Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

I love you dearly.

summer highlights

Ah, lovely June has me in her clutches.

So far, the summer has been filled with time in the park, avocado smoothies, afternoon naps, good friends, a middle school writing class (only eight days; I temper my exposure to adolescents in the summer), morning runs, and today, I watched The Book of Eli and, I hesitate to admit to

you, crafted a cat bed out of fabric and a cardboard box. Because during the summer, there is time for things like that.

Among other happenings:

The baptism of a dear friend's baby boy, Jaxon (Isn't he adorable?? Look at those shoes!!)

The wedding of another dear friend, Amanda Blake. One of the sweetest, most beautiful weddings I've ever seen.

The little chapel

That morning, setting up for the reception

A visit from Dwana, Tyler, & Biggie!! Other dear friends from New Orleans. I lived with them during my time there last summer (you might recall my somewhat dramatic departure).

Visiting 16th Street Baptist Church

And then this.

I've been meaning to share this with you for awhile now...one of my students - I'll call him A - gifted me with this drawing on the last day of school. Let me first tell you that this kid is (and I know I say this a lot) one of my favorite humans on the planet. He's 13, but you'd think he's 8. He's about 4 feet tall and skinny like a pipe cleaner. But what he lacks in stature he more than makes up for in personality - the kid is brilliant. A voracious reader, articulate and dynamic orator, and analyst of global news (he's the one that credited me with the sniping of Bin Laden on my days away from school), he's constantly debating, declaring and proclaiming, and spouting wry commentary about everything. He is truly hysterical. He regularly gets himself so worked up that he breaks his glasses on a daily basis (granted, he sneezes and they break) so half the time he's got them taped up with masking tape, which only adds to his charm, in my opinion.

I give you this intro because I think it makes this even better.

Anyway, if you know me then you know that I have a somewhat distinct, yet unconscious, way of walking, particularly when I'm on a mission. It dates back to high school (or maybe middle school, now that I think about it) when I steadied my backpack and carried books with one arm and would swing my other arm ridiculously fast so that I could maintain my desired pace (which is notably swift).

In college, it was coined by several as "The Gorilla Walk" and "The Speed Skater," among others. At every school I've taught in so far, the kids have perfected it themselves and have taken great pride in showing off their renditions of what has become, to them, "The Hardin." Yes folks, I am a verb.

So you can only imagine my delight when A proudly yet casually handed me this drawing on his way out the door on the last day of school. I love the detail - the cropped pants, flats, and ponytail I always wear + the "swangin arm" and if you look closely...very closely...you'll see there's a worm in my hand.

It's scary how much attention to detail they exercise on a daily basis. Makes me wonder what other evils they've noticed in me, particularly on my worst days. I'm astonished at the levels of grace they give - I've been the recipient of a whole lot. Heaven knows I don't deserve their affection. Pretty sure I teared up when little A handed me this, gave me a hug, and hopped off on his sprightly way.

As grateful as I am for my relationships with these kindreds, I am so, so unbelievably thankful for summer and for the respite it brings.

Hope you're having a happy June - soak it up - can't believe it's half over!

Seventh grade

Just in case you forgot what 7th grade was like (and I know you want to revisit that), here's a list compiled by my kiddos...

You know you're in the 7th grade at JHP when...

1. You hear "tuck in that mini-skirt"

2. You hear "You just got four points taken off your homework average, baby!"

3. The teachers make you sit next to them at lunch when you're in trouble.

4. You hear "Don't even go there."

5. Mr. Edwards takes your food.

6. The trash gets thrown on you.

7. MESS is the only language. (??)

8. People walk around hitting you with brushes.

9. You hear Miss H's bell in your sleep.

10. You hear people just randomly start singing.

11. Ms. T throws away your Powerade.

12. Miss H has her big deerlight eyes aimed right on you.

Obviously 6, 8, and 12 are my favorites.

The Cat Daddy + I started my summer reading a little early

Did you know there is some kind of dance called the Cat Daddy?

Well, there is. And 104 13 year olds cheered and chanted for me to do this strange dance at our honors and awards program yesterday. I declined, made some less-than-witty comment about saving it for the after party and sat down, baffled and red-faced.

Afterwards I gave everyone a stern talking-to about taking me off guard and putting me on the spot like that in front of their families and my bosses.

