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Saturday, December 03, 2005

It Comes Around Again...

I remember sitting in my school desk in the First Grade at Northmoor Elementary School in Peoria, Illinois, (yes! People really do live there!) listening to Mrs. Syrup (that really was her name, poor lady!) read "The Boxcar Children" to our class. The moment is vivid in my memory. I loved the story. I was absolutely captivated by the idea of making a home in a boxcar. I wanted to do it SO bad.

Now-a-days, I teach my kids at our house. We were at the library, and I found an anniversary edition of "The Boxcar Children". Last week, on Wednesday, we opened it up and I began to read. The kids kept me reading it (with many breaks in between) and at 9:30 or 10 that night we finished it. We had read the whole book in one day. I love the freedom of homeschool!

It was amazing to see how my kids loved the story like I had. How they loved to imagine living from nature and trying to make a home in it.

Now we are listening to "Tree Castle Island" by Gene Craighead George (She wrote "My Side of the Mountain", "Far Side of the Mountain" and "Frightful's Mountain"). It is about a boy paddling off into the swamps in Georgia and living off nature for a summer.

I am, as I type this, realizing that that is a theme in our family. On that same Wednesday night, we "happened" upon a show on public television called "Alone in the Wilderness". It was amazing. Absolutely amazing. It was about a man who, at 51 years of age, walked into the Alaska wilderness and decided to live alone for a year. He brought a tri-pod and camera and filmed his experience. Incredible. He ended up staying for 30 years. He left when he was in his eighties and donated all his cabin and things to the national parks.

He was amazing. He walked into the wilderness with a backpack. When he got there, one of the first things he did was make handles for all the tools he brought. He had just brought the iron parts of the tools because they are lighter to carry. Then he proceeded to build a log cabin. We got to see each detail!! Close up! We watched him figure and measure and then cut out by hand the grooves for the logs to fit over eachother -- Lincoln Log style! We watched him shave the tops of the logs so that they were flat and other logs could rest on them. Then he stuffed between the logs with a kind of moss. We even watched him cut and put a moss roof on top and build a fireplace!! It was amazing. It was so beautiful to see him work so intelligently, simply and well.

My kids were electrified!! They kept insisting they want to live like that. They even told us that they want tools for Christmas. Real tools and they want all the scrap wood from building our fence this year. I told them we are wanting to get a farm to be able to begin to learn to live more like that.

When I was young, I yearned to live on a farm. We did not. That desire still lives in me (it goes down DEEP within me) and I see the desire in my kids. We are pursuing and praying about this dream, but it is frightening to me, because I am not equipped. I have not learned the skills necessary to do it. I am praying God provides them and that we may be able to give our children the tools they are asking for.

Oh God, please hold us and hold these dreams and may Your Will be be done.

5 Comments:

At 12:25 AM, Blogger H.M. said...

Oh wow. This post touches a nerve with me, just as that documentary you mention did as well. I share your amazement and fascination at that story and loved the film.

Dreams...hmmm....

Yeah, I join you in that prayer you close the post with.
Peace,
A. Hanson
http://totheabbey.blogspot.com

 
At 10:22 PM, Blogger Tonya said...

Reminds me of today at church...what are you waiting for? We are all waiting. What is God bringing? How will He enter our lives with His Life?

And we wait...

 
At 8:54 AM, Blogger Grandma and Grandpa Benson said...

I love reading about the desires planted deep in you . . . just love it!!!!!

 
At 8:13 PM, Blogger Tonya said...

midnight mass...animals talking..."Maybe it will happen on our..." What? You haven't purchased something recently have you?!

 
At 2:06 PM, Blogger gloria said...

I want to see that documentary. I am fascinated with the "self-sustaining" life. Thanks for sharing your dreams.

 

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