My Inspirations - Edith Schaeffer

I mentioned previously that I wanted to begin a new series, inspired by reading John Stott's, People My Teachers, where he took the readers on a walk-thru of people who had greatly influenced his life... some in person, the majority in books.  I'll write these posts in between regularly scheduled ponderings when it is possible to tuck one in here and there.

What better person to begin with than the woman who influenced me most.  I was engaged at nineteen and married a week or so after turning twenty.  I pretty much went into marriage clueless on how to be a good homemaker at all, much less a young woman who wanted a Christ centered family.

The Presbyterian church I attended as a very young (literally) Christian was one that was radically on fire for the Lord.  Not only were the books of Francis Schaeffer a core part of the theology but our pastor was at L'Abri the summer of our wedding.

So that is how it came to be that Edith's books entered my life.  Answered prayer.  Changed my life. Affected my thinking about... everything.  Her influence can be seen today not only in my life and home but the generation(s) that have now come along.

I learned through Edith that every person is an artist.  We were created for Art. We make Art when we cook.  We make Art when we garden.  We make Art when we raise a family.  We show the world we are created in the image of a Creator when we live a Christ centered life.

Never perfectly, of course.  Her famous quote has also long been a foundation in my life, "If you expect perfection or nothing, you will always end up with nothing".

I think L'Abri* was the first book by Edith I read. It is still the foundational book for anyone to learn about the initial ministry of L'Abri as well as Edith's other books.  I skimmed through it when preparing for this blog post and decided it was time to read it again.  It reads like a novel!

Hidden Art was her first book about home-keeping I read, now called The Hidden Art of Homemaking: Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life*.   In later books she said she didn't want the change in title thinking it would turn away men, who also have Hidden Art in their everyday lives.  But when it became available only in paperback, the publisher insisted on the title change.

This was the foundation book of the rest of my life.  Ground Zero.  From the first chapter on, I fell in love with the way Edith described what everyday life should become.  How we are made in the image of a Creative God so we must... create.  We were meant for Beauty.  We were meant to be His source of Beauty to a fallen world.

This book is now quite dated, having been written in the very early 1970s.  But the message is the same.  I have reread this book again at least once a year and usually three or four times as it is taken off the shelf when I need inspiration, ideas, courage, and a reminder of what it means to make a home.

What Is a Family* was also at the top of my list for inspiring the way I thought of being a keeper of the home, a mom, a wife, a part of the Church, salt and light in the community.  It opens with her ponderings at being sixty years old.  I thought that quite ancient at the time.  I thought of it again on my last birthday.  How time goes by quickly!

This book is similar to Hidden Art but much more specific to family life.  In a world where the family was already breaking apart, she spends an entire book sharing ideas on why the family is so important to the culture.  Why the family needs to have someone to look after it, cherish it, be there in times of crisis, and create within it.  I have reread it at least once every year, far more when I was in the full time mother mode.

Common Sense Christian Living* is another foundation book.  I gave my copy to someone long ago who needed to understand more of living the Christian life.  While it continues the message of the above books about living in family life, it branches out a great deal to talking about being salt and light in the world around us without compromising our values.

Someone had asked me for the title of Edith's book containing her L'Abri Family Letters and this is that much belated answer.  There are actually two volumes containing these letters (and these are just what they considered the most important to include!) which were originally sent to a few supporters and family members... then to the far expanded support group around the world.

These two books are a must read for those inspired by Edith Schaeffer.  Each one is truly like receiving a personal letter from her describing what is going on in their life.  She reminds readers that these were written in the midst of their daily life and unlike now... they had no idea of the outcome.  I have thoroughly enjoyed these two books. 

With Love, Edith* chronicles the years from 1948-1960 as they have been in Europe for only days.  We often forget that the Schaeffer's began their ministry in Europe just as WWII has ended.  So we not only walk through their early ministry there but Edith shares how WWII continued to affect people, years after it ended.

Dear Family* contains the L'Abri Family Letters from 1961-1986.  This volume begins at Swiss L'Abri and ends around the time of Francis' death.  Edith writes her letters in such a way that one feels they are reading a novel and must remind themselves over and over that this was life being lived one day at a time.

The Tapestry* is the official autobiography of the Schaeffers and L'Abri, written by Edith in 1981, when Francis was still being treated for cancer.  Whereas the first book I mentioned (L'Abri) is a good autobiography to learn about the ministry of L'Abri, it a short book, written in 1969.

This book is much larger, in-depth, and obviously continues the story into the very early 1980s.  This is the book for the serious Schaeffer students and admirers to read but I gave my original copy to a friend whose life was quite upside down at the time.  I told my friend this book would help them trust the Lord in the midst of serious trials..  For the Schaeffers experienced many of the "darts of the enemy" in their many years of ministry.

One could read this book and then both of the books containing the letters but all would be enjoyable and interesting on their own. You probably know how Franky Schaeffer has written so many rotten things about his parents (how sad that a child is used by the enemy of our soul as a source of intended destruction of a ministry).  One thing you will find Edith says over and over in these biographical books is that God uses them despite their imperfections!

Forever Music* gives us more about Edith's life after the death of her husband.  It is also the story of a Steinway piano and how music became the way God healed Edith's grief and led her into a new world as a widow.

Christianity is Jewish* is Edith's book about the Jewish (Old Testament) roots of the Christian faith and gives a bird's eye view in the process of Jesus in the Old Testament through early church.  She wrote that this book was a result of sharing through the years with her Jewish friends.  This is an excellent book for bringing the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible together.

The Life of Prayer* is about... ummmm.... prayer.  But more so, it shares with the reader the miraculous answers to prayer through the years at L'Abri, examples of prayer through Church history, and trusting God when our prayers seem to go unanswered.  Once again, Edith makes a theological subject easy to read and understand.

A Way of Seeing* contains sixty essays first appearing in Christianity Today magazine.  I have picked up this book through the years to read an essay here and there when I need inspiration from Edith.  It is basically about how the Word of God and living with Christ causes us to view every aspect of our life through the lens of Christ.

Affliction* is a book about suffering.  No way to get around it in life.  Edith talks about what the Word has to say about suffering, how it has affected her own life, and how it affected people she has known and loved.  This is considered one of her best books.

There are a few other books by Edith that I haven't included here but these were the most important in my life.

I can't talk about Edith without sharing a book by her daughter, either!