And then I learned the Cat Daddy. I'd say it's pretty white girl friendly, but apparently it was still the most hilarious thing my kids had ever seen.

I don't know what they were laughing at. I mean, can't you see me killing this?? For a prime demo, go straight to the 2:10 mark of this video.

I'll be back soon to share some more goodies from the last days of school (how did I end up with a job that kills me over and over again every single day and yet I keep going back for more??) but for now, I have a few book reviews.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

I'm one of the five people who have never seen this movie - and I'm not anti-scary movie - I think I've kept it up on a pedestal as the phoenix of all horror, and I somehow didn't think I'd survive the viewing. I did survive the book, though, and loved every page of it. Is it sick to admit that I loved Hannibal Lecter's character? I thought he was hilarious. Again, not sure I should be admitting this, but there it is. Masterful suspense. And, now I understand why people have always greeted me "Hello, Clarice."

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

I've not seen this movie, either, but the book was a very quick and completely absorbing read. Written simply and cleverly, it's the story of a nine-year-old German boy, Bruno, who befriends a Jewish boy, Shmuel, at Auschwitz (his father is one of Hitler's commandants) and doesn't at all have a clue what is happening around him. It's a very innocent account of a child's perspective of the atrocities of the Holocaust, and for that reason it's especially poignant (I feel like such a wannabe book reviewer using that word, but really, it's the best word for the job). I loved everything about this book.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

I guess I'm on a roll here with novels-turned-movies (and hyphens, it turns out). The preview for this movie got me intrigued enough to read the novel (I think people should make trailers for books!) but I'm sorry to report that both book and movie were kind of a let down. Maybe it was that I'd recently finished Silence of the Lambs, but I thought the plot unfolded rather slowly. A lot of times that's okay, but I don't think this guy is a good enough writer to get away with a really slow plot. That said, it was entertaining, and I don't usually take to science fiction, clones, organ harvesting, that sort of thing. I liked it just barely enough to think about reading The Remains of the Day.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

I'm reading this one right now, and as it turns out, so is my pastor's sweet little 8 year old daughter. It's pretty golden - it's about four sisters, their dog Hound, and their widowed father vacationing at a summer cottage where they meet some interesting characters (and two rabbits). I'm of the opinion that the best adult lit usually doesn't hold a candle to really good children's books - it's in the children's section that you find the best stories, characters, humor, wit, and often, writing. The Penderwicks is no exception - I laugh out loud reading it - it's really a treat. I can't wait to follow it up with The Penderwicks on Gardham Street and The Penderwicks at Point Mouette.

Back soon!!

Good Friday

From The Rabbit Room (emphasis mine):

(See Matthew 27:1-61, Mark 15:1-47, Luke 23:1-56, John 18:28-19:42.)

"On Thursday night in Gethsemane, Jesus was arrested—betrayed by one of His own disciples and abandoned by the others. The Chief Priests and the Sanhedrin called for secret trials in the dead of night, and the verdict handed down was that Jesus would be crucified. This was something the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate, would have to execute. And reluctantly, he did.

After a severe beating, Jesus was nailed to a cross where He’d remain for six hours until dead.

Never before or since had more been lost and gained at the same time as at Jesus’ crucifixion.

The world gained the atoning sacrifice of Christ. But for those present, either the significance of the moment was lost on them or their hearts broke because the One they believed to be the Savior of the world was dying at the hands of Rome. They couldn’t stop it and they didn’t realize it was for them. They hoped in Him, and though He had told them He would suffer many things and rise three days later, (Mk 8:31)how could they have possibly known this was what He meant?"

Today my mind keeps wandering to those who were present at the crucifixion. The very moment they were given life itself; the very moment they received the complete and unmerited mercy and grace of eternity seemed, by all accounts, to be the single most devastating event of their lives.

I don't understand it, but I'm so, so thankful that His ways are not mine, that from sorrow will come song, and from tomb, breath and life.

This poem...oh, this poem. I'm sharing it with my kids today. Risky? Yes. Do I care? No.

A Night Poem (For Easter)
Andrew Peterson

I lie in bed these sweet few days
When the windows yet are open
And the weather yet is fine,
And love to hear the dead of night
Announce its living presence
With hoot and croak and creeping vine.

