Quotable Reflection

Today is a much better day.  I thank those who offered encouraging words and a whole lot of love!  Life is Good!

Time to begin afresh!

I was in a find a quote mood today, so I started the morning looking for something encouraging to begin the day.  I found some keepers on Pinterest:

I think this one would be great sign to have hanging in the house.  THINK... I think the kids and I could commit this to memory.

I love any quote that includes the word "Laugh."  Found this one too:

noelletty.tumblr.com

Amen!

And then there was this one:

http://superpaula.tumblr.com

Sums it up!

I love this one because it hits the nail on the head...Truth Trumps Everything!

Friends: People loving people through THICK AND THIN!

Good Stuff!

San Juan Capistrano Staycation Pt. 2: Los Rios Street Flowers & Shops

A sign found along Los Rios Street

I love the simple beauty of flowers.  I will never tire of looking at a little sprout emerging from the ground or a burst of color from a beautiful flower in bloom. 

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

There are always flowers for those who want to see them.
- Henri Matisse

How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers.
- Mother Teresa

Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men or animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock. ~Henry Ward Beecher, Star Papers: A Discourse of Flowers

These sedum planters inspired our backyard redo.  Love them!

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.
- Claude Monet

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
~Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Afternoon on a Hill"

I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. ~Emma Goldman

Navajo Code Talkers- A Study for May

May, 1942.  World War II.  An amazing group of 29 men were gathered for a highly classified mission.  They were to develop an indecipherable code that not even the best Japanese code breakers could crack.

Who were these men?  How were they discovered?  What was their code?  We're on a homeschooling quest to find out more about these elite dedicated men and their important role in American history.

In the early part of 1942 America had only been involved in WWII for a couple of months.  Message transmissions between US and Ally forces were consistently intercepted and deciphered by the Japanese causing loss of life and failed missions.  The US needed a foolproof  code, but where and how could one be developed?

A son of a missionary, by the name of Phillip Johnston learned of the situation.  He had been raised on the Navajo reservation and was one of only a few outsiders who knew the native language.  This language was never written so there was no record of it for outsiders.  Johnston proposed using the Navajo language as a code and presented his idea to military officials.  The Navajo test program was born.

Today we read The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter.  It's a beautifully illustrated (done by Julia Miner) picture book for children. It tells the story of one Navajo code talker.  The grandfather, telling the story, shares with his grandson how he was sent away to government schools and was not allowed to use his unique, native language.  He must only speak English.  If he didn't he was made to chew on squares of soap.  (My own grandmother was sent away to a government school for Native Americans.  I'm sure she received similar treatment.)

At the age of 17, he heard of a request for young, healthy Navajo men to join the Marines for a special assignment.  He was under age, but there was no birth records on the reservation so he went. 

This special assignment was the top secret Navajo code talkers mission.  The story continues with the training and then duty of these elite personnel.  It tells the vital role the code talkers played in the invasion of Iwo Jima.

By the end of the story the grandson asked his grandfather,

"But why did you leave in the first place?"

His grandfather lifted him gently onto the horse.  "The answer to that is in the code," he said.  "The code name for America was 'Our Mother.'  You fight for what you love.  You fight for what is yours."

At this point of the book, I was in tears.  The kids were trying to fan me and asking why I was crying.  The words of the grandfather were so powerful to me.

"You fight for what you love.  You fight for what is yours."

As I think on these words, those things I'd fight for...God, family, country, honor.

This book was given to us by my mom.  She met some of these amazing men who developed the only unbreakable code in American history.  Our book is signed by some of these heroes.  What a treasure!!  Thanks Mom!

We will continue to learn more about the Navajo Code Talkers.  They have a great website at http://www.navajocodetalkers.org/  On the site you can see photos of the heroes.  Some of these men signed our book.  What an amazing story they have to share!

"You fight for what you love. You fight for what is yours."

Great words to ponder.

Some Mornings are Just Great

Some mornings I wake up, drag myself out of bed and quickly head to the coffee pot for a little caffeine pick-me-up. Such a day is not filled with early morning joy or enthusiasm.