For the Children's Sake* came along just as I was considering homeschooling Christopher.  In the book, Susan Schaeffer Macaulay shares the story of how they were introduced to the works of Charlotte Mason and her philosophy for education.  This was the book that caused me to homeschool using this philosophy (this and the books by Karen Andreola).

I know there are a lot of book links here but I never met Edith in person.  I was mentored through these books.  I can't wait to have tea with Edith someday in Eternity.  It is a good thing there is no time there, for I am certain a long line would otherwise form.

*All links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Book Talk: Reading Edith Schaeffer

I've had a lot of questions from people who have never read an Edith Schaeffer book as to what to read first.  I think it is a good idea to go back to the foundations, to really understand the affect the Schaeffer's had on the Evangelical Church in the 1960s, 1970s, and even after Francis' death in the 1980s... well into the 21st Century. Their combination of Francis' apologetics and Edith's hospitality made L'Abri a very special place.

A lot of Christian leaders my age were deeply influenced by them, as well as many who worked (and still work) in government.  For Francis taught how important it was for Christians to be "salt and light" in every aspect of life, including politics. At one time, there was a Schaeffer Bible Study in Washington that lasted for years.  So to understand their work, I'd first read L'Abri, which I think was Edith's first book and the story of the beginnings of the ministry.

One of her later books was their autobiography, The Tapestry, which is much larger and takes you well into the 1980s.  I have recommended it many times to people in ministry as it shares a lot of their struggles as well as "successes" through the years.

At one time, L'Abri was probably her most famous book, until Hidden Art was published in paperback as The Hidden Art of Homemaking.  Which was a title she didn't care for but the publisher wanted, I think the publisher was right on that change.  For it was a bestseller for ages and is still in print today.   I used to read it a couple times a year but I still read it through once a year.  While it is now a little dated, it never ceases to spark my desire to live a creative life.  Especially in the day-to-day journey.

What Is a Family was her other book that I read again a couple times a year.  In it, she talks about family life in every aspect.  It is the kind of advice one rarely finds these days in books about the family as some would call it dated... long before the time social media and playgroups were even thought of, much less a part of everyday life.  However, this book takes you to the foundations of family life and very much in "Edith" style... with creativity mixed with good theology.

With Love, Edith: The L'Abri Family Letters 1948-1960 and Dear Family: The L'Abri Family Letters 1961-1968 are two books consisting of Edith's "Family" letters which were sent out first to their family and small group of supporters and eventually to thousands of people around the world who supported L'Abri.

I enjoyed these books very much, she is an excellent letter writer and these bring you into their world I think even more than their autobiography.  She always said that she wrote her letters so that her mother could actually feel a part of their world, even when thousands of miles away.  These book are the other two I plan to reread soon.  They are out-of-print and were once pricey but now there are a lot of inexpensive copies available third-party at Amazon.

They are especially interesting in that the Schaeffer's arrived in Europe at the end of WWII and you get a good look at how much Europe suffered in the Post WWII years.  It was still difficult to get healthy food to feed a family when they arrived.

Christianity Is Jewish is one of her lesser known books but is excellent for understanding the how the Old Testament is a foundation for the New Testament.  I went through a few years where I studied mainly the Old Testament since I didn't grow up knowing many Bible stories.  This book has been out-of-print but there are a lot of good used copies available.

Affliction is an excellent book to read about suffering.  Edith covers many different ways people suffer and shares her own stories of those times she had to depend on God to get through a time of affliction.

Forever Music is the book Edith wrote after the death of her husband and how music in general and a gifted Steinway in particular brought her through the process.  It includes the story of how a Steinway piano is crafted as well as the importance of music to the soul.

There are other Edith books, a few I own and others I once owned but gave away.  A few are like A Way of Seeing and are compilations of articles and essays assembled into one book.  I enjoy these because they consist of various themes and subjects.

The Schaeffers were definitely not perfect people and like every family, mistakes were made.  Their son Franky has written a scathing book about his parents and while most people say it is not correct (Os Guinness wrote a famous rebuttal*), what everyone does agree on is that Franky was neglected since he was born late in life, when the Schaeffers were traveling together a lot for ministry.

The difference between the way the girls were raised as an important part of the ministry from childhood to their son being left with other people to care for him is definitely a warning to other parents of the importance of building relationships in the early years.

Speaking of their children, Susan Schaeffer Macaulay wrote a book, For the Children's Sake, which introduced the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling to a new generation and was very influential (along with Karen Andreola's book, A Charlotte Mason Companion) in the way I homeschooled.

Mentioned in this Post (oh, my... a lot!)

L'Abri... here.

 The Hidden Art of Homemaking... here.

What is a Family... here.

Dear Family... here.

With Love, Edith... here.

Christianity is Jewish... here.

Affliction... here.

Forever Music... here.

A Way of Seeing... here.

For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay... here.

A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola... here.











*Os Guinness' review of Franky Schaeffer's book, Crazy For God... here.

 Disclaimer: Most links to Amazon.com are Associate Links.

Sunday Afternoon Tea - Life on Purpose Reflections

My literary mentor, Edith Schaeffer.

September was the reset month when there was schoolwork in the midst of our years.  These days, with both kids long ago graduated from college, it is once again January which clears the air.  January gives me a fresh calendar (a few, actually), and lets me hit the reset button on what is commonly viewed as... a life.

God created planets and a sun and a moon and stars and He threw in Time and Space and mixed them all together to form a calendar... that was absolutely brilliant.  God will continue to amaze me throughout Eternity.  How well He understands His creation.  We need to know where we are in our journey on this planet and a calendar can focus our attention to lots of Truths.  Not the least of which is how fast that thing we call Time flies by.

I usually take birthdays with grace, just being glad for another year on the planet.  However, turning sixty really shook me.  While the birthday weekend spent in Western Michigan... one of my favorite places on the planet, with my very favorite people on the planet... was lovely and filled with joy, I was in a bit of a fog thinking about reaching that decade.  Sixty.  Where did forty and fifty go?

I remember my mother's sixtieth birthday.  I remember reading a book by Edith Schaeffer when I was a bride and thinking how old she was when she wrote about turning sixty that year.  Sixty is not the new forty.  One still lives a lot of years to reach sixty... and it can be rather strange when we can't remember many of those days, much less entire years.

I think I was in my late teens, it had to be as I wasn't married, attending a rather large meeting filled with mostly older Christians.  I was half listening to a conversation going on beside me when I realized the subject was quite interesting.  Even to one so young.  They were talking about how the older they get, the more they realize this life is a schoolroom for the next... our very preparation for Eternity.

