BHAG COMPLETE: 287 Classics in 555 Weeks

BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOAL COMPLETE!!!!

Started: Wednesday, October 16, 2002 
Completed: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 
at 3:33 PM.

287 books in 3885 days or 

10 years, 7 months, 20 days or . . . 

• 555 weeks
• 93,240 hours
• 5,594,400 minutes
• 335,664,000 seconds

How appropriate to start and end this journey with the Invitation to the Classics List (85 books).

In between, I read The Well-Educated Mind (154 books) and The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (104 books if you count sequels and trilogies). Minus the overlap on each list that is 287 
books! (press links to see the lists)

Here is the entire list compiled: https://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/2011/09/well-educated-mind-list.html

MY STORY

My love for classical literature came very late in life! It was 1996, and I happened by a PBS performance of a musical: Les Miserables. I was enthralled and told my mother-in-law how much it moved me. She went back to her bedroom and returned with the book, Les Miserables, in a thick paperback. I couldn't put it down. I wept through the last fifteen pages in June of 1996 and did not want it to end. On my birthday, the next month, I was at a live performance of the musical. From then on, I was hooked on the classics! 

When I came back from Malaysia in 1999, my friend, Teala, invited me over to  watch what everyone else watched while I was away: Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth! What a delight! But the book is always better than the movie so shortly after that, I visited my mom in California and she got the book for me from her library. OH MY! 

We traveled all over the West throughout the spring and summer, telling people about our time in Malaysia. During our nomadic wanderings, I gobbled up all five additional Austen novels. 

Prior to that, despite having a master's degree, the only classics I had ever read were The Great Gatsby and Siddhartha during my freshman year in high school (1974). I did NOT get those books, I was too young to understand them! 

When we settled back to the States, and I started home educating, I wanted a semi-classical education for my kids. I also wanted to do the four year cycle of history suggested by The Well-Trained Mind and to integrate the literature of the time period we were studying. Somehow, I ran across Invitation to the Classics and David Denby's Great Books in my library, and these books inspired me to read the classics in an orderly way in order to be a good example for my kids; picking and choosing which ones I would have them read.

I had already read a few books on the Invitation to the Classics (ITC) list before the "official" start of this journey on October 16, 2002 (Pride and Prejudice, Pilgrim's Progress, Beowulf, Inferno, and Letters and Papers from Prison). So when I ordered my own copy of ITC, I also ordered The Brothers Karamazov (Read Oct 2002), Purgatorio (October 2002), and The Bacchae (Nov 2002). 

A year later, The Well-Educated Mind came out, and I switched to that list. This one took me almost 8 years to complete. Then, I did the 100 World Classics and finished this journey back where I started with Invitation to the Classics! 

Words cannot describe how much I learned. Maybe I will write a book about my journey someday!

But for right now, I am going to rest and bask in the accomplishment!!!

Doing the happy dance!!!

June 24, 2009 When I Completed the Ancients List of The Well-Educated Mind
(See My Photo Set in My Last Post or HERE)

By the way, in the midst of all of this, I started a classics book club with four other women with the original intent of reading the books from the list. But some did not like the books from the list. So we read other classics. That combined with the classics I read "off list" on my own, I have read 320 classics since 1996.

Here is the "off list":

Les Miserables
Silas Marner
Catcher in the Rye
Little Women
Little Men
Jo's Boys
Wives and Daughters
The Picture of Dorian Grey
Tale of Two Cities
Captains Courageous
Man's Search for Meaning (Babes)
The Alchemist (Babes)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Much Ado About Nothing
Wuthering Heights
A Room with a View
Passage to India
Northanger Abbey
Sense and Sensibility
Mansfield Park
Persuasion
Emma
Three Musketeers
Hound of the Baskervilles
Atonement (considered a modern classic)
A Prayer for Owen Meany (modern classic)
Night
Cry, the Beloved Country
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Scapegoat
The Count of Monte Cristo
Gone with the Wind
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
To Kill a Mockingbird

Monday Morning Freewrite

I am setting the timer and going at it before I start my "real" writing for the day.

15 minutes and ready go!

I think I will give "The Well" update . . .

The Well-Educated Mind: Well, of course, the real list is completed, and I am immensely satisfied in the result. I don't think I am necessarily "Well-Educated," but I know so much more than when I first began. I am thankful. I have to say that this new list I am tackling, The 100 Great Books, is a cinch comparatively! I love that it is all fiction. I find them very easy to get through and understand. Many of them are plays that I can read/listen to in an afternoon. So, this is lovely.

I still have it in my mind to do an annotated bibliography of the 158 books that I read in The Well-Educated Mind and maybe even find a separate website for that subject. I want to be able to share what I learned with others who are on the same journey. It is exciting for me.

I am also loving learning about the time period before and after World War I from watching Downton Abbey! That is my new guilty pleasure that is going to be dormant until next January when it comes back again.

The Well-Tuned Body Strength: My shoulder and bicipital tendonitis is almost 100%. I did up/down planks in Pilates today with relatively little pain. It is all about placing your shoulder blades in place before attempting the strength move. My back is also enjoying pain-free days. I am doing more preventative things like moist heat with the slightest hint of tightness. I am also stretching throughout the day and making sure I get up every 15 minutes from my work at my desk. All in all, I am thrilled to be almost back to my fitness before my toe tendon severing of November 2009!

I am still feeling somewhat of a glutton. I had gotten down to five pounds below my goal weight, but I think I gained it all back and then some in Hawaii. Still find that a daily struggle. It is easy for me to exercise, but it is not easy for me to say no to the temptations of scrumptious food!

The Well-Watered Soul: I LOVE the new project of studying and writing the Life of Christ chronologically in the Gospel Harmony Book Club! It is also good to do this in tandem with the Year Two Old Testament of the Bible Book Club (almost at 100,000 page views!). It helps me to set my sight on Jesus as I trudge through Israel's rebellion! Whew. It is not an academic exercise for me. It is a spiritual experience that I will never regret though it takes hours and hours and hours of my time. God has carved it out for me to do it. I am convinced of that.

I love more prayer lately. I like to pray as I write and pray as I "go" along the way.  So, it has been lovely.

The Well-Adjusted Heart: I am happy. I am not prone to depression anyway, but I have few grumpy days, and if I start out a bit so, it seems to lift quickly as I pray through it and discover what is the lie behind my thinking. I had a little lie as I chatted with Brendon Coyle on the PBS Masterpiece site. None of my questions were going through, and I was getting a bit grumpy until I prayed and God said that I am important and that my questions getting through didn't matter, just enjoy and don't think you are being rejected. So, I enjoyed other people's questions instead of feeling slighted that mine were not being answered. There is nothing wrong with me or my questions!  So, there. I matter to God, and I don't know that Downton Abbey matters much to Him in the whole scheme of things. LOL!

