The joy of going to AIG twice a week

WOW! You're excited aren't you. Are you smarter than a 4th grader? Not yet. I see you spending your twenty minutes of reading chomping at the bit, to put this book down. What's so wrong with reading? It's fun? You love it, as long as it's silly or funny. Thank God for teachers. The first week of school under the belt. Onward and upward!

Getting ready for 4th grade...

Thank God, aunt Lee provided a new computer with a videocam. Thank you Aunt Lee! God bless the fourth grade Ezra. Ready, set, here we go.

Oh, Beautiful for Spacious Skies---

America the Beautiful

Words by Katharine Lee Bates,

Melody by Samuel Ward



O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!



O beautiful for pilgrim feet

Whose stern impassioned stress

A thoroughfare of freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!



O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife.

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness

And every gain divine!



O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!



O beautiful for halcyon skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the enameled plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till souls wax fair as earth and air

And music-hearted sea!



O beautiful for pilgrims feet,

Whose stem impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till paths be wrought through

wilds of thought

By pilgrim foot and knee!



O beautiful for glory-tale

Of liberating strife

When once and twice,

for man's avail

Men lavished precious life!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till selfish gain no longer stain

The banner of the free!



O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

Till nobler men keep once again

Thy whiter jubilee!

Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry?---fecitious cliches of the queen of cliche's

Here's Your HAT?

This year's theme, "by default" was Here's Your Hat, What's Your Hurry---{circa Ruth 1900's} 

Each Day before school, we had a few stowaway moments to ourselves, just Mommy and Ez.   I tried to tell you a little about myself and in the words of my now beloved, least favorite Grandma Ruth.   I told you how I boycotted her home for years of my life, though we went there every week.  She always said, Here's your hat, what's your hurry? In fact, she had hundreds of cliche's that meant you are certainly not welcome here.   She didn't really mean it, but she was never at a loss for words saying it.  Her house was comfortable otherwise.  Always, there was alot of food and drink and the comforts of home.  Her words were almost always cross, towards me. {Later in life, Uncle Charles translated her to me, but as a child, I never could understand that. }
I am sure that I was her least favorite grandchild, also.  I used our love/hate relationship to remind myself that life is short.   She lived a very long and happy, though tumultuous life.   She exemplified a lot of good qualities of taking things in stride and life as it comes.  I learned from her, though I hated most of the classtime, we spent together.   Everybody else loved her so much.  Ethan was the last grandchild to meet her.  I try to tell you about her and remind us that we have to keep pace with the moments.   She always kept pace with the times.  She never dawdled and she encouraged us all in and out of her presence.  I liked the leaving time with her, so I was glad when the finale was sung, at her house.  We went there every week, for a long time.   I sat in the car, during my boycott.  I don't want to miss the time with you because of my neglect, or attitude, so I sing her song to you and hope that we can find common ground.  We are about the same distance in age and I am hoping that we can bridge the generation gap and love eachother deeply, inspite of the years.  XOXOXOXO

Where are you?

Your father and I were searching diligently to find you. Up and down and around and around and you were right at the friend's house, where we thought you would have been. We missed you. We were worried sick. Thank you for being so consistent. Know that we love you intensely!

Learning to govern your own deportment.

It hurts me to watch your little hand turn red from a spank on it, in the morning. It makes me weak, like little else. I never really felt weak spanking anybody{certainly not my siblings} and my elder children. The Bible says don't let your soul spare for his crying. What is the lesson? I must ask myself as my mind is older and sometimes forgets to teach the lesson that the spanking is used to convey. Oh right, Don't think that you have reign over the computer of the house, you are under authority. Don't put technology before the going to school routine. Don't forget to brush your teeth and do the other necessities before going to school and the computer will distract you from these important priorities.
God has allowed us to have these modern conveniences and we must use them as under His authority and not under our own auspices.
I imagine the awe of the disciples when the rich young ruler was loved and allowed to go from Jesus. Who then can be saved? He seemed to want to do his alms and set his life under the authority of God and said that he had done this from his youth. Jesus showed us, this, self discipline is not enough to save us. If he isn't saved, thought the disciples, what is salvation? Only trusting Jesus, can these treasures of self-discipline be useful to the soul.
They may make you well liked in your social sphere and they are mommy's priorities and hopefully, erelong, they will lead you to love the Jesus that we are trying to show you, is Life Eternal!

This year, I'm not your secret admiration :(

A long time ago, We went to the hospital for a baby to come home with us. It was eight years ago and we all agree that God was saving the best for last. Nothing about this birth was like any of the others. A tiny package of wrapped up wrinkles and smiles and hugs and loves. You smiled and grinned at the first moment we met. You were ready to take part in the tumult of Walkerisms from the very start, in fact you jump started the whole team thing by coming to us a month early.

We sat in the car one day thinking about this baby in the tummy and I told the children that the angels play movies to the baby about the life that they are going to live. We had a fun time thinking about what kind of a child you would be. The children said Ezra got sick of the movies and wanteed to start the real on stage scenes. We love you and are grateful that God sent you to us early and late!
I love that you put your feelings into a special card for your Crystal-secret love. Shhh! I won't tell her. We have to carry the card to her house, so that she can have the knowledge that you really admire her.
I can't give her the card, or she will tell everybody on the bus, you said this morning, over breakfast.

We come from a long line of love and I like that you have found a third grade heart throb and can't wait to see the other little sparks that grow you into the King of Hearts.

Happy Valentines Day, Baby!