That was hard to take in when you are still a teenager and a new Christian.  Now I understand what they were saying... and why I have to continue to draw close to the Lord while... giving my younger self a lot of grace.

I know I don't have to repent over and over when I've asked God's forgiveness.  But I still cringe when I think of things from the past, especially when I said something or judged someone or acted in an ungodly manner.  However, when I talk to Him about these things, He always asks me the same question.  Every. Single. Time.

Did you learn from the experience?

For you see, He doesn't expect us to walk through this life always doing the perfect thing.  Only Jesus lived that life.  However, as we grow in wisdom and knowledge of His Word, He does expect us over the years to learn from past mistakes... and trials... and blessings.  Life is indeed a learning experience.  His goal is for us to become more like Jesus and a lifetime is only the beginning.  We are to grow every year, learning what He teaches through people, circumstances, and His Word.

I've been thinking a lot about the basics the past few weeks, going back to the people who mentored me when I was young... some in real life but a lot in books.  I was very blessed in those early years to be surrounded by excellent teachers who introduced me to my literary mentors, especially Edith Schaeffer.

She had the greatest influence on the way my life would be shaped.  Others, of course, through the years were important... but she was my role model of what a Christian woman should look like.  Never perfect, for she was the first to admit she and Francis were far from perfect.  But having said that... still a role model that has proven wise in my now 60+ years.

Which is why, in my new-to-me-thrifted cabinet, the bottom shelf contains all my Edith books.  I have gone back to the beginning and I'm now re-reading some titles that I haven't picked up in years.  Back to what started it all.  Back to the time I've forgotten. I want to return to the beginning in a literary sense and reread some of the books now, from the same age she was when she wrote them. 

Of course, there is the usual beginning of the year cleaning and decluttering going on.  All of the drawers in the Study have been cleaned and reorganized.  The drawers in the hutch have had a very good cleaning and tweaking, with the cloth napkins getting a washing this year.  Last year it was the vintage tablecloths which were sent through the washer and dryer.

Two sacks of stuff I don't need (including half the cloth napkins) are in sacks waiting for the next time I'm driving past the Mission's thrift store.  That's another part of life's changes.  What we needed (or at least we thought we needed) at one time is not important now so let's give it to charity for someone else to use and clear our own clutter.

So... besides reading Hidden Art this week (aka: The Hidden Art of Homemaking in paperback), what else is on the agenda?  I need to make a few lists to sort out the jumble of thinking going on, to take pen to paper and organize... not a drawer... but my brain.  There was a time I could type a letter and answer the phone and talk to a kid at the same time but these days... if I don't write something down it tends to go... poof!

This week I will make lists. January is the perfect time for the making of lists... and the pondering of life.  Which often results in the making of lists... and blog posts.

Francis and Edith Schaeffer

I was sitting on my porch this morning, attempting to have a quiet time. There were mutiple distractions. I was trying to absorb myself in the first chapter of John but I need a little more quiet to wrap myself around the concept of, "The Word was God, The Word was with God, all things were made by The Word, etc.". Anything having to do with the concept of "God always was and always will be" takes a little time for me to handle, not to mention at least two cups of coffee.

So I gave up my study of the Word and picked up the book I brought with me, Great Leaders of the Christian Church. It was a Goodwill find, 69 cents because it is paperback. What a jewel of a book. I bought it because it had Francis Schaeffer's picture as one of the "Great Leaders"...my spiritual father. I'll go back and read about Luther, Augustine, Knox, the Wesleys, etc. but I had to immediately turn to see what they said about Schaeffer.

I was physically in my rocking chair on my front porch, at the edge of the forest. However, mentally I became eighteen years old again and in the midst of the Jesus People revolution. As a new Christian, I'd been attending a Wesleyan church with a friend (a nod to the Wesleys here). It was a good church but God soon took this little seedling and transplanted me into a Presbyterian church with rich spiritual soil. I didn't know just how rich, then. I thought every church was like this. This was the era where Francis Schaeffer was being studied by conservative Presbyterians (my soon-to-meet future husband was experiencing the same thing in a Reformed Presbyterian church college group).

I had a pastor and many teachers who took the cream that was Francis Schaeffer's books and turned them into spiritual infant formula for those of us who had recently come to know Him. It would take an entire blog in itself to share what I learned in those early years. I think it can be boiled down to what the Great Leaders book said about Schaeffer, he taught "the Lordship of Christ in the totality of life" and "if Jesus Christ be Lord, He must be Lord of all in every way".

As for Edith, she taught me what a Godly woman should look like. She taught that God is the Creator and has given creativity within us to be used in our home and in our life. In her books, she showed me the art of cooking and setting a pretty table is just as "religious" as going to church. She taught this new Christian that washing dishes with a good attitude is Christ-like. All things considered, good seeds planted in good soil.

For those who have not read the Schaeffer's books, they do not ask to be put on a pedestal. They are very honest about their own strengths and weaknesses. Their message is very much, "If God can use me, He can use you". I like that. It was good food for an infant Christian and it is still good.

The roots grew deep, they have protected the tree from the hurricane force winds that is what we know as...life. I'm a lot more battered and bruised then I was back then but I've survived. I know God has used other spiritual fathers and mothers in the lives of other people. However, it was the Schaeffer's that God provided for me as my spiritual "parents" and I will be eternally grateful.

Sunday Afternoon Tea

For if you keep silent at this time,

relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere,

but you and your father’s house will perish.

And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom

for such a time as this and for this very occasion?

Esther 4:14 Amplified Version

This has been a week to "try men's souls", hasn't it?   With terrorist bombings, small town explosions, state wide flooding, and a few personal challenges... one looks around and understands we are far from Heaven.

Yet, we realize Heaven is not far from us and that is indeed a very good thing.  :)

My reading this week led to ponderings, as it often does.  I was thinking how God creates us... gifts us... challenges us... and allows us to walk a journey which is unique to each person.

All coming together so we can be used by Him, sometimes as individuals and at various seasons of life as part of the greater Body of Christ in this world... for the work he created us to do.

I was reading a small but lovely tribute to Edith Schaeffer this week, written by Nancy Pearcy.   Nancy studied with the Schaeffer's at L'Abri and went on to become (in my opinion) one of the premier apologists for the Christian faith today.