Well, it is going to ring right NOW!

Bye, no proofread. Just hit "Publish"

The Well Update: The Well-Watered Soul Part 1

Haven't given an update of "The Well" in forever and a day!



THE WELL-WATERED SOUL



I would love to write a book with this title someday. :) This is really the priority and passion of my heart for myself and for others because I really believe that all other things flow out of a well-watered soul! I remember once when I was on the Well-Educated Mind loop I talked about the Well-Watered Soul and one of the ladies emailed me telling me she had spent all day trying to find that book on the internet, and she wanted to know who the author was! Tee-Hee, just a phrase I coined in reaction to the assertion the The Well-Educated Mind was the be-all end-all of life. THIS is the priority!



I just spent the last two hours (yes, it is only 7:30, but it is springtime, and I am up with the sun for the next few months, just how my body clocks it) in delicious savoring of every bite of the first five chapters of Romans. Oh how yummy! Better than the Chai Tea I imbibe every morning. :) I have been studying this with two incredible women, Kim and Nancy:
(sorry about the blurry picture, but this was taken in March and before I had some tutoring on taking low light pictures by changing the ISO on my digital camera. Still learning there.)


We have just "unpacked" the first five chapters of Romans and are heading into the "sanctification" chapters of 6-8. They are great to talk this through with. Kim is a real "global thinker" looking at themes and how she can apply them to her ministry and Nancy is a wise woman with an amazing spiritual heritage under her belt. So, part of my well-watered soul is from the interaction over Romans with these women.


(Note: We really need to study with other people! Personal Bible study is the first step. It is like you are packing up precious truths in your suitcase for life, but it is amazing to see what happens when you go on "vacation" every week with other people and see what they packed in their suitcase and what you didn't and visa-versa. It is like when you forget your hairdryer on the trip and you are so glad that so-and-so didn't forget hers. Thank the Lord for the person with the mosquito repellent or the sunscreen that you forgot, but I digress into analogy. Group Bible study (as opposed to just doing Personal Bible study) multiplies the understanding and learning and love. So, I heartily recommend grabbing a couple of friends and studying the Bible TOGETHER! Synergy. I'll have to share more of my convictions about small group study someday. I think they are all "S's". Somewhere buried in one of my journals.)


Since we are moving on to Romans 6, I got out my new Romans 2: Precept Upon Precept study, and did the review in the first lesson. Water to my soul when I read and chewed on:

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (5:8)
Who was declared the Son of God with power by the
resurrection from the dead (1:4)
So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all
men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of
life to all men. (5:18)
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of
His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saed by His life. (5:10)

We had such an ephiphany moment in study a few weeks ago when we talked about what reconciliation really means. I used the example of going through the process of peacemaking with someone (that is another part of my "well-watered soul" that I will expound upon in another part on another day because this post is getting extremely long and if you are still reading my ramblings, you get a gold star for the entire day!) and you confess and they forgive you and they confess and you forgive them, but many times the friendship is never the same after that. Haven't you had that happen? It is so bitter, but I thankfully I have had it where you have had conflict and forgiveness and the relationship is TEN TIMES better and sweeter and there is true restoration and beyond of the relationship (Can I give a shout out to Missy as this is the one that comes to mind when I think about that fact?). Just like that reconciliation means that restoration of RELATIONSHIP with God and even better because of Jesus. I love reconciliation, the sweetness of realizing what you might have lost had it not been for Jesus. Still pondering that one.


So, we always go back to that word RELATIONSHIP in all aspects of Romans.


There is more to Romans though, and this is where it has been so great for me to read the Holman New Testament Commentary on Romans after I have done my own investigation. One of the authors is one of my favorite relational evangelist/discipler, teacher, theologian authors KENNETH BOA!!!! (Thank you Katrina for turning me on to this commentary). He is another person (with William Kruidenier) who has packed some things in his suitcase that I would never really ponder or think through. So, today, after some meditation I read his introduction to the commenatry portion, and he said that this is a "teachers" commentary for Romans. Something he said just made my heart sing:

"Therefore, the goal of the commentary is to help you, the teacher, represent
the apostle Paul to those you teach; in representing Paul, you can expect those
you teach to capture and keep a passion for reaching the world with that
most valuable of possessions - the gospel of Jesus Christ (Yahoo!)
. . .our prayer is that you will have a fresh and intense confrontation with the
power of the gospel as revealed through Romans; that the nations of the world
that Paul longed to reach will become the objects of your own spiritual longing;
and that the horizons of the earth that filled his eyes will fill your own as
you contemplate the fields that are yet white unto harvest, and that you will
consider the one thing, the only thing, that can bring the fruit into the
storehouse - the power of the gospel!"

YAHOOOOOO!!!! Gotta love the fact that Boa and Krudenier are praying that for us! So my heart's desire. God is a missionary God. :)

There is much more to tell, but I have just spent the last 45 minutes rambling, and I want some more prayer time before the 'chillins awake for homeschool.

TTFN.

Freewrite Fifteen

Well-Tuned Strength


I had not been able to go to Pilates for 2 1/2 weeks, and it was definitely showing. I think that class really helps my mental health two because . . .

1) The instructor is sweet and cares about you
2) The people notice when you don't come and are so kind and friendly
3) The moves stretch, relax, and strengthen me
4) It strengthens me all over
5) It doesn't hat the weird YOGA Hinduism thrown in
6) Jessica takes us through the same warm ups and stretches every time

So, I need to go. I say when I skip that I will do it at home, but I don't warm up as well, do the moves and stretch as thoroughly. I need the companionship and the relaxation.

So, I will go now again.


Well-Adjusted Heart/Well-Educated Mind

The above helps. Finally making some decisions about that major purchase has helped (ouch for the cost, but I think it will help my back - we bought an adjustable base Tempur-Pedic mattress). Acknowledging my sense of loss over Samira moving to California, Heba leaving, Elizabeth and Michelle leaving, homeschool ending, and Book Babes changing has been SO HEALTHY for me!  The Lord continues to be the anchor of my soul, and I know that He is GOOD and that He loves me. This is undeniable. I just need to adjust to the new paradigm in my life now and settle into the new normal. This is all very healthy for me.

I also think I need to back off on the depressing tragic novels. They just keep coming, and when I had the prospect of reading Hemingway, I said, "Enough is enough," and brought The Sun Also Rises back to the library and got a wonderful and sweet book by Billy Graham about finishing well. This has ministered to my soul, and I think I am going to delve into some devotional classics for a season and forget about my goal-orientation of finishing that 100 Great Books List! When my Well-Educated Mind goals interfere with my Well-Adjusted Heart goals, it is time to make some changes. I will finish but in smaller doses.

