by Roseanna White | Oct 14, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
(First, a sidenote–I’m featured today at Stepping Stones Magazine for Readers, so go check out the letter I wrote you!)
Now that I have a school-age kiddo, I’ve found that an awful lot of focus in our house in on the season and holidays coming up. Kind of amazing how they go from clueless to completely into celebrating over the course of a few years, isn’t it?
I’ve put a lot of thought into the way we celebrate things, and it inevitably comes up for me this time of year. All the kids’ shows (and I mean ALL) are focused on Halloween. I can see why they like to be–to the politically-correct way of thought, this is a safe holiday. There’s no religious attachment to worry about ignoring or getting in trouble for not ignoring. It’s just costumes and candy, right? And boy do my kids get excited about it!
Then I inevitably come across something that expounds on the evils of Halloween and how it’s the most un-Christian holiday you ever could see. I have friends who avoid anything Halloween at all costs. I’m still trying to figure out my own stance, and maybe y’all can help me.
See, here’s the thing. The history of it dates back to the days when Christians and pagans were still butting heads in the British isles. Halloween is the night before All Hollow’s Day (aka All Saints Day), the day on the Catholic calender that is devoted to honoring all the saints not already honored on their own days. A holy day. Halloween is kind of . . . almost like a Mardi Gras before lent for the pagans. A day of black magic, sorcery, and spells. So yeah, I get the evil thing. But our traditions? Those come from people attempting to stay apart from it. Jack o’ lanterns, for example, were first carved into scary faces to frighten away the evil spirits–and those who would bring them to a house. I’ve heard that trick or treating is a terrible thing, but it actually has similar roots. It can be viewed negatively, but . . .
Well, but so can the Christmas tree. So can the Easter egg. And if we’re on that subject, um, hello–“Easter” is named after the Roman goddess for spring, not for the resurrection. If we’re taking issue with holidays . . . But seriously. How many of our Christmas traditions, so beloved, are rooted in paganism? A lot.
And you know what? I’m okay with all that–because the whole point is that Christians integrated what was not sacred into their traditions and made it sacred by stripping it of old meaning and giving it new. I don’t believe that things, all by themselves, carry particular meaning (generally speaking, of course–there are exceptions)–it’s a matter of the meaning we give it.
So I keep coming back to the fact that I can’t have a problem with Halloween if I’m not going to have one with Christmas trees, Easter eggs, and who-knows-what-else. Why not have fun with costumes and candy, so long as my kids are taught the difference between good and evil, the dangers people once faced on that day, and the importance of recognizing the saints, like All Hollow’s Day is meant to do?
On that theory, I looked up some Catholic Halloween sites, thinking to get a good grounding for ways to make the holiday line up with a moral code. Interestingly, I found their suggestions way scarier than any Halloween party I wanted to go to! (It involved taking your kids through a graveyard to talk about those who have gone before, and having someone jump out from behind a tombstone to frighten them–fright is apparently a crucial part of the sacred holiday, too!)
So anyway. I know people get really upset by Halloween, and I’m happy to hear their points of view. I would, in fact, welcome any corrections, since I know many of these folks have done their homework on the subject better than I have. Or if you do celebrate it, I’d love to hear why. All I know if that if I wanted to keep my kids away from it, I’d have to cut off all TV, Story Time, and keep them out of public for the entire month of October.
All in all, I think my favorite way of someone making this day sacred was my friend Karlene’s family, who took her kids out trick-or-treating, yes–and together the family stopped and prayed at each house they visited, covering each and every place they went with the Lord’s blessing. Cool, huh? A trick-or-treating prayer walk!
by Roseanna White | Oct 7, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I’m a by-the-books person. Can you tell that about me from blog posts? I mean, I can’t help it. I just love books so, so much. 😉 Okay, so I imagine it’s more that following rules is ingrained so deeply within me . . . other than a few minor rebellions when the rules went against something even deeper ingrained (like, say, logic), I was the one who listened.
In some strange and perhaps useless way, I approach the publishing industry according to rules too. For instance, once I signed with an agent I left all communication with editors to her, except for at writers conferences, of course. In my mind, this is just the way it was done. This was the way to be professional. And, well, leaving the business end to her meant I only worried about writing. Right?
But given that I didn’t make it to the ACFW conference this year, and given that my agent has a little more to worry with than just me, and given that I still hadn’t heard back on anything sent out upon request after last year’s conference, I gave it some prayer and had the feeling it was time to break this “rule” I had in my mind. I emailed my agent to get her okay (I am such a goody-goody, LOL) and then dropped a few “Hi, remember me? Just checking in” notes to a few different editors.