In her tribute to Edith, she describes her as having "the apologetics of beauty".  As I read that description, I realized those four words sums up exactly how I felt about Edith... and that part of her which I have hopefully emulated through my own life.

You wouldn't think one could change the world with good food, tea times, and a beautifully set table... now would you?  But it was this very way of looking at life that made Edith the perfect balance to Francis' personality and intellect.

Few of us will have the affect of a world renown ministry but God does place us in community.  It really is true that giving kindness and a cookie to a neighborhood child matters or that becoming friends with foreign students and offering them hospitality will be long remembered upon their return home.

Whether you spend your days in the kitchen or at an office, in a school or a farm, playing with kids at a playground or typing at a computer... you are an important part of the Body of Christ.

There are people who can be reached... men, women, boys, and girls... who may have only you as the Christian witness in their life.

Don't ever think all you can do is make bread and stew, light candles and set the table, offer hot coffee or cold lemonade... and that doesn't matter.  Edith helped change the world by doing those very things.

I also picked up Marriage to a Difficult Man to continue re-reading this week.  I'd set it aside temporarily.  It also shares the message of the importance of a woman in influencing the world around them for Christ.

I am convinced Francis Schaeffer would not have had the ministry to the world he had if not for Edith.  I am equally convinced we would not be talking about Jonathan Edwards over three hundred years later if not for Sarah.

Biography is an amazing thing... it allows us a birds eye view of the lives of these two women.  We are able to see what neither one of them did as they lived their lives, how God allowed their journey from birth to give them everything they needed to accomplish the journey set before them... every talent, every skill learned, every experience... all coming together uniquely.

We are no different from these two wonderful (and quite human) women.   Who knows if one of us... perhaps you... will change even one person's life by showing God's love.

I shared with my daughter how I curled up on my sofa and watched the law enforcement officials close in on the younger brother Friday night.  I had looked at his photo all day and the look on his face brought tears to my eyes.    He was only nineteen years old... not too many years ago he was but a little boy.   He had his whole life before him, as did the people he and his brother killed.

And I wondered if there had been anyone in all those years he lived in the United States who showed him the Truth of Christ by sharing kindness and love and grace and mercy... and perhaps a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies.  (Added note: I do understand some people are raised to hate and cannot see love shown to them.)

Silly thoughts?  Edith changed the world with food and candles and Beauty.  Sarah's influence was felt far beyond the shores of New England and she spent most of her days doing housework, caring for their kids, crops and cow, and showing hospitality.  Both women had a skill of listening to others, really listening.

Never underestimate that you were born into the kingdom "for such a time as this".  Esther's entire life up until her uncle made that statement was for this very occasion.  This one decision... this one act of courage... by a Jewish woman enslaved in an enemy country.

Just... one... woman.

Picture:  Since you asked... the teapot was a gift while Stephanie was still in college and the teacup (yes, I do have a July birthday) was an early birthday gift approx. eight years ago when we spent a lovely day at Old Sturbridge Village.  It's hard to believe they are not made by the same china company.  :)

Sunday Afternoon Tea - You are what you read

"You will be the same person in five years as you are today

except for the people you meet and the books you read."

Charlie Tremendous Jones

 
When the discussion of reading books with children used to come up, a saying I heard quite often was "it doesn't matter what they are reading as long as they read".  I was then and continue to be appalled by that statement.

Reading junk, bad social theories, bad theology, and pornography will no more make a healthy child (and adult) than eating McDonald's three meals a day will bring about a healthy body... and I do crave an occasional Big Mac!

When I was growing up, there were no boundaries to my reading and I did read just about everything I could find.  Some of which stayed with me in beautiful ways while others I wish I could wash my brain of their images.  I know personally it matters what we read.

I will be forever thankful for friendships made in the early years of my faith, those people who recommended those authors who would lay a strong foundation for my faith.  The pastor of the Presbyterian church I attended at the time had become influenced by Francis Schaeffer, so much so that he was at L'Abri on my wedding day and my marriage was performed by our Associate Pastor.

I can't say I understood all of what Schaeffer wrote, my brain doesn't work the same way so I have to read pages two or three times before I "get it".  However, I bonded immediately with Edith Schaeffer's writings, as did many (if not most) Evangelical women at the time.

I would be a different person if the books by the Schaeffers had not been recommended to me as a young Christian.  Thankfully, there were excellent books by Christian women (in addition to Edith) whose writings help mold and shape me as a wife, mother, and homemaker.  Women such as Elisabeth Elliot,  Anne Ortlund and Emily Barnes.  Later I came to enjoy the books by Elizabeth George (the Christian writer, not the novelist by the same name).

One thing I always have to remember is that these books were read by choice in a decade many women were turning to books by Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer.  I chose to read the books I did because of who recommended them to me.  These were the women I wanted to become like, the women who read Elisabeth and Edith and Anne and Emily.

Did I only read Christian books?  Of course, not.  While I decided long ago not to read defiling books, one does not have to be a Christian to teach how to live in Beauty.  I don't think Alexandra Stoddard comes even close to being an Evangelical Christian (her non-decorating writings lean toward New Age thinking) but she had a great influence on the way I decorate my home.

Tasha Tudor wrote about being reincarnated and wanted to return to a past century when she died... but that didn't stop me from gleaning the good stuff she wrote about Beauty and the courage to be yourself.

Julia Child doesn't seem to have any faith at all from what I have read in her books but she taught me to be brave in the kitchen.  Not to worry about making a mistake and if I did... just to call it something else.

For you see, as we become discerning in our reading, we know who are our spiritual advisers in books and those authors we want to read for non-spiritual enjoyment.

What about fiction books?  My preference these days goes to the more genteel and lovely stories of Elizabeth Goudge, D. E. Stevenson, Miss Read, Jan Karon, etc.  Which is amusing because my television viewing habits lean toward murder mysteries.  Hmmmm... one should have a balance in their life?

With all of us, really good literature helps form the person we become.  Whether we are children or adults.  But remember... we need to give grace to other parents who allow books that we didn't. 

I have a lot of friends whose family loved the Harry Potter books but we didn't read them.  That was fine.  My son and I watched Dragon Ball Z together when he was a child, which would cause some friends to shake their heads in wonder.

God knows what is best for each individual family and not being infinite ourselves... we don't.  What my family deemed appropriate may be different than a friend's choice as long as neither are what I would call defiling.  Let's just say you will find no books starting with "Fifty Shades..." in my library.