Well-Watered Soul


Ending my posts on the Gospel Harmony Book Club has also been a loss. It balanced out the "gloom and doom" of the prophets. So, now I am just left with the prophets. So, I need to be intentional about reading in the Gospels and Acts now even thought I am not posting about it. It will be better for my soul.

I believe in the "full counsel" of the Word, but the second year of Bible Book Club is also like a tragic novel! LOL.

Well, I am relaxed and well and ready for write on Amos 2 before I start cooking lamb, honey baked red potatoes, fresh green beans with almonds, and haroset for Passover tonight (modified because we have other things on our agenda).

Well, I have 1:14 left on the clock, and this is my wrap up. Need to keep writing.

Had a GREAT "date night" with Paul. George dropped us off at Wendy's on his way to his meeting, and we talked, walked home, and sat on the couches in the living room and talked for another hour. We talked about so much. Hurts he felt from another mom growing up, and how he had to forgive her. I was able to explain that mom's mental problems, and that is wasn't him.

Well, the buzzer range. BYE! Pushing without proofreading!

52 in 52 Week 47: The Frogs by Aristophanes

I am now going to complete the Invitation to the Classics List (see link for the complete list in the "pages" section above) . I started it in 2002 (this week, in fact). I was hoping it would help me to teach a high school literature class when my kids got in high school, but I ended up facilitating a literature class using material from www.thelmaslibrary.com instead. I also opted for my personal reading to come from The Well-Educated Mind when it came out in 2003. 

But it has always been in my mind to get back to this list, and now is the time. After this NO MORE LISTS! (My husband says he will believe it when he sees it.) 

I love the Invitation to the Classics List because it asks questions from a Christian worldview and the list includes many devotional classics that I have always wanted to read. In fact, I read books from this list when I just couldn't take another depressing, hopeless, modern book from the 100 Great Books List. LOL!


I know Aristophanes' comedies are not Christian, but Invitation to the Classics says: 

His fundamental vision . . . is profoundly spiritual. Aristophanes was the first to see the full implications of comedy -- to recognize that the comic imagination is essential in the movement toward hope and love. In fact, as he shows, those who choose a comic sprightliness and optimism in difficult situations are thereby enabled to renounce self-absorption and hence to endure and prevail.

My back was ailing, and I needed some books I could listen to while laying on my table with a heating pad over my back. Aristophanes is on the list of people to tackle from the Invitation to the Classics list, and it was free on my Kindle. So, I plunged into it. I had read Birds for the Well-Educated Mind list, and it was easy to follow. This was also easy to follow. Aristophanes was the one who got Socrates in trouble and is referred to in Plato's Apology (more on that when I review The Clouds next week).

Aristophanes is very accessible. So, do not let his Greek name scare you. My son read him before I did for a homeschool classical literature class, and he thought he was hilarious. I'll tell you why when I review The Clouds next week (two things to look forward to). 

Here is a bit on the author that will carry into the next three weeks of Greek comedies that I will be reviewing: 

Aristophanes, the greatest of comic writers in Greek and in the opinion of many, in any language, is the only one of the Attic comedians any of whose works has survived in complete form He was born in Athens about the middle of the fifth century B C, and had his first comedy produced when he was so young that his name was withheld on account of his youth. He is credited with over forty plays, eleven of which survive, along with the names and fragments of some twenty-six others. His satire deal with political, religious, and literary topics, and with all its humor and fancy is evidently the outcome of profound conviction and a genuine patriotism. The Attic comedy was produced at the festivals of Dionysus, which were marked by great license, and to this, rather than to the individual taste of the poet, must be ascribed the undoubted coarseness of many of the jests. Aristophanes seems, indeed, to have been regarded by his contemporaries as a man of noble character. He died shortly after the production of his "Plutus," in 388 B. C.  

Here is a bit about this particular play: 

"The Frogs" was produced the year after the death of Euripides, and laments the decay of Greek tragedy which Aristophanes attributed to that writer. It is an admirable example of the brilliance of his style, and of that mingling of wit and poetry with rollicking humor and keen satirical point which is his chief characteristic. Here, as elsewhere, he stands for tradition against innovation of all kinds, whether in politics, religion, or art. The hostility to Euripides displayed here and in several other plays, like his attacks on Socrates, is a result of this attitude of conservatism. The present play is notable also as a piece of elaborate if not over-serious literary criticism from the pen of a great poet.

(Aristophanes (2012-05-16). The Frogs (Kindle Locations 12-16).  . Kindle Edition.) 

The Well Update - The Well-Educated Mind

 

I have not delved this deep into a Well Update in YEARS! I think it is because I am tapering off on my spiritual direction appointments and have tapered off (and stopped until next Wednesday) on my walking. I only had about seven hours of direction both individual and group. (It was supposed to be nine, but I had one who didn't show up (twice) and a cancellation due to internet issues.) And I am devoting about an hour to concentrated stretching and strengthening with a bit of Pilates. I should be swimming, but I am not too worried about my cardio on the Camino. That is good (but I digress and appropriate for the "Well-Tuned Body" portion of this Well update! LOL!)

The Well-Educated Mind

I didn't even want to do this part of the update because I have not been working through the book pictured above. I am #9 out of 2,126 people on the List Challenge for this book. (#1 is probably not true because there is NO WAY a person would have read every single book on that list - unless the author is on the list challenge, but this "Guest" has done it on all the reading lists. Very suspicious, but I digress once again.) When George saw me eyeing this book while at the library, he said, "There she goes again." I love a challenge. If you are new to my blog, from 2002-2013, I read 287 classics. So I thought my "lists" were done until this book. I am reading books I have never even heard of, and most of the time, I have really liked them! (Some have been duds but not many.)

But alas, I have had other things going on. Since I picked up this list, I have had reading for certifications in Spiritual Direction, the Enneagram, NASM Personal Training with Women's Fitness, Weight Loss, Corrective Exercise Specializations (NASM-CPT, CES, WFS, WLS), and Mental Health Coaching. I read nine books for the Order of the Mustard Seed too. I am also reading four Renovare Book Club books every year. So, I sprinkle these in between, and I will be very old if I finish this list! LOL!

All that to say is that I LOVE to learn. I am thirsty for learning. I cannot help myself. I love to learn and then apply. Rinse. Repeat. 

Lately, I have been reading books about the Camino de Santiago (The Way is Made by Walking) and the inward soul journey (Soul Journey). 