Today is a different kind of day. The kind of day I love! I wake early and feel completely rested. The kids are still asleep and the house is silent. The quiet is so wonderful! I tip toe around so as not to make a sound to cause the littles to stir. I open my Bible study and have a 1/2 hour of uninterrupted "quiet time." And to top off a great morning, the study for today is so compelling! Love it!

I'm currently finishing up Believing God by Beth Moore. It's a great study...some parts are eye opening and encouraging. Others are convicting and challenging.

Today the study was entitled, "One Believing Man." A brief story of the life of D.L. Moody was described. D.L. Moody was an uneducated man, but set out to be a man who was determined to live a life fully and wholly consecrated to God.

He had an amazing life establishing schools, street missions, soup kitchens, and other charitable organizations.

One thing Beth revealed in her description of this amazing man of God is that he was "Teachable."

She writes, "One characteristic of this believing man impresses me most: Dwight Lyman Moody was originally uneducated but his unceasing teachability produced a scholar of scholars. Early in his ministry Moody had little use for grace theology. Then a man named Moorhouse visited Chicago and had a transforming effect on him. Moody invited the former pickpocket-turned-evangelist to preach while he was away. On learning that Moorhouse taught God's love for the worst of sinners, Moody retorted, 'Then he is wrong.' Having heard the sermon, Moody's wife, Emma, suggested that Moorhouse could back up every word from Scripture. When Moody returned to church the next sunday morning, everyone had a Bible."

She continues, "I am impressed by D.L. Moody's willingness to receive constructive criticism and go forward with such zeal that his weakness ultimately became his strength. Beloved, sometimes our hearts are right, but our doctrine is wrong. What fruit is produced when we agree to be teachable...and perhaps even say we were mistaken!"

How powerful!!

It is my desire to have a teachable heart. To learn more and more about the heart of Jesus and to grow in his likeness.

I recently read Sacred Influence and so much about being a godly wife was revealed to me. Life is a process of continuous growth. As Christians we should consistently be striving to have the heart of Jesus. To love what he loves, and hate what he hates.

I hope today continues in the great way it began...the sun is shining, I'm convinced it'll be GREAT!

This Week-Book Club

Our oldest son's book club is currently reading In The Year Of The Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord. We will finish the book at our next meeting. It's been a great read and we've learned quite a bit along the way.

This past week we focused on milestones in the history of black Americans. We created a timeline beginning in 1619 when the first slave ships arrived in America and ended in 2009, when the first black American was elected president. There were quite a few interesting facts along the way that I hope the kids internalized. So many advancements have been made just in my lifetime, which is amazing.

So far my favorite speech from the book came from the main character's teacher. She shared with the kids how anything is possible in America.

"Baseball is not just another sport. America is not just another country..."
"Mrs. Rappaport's speech thrilled Shirley like sunlight and trumpets.
'In our national pastime, each player is a member of a team, but when he comes to bat, he stands alone. One man. Many opportunities. For no matter how far behind, how late in the game, he, by himself, can make a difference. He can change what has been. He can make it a new ball game.
'In the life of our nation, each man is a citizen of the United States, but he has the right to pursue his won happiness. For no matter what his race, religion or creed, be he pauper or president, he has the right to speak his mind, to live as he wishes within the law, to elect our officials and stand for office, to excel. To make a difference. To change what has been. To make a better America.
'And so can you! And so must you!
'This year, Jackie Robinson is at bat. He stands for himself, for Americans of every hue, for an America that honors fair play.
'Jackie Robinson is the grandson of a slave, the son of a sharecropper, raised in poverty by a lone mother who took in ironing and washing. But a woman determined to achieve a better life for her son. And she did. For despite hostility and injustice, Jackie Robinson went to college, excelled in all sports, served his country in war. And now, Jackie Robinson is at bat in the big leagues. Jackie Robinson is making a difference. Jackie Robinson has changed what has been. And Jackie Robinson is making a better America.
'And so can you! And so must you!'" (my empasis)

Quote for the Day

"Opa taught us, 'When Jesus takes your hand, He keeps you tight. When Jesus keeps you tight, He leads you through your whole life. When Jesus leads you through your life, He brings you safely home.'"
-From In My Father's House by Corrie Ten Boom