However, one of my favorite novels is Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.  Embedded in the story is her philosophy but if you know what it is, you can ignore that and appreciate her writing that is (I think) more relevant today than when it was written... as she warns against becoming too dependent on the modern world and technology.  Remembering this was written long before the Internet!

Is there a type of book I will never read?  Well, personally I don't read books with a lot of bad language or shall we say... lewd behavior?  I also do not read books these days by atheists disguised as Bible teachers and those making an attempt to draw me away from the faith. 

Not that I am concerned they could... for they can't!... but I once had a friend who attended a liberal Presbyterian seminary tell me he wished he hadn't read some of those books for he had to filter them out on his way back to the reality of faith.  I'm too old for such nonsense these days.

Which brings me back to children... I am a firm believer in filtering all books kids read as young children through my standards, up until their teenage years.  I still wouldn't have defiling books in the house but I prefer teenagers be challenged in areas when they live at home and can ask questions.

I gave books to my daughter (who was not homeschooled) and then provided a full course in worldview to my son (who was homeschooled), knowing full well that if they were going to a University they would need to be prepared. 

I know this is a rather rambling Sunday post.  I told a friend that I was having a hard time getting the words to land just right in my brain.  So my friends... this is where my thoughts led me.  Hopefully they make sense.

Some of  the books and authors mentioned or eluded to in this blog post are:
Atlas Shrugged... here.  (Read with discernment.)
Edith Schaeffer... here and here (her most famous books among many).
Anne Ortlund... here (her most famous book among many).
Emilie Barnes... here (her most famous book among many).
Elisabeth Elliot... here (a good introduction among many).
Alexandra Stoddard... here and here (I especially love her decorating books).
How to Be Your Own Selfish Pig by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay... here (one of the books given to my daughter before college).
Starting Points... here (used with my son's homeschooling).

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Image:  Kim Sung Book Shop

Sunday Afternoon Tea - You Are What You Read

"You will be the same person in five years as you are today

except for the people you meet and the books you read."

Charlie Tremendous Jones   

As of this month, I am entering my sixteenth year of blogging at Coffee Tea Books and Me.  So, I've decided that about once a month, I want to republish a blog post from the past.  This post was first published in 2019...

When the discussion of reading books with children used to come up, a saying I heard quite often was "it doesn't matter what they are reading as long as they read".  I was then and continue to be appalled by that statement.

Reading junk, bad social theories, bad theology, and pornography will no more make a healthy child (and adult) than eating McDonald's three meals a day will bring about a healthy body... and I do crave an occasional Big Mac!

When I was growing up, there were no boundaries to my reading and I did read just about everything I could find.  Some of which stayed with me in beautiful ways while others I wish I could wash my brain of their images.  I know personally it matters what we read.

I will be forever thankful for friendships made in the early years of my faith, those people who recommended those authors who would lay a strong foundation for my faith.  The pastor of the Presbyterian church I attended at the time had become influenced by Francis Schaeffer, so much so that he was at L'Abri on my wedding day and my marriage was performed by our Associate Pastor.

I can't say I understood all of what Schaeffer wrote, my brain doesn't work the same way so I have to read pages two or three times before I "get it".  However, I bonded immediately with Edith Schaeffer's writings, as did many (if not most) Evangelical women at the time.

I would be a different person if the books by the Schaeffers had not been recommended to me as a young Christian.  Thankfully, there were excellent books by Christian women (in addition to Edith) whose writings help mold and shape me as a wife, mother, and homemaker.  Women such as Elisabeth Elliot,  Anne Ortlund and Emily Barnes.  Later I came to enjoy the books by Elizabeth George (the Christian writer, not the novelist by the same name).

One thing I always have to remember is that these books were read by choice in a decade many women were turning to books by Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer.  I chose to read the books I did because of who recommended them to me.  These were the women I wanted to become like, the women who read Elisabeth and Edith and Anne and Emily.

Did I only read Christian books?  Of course, not.  While I decided long ago not to read defiling books, one does not have to be a Christian to teach how to live in Beauty.  I don't think Alexandra Stoddard comes even close to being an Evangelical Christian (her non-decorating writings lean toward New Age thinking) but she had a great influence on the way I decorate my home.

Tasha Tudor wrote about being reincarnated and wanted to return to a past century when she died... but that didn't stop me from gleaning the good stuff she wrote about Beauty and the courage to be yourself.

Julia Child doesn't seem to have any faith at all from what I have read in her books but she taught me to be brave in the kitchen.  Not to worry about making a mistake and if I did... just to call it something else.

For you see, as we become discerning in our reading, we know who are our spiritual advisers in books and those authors we want to read for non-spiritual enjoyment.

What about fiction books?  My preference these days goes to the more genteel and lovely stories of Elizabeth Goudge, D. E. Stevenson, Miss Read, Jan Karon, etc.  Which is amusing because my television viewing habits lean toward murder mysteries.  Hmmmm... one should have a balance in their life?

With all of us, really good literature helps form the person we become.  Whether we are children or adults.  But remember... we need to give grace to other parents who allow books that we didn't. 

I have a lot of friends whose family loved the Harry Potter books but we didn't read them.  That was fine.  My son and I watched Dragon Ball Z together when he was a child, which would cause some friends to shake their heads in wonder.

God knows what is best for each individual family and not being infinite ourselves... we don't.  What my family deemed appropriate may be different than a friend's choice as long as neither are what I would call defiling.  Let's just say you will find no books starting with "Fifty Shades..." in my library.

However, one of my favorite novels is Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.  Embedded in the story is her philosophy but if you know what it is, you can ignore that and appreciate her writing that is (I think) more relevant today than when it was written... as she warns against becoming too dependent on the modern world and technology.  Remembering this was written long before the Internet!

Is there a type of book I will never read?  Well, personally I don't read books with a lot of bad language or shall we say... lewd behavior?  I also do not read books these days by atheists disguised as Bible teachers and those making an attempt to draw me away from the faith. 

Not that I am concerned they could... for they can't!... but I once had a friend who attended a liberal Presbyterian seminary tell me he wished he hadn't read some of those books for he had to filter them out on his way back to the reality of faith.  I'm too old for such nonsense these days.

Which brings me back to children... I am a firm believer in filtering all books kids read as young children through my standards, up until their teenage years.  I still wouldn't have defiling books in the house but I prefer teenagers be challenged in areas when they live at home and can ask questions.