I also read at least 52 books a year. I'm at 41. The last from the 1000 Books List I read was Instead of a Letter. The ones I read for spiritual enrichment are so much more edifying, but when I read from the 1000 Books List. I learn compassion for people. I won't stop this new challenge, even though sometimes they are a bit edgy for me! I won't obsess over it. My "BHAG" (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) was the 287 books nine years ago. This is just icing and more LEARNING! 

I am loving my reading journey with more spiritual books this year. (Renovare Book Club has some wonderful ones this year, and I have the possibility of nine people in our group!)

I am also taking another certification course in EMDR because I am fascinated by it. 

I am also learning so much as I prepare PowerPoints for each of the Enneagram types and then teach them to my directees! I go deeper, and I understand people and myself so much better. That is another kind of "education"!

I am also learning about IT bands! But that will be my next installment of The Well Update! 

TTFN.

The State of the Well Address

Are we having the State of the Union tonight? Isn't it usually around the 20th of January. Maybe I am wrong, but I thought it was.

Well, I want to just say how everything is going.

Well-Watered Soul

I am in a great position. I feel like the 3yearbiblebookclub is really helping me to stay in the word and dig and apply and pray through everything. There is something about meditating, mulling over it all day, then writing about it that really has been so refreshing for me. I feel more like there is a moment by moment depending on the LORD in prayer too. So, I think I like it. I want to GROW no matter where I am in this journey.

Well-Educated Mind

Well, I am almost done with all the Book Babes reads. I decided to read The Glass Castle after all, and I this really is the last. My intention is to do the rest of the Ancient Literature. My rhetoric partner sort of disappeared. I am not so sure it was a suitable match since he is a man. I think I prefer a woman. Nice guy though. I think a woman would be wiser and better though.

I am also going to read a Tale of Two Cities soon, but that is definitely in my Well-Educated Mind goals. I love the classics, but I will say that the Book Babes reads were MUCH better this year than last year. I am pleased.

Well-Tuned Body

I am doing GREAT! I am working out consistently and eating healthy. I am pleased. I feel good other than a bit of a back ache with the Jillian Michaels DVD's. I think they are too high impact for my back issues. So, I will bag them and go to low-impact. I am resting this week because of that though. I think that is good after quite a few weeks of hard workouts.

Well- Educated Children

Hallelujah! Dropping Biology was a great idea. They are humming along in everything. They are also writing on their own, especially Michael. He had to write an imaginary diary of Charles II, and it only had to be 200 words. He ended up writing 400 very imaginative words! YEAH! Paul is always so diligent to get everything done too. I love those boys.

Daily Care

Been good about cooking those dinners using new menus! I love the recipes I am cooking up using the Slim-fast.com website. Nutritious and Delicious and Low-Cal! I love it! I am eating so many veggies now! YUMMY YUMMY! I am so really glad that George convinced me that Valentina would be a great choice. She comes twice a month and cleans, and I love the relationship that is forming and the house that is much cleaner!

Well, that is the quickest run down that I have had in years!

Sunday Morning Freewrite Fifteen: Well Update

Well-Watered Soul/Well-Adjusted Heart

On this momentous occasion, I am combining SOUL/HEART in one. It seems like I talk about my SOUL, and when I get down to the HEART part, it has already been covered in SOUL. Our SOUL and HEART are intertwined. So, I am going to do my updates this way from now on. (Not that anyone care or reads these things, but I need to have it that way in my mind!)

Well, my soul is watered today. Nancy keeps telling me that when she goes on her big runs up into the hills, she has a spring that reminds her of me, and she prays for me based on the spring. She keeps saying that is always flowing, even in the heat of summer when all the other springs in the area are dry. Then she texts me and tells me. How sweet.

What is our constant Source? Duh! Jesus! But I think that many go to other springs that do run dry in the heat of summer. I went to a banquet called the Parade of Champions last week, and I just saw the futility of looking for our source at anywhere else but the capital "S" Source! Glory in sport. I dreaded going, but it was lovely to see old friends, and many of them were honored, but the tone was women's sports was the pinnacle of it all. It sort of made me gag. I prayed that God would show me why I was there since I really am not that into sports anymore (even though I am a college athlete). God sovereignly place my coach before me (I think I already free wrote about this, but it bears repeating) when she was supposed to be at a head table and all the table people requested to sit with her. At the end of the banquet she said (with a thick Japanese accent), "Little Carol, you were my 'ground'.  I sometimes get all the teams I ever coached mixed up in my mind, but I will never forget you."  My husband said, "Do you me Little Carol 'grounded' you?" She replied with an affirmative, "YES!"  I think it was because I just saw through the futility of all it all even back in 1978 at 19 years old. Aki (my coach) knew that I knew that there was more to life than putting a silly orange ball through a ring 10 feet above the ground, and it certainly wasn't something one gave their life to.

She has since retired and seen more of the spiritual side of life. She always introduces me as "Coaches Sweetheart." I love that woman.

After she said that, I embraced her and kissed her on the cheek with a tear. There was a reason why I came to that silly event! It is all about the people you encounter along the way and even silly events or silly sports put you in contact with those you would never encounter any other way.

If only I could convince my kids this because we have trained them to think sports are stupid, and we have neglected to really help them to see the benefits.  My bad.

Anyway, I also ran into a girl who is a former basketball player (1999-2003) who is a follower of Jesus. It was nice to sit next to her and be encouraged at her love for Him! YAY God.

Woops. Fifteen minutes is up, but I will keep on going because I want to do a full update. Maybe ten more minutes will do it. (Oh that was Leslie telling me she was going to church and not my timer, but it almost was because there was one minute to go!)

Well-Educated Mind

I am loving this. See my quote from Audrey Assad below about good art, books, and music. Love her philosophy about that.

I am loving the Invitation to the Classics list which evaluates classics from a Christian worldview. I didn't like 100 Great Books. I won't be recommending that list to anyone, and I am thinking I like the ITC one even better than The Well-Educated Mind list, but really the TWEM list taught me a ton that I really appreciate but did not necessarily enjoy where I am enjoying everything the ITC one puts out. They are discrete and protective of my spiritual side. There are some books on the TWEM list I think SW Bauer should take out! YUCKY!

Anyway, I am starting The Shorter Summa, and I love it. I don't think I need to read all of the Summa Theologica by Aquinas. The Shorter Summa is really all I need. It is concise and thoughtfully abridged. Thank you Peter Kreeft for saving me from 3,000 pages of too much theology for anyone's good!  I say read the Bible for your theology!

I am also reading quite a few Early Reviewer books through LibraryThing and Tyndale Publishers. I like writing these. I wish I could become a "travel the world restaurant reviewer"!