I must pause to say that God is so stinkin’ cool. No, no one immediately replied with, “What, didn’t you get the contract we sent you??” (ha!), but I did get a couple “Of course I remember you!”s and, when I asked these editors what they might be looking for now and proceeded to pitch pretty much everything I have in my Documents folder, I got requests, between them, for pretty much everything I have in my Documents folder. (Did you all hear me squealing in surprised glee last Thursday evening??) Also got the news that one of my projects in penciled into a publisher’s 2012 schedule.
Does this guarantee a contract with a major publisher? Um, no. But what it does do is remind me that (a) God knows what’s he’s talking about (duh, right?) (b) boost my confidence and (c) establish connections.
So back to work I go. FYI, my blog today was either going to be about this or the dream I had right before waking that involved a very poor rewrite of the Twilight saga, which I then apparently recognized was a poor rewrite, and which was then about how the characters put the story back the way it should go. (I’m such a dork, LOL.) It also involved an alligator under my couch. Don’t ask me why. I really, really don’t know. 😉
by Roseanna White | Sep 30, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
Is that a random enough title for you? =)
Yesterday as Xoe and I were doing our math lesson, Rowyn came in needing help with something. I asked Xoe to finish the exercise she was working on while I followed Rowyn out to see what he needed. I came back in two minutes later to a cackling almost-5-year-old who had worked ahead into today’s lesson. What, you wonder, lured her so irresistibly? Addition. I laughingly related this to David last night, and his question was, “Did she do it right?” (Keeping in mind we’re still in our first month of kindergarten.)
I was happy to report that she did indeed get them all right. Yes, this is still the addition that comes complete with hash marks to count, but still. She recognized that they were addition problems, saw how to fill them in herself, and correctly added them together. Not bad for a kid not even five!
Talking about it got my honey reminiscing about how he worked ahead in Algebra once when he had a substitute, who just laid out a few basics and said, “Go ahead!” To which I replied, “Mr. Twigg, right? I remember him giving a speech once about how English was good and necessary, but math–math was actually useful.” LOL
Thoughts of good ol’ Mr. Twigg had me thinking about the roles substitutes can play in the life of a school child (something my kids won’t often have the pleasure of, mwa ha ha ha). I remember Mr. Twigg in particular. He was a full time sub, filling in somewhere in the county every day. We all loved him. He made us work, but he always put a different spin on things. Like letting us work ahead, telling us what he really thought about subjects . . . and showing us how to apply it to life in ways our regular teachers didn’t do. Perhaps it was because he was from a different generation, who knows. Whatever the reason, I remember him as well as or better than I remember my regular teachers.
You know one of the best lessons he ever taught me in my 7th grade pre-algebra class? What makes a good handshake, and how a handshake helps make a good impression. No, that has nothing to do with math. But it has to do with life, and no one else ever bothered to teach us something as simple as “Don’t let your hand be a dead fish, but don’t squeeze the life out of the other person. Firm, but not hard. It shows strength and confidence.” He had ever single student come up and shake his hand (would that even be allowed today??? LOL), and he critiqued us.
Maybe the lesson stuck because I could tell from his critiques that it really did show a person’s character. And you can bet that every time I shake someone’s hand, somewhere in the back of my mind I hear, “Don’t let your hand be a dead fish, but don’t squeeze the life out of the other person. Firm, but not hard.”
Do you have any lessons you remember that came not from a regular teacher, but from a sub?
by Roseanna White | Sep 23, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
You know one thing I love about the Bible? You can’t open it up without finding God’s promises and encouragement. You can’t read about despair without hope chasing on its heels.
As everyone returned from the ACFW conference this week, I was smacked with a few moments of jealousy. I decided not to go this year based on prayer, and I know I made the right decision. We took a family vacation instead, and a glorious week at the beach (with absolutely perfect weather) for the four of us and both sets of parents was less expensive than conference would have been for me. And it was awesome.
But still, when I heard everyone else talking about the wonderful people they got to meet, the connections they made . . . well, I had to put myself in time out. I took my Bible out to the swing and let God give me a talking to. Asked him to remind me that he knew what I needed and was working on getting me there.
I asked him to give me an appropriate Bible passage, and opened up to II Kings 3. This is just after Elisha receives the spirit of Elijah–the kings of Judah, Israel, and Edom are all going to war against Moab, but there isn’t any water for their soldiers. They call on Elisha, asking him to beseech God for water. He replies in 3:18:
“And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.”
Okay–so not only will God provide what I need, what I ask for, he’ll give me complete victory. Something I know, but a reminder I needed.
This was Tuesday. On Wednesday I turned to Isaiah 27:2-4:
In that day sing to her,
“A vineyard of red wine!
I, the Lord, keep it,
I water it every moment;
Lest any hurt it,
I keep it night and day.
Fury is not in me.
Who would set briers and thorns
Against me in battle?
I would go through them.
I would burn them together. . . .”