I gave books to my daughter (who was not homeschooled) and then provided a full course in worldview to my son (who was homeschooled), knowing full well that if they were going to a University they would need to be prepared. 

I know this is a rather rambling Sunday post.  I told a friend that I was having a hard time getting the words to land just right in my brain.  So my friends... this is where my thoughts led me.  Hopefully they make sense.

Some of  the books and authors mentioned or eluded to in this blog post are:
Atlas Shrugged... here.  (Read with discernment.)
Edith Schaeffer... here and here (her most famous books among many).
Anne Ortlund... here (her most famous book among many).
Emilie Barnes... here (her most famous book among many).
Elisabeth Elliot... here (a good introduction among many).
Alexandra Stoddard... here and here (I especially love her decorating books).
How to Be Your Own Selfish Pig by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay... here (one of the books given to my daughter before college).
Starting Points... here (used with my son's homeschooling).

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Image:  Kim Sung Book Shop

Errands and a little more Edith

I found myself battling traffic... automobile and student... this morning.  Have I mentioned how much I dislike driving on campus with 40,000+ students who have a rather odd view of their own mortality, appearing to think they can walk out in front of an automobile and... because they are in a group... not get hurt.  Sigh...

However, we needed to pick up the Buick which has been at our mechanic's garage since we realized it would cost too much to fix it right now. It is quite a sight as students are walking toward buildings in droves, a group of well educated lemmings all weary eyed and not quite prepared to meet the day.  But then again... neither was I until I counted out my change and stopped at McDonald's for coffee.

I stopped by our Kroger store on the way home for milk and eggs.  They are pretty good about clearancing some items early in the morning and as I looked around, I found a bag of romaine lettuce for 99 cents, a package of mushrooms for 99 cents, and a package of hamburger buns for 49 cents.  I felt a bit like I was on The Food Network's Chopped show (where the chef contestants are given an unusual group of ingredients to prepare).  :)

There was a large sign on their kosher food display, announcing everything 85% off now that Passover has been celebrated.  I'm not Jewish but I picked up two bottles of white sparkling grape juice and one red sparkling grape juice (89 cents each) and two boxes of potato pancake mix for about the same price.  Milk was on sale so it all added up to big savings. 

I dropped my husband at our mechanic's this afternoon, he drove the car home while I continued further to pick up a prescription.  Christopher's little car is fun to drive in town but I chose to stay off the highway with it... too many big trucks... little car.

For the first time since the world was covered with the colors of autumn, I took the long way home.  It is not a road I like to drive on covered with snow or ice but the remainder of the year... beautiful!  To travel along these county roads, passing farms getting ready for planting, horses enjoying newly grown grass, my favorite quaint country church... K-Love on the radio... it doesn't matter if it takes a little longer to reach my destination. :)

Let's see, I wanted to comment on a couple of comments...

Actually, Edith Schaeffer is still alive at age 95.  It was Francis Schaeffer who passed away in the 80's. I think she lives with her daughter, Priscilla.  The last Swiss L'Abri newsletter I received was in December but Edith was able to be there for Thanksgiving.  They have mentioned before that she can no longer get around very well.  I can't remember how I started getting their newsletters through e-mail (about four times a year) but I believe you can request receiving the e-mail newsletters by writing swiss@labri.org.

No one had more influence in my life than the Schaeffer's.  When we married, our senior pastor was at L'Abri for the summer so we had to be married by the associate pastor.  My husband attended a different church but his pastor and church staff were also very influenced by Schaeffer.  How I thank God that we can be taught and mentored through books and tapes. 

Of course, there are no perfect people (hmmm... the title of a book they wrote, hehehe) but I'd much rather hear how imperfect people live the Christian life than all the books by those who put on a mask and pretend their lives are perfect.  I feel that is something Edith always did but with grace and being quite careful to protect the... ummm... innocent bystanders.  :)

Sigh, I know there was something else but it slipped my mind between sitting down to write and actually writing.   I need a nap or caffeine but it is too late for either.

Heat, Edith, and Jewels

Late July

We went directly from winter to summer, or so it seems.  The daffodils are not loving the 80+ degree days and one of our azalea bushes has bloomed... remarkable at this time of spring.   A cold front is pushing through as I write (with a 50 degree drop in temperature from yesterday to tonight) bringing with it the possibility of severe weather but also a return to spring proper.

A recent walk down the short gravel lane to the mailbox caused my heart to sing, reminding me not just a little of Narnia after Aslan's return and the winter was losing hold of the Narnia universe.  The forest this time of year is much different than the same forest in August.  Most trees are pencil thin but what they lack in width, they make up in sheer number.  In early April, it is quite easy to see through the trees to the other houses interspersed in man made clearings... not so in August.

The tall trees are just beginning to show tiny buds (which, I'm sure, will pop soon with the record breaking heat) but the smaller bushes and the brush on the floor of the forest are now various shades of lime green or violet or soft yellow... Easter colors.

This same stretch of forest becomes thick and dense as spring turns into summer (when heat is expected).  It is at that time that a walk to the mailbox gives one the sense that Bigfoot is staring out from the trees and if you have read my ponderings long enough, you will know all about that Bigfoot paranoia.  It doesn't matter that the only big footprints to be found on our property belong to my 6'2" husband... the creepy darkness of the forest can easily spark my imagination.

Perhaps that is why I have never liked the darkness or things that go bump in the night... an overactive imagination.  I never, ever walk down the lane at night but a walk from the car to the front porch in the dark is inescapable at times... or should I say run?  Anyway, I digress... the forest is also dense with new life right now... life that causes me to pause in my walk to listen and look... rather than breaking into a run.

I'm already feeling better, giving hope that this cold will be mild.  A stack of magazines both old and new (but mostly brought home from the free table at the library) are stacked on the coffee table, along with a few books.  On my last library visit, I found A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg on the New Nonfiction shelf.  Molly is well known for her cooking blog, Orangette.  I plan to peruse it today to see if it is worth reading or another book to be returned quickly to the library shelves.

 
After a quick pre-reading appraisal of Wizenberg's book, I may start reading it today (or return it to the library should it be a disappointment).  I plan to begin rereading With love, Edith: The L'Abri family letters next which is the first of her two books containing their ministry letters.  Do not let the thought of reading ministry letters keep you from this book... it reads like a novel.

I highly recommend this book and the sequel, Dear family: The L'Abri family letters, 1961-1986 to anyone who enjoys Edith Schaeffer's books.