Well-Tuned Strength

This is probably one of the things I am most excited about. I am seeing as I move suddenly and get in and out of cars that I don't have those little twinges of pain that I have thought I had to live with for the rest of my life. I cannot remember if they were also not present before my November 2009 injury, but my back and neck are definitely BETTER. My massage therapist even said she noticed how much more responsive my back was to her. The muscles are aligning again because I am nipping any little tweeks in the bud and making sure I am doing those back exercises FAITHFULLY every day! DUH! What was I thinking not doing them? I guess I didn't know what they should be. The trainers would give me ones, and those were just NOT good for my back. I should have known and told them NO. Most athletic trainers are JOKES. I had three pretty bad ones at the club (and one bad massage therapist). I should have just told them, "HEY, I know my body, and we have to modify that one for my back safety." Those physical therapists have YEARS of training in the body, and I should have gone to them after my injury, but my insurance was lousy at that time. Now we have good insurance that pays for more preventative stuff instead of just when we have an immediate injury. BEST investment I ever made, and those physical therapists are much cheaper than the trainers anyway ($16 per visit versus about $60!).

I think I am canceling my membership at that club and going to another place that is 1/3 the price and will add my kids at a much cheaper rate too. They also have rewards for workouts, less snooty people, and classes on demand. So, I can have a class at a time that fits my schedule (i.e. in the afternoon versus right in the middle of my best writing time in the mornings). The only drawback is NO POOL, but I think if I train for a triathlon again, I will just go to the aquatic center and get a nice pass for the time I will train for it.

So, I really think I am on the mend to the pre-November 2010 body. I still am not tracking my food intake. That is, by far, the hardest thing for me to do! But I am very faithful to get daily exercise and am not overeating, but I could lose 5-10 pounds still!

Perfect. I am done! Thirty minutes of freewrite today. No proofreading but pressing!

The Well Balance

Well-Adjusted Heart

I think the "adjustment" to our new work mentality is coming along nicely. I need to breathe through it. I have this balancing between being a wife and being a mother with George up in Hillsboro/Newberg and the boys down in Corvallis. Something happened yesterday that made me realize that I am needed as a mother. I know my two kid are both adults now, but they need processing and pampering as well as life training (for the housecleaning and cooking). They are doing so well, but a mother's work is never done.

Trying to also balance time with my friends my age too. I am more purposeful about initiating time with Kim, Teala, and Jean. So lovely to be with friends and balance it with ministry people (who are also my friends but at a different life stage!).


Well-Watered Soul

. . .from which all things flow! Nancy has been sending me pictures of the spring she sees on her runs for the past seven years. She says it never runs dry, and she always prays for me there. Praise God for prayer warriors in this life. 

I do feel well-watered. I love my time in the epistles. So practical and rich.  I almost done with 1 John this morning. 

I am behind in my "Walk for the World" praying though. I am being a bit goal oriented on the finish of the BBC. 

Well-Educated Mind

I am 97 pages away from saying goodbye to William Faulkner forever. I am so excited to be only 440 pages away from my Well-Educated Mind journey. Someday I will count up all the books I have read in the process. It has been great, but I do look forward to just reading any old book again!

Well-Tuned Strength

Because I have been a bit goal oriented on the more sedentary Mind and Soul Goals (and even HEART time with friends who would rather sit and eat and talk than walk), I am 1.4 pounds over. My goal this year is MAINTENANCE. So, I do not want to slip in this area. I have broken my rule about not writing if I am over. I need to really reevaluate this. I am a "J" (closure) personality type, but I know that most of the things I am passionate about (READING, STUDYING SCRIPTURE, WRITING, and PHOTOGRAPHY) are all SEDENTARY PASSIONS. My WELLNESS passion is outnumbered 4:1! 

Sitting has caused more back wonkiness too. So, as I write, I am realizing that I am going to abandon the goal until 1.4 is gone. That should be less than a week. I have to have my goals in balance. I can listen to my WELL-EDUCATE MIND books as I walk and walk with friends though! :)

So, I am off to walk with Kim for her break after drinking a healthy strawberry and banana smoothie (no sugar added)! 

BYE!!!! Will write more when 1.4 pounds down. I need to stick to what I started in ALL areas!!!! 

Great processing through this freewrite!

The Well-Educated Mind: Part II

In Part I, I blogged about what I was learning with my kids. Now I am going to put my summer reading goals out there and check up on myself to see how I did at the end.

I read something recently, and I wish I had blogged it here because it said something to the effect of how important outside reading is to our spiritual life. I believe it was in How to Read Slowly: A Christian Guide to Reading with the Mind by James W. Sire. As this is one of the things I will be reading this summer, I will post it when I find it because I am almost positive that this was the book.

First of all, let me post where my reading has brought me so far this year:

January

1. Light from Heaven by Jan Karon

I have closure on the series after reading the first in the series in 1997. I have such fond memories of reading about snow storms in North Carolina while sweating in Malaysia. The series ended well.

2. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Book Babes for February)

I really loved the story and the writing. I was a bit disappointed with the ending though! I wouldn't object to reading another one of her books though. I think she is better than most contemporary authors I have read lately.

February

3. Marley and Me by John Grogan (Book Babes for March)

It had some delightful parts in it. I am not a big Labrador Retriever fan. If I had a dog, it would be a German Shepherd or a Shetland Sheepdog because I love calm, obedient dogs. (and they were the two kinds we had growing up, and they were fabulous dogs to own). This dog would have driven me insane, but I wouldn’t have even gotten him in the first place. All that said, I can see why they fell in love with this animal, and it was fun to read about their antics with him.

March

4. Simple Church: Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger

Strategy books are just not my cup of tea, and this was all about strategies. I didn’t like it! God is so much more creative than strategies. ‘Nough said.

5. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards (Book Babes for May)

It brought up some interesting issues, but it is always hard for me when people can’t be honest with one another. I know it made for a good story, but it still frustrates me.

April

6. The One Year Chronological Bible

I have put my other reading on hold and have been enjoying reading throughout the day. I was in the Old Testament during spring break, but I had some extra time. So, I read it like a novel and got to the Triumphal Entry by Friday before Good Friday. I read along with the events of Holy Week. Then, once I got to the Resurrection, I couldn’t stop.


7. The Ladybird Bible Storybook

This is our third time through this great little Bible book. This is also our last time through a Bible “storybook” as we are all reading a regular Bible now. I will miss this, but we have new fish to fry in this department.

8. The Awesome Book of Bible Facts by Silverthorne

I know they are too old for this book, but we loved it the first time. So, we went through it again this year. So great!

May

9. If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat by Ortberg

Not just your fluffy contemporary Christian book. I really liked this, and I enjoyed discussing it chapter-by-chapter with a group of women every week for ten weeks. I am not sure that I would have picked it up to read it had it not been for that reason.

