/A/,/B/,/C/

I have often wondered what one of my children's pediatricians thought when he wrote the letter "B" on a piece of paper and asked 4-year-old Bernadette, "What is this letter?" I know that he was surprised when she responded, "/b/". He automatically replied, "It's b."

I smiled when Brendan told me that one of his friends had told him that you don't spell God "/G//ŏ//d/". I then explained to him that spelling God, "G-o-d" is the same as spelling it, "/G//ŏ//d/".

Several years ago, I read Ruth Beechick's An Easy Start in Arithmetic (now included in her book, The Three R's) and I immediately implemented some of her ideas into our home learning. Last night, I started to read A Home Start in Reading and the above memories came rushing back to me. I found someone who understands why you teach a child to read when they show signs that they are ready to read. I found someone who understands why it is necessary to teach a child the letter sounds, not the names of the letters, when starting him on his lifelong reading journey.

I haven't taught my children the traditional alphabet song. Somehow, they have learned that on their own. I have, when they showed me they were ready to learn to read, taught my children the sounds that letters make. Teaching my children the sounds that letters make has enabled them to start reading easily and without much effort from me.

Hmmm

As we were making dinner the other night, Catherine said to me, "Mommy, I learn more from reading books than I do from anything else."

Remembering Il Papa

April 2, 2005, my dad phoned and quietly told me, "Pope John Paul II has died." I remember going to Mass the next day and our pastor, Fr. Piotr Dzikowski (who had visited Pope John Paul II on numerous occasions), giving a beautiful homily, reminding us in Pope John Paul II's own words, "Be not afraid!" I remember the days which followed, the funeral we watched, the magazines we looked at, the e-mails we received, and the links we followed. Those links, plus some new ones, are still readily accessible on our computer. A few of them are below:
John Paul II: With These Hands
Rome's Repose
We Remember

Pope John Paul II died on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday. A feast which he had established and which I hold close to my heart. His death came eight days after Good Friday. It came eight days after Pope John Paul II handed the crucifix that he was carrying to then Cardinal Ratzinger. He and our pastor said, "Be not afraid!" and they were so right.

Today, I am thankful to be a parishioner at a Polish parish, where, after each Mass, we kneel and pray the Angelus for the beatification of John Paul II.

The Angelus

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;

blessed art thou among women

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary...

V. And the Word was made Flesh.

R. And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary...

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts,

that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known

by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross

be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.

Through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Watch

Last night, towards the end of Mass, Patrick stood on the pew, placed one hand on my shoulder and the other on the pew. Then he whispered, "Watch!"

I envisioned Patrick jumping off of the pew and so I responded, "Patrick, get down."

He repeated, "Watch!"

I envisioned Patrick cutting his lip or biting his tongue and I responded, "Get down. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Patrick said, "Watch! He's going to drink it."

Suddenly, a light went on in my brain and I focused my attention where it should be. Patrick had assumed my role. Whenever we are at Mass and I notice Patrick's attention waning, I whisper to him to watch and I explain quietly what our pastor is doing. Yesterday, after refocusing my attention, Patrick quietly told me what our priest was doing.

"Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
~ Matthew 18:3

Poetry Friday

The Lamb
by William Blake

Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed,
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little lamb, I'll tell thee.
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little lamb, God bless thee!
Little lamb, God bless thee!

*Painting: L'Innocence by Bouguereau

Boys Can Say the Sweetest Things

As I paid for some groceries at Safeway today, Patrick climbed out of the car cart, came up to me, hugged my leg, and said, "I love you, Mommy!"

During dinner, I went around the table and told each child that I loved them. When I was finished, Patrick said, "And Daddy, too!" I responded, "Yes, Patrick, I love Daddy, too!"

Days on the Farm

Yesterday, we went to Barnes and Noble to buy Suzanne's recommendation. As we perused the bookshelves, Brendan spied Days on the Farm by Kim Lewis. Ever since my oldest was three, we have been checking Kim Lewis' books out at the library. I happily took the book off the shelf. When I saw the stories that are included in this anthology and the price, I knew that we would be buying it. What I did not know was how well this book would be received by my children.

Last night, before bed, I read the following stories twice to four of my little ones: Floss, Friends, The Shepherd Boy, One Summer Day, and Emma's Lamb. They enjoyed listening to these simple stories that depict farm life in Northumberland, England. They also enjoyed looking at the pictures of the "shepherd dogs" (as Patrick calls them), the sheep, the chickens, etc.

I liked The Shepherd Boy. With gentle pictures and a loving story line, Kim Lewis depicts a young boy's desire to be a shepherd like his father. Patrick liked it, too. As I write, he is standing next to me turning the pages of the book and telling me the story of the "shepherd boy". Perhaps, a dog will be my boys' best friend one day.

These are a Few of My Favorite Words

As I left the Mother Baby unit of the hospital, after Finnian's birth, one of the nurses said, "We hope to see you back here in a year or two!" I couldn't have heard nicer words. These words echo in my head on good days and bad days. My response to these words is always the same, "I hope to have another baby in a year or two."

ALL

We received a wonderful surprise gift from American Life League, yesterday. The gift was a mug with the photo of two babies and part of a great quote. Thank you!