Edith has written many good books other than her two most famous for today's homemakers... The Hidden Art of Homemaking and What is a Family?.  If you are not quite ready to read their full story in The Tapestry: The Life and Times of Francis and Edith Schaeffer, then the smaller book L'Abri is both enjoyable to read and gives the highlights of their life leading up to and including the the start of L'Abri.

There are many more besides these and all of them really, really good.  Although, Edith's books are rather infamous for having a slow start for some people... just keep reading, you will be glad you did.  :)

Photo stolen from Jewels' blog

Regarding Jewels... she is my all time favorite blogger and sweet friend who has not blogged for sometime now.  The last time I heard from her was in an e-mail telling me she planned to write a letter soon but that was before Christmas.  I will put pen to paper and actually send a real letter, hoping to find how she is doing.  I do know that they were experiencing difficulties with internet service where they now live (which is not immediately near any big towns).

If you have not read Jewel's blog called Eyes of Wonder, well... get comfortable and plan on perusing for awhile because it does not get (in my humble opinion) any more fun to read than this.  Jewel's family made a choice to live a more simpler lifestyle... which I am sure is not easy... or simple.  :)

No, Jewels and the West Ladies are not one and the same but they are good friends.  You can read about their visit to Jewels and her family... here.

back to freedom and dignity

I've mentioned a few times, back in the archives somewhere, that no one had more of an influence on me spiritually than Francis and Edith Schaeffer. As a new Christian back in the days of the Jesus Movement, his influence was felt from teenagers like me from an "unchurched" home to men and women in Science, the Arts, Medicine, Politics, Education, and beyond. I can't tell you how many times I've dropped to my knees and thanked my Creator for calling me to Himself, putting me in the Spiritual Kindergarten of people like Schaeffer as a new Christian.

I finished reading back to freedom and dignity yesterday afternoon between checking the roast in the Crock Pot and placing scoops of chocolate chip cookies on cookie sheets and into the oven. That's Mommy-Grammie philosophy, if one can't go from deep thinking to the kitchen and back, philosophical thought doesn't happen!

I don't know why I hadn't read this book before, I mean...it isn't very big. I've had it with my other Schaeffer books since the 70s and I've held on to it. (I've given away many Schaeffer books to young people in the ministry to uh...influence...the newer generation.)

In this little book, Schaeffer talks mainly about the recent (at the time in the early 70s) writings of two social scientists, Jacques Monod and B. F. Skinner. The words are chilling, especially to one who remembers how popular Skinner's book, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, was to my generation. That book, in a nutshell, teaches that man is basically a combination of chemicals who is what he is due to his environment and surroundings...man has no soul or spirit to set him apart. After reading it, one comes away understanding how those who have a more liberal and non evangelical mindset have a different view of life than those of us who believe we were created in the image of a living and personal God.

I also found it interesting that Skinner comes from a Christian family and Schaeffer's warning to parents is profound...the Christianity we live before our children must never be one of only rules and fear as was the Christianity in which Skinner was raised and rejected.

Here is the final paragraph in this little book, full of big ideas, written in 1972:

"What has happened to man? We must see him as one who has torn himself away both from the infinite-personal God who created him as finite but in his image, and from God's revelation to him. Made in God's image, man was made to be great, he was made to be beautiful and he was made to be creative in life and art. But his rebellion has led him into making himself into nothing but a machine."

Wow...

Sunday Afternoon Tea - The Importance of Tradition

“There is something about saying, ‘We always do this,’ which helps keep the years together. Time is such an elusive thing that if we keep on meaning to do something interesting, but never do it, year would follow year with no special thoughtfulness being expressed in making gifts, surprises, charming table settings, and familiar food. Tradition is a good gift intended to guard the best gifts.”   ---Edith Schaeffer, What Is a Family?
 
Schools in our area are beginning a new year over the next couple of weeks.  I still cannot fathom the return to the classroom in August but that is the new way of doing things and has been for awhile.When we were homeschooling, I clung to the old ways when it came to scheduling and began our new year in September.  Because I could...

At the risk of once again talking about the good old days (for they were not always good except in our memory), I do think beginning school after Labor Day had a natural rhythm to it that sitting in a classroom when one should be at the lake does not. I suppose mine was the last generation to adhere closely to the agricultural seasons. 

Whatever time of the year it starts, the return to school was the true beginning of the new year in my youth.  It was in September when new clothes were purchased, our notebooks were clean of pencil marks and eraser crumbs, and there was hope that perhaps this was the year I would understand math.

While I usually write about tradition during the Holidays, the return to school was one of those seasons when traditions were also important.  One of our traditions when my kids were home was going out to breakfast on the first day of school each year.  I'm pretty sure we were able to do so every year.  First with just Stephanie, then with both Christopher and Stephanie for awhile, then it was just Mom and son.

When your daughter's first day of college* is the same day your son starts Kindergarten... it does make for juggling traditions a little more interesting.  There were some years we simply went to McDonald's but when there was time... and that usually meant getting up even earlier than I would like... we made our way to a favorite restaurant.

The beginning of another school year, much like Thanksgiving and Christmas, is prime time for traditions. Quite often the genesis of our traditions came from our own childhood. Sometimes the ideas for new traditions began from somewhere in my reading.  The first day of school breakfast came out of the book, Let's Make a Memory by Shirley Dobson and Gloria Gaither.

If you have read this blog more than five minutes, you will know the profound influence Edith Schaeffer's writing had on my life.  I appreciated tradition before reading her books but Edith's writing helped me to understand the need for tradition in one's life.

The quote under the image is one of my favorite "Edith quotes".  Two of her books I made a tradition of reading at least once a year for a long time were What Is a Family and Hidden Art (The Hidden Art of Homemaking in paperback).

One of the truths that quote teaches me is that quite often, most traditions are best kept simple.  For instance, while I would love to have made a gingerbread house every Christmas, I spent too many years working outside the home to even contemplate that tradition. 

Although now that you can purchase pre-made gingerbread houses that are small and cute and just need decorating, it may be a tradition I began just for my own enjoyment.  But I digress... What I could do was make Christmas cookies and many of those recipes are still baked each year to give as gifts. 

Another tradition that began due to a busy Holiday schedule was serving hors d'oeuvres on Christmas Eve.  I usually made a dessert the day before and served the family various "finger foods" as dinner on Christmas Eve.  It was always fun to use my creativity in planning the menu and I made certain everything was easy to make because I could get carried away and that would defeat the purpose of the tradition.