10. The House of the Seven Gables by Hawthorne (Book Dames)

It was sort of a slow story, but I think his language is so beautiful. I liked The Scarlet Letter much more, but I still liked it. I gave it a 7 at our Book Dames Book Club

11. Christianity is Jewish by Edith Schaeffer

This is another one that I read slowly over the whole year. This is the book in which my friend, Beth, read in 1975 and created a seventeen lesson Bible study to go with it called “Bird’s-Eye View of the Bible.” It was so fun to do the study, read the chapter, discuss it in small groups, and listen to my friend (who has the gift of teaching) teach on the lesson. It is all about the “Scarlet Thread of Redemption” from Genesis to Revelation. I just finished the Revelation chapter today, and I am so hopeful and at peace. This is a very uplifting book in every way.

Next year, I will rework the Bird’s Eye View Study and adapted it for my kids to do during their homeschool Bible time. I don’t know what it will look like, but I hope I can make it fun and educational at the same time.

12. Dear Sister, Letters of Hope and Encouragement by Gisela Yohannan

I loved this book. She is a wise woman whose husband heads up Gospel for Asia, one of the largest indigenous church planting mission agencies. They plant churches all over India and in many countries in Asia. These are the letters she wrote to the women in her agency over a period of years. They are PACKED with spiritual encouragement. You can read some excerpts of some of the chapters on my non-photo blog.

13. The Externally Focused Church by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson

This is for churches who want to integrate good news and good deeds into the life of the church. It is a practical book with many examples of churches that have done just that! I have always contended that a church is for the maturing and building up of the Body of Christ but that maturity comes through reaching out as a Body to the community around us. So, the focus of this book is speaking to my heartbeat. Our Women’s Ministry Director wanted me to read this and give her feedback about it because she is considering using it for the Fall Women’s Group on Wednesday nights. I am SO there!

Summary

Only four out of eleven are even fiction! I am hoping to rectify that. I love fiction, and I don't want to lose that.

Summer Goals

The books that I am looking to read this summer are:

1776 by McCullough (I like to read a patriotic book around the 4th of July!)
How to Read Slowly: A Christian Guide to Reading with the Mind by James W. Sire
Crunchy Cons by Ron Dreher (Lamp-post discussion end of June)
Passage to India by Forster (Book Dames discussion July 14 and Lamp-post July 27)
The Cloister Walk by Norris (Prep for possible workshop at Jubilee on Private Retreat)
Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnards (Just because I love this!)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Book Babes for July)
Hound of the Baskervilles by Doyle (Book Dames for September)
Escape from Slavery by Francis Bok (Book Babes that I didn't read in April)

9 books in one summer is more than reasonable!

The Well-Educated Mind Autobiographies

I have read and analyzed and discussed: Confessions of St. Augustine and All Rivers Lead to the Sea by Weisel

I have read but have not analyzed:

The Road from Coorain

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez

Born Again.

I hope to read when I am done with the others:

The Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn

So there you have my MIND goals and category. Stay tuned for my notes from Crunchy Cons!

The Well Update - The Well-Adjusted Heart

I have not done a freewrite for a while now, and so much has happened.

State of the Well Report (I used to do these all the time, but it has been years)

Heart 

Hmm. How is my heart? My blog heading says, "One woman's journey to wellness through a well-adjusted heart." Hmm. How is it? Let me feel the feelings. In the last day, I had my heart moved by a directee who learned about her strong instinctual variant toward the social, and she was so enthusiastic to learn all about it and wanted to gather spiritual directors to have me do a training on it (like I do for the Bollers 2-3 times a year for their spiritual directors in training). I was just excited to have her grasp the material and be so enthusiastic about it. She is such a sweetheart, and that warms my heart.

My heart hurt because of the interaction with the person organizing our trip on the Camino. I think she is 1) new, 2) not totally fluent in English, and 3) not the best communicator. But the good news: I did not go into any sort of anger mode with her, and I calmly dealt with her for the last nine days. So, I am sad that she did not lay out all our options right away because it ended up costing more money in the long run, and that was a little disappointing. But I think God is telling me to let go of it and just move on. I think she feels bad about it, and I don't think she understands how poorly she communicated through the whole thing. Not sure I would recommend this company to handle our logistics again too.

I feel a bit afraid: 1) my knee will not be ready to go 71 miles for 5 days in 20 days. My PT thinks it will be great, and the swelling has gone down, and I am thankful this did not happen WHILE I was walking on the Camino. So I am glad that my training brought this out 4 weeks before instead of in the middle of walking. I had already peaked with my training and was going to taper anyway. So I am thankful and afraid at the same time. 

2) That I will be overwhelmed with the number of people going. I have already decided that I cannot focus on that many people so have to be selective. It is the fault of the Type Two to think I have to be involved with everyone, and that is not possible with that many people. So I am focusing, and I know that we will have Elizabeth to spend time with afterward when we go to Belfast. 

3) That airlines will charge us extra for baggage even though I reserved airlines that said we could bring a carry-on. So that is somewhat disconcerting for me. I know they contract out and things get lost in the translation (and refunds don't happen - as Delta Airlines has recently proven.)

So that last one I realize I am still ANGRY at Delta for the way we were handled in April. 

I feel joyful about going on the Camino though, and I have loved the inward journey journaling that I have done. It will be a good trip. I know it.

I feel peaceful when I think about the spiritual journey I am on.

I feel uncertain about whether I should say yes to a small group of leaders in my church. I think I am a perfect fit to lead it, but do I have the capacity even if I postpone it until January?

There is a lot of emotion there. I will say that overall, the things I am leading, both in individual spiritual direction and in the small groups I facilitate (Silent Prayer, OMS, Renovare, 2HC), are all bringing me much joy. But can I add another one to the mix? OMS will stop, and I will replace that with the Deepen III, but can I do the leaders from my group. 

I have prayed for all of this for years. Now the fires are set, and there is a glorious blaze developing that does not seem to be blowing out. The vision you gave me is coming true! So that excites me and scares me all in the same breath!

Here is the picture you gave me of that:

Well, that was 20 minutes. So I will do another freewrite tomorrow about my other things: 

"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well" (The Little Prince by de Saint-Exupéry). One woman's journey to wellness through a well-adjusted heart, well-watered soul, well-educated mind, and well-tuned body. "Love the Lord your God with all your HEART, and with all your SOUL, and with all your MIND, and with all your STRENGTH" (Mark 12:30-31).

Continued Peace

Well-Adjusted Heart


Today was an extraordinarily good day for me. I think I am growing in my ability to move on from tough situations and to trust that God will work it all out. 

