grass.  He lifted one foot and then the other, seemingly trying to discover a way to lift both feet off the ground at the same time so he could avoid all contact with that horrid green stuff.  I don't think there was any way the grass could have been poking his skin directly, but apparently the close proximity was still troublesome, and he vigorously protested.

His face says it all.  But oh, my sweet Shav, if you don't get used to the feel of grass, how are you going to run around barefoot in the summertime?  I'll only say this in a whisper so not too many people will hear, but I'm half-afraid, if you don't change, you'll be in danger of losing your official CCB* status!  And that would be something to cry about.  ;-)

* Certified Country Boy

Field-Tripping {Sneak Peek}

I had hoped to have enough time this afternoon to post pictures from the field trip we enjoyed on Saturday; but as I contemplate the household tasks remaining for me during this peaceful window of time this afternoon while my boys nap and have quiet time, I realize that the lengthy post I was anticipating isn't going to happen--at least, not yet.

Here is just one picture from the field trip.  The locals who read my blog shouldn't have too difficult of a time figuring out where we were.  ;-)

Long Time Coming

With three big brothers who didn't walk until they were 18 or 19 months old, Shav didn't surprise us when he wasn't walking by a year...or by a year and a quarter...or by a year and a half.  But I was a little surprised when 20 months rolled around, and he STILL wasn't walking by himself!  After all, it was way back in October that he learned to walk while pushing a chair; and it was February 8, a whole month and a half ago, that he took his first official steps.  Shav had become a pro at cruising, and as long as he was lightly touching a wall, the couch, a desk, anything really, he could walk.  In fact, in recent weeks, he had gotten really good at walking while standing to the side of a tricycle and pushing it along as he went.  We knew his legs were strong and his balance was good, but we also knew it was a matter of him making up his mind to do it:  feeling confident enough and overcoming any fear that might be lingering in his sweet little head.

Two days ago, on March 25, I was upstairs in my room folding laundry, and all four of the boys were upstairs, too.  I had let David have the camera earlier, and he was having an absolute blast taking pictures--nearly 200 pictures!--and, although I had no idea I would want the camera that morning, the close proximity of it came in very handy momentarily (just another example of God arranging even the smallest details of our lives).  When the older three boys all got on my bed, Shav clamored to be put up on it as well; and I took a break from folding laundry to put him on it and let him roam around while I sat on the edge, ready to catch him if he got too close to the edge.  And then, that dear boy stood up and did this (and I grabbed the camera and pushed "Record"!):

And then he did it again:

Over and over, he stood up, walked from one end of the bed to the other, then sat or tumbled down.  He finally launched out and did it.  He finally walked.  Can you believe it???

You'd think it would actually be harder to walk on a bed than on a smooth, firm surface; and especially when one's cheering section started bouncing and making the bed move, wouldn't that be a challenge?  But I'm guessing that Shav is smart enough to realize that it would be much more comfortable to fall down on a bed than on a floor.  :)

As you can tell from the videos, we were SO excited about it; but when I later put Shav on the floor, hoping that he would replicate his victory, he did nothing of the sort.  Not on that day anyway...

But during the late afternoon of the next day, Saturday, March 26, he suddenly stood up in the living room where I was reading some Brambly Hedge books to David and Tobin, and took off.  He didn't walk with the slow, deliberate, hesitant steps of most beginning walkers (like Tobin's first steps, just to mention one example).  He walked like a pro, as if he had been doing it for a while already.  I guess all that practice with the tricycle made the actual event of solo walking quite easy for him.  He walked all the way around our kitchen/living room oval several times, and then he was done.  No amount of cajoling on my part would entice him to do it again:  not when I was watching, not when I got the camera out to try to make a little movie of it, not even when Daddy got home.

But then, later that same evening, at the Soup & Arts Fest at EMS, we were standing around in a hallway, and the dear child got it in his head to walk again.  So he did, taking many, many, MANY steps.  Just as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

After waiting so very long to see him walk, it seemed almost unbelievable that he was actually doing it.

Oh eyes of mine, dost thou deceive me?  Can it be that my son, my littlest son, has now, at long last, joined the ranks of Those Who Walk?!  :)

So Sweet, It Makes Me Ache

Last evening, Jeff was giving the boys a bath (he often does this job, and I'm immensely grateful for it); and I went into Shav's room to get it ready for him:  to turn on his lamp, to shut his blinds, to lay out a clean sleeper for him, to make sure the stuffed animals and blanket he tosses out of the crib were in it again, to turn on the baseboard heater to warm the room a little before I carried his still-damp-from-his-bath body into it.  I got it ready, then left the room; but for some reason, before the end of Shav's bath, I happened to pass by the doorway to his room again.  When I glanced in, I saw this...

I'm not sure what that picture speaks to you, but to me it says:

Cozy

Warm

Sleepy

Peaceful

Safe

Loving

HOME

A wave of nostalgia rolled over me, and I couldn't resist taking a picture.  When I'm an old lady and my hair is all gray, I wouldn't be surprised if, when I see this picture, my arms will ache with emptiness, and my eyes will overflow from fullness.  

What will I do when I no longer have a towel-wrapped damp-headed little baby to carry into this room?

Music-Makers

Even tho' we live out here in the boonies, far away from them thar city folks, we shore love us some music in this here family.  Whaddya call it?  Uh...culture!  Thet's rite.  Yup, shore enough, we got ourselves some culture.  Wanna see?

First, we have Tobin singing his little heart out to one of the songs from The Aristocats.  Clearly, Shav is in awe.  If he had a thought bubble coming out of his head, I'm sure it would say, "Oh, yes, Tobin, you're right.  I DO want to be a cat.  Thank you for making me aware of that."

One day during school time, our discussion turned to the music of Wagner.  I confessed to Josiah and David that, even though I considered Wagner to be very talented, I didn't personally care for his music very much.  I then proceeded to play a recording of some of his music, sure that they would agree with me that it wasn't nearly as wonderful as the music of...say...Bach or Mozart or Vivaldi.  Au contraire, they deemed it splendid and relished the high drama of it.  Well, one thing led to another, and then we had to listen to "Pomp and Circumstance."  To that, they exclaimed, "The perfect fighting music!"  And proceeded to fight.  My dearly-loved music history lessons in college were never so thrilling.  If only Dr. Miller had handed out weapons.

More times than I can count, I've thought about how, in a homeschooling family, the younger siblings learn so very much from the older ones.  Here's an example:  in SVCC, Josiah is learning "Sesere Eeye," a song from the Torres Strait Islands (true confession time--before he started singing this song, I did not even know where the Torres Strait Islands were, or that such a place existed...SVCC is not only teaching Josiah how to sing, but also teaching me geography!).  (OK, one more interruption--shameless plug time--for you locals--the SVCC's spring concert is coming up in just a few weeks; it will be in the amazing new Forbes Center, and I guarantee it will be an incredible event.)  Now, no more interruptions!  Anyway, Josiah is learning "Sesere Eeye," but he's not the only one.  Yep, little bro David is, too.  There are advantages to being a younger sibling.  :)

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

~ Berthold Auerbach

Wordless Wednesday {Beautiful Keys}