This was awesome too. As soon as I read it, that lightbulb went on. I have my dreams, yes–but they’re not mine, they’re the Lord’s. He’s the keeper of that garden of dreams. He sends the water (water again!) that nourishes them, he watches over the tender sprouts to make sure no one tramples them. I might fear the thorns and briers–but he doesn’t. Why should he? Trouble is nothing to God.
I’m just praising the Lord today for his promises. For the way he always reminds me of them when I’m tempted to wallow in my forgetfulness. For always sending the water to nourish my soul.
by Roseanna White | Sep 16, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
So, there’s an awesome new site debuting in October, and as an official sponsor (well, the Christian Review of Books is), I feel the need to let y’all know about it. Cuz it is cool.
Clash of the Titles (www.ClashoftheTitles.com) is a place “Where authors battle and readers judge.” Here’s the setup. Two published authors submit excerpts from their books in a certain theme (best kiss, smoothest conversion scene, best nature description, etc.). The two selections are published–but the readers don’t know who the authors are. Readers vote based solely on which snippet they think best captures the theme.
Mid-week, the results are tallied and the winners are announced, along with the knowledge of who wrote what. The authors and their books are promoted, and readers get a chance to win a signed book–and meet some new authors they now know they’ll love!
I adore this idea and have already submitted something–though mum’s the word on what or when. 😉
Readers, writers–you have GOT to check this site out! It’s going to be a ton of fun. How often do you get to do a blind taste-test when it comes to books??
Hop on over to get a feel for things, and when it goes live in a month, visit weekly to vote for The Worthiest!
by Roseanna White | Sep 9, 2010 | Thoughtful Thursdays, Uncategorized
I can think of nothing else to talk about yet, so y’all are going to get the story of my last evening.
Okay, so let’s set the stage. Xoe (she’s 4, almost 5 for those of you who don’t know), fell asleep on the couch yesterday afternoon. This inevitably means she has trouble falling asleep at bedtime, but I was hopeful–she kept saying she was tired all evening.
But as expected, she was up at 8:30 or so asking to go to the bathroom (ah, stall tactics). In the bathroom, she spotted a teensy tiny little spider. The kind so small it barely even freaked her out, and she’s the master of over-reacting to any bug. (I say that with all love, LOL.) Then I tucked her back in, thankful Rowyn (who’s 2 1/2) didn’t wake up.
Half an hour later, shrieking. “Spider! Mommy, there’s a spider on my pilloooooooooooowwwwwwww!”
Riiiiiiiight. I’m thinking, “Okay, so she fell asleep, dreamed about the spider, woke up freaked out.” Something I would have done. So I calm her down, hold her for a few in the living room, make a show of checking her pillow and bed, and then tuck her in–for half a second before pulling her out of bed, barely containing a shriek of my own as a HUGE, thick spider (as opposed to our usual granddaddy-long-leg) scurries over the toy box right beside her pillow. (Rather than sleeping on her top bunk bed, she’s been on a mattress on the floor since July. Which I will not go into right now.)
So I hustle Xoe back to the living room, grab a flashlight (Rowyn’s still sleeping in the bedroom, so no overhead lights) and a shoe, and go spider hunting. But the thing must have gone into the toy box. (Can you see me shudder?) I can’t find it and squish it, which means no body to show Xoe.
We move her little bed to the other side of the bedroom, but of course that doesn’t work. A few minutes and she’s freaking out again, insisting she saw one on Rowyn’s dresser now (at her head), and trying to convince me that she’ll be fine if I just let her stay up until I go to bed. Which, at this point, is only a few minutes away anyway. So I let her help me make my coffee and watch me wash my face, then go back in with the flashlight. We check everything, and I leave the light with her so she can Shine it if she thinks she sees something.
A little bit later, I go to bed. Three minutes after settling in . . . wanna take a guess? That’s right, Xoe’s flying up the stairs. Obviously she’s not going to be able to sleep on the floor in there. So first we try the top bunk. No go–she hasn’t mastered the ladder yet, so . . . Our other option is what we try next–pulling her little mattress on the floor into the schoolroom.
Thankfully, that worked. She settled down and went to sleep. At 11:00. Three hours after bedtime. Argh!
After that the night was peaceful (though I was dreaming of bugs–go figure). Unfortunately, when I snuck down at 6 in search of some quiet time before the kids woke up, the kids woke up. So Mommy’s a little grumpy, and while Rowyn (who got a solid 10 hours, miraculously) is his usual chipper self, Xoe’s also grumpy–not surprising. Seven hours of sleep is not enough for a 4-year-old. And grumpy me is thinking, “She’s going to fall asleep again this afternoon and then repeat the whole can’t-sleep-at-night-thing . . .”
Here’s hoping for a smoothing evening tonight though, eh? Sigh.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. Having successfully launched two homeschool grads, she now spends her time writing fiction, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years, as well as a fantasy series and contemporary mysteries and romances. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.