When there are many words, 

transgression is unavoidable, 

But he who restrains his lips is wise.

Proverbs 10:19 (NASB95)

Thus, the peace has been maintained in my heart and life. Sometimes you just have to stop the insanity, and it was definitely heading that way. I don't think a face-to-face meeting would have been productive. Wisdom says to stop the words and move on. That is what we did, and it did die down. I am not responsible for the emotional filter of another person, and Ginny strongly encouraged me to not take criticism for things I am not guilty of. I am responsible with how I handle it from now on. If I continue to not be sensitive to the filter, then I have a problem because I am not responding to what I now know.  I had hoped for an extension of grace this one time, but the attacks were pretty strong for a twenty-four hour period. I do think I learned some valuable lessons, and I won't make the same mistake twice. 

I really am at peace. There is no doubt, and I look forward to a good summer of more low-key things going on: Iranian women's study on Monday night, Noha on Tuesday morning, Jesus Community on Tuesday night, Dial-a-Book and piano every other Wednesday, Salma the Saudi on Thursday afternoons, and hopefully starting up with Nourieh in the book of John again. . Those are my only set commitments.  I decided I won't go to the Iranian Study on the nights I have a meeting with the elder's wives. I need that time with older ladies, and it doesn't work for me to come after the study.  


Well-Educated Mind


I will continue with the Well-Educated Mind reading, but I am thinking of not setting myself up for stress by trying to complete all 22 remaining books this summer. I could definitely do it, but why?  I don't have to. There is no deadline, and I would rather do it at a slower pace and enjoy more time being outdoors and enjoying good family and friends. So, I will just go at a slow pace and see where I end up at the end of the summer.  I am also going to read Adler's How to Read A Book and watch The Art of Reading DVD series too. That will be really good. 


Well-Watered Soul


The Bible Book Club continues to be such a blessing to me. The middle of next week will mark 30,000 visits to the site since January of 2008. I love the discipline of everyday synthesis of the Scriptures. Becky and Katrina have really lifted the load too, and I am thankful for their trustworthy posts. 


One thing I had hoped to do this summer is the updated Theophostic Training, but I don't think I can with my others commitments and a desire to be more low-key. So, I am going to pass on that this summer.


Well-tuned Body


The last few days have been really good workout-wise. I haven't had back pain from them. I still can't go 100%, and I am definitely not going to do Pilates for a while. I like the elliptical/walks/weights routine and will stick with that through the summer. I need to be wise.

Eating is much better too. I am on the road to dropping the 15 I gained after my surgery due to the inactivity. So, I am feeling very good about that.


Now I am going to finish up my BBC post and get to bed. 


Oh, Michael got an "A" in both his college classes this term!

Monday, Monday

Well-Watered Soul

I am not really in the mood to freewrite because I want to get right to meditating in 2 Chronicles this morning after a weekend of meditating in other (good) things due to the Elders and Wives Retreat in Lincoln City.

What a lovely retreat with lovely people. I have great respect for each and every one of them. No lie. It was a pleasure to talk theme for the year: Follow Jesus . . . Step by Step (With the ellipsis because Steven likes them just as much as I like alliterations. Knowing I like them so much, he gave an adaptation for me: Faithfully Follow the Father's Feet).  So, we are still deciding on a theme verse. I think it was going to be 1 Peter 2:21:


George and I were also called upon (after Clint could read my body language) about possibly experimenting with an "arm" of our church being house churches so as to relieve further building, parking problems, etc. Growth with a symbiotic relationship between traditional church and house. It was super well-received, and we will just pray into that. Shocked at how well-received it really was.

My favorite part of the weekend was each couple BRIEFLY sharing and then praying over them. This was 2 1/2 hours of prayer saturation over each unit. LOVED THAT!  Vickie was so sweet to pray for my daily writing. Since so few of them know that I even do that for my "vocation," it was sweet that she remembered that from a group conversation at dinner on Friday night.

I am so glad to be a part of this wonderful group of saints!

Shift gears as George and I came home from the coast, cleaned our house, and hosted 19 people for Bob B. coming and sharing from his heart about people going to unreached places around the world. It was a very nice time, and I love that saint too. One thing that Bob said challenged me: that new laborers were spending 2 hours a day in prayer and that was one of the commitments. So, I am challenged to do the same. That is my application from the time, and it is perfect as the Gospel Harmony Book Club is finished (until I edit it next year) and I am only doing 8-13 posts each month for the Bible Book Club. I definitely "pray as I go" with that, but I mean laborer kind of prayer. That is what I want to do. Luke 10 prayer. Even though that didn't get picked for our church theme, I think it is going to be my theme for the year.


Well-Educated Mind

This blog already says what I just read. The 100 Great Books are so much easier and accessible than The Well-Educated Mind books. This list has so many books I have heard of and have always wanted to read. So, YAY! Lord of the Flies was playing on my iPod as I fixed tea this morning.

I am listening to The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer again, and it is interesting that he read the Complete Works of Shakespeare on his knees, asking God how to understand them. I so love that about him! I think that reading Shakespeare can be such a spiritual experience, and it is nice to know it is sanctioned by one of the great spiritual mentors of the 20th Century!

Lord Jim was really wonderful. I am still pondering its meaning. But there is a reason why Conrad is so lauded as an author.


Well-Adjusted Heart


I am doing so well. Peace with people is great. I am always amazed at how things have changed since leaving our old fellowship. Heart health is so important.


Well-Tuned Strength


I've decided to totally abandoned the strength routine that Shandra gave me. It really hurts my back, and I am not sure why she didn't just give me back-saving routines. It also hurts my knees, and I know how to accomplish so many of these strength moves without putting my back in a compromising position.

Eating was pretty rampant this weekend at the retreat. So, I am reigning myself in this week. It is time. I have been pretty liberal since my trip to Hawaii. The vacation is over and trying to get back to less in and more out!

I think I will walk to workout today if it is not raining.

Oh my, I have gone on for longer than my usual 15 minutes. Must check the weather radar and get to walking to class!

State of The Well Freewrite

Well-Tuned Body

I decided to skip Pilates today. In fact, I might skip my strength training today too. I think I need a physical rest, and Shandra didn't work that into my workout schedule. I am not sure why. I didn't take it on one of my weekend days as I usually do, and I feel it this morning. Yesterday, I spent five hours in the sun exercising. Today is overcast and gloomy. So, I think I will just give my body an opportunity to actively recover from all the exercise I have been giving it. Here are some things I have been doing for the last 30 days: http://connect.garmin.com/reports. This only includes my cardio and not my strength training, Pilates, swimming, and elliptical that I do at the club. So, it is much more  than this.