I love the knowledge that for years
As I have waited on the bench
Beneath the juniper tree,
And paid such close attention,
There is an owl I’ve never seen
An owl, I know, who watches me.

I love the sound of secret things,
I love to hear their nearness,
And to feel their wildness, too.
(Three days ago we sowed the seeds
And every hour I check the dirt
For seedlings pushing through.)

I lie in bed awake, alert,
Aware of the God of the Garden.
I sense in the seed a promise,
An unfolding resurrection
In the furrowed row, in soil
And root, in husk and humus.

I sense an ancient heart alive
Who haunts these moonlit acres,
Blessing, bringing life from death,
Dawn from darkness, song from sorrow.
The night owl swoops, the zephyr sighs;
I hear within the tomb: a breath.

summer book list

Here is, give or take one or two, my selection of reads for this summer.

Now, whether or not I get through all of these in six weeks is highly questionable, but here's what I'd like to aim for, in no particular order:

1. When Knighthood was in Flower by Edwin Caskoden (or, Charles Major)

I'm excited about this book because 1) It is the story of Mary Tudor, the younger sister of Henry VIII and the courtly commoner Charles Brandon and 2) I don't think I have ever read a copy of a book this old - this book is copyrighted 1898 and it was a Christmas gift to a Mabel Miller in 1899. I found it on eBay for pennies, and something tells me this copy is worth far more than what I paid for it.

2. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

I think this book has the kind of quirk in it that I dearly love (and it's a children's book, go figure) - the four main characters - two of whom are named Constance and Sticky (I rest my case) - travel to an isolated school where children are being trained by a criminal mastermind to participate in his schemes to take over the world. Bottom line: Any book that has a place in it called the Whispering Gallery has my attention.

3.

Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott

Because it's Louisa May Alcott. Since this is the sequel to Eight Cousins, perhaps I should read that one first.

4. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

This one's been on the shelf calling my name for awhile now. I fell in love with the cover of this one and I hope the inside lives up to it.

5. Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

This one seems really interesting: An upper middle class journalist tries to live on the wages of unskilled jobs in three different locations in the US. The author describes her experiences and tries to relate them to a larger frame of reference by laying out statistics about the US.

6. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

John Ames, a 76 year old preacher in Iowa, is writing a letter to his 7 year old son to leave to him an account of his life. It's a meditation on fathers and children, particularly sons, on faith, and on the imperfectability of man.

7. Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America by John M. Barry

I started reading this one at the very end of last summer, and was surprised by how much I liked it. Sadly I had to put it down in August and have yet to pick it back up so I'm excited to finish it this summer. It's a mix of social history, politics, and science - sounds pretty boring, I know - but what could very easily be a pretty dry account of the 1927 flooding of the Mississippi River turns out to be (at least in the first few chapters) a really engaging story of the transformation of American society.

8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Because it's what I assigned for next year's 7th graders to read this summer. And I have never read it. Please don't tell anyone.

hither and thither

Yep. Still here.

In short, here's the latest:

1. Dodging lightning bolts and straight line winds at least once a week

2. Starting a new skincare regimen (I didn't really have one before? Oh. That is correct.) because my derm said these horrifying words to me, "You know, you're nearly 30...it's time for you to think about aging when you pick skin products."

3. Mad Men, seasons 1-4 Not sure how much this is worth since I don't watch much TV at all, but I'll make the claim that this show has the best cast of characters of any show in the past three decades at least.

4. As usual, the wrangling of many 12- year-olds I'm trying very hard to really enjoy these personalities these last few weeks. Five and one day, to be exact.

5. Virtual conference webinar series Five things to say about this: 1) huge headphones 2) web cam 3) national viewership 4) adhesive mustache 5) I am in WAY over my head

6. Frozen dinners Mostly as a result of #5. I feel very icky health-wise.

7. Birthdays! Holly & Nita both had birthdays this month, and we celebrated last weekend. So fun.

I think Nita looks a little like a Who in this picture

The birthday girls

8. Summer reading list Sadly, I don't do much recreational reading from August-May so I try to pack in a lot of good reads during the summer weeks. I'm working on my list for this summer and I plan to kick off the reading a little early this year. I'll be back soon with my completed list.

In the meantime, have you read anything really good lately? I'd love some recommendations!