Some traditions are "set in stone" when possible but since life can change, they have had to change due to circumstances.  During the years we attended a Christmas Eve service, it was far easier to just go out for dinner than try to cook anything.

New traditions continue to be started, long after there are no children at home.  Using my collection of brown transferware in the Fall months and especially at Thanksgiving is one of them.  While I decorate with the transferware all year, actually using it provides a way to enjoy it for a season.

It is fun for me when I hear of traditions my kids took with them to their own families.  Of course, they rarely are exactly the way they were followed growing up because circumstances are different, family dynamics have changed, and they are creative enough to tweak traditions to be even better for their families.

When I first read What Is a Family?, I was a young mom just beginning to make memories for my family.  Now I can look back upon decades and agree with Edith that "time is such an allusive thing".  One doesn't realize just how fast time goes until one day you look in the mirror and see your mother staring back at you. 

So now is the time to brush off old traditions, begin a new one, or think ahead to the Holidays.  They will be here before you know it.  If you have begun hyperventilating, sorry about that.  Make it simple and you will be fine.

Mentioned in this Blog Post
What Is a Family?... here.
The Hidden Art of Homemaking... here.
Let's Make a Memory (revised edition, third party)... here.

*It helped that the University and the school my son attended before we began homeschooling were in the same town.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

Sunday Afternoon Tea - A Little More Book Talk

After writing about bookish friends last week, I thought I'd share what I am reading now and some of my favorite books.  I get asked these questions a lot and I rarely am able to respond to individual questions.

I am always in the midst of multiple books because there are review books that must be read, books I want to reread, a Kindle book, and books on my "To Be Read" stack (which is ridiculously big and in more than one room), a couple devotional books, beautiful cookbooks to peruse, etc.

Right now I am reading The Life Giving Parent: Giving Your Child a Life Worth Living for Christ by Clay & Sally Clarkson.  I will be writing an official review near the publish date, which I think is May 1st.  However, unofficially I will say it is quite wonderful.

My Kindle current read is Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practises in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren.  Warren is Anglican so her background is a little different than mine but so many people who know my taste in books told me I HAD to read this book.  I admit, three chapters in and I am smitten.

I want to reread some of my Edith Schaeffer books and I have had Anne Morrow Lindberg's five diaries waiting on my bookshelves to reread for ages.  They were collected over a few years from library book sales. I read them when I was very young and loved each one of them.  Her book, Gifts From the Sea resides on my desk.

Someday I want to renew my "Stalking Jonathan Edwards" reading, which I did a number of years ago.  That will require re-reading at least a couple of books, especially Marriage to a Difficult Man.  I want to read more of Edward's actual writings the next time.

I also plan to read more of Wendell Barry's Port William books.  I loved Hannah Coulter.  My mother's people are from near this part of Kentucky and as much as I enjoy Barry's writings, it also makes me feel I'm learning about a part of the land that resides in my DNA.  It is hard to believe that Hannah Coulter was written by a male, Barry's insight into the thoughts of an empty nest mom in the end of the book are remarkable.

Sitting on my desk to read very soon is another Berry... Mary Berry.  I adore her on The Great British Baking Show.  I want to be as elegant in the kitchen as she is!  Last year, I purchased a used copy of the the paperback version of her 2013 autobiography called Recipe For Life.  It arrived just after I had originally lost the vision in my right eye and I'd say it is far past time to read it.

To quickly answer some other questions... 

I have a few favorite series where I have read every book.  They are the Mitford series by Jan Karon, the Tea Room cozy mysteries by Laura Childs, James Harriot's All Creatures Great and Small series, and the original Nancy Drew mysteries.  Nancy Drew was my first book crush.

My favorite books?  If you ask me on any given day then the answer may be different.  I do have many favorites but a few titles are consistently near the top.

If I would choose books from how many times they have been reread, then L'Abri, Hidden Art, and What is a Family by Edith Schaeffer would be at the nonfiction top of the list. A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George has been read multiple times. I think I have read most of her books for women, some of them at least twice.  While not perfect (I find her suggestion to be constantly busy annoying), they are very good.

Books by Emilie Barnes and Anne Ortlund were also read numerous times.  They were the women who, along with Edith, shaped the way I saw being a wife, mother, homemaker, etc.

Emilie's book on getting organized called More Hours in My Day was especially good and her book If Teacups Could Talk was instrumental in many of us developing an obsession with teatime (and tea cups).  Anne's most famous book, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, is still in print.  I read just about everything both of these women wrote.

As for fiction, the first book I remember rereading many times was Christy by Catherine Marshall. I haven't read it in a long time since there are so many novels to be read but perhaps someday it will get dusted off again.

I only "discovered" Elizabeth Goudge and D. E. Stevenson since blogging (although my husband told me his mom loved Goudge novels) and I'd have to say those two authors have been read and reread the most since then.

Specific books speak to me at different times, for instance I love Pilgrim's Inn (such a lovely book!) and I do reread it but the third book in the trilogy called The Heart of the Family speaks to me deeply at this stage of life.  Which is probably why some readers do not like it, for it speaks more to those who have lived more years than are ahead of them.

Which is why rereading books is important, we don't look at a book the same as years go by and in well written books, there is a lot of gold to mine at various stages.

I especially like to reread favorite books when going through difficult times because they are like old friends that I have visited many times, I know what to expect and the comfort they will bring.

I hope that answers some questions and provides kind of a snapshot of where my reading is at the moment.

Some of the books mentioned in this post are:
The Life Giving Parent (available for preorder)... here.
Liturgy of the Ordinary... here.
Gifts From the Sea... here.
Marriage to a Difficult Man (third party)... here.
Hannah Coulter... here.
Recipe For Life... here.
At Home in Mitford... here.
First Three Tea Shop Mysteries in one volume... here.

All Creatures Great and Small... here.
Hidden Art of Homemaking... here.
What is a Family... here.
L'Abri... here.
A Woman After God's Own Heart... here.
More Hours in My Day... here.
If Teacups Could Talk... here.
Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman... here.
Christy... here.
The Bird in the Tree (Eliot #1)... here.
Pilgrim's Inn (Eliot #2)... here.
The Heart of the Family (Eliot #3)... here.

Disclaimer:  Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links


Image:  Interior with the Artist's Daughter by Duncan Grant