I feel like my back is much stronger, and my hips, gluts, hams, and quads are better. I am hoping the stabilization exercises I am doing will make it better on the surf board in two weeks. I have been working hard to avoid injury. We will see.

Well-Watered Soul

I love soaking in the Gospels lately. Jesus talked so much about the Kingdom of God. I want to explore this more in-depth. I have been enjoying our listening to (two hour interruption there! I forgot I was freewriting!) the Holy Spirit exercises and Living in a God-bathed World reading. Frank Laubach is one of my heroes really. I loaned out my Letters from a Modern Mystic. I love that book. Now, someone has it and has not given it back, and I can't remember who it was that borrowed it! I'm sad. :(

Listening to God this morning helped me realize that unless those sweet girls come to Free Lunch, there is no reason for me to go. I had other things that I needed to do really. I have some burdens on my heart for people. I need to talk to Carol Calenberg about one of them. So, I am hoping to hear from her soon.

Well-Educated Mind


I am 228 pages away from finishing my goal. I have been on this journey since August 2003. It has been such a worthwhile expedition. I will never regret it. After this, I want to read the Invitation to the Classics ones that are not on that list. I think the ITC list is a better list for true "classics," but The Well-Educated Mind gave me such a great overview of political theory and the Black History. So, I am grateful for that!

Well-Adjusted Heart 


This is good. I realize doing this Theophostic has helped me to see that I have grown since I first took the course in July of 2001. It is nice to have others doing it, and it is also nice to not have the insecurity issues that I once struggled with. I still have my moments; like when Jehovah's Witnesses sit in your living room and tell you you're an idolator, deceived by Satan, don't know the Bible, and think it is ridiculous that I would believe that Jesus is God.  Oh well.

Well, Elizabeth just called and told me one of the cute girls is there, and I am off to Free Lunch after all. :))

Back from the Dead or Bed

I had a glorious vacation, and you can check my photoblog for the pictures from that exciting experience with my mom and brother's family. I came back to being sick, sick, sick. So, I am just now eating solid foods again.

The good news is that any weight that I may have gained over the Christmas break/scrapbook stress/California overeating was all lost! (Well, probably not, it is no doubt water weight!). I have had a peaceful three days back home, but I am missing fellowship after a week in California and missing my three Bible studies since I came back from CA. So, I am looking forward to fellowship in the car with V, C, and C.

Here is my "Well" status!

Well-Educated Mind

I am back to full-leaded homeschooling with the boys. Rock cycle and catching up on the timelines and catching our Bible reading up to where we are in World History.

I am reading My Sister's Keeper. I really want to get back to the Well-Educated Mind autobiographies, but attacking The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn is, quite honestly, INTIMIDATING. I want to proceed, but I need that push through attitude!

Well-Watered Soul

Loving the foray into the new Face to Face for Spiritual Growth book. May pick up Boa's Two Year Reading and Prayer Bible since I saw it used, and it might be just what I need since I already decided that I will take two years to read through the Bible instead of one.

I am still going through Romans, and hoping that K and N are ready to come along for the ride. They don't seem as disciplined to do their homework outside of the study. It is a long time away from my time with M, M, K, L, C, K, S. Those women were my "dream study." I really, really like K and N though. So, I want to stick with them and bring them along. K and I are so like-heared in so many other things though!

Love Beth's Bird's Eye View and Claudia's Ephesians. Ephesians will be ending just as we kick Romans into full gear. So, I am grateful for that!

Wellness in Heart

Overall, I am healing and growing and changing. I had a little fear about going to the Renada Ministries seminar knowing that Jean hasn't responded to my emails, and M may have poisoned her mind, but it would be more of a reflection on J character if she believes any of it than mine.

I am also realizing how blessed and surrounded in love I am with friends and family and church family. I just didn't have that "church" family blessing before, and I do now. It was a horrible situation for me, and I still believe that leaving NWH was the third best decision we have made in our lives (1) getting married 2) going to Malaysia (which also meant leaving NWH)).

My heart is well.

Wellness in Body

What can I say? I am on the mend from my sickness and have taken three days off of any kind of exercise in order to heal my body of this nasty flu/virus that has gotten me down.

My weight is "in range."

I am strong. I exercised four times out of the six days that I was in California. That is a great thing. I will be back at Timberhill AC by next Monday for the new launch of Group Power.

That is my update!

2011 Books

I don't think I am going to get through the books I am currently reading before the end of the year. So, I will post these here. Not as many books this year, but many of them were the finishing up of The Well-Educated Mind list. So, they were TOMES and very difficult reads!

KEY:
TWEM = The Well-Educated Mind
BABES = Book Babes - my monthly book club that I have been in since January 2001
DAMES = Book Dames - my bimonthly book club that is an offshoot of Babes and reads classics (inaugurated in June of 2005)

JANUARY

1. A Distant Mirror by Tuchman (TWEM)

FEBRUARY

2. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Womersley-TWEM)

3. TrueFaced: Trust God and Others with Who You Really Are

MARCH

4. Democracy in America (Heffner-TWEM)

5. The Road to Wigan Pier (TWEM)

6. The Last Lecture (Babes)

7. All the President's Men (TWEM)

APRIL

8. The Runner's Field Manual

9. The Blindside (Babes)

MAY

10. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (TWEM)

11. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (TWEM)

12. A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, 1785-1812. (TWEM)

13. A Painted House (Babes)

JUNE

14. Light on Snow (Babes)

15. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (Babes)

16. Theophostic Prayer Ministry Basic Manual Revised

17. TPM Ministry Demonstration Training

18. TPM Ministry Student Workbook

19. Leadership Essentials

20. Images of God for Young Children

JULY

21. The End of History and the Last Man (TWEM)

AUGUST

22. Treasure Island (Dames)

23. Roll, Jordan, Roll (TWEM)

24. All Creatures Great and Small (Babes)

25. Blink of an Eye (Babes)

SEPTEMBER

26. Wives and Daughters (Dames)

27. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Babes)

OCTOBER

28. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (Babes-Amazing)

29. Year of Fog (Babes)

30. The New England Mind: Colony to Province (TWEM)

31. The Christ of the Indian Road
32. The Divine Conspiracy (May have just been three chapters for our ministry but a post in 2012 here says I read it twice by then!)

33. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt (Babes)

34. Bold Spirit: Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America (Babes)

NOVEMBER

35. The Gulag Archipelago (TWEM)

36. A Voice in the Wind (Babes)

37. Little Princes (Babes)

38. American Nightingale (Babes)

39. Runaway Bunny

DECEMBER

40. Rim of the Prairie (Babes)

41. Left to Tell

42. Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People