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My reading this week has been full of fantastical adventures and places. I’ve been reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a read aloud for school and The Hobbit on my own at night. It’s no surprise that Lewis and Tolkien were friends because both books teach such similar lessons, especially in the virtue of courage.
I loved this description of courage from Catholic News Agency:
Courage means being able to overcome fear in order to pursue the greater good. This is not the same as being fearless; quite the contrary, the fearless person can never be truly brave. This is because fear is based on love for something, and a desire not to lose it. But if a person does not love the thing he risks, does not value it, then where is the merit in risking it? A suicidal maniac, for example, is not brave because he risks his life for anything; he is stupid for not recognizing the value of his life, and for so casually placing his life in danger.
A brave man experiences fear because he loves the thing he is risking, and so he is afraid to lose it. No one fears the loss of something he does not love and value. Yet what makes a person able to be brave is that he values the thing he is pursuing more than the thing he is risking. Courage means the willingness to sacrifice something lesser for something greater.
Doesn’t that perfectly describe the main characters in these two books? This part in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was so good and true: “Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do.” (p.131) I’m so glad that my children (and me too!) can read these books and see heroic courage in this real and relatable way.
C.S. Lewis once said, “Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.” After this week, I’m even more inspired to find literature that fits that description. Below are a handful of books/series that have been influential in my children’s lives and I’d love to hear your family’s favorites too!
- Redwall by Brian Jacques
- On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga) by Andrew Peterson
- Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
- lives of the saints – my son recently enjoyed reading about Saint Edmond Campion
Hoping to document the abundance around me all year long!
Around here, abundance looks like…
+ dealing with a terrible, out-of-the-blue allergic reaction. Late last week, I woke up to hives and angioedema (facial swelling) around my eyes. It was uncomfortable, but not really concerning…until it wouldn’t go away. I eventually went on antihistamines to calm everything down, but those came with their own set of side effects: nausea, drowsiness and general blech. A week later and I’m still not 100%. I’m digging deep to make this into a positive example of abundance, but I’m grateful for my body’s ability to tell me something’s wrong and for the gift of self-deprecating humor. If you don’t laugh, you cry, right?!
+ printing photos for a good, old-fashioned photo album! One of the bingo prompts this month was to “print out some photos” and this was just the motivation I needed. When my oldest kids were small, I was really into scrapbooking. For the middle kids, I made professionally printed photo books. But for my sweet littlest boys? The majority of their photos are still stuck on my phone! I’ve agonized over how to remedy this, but ultimately decided that done is better than perfect. I picked up an album and have started printing photos on my Canon Selphy. So excited to have this project started.
+ cleaning the coffee maker. Less germs and better tasting coffee!
+ selling two unneeded items: a book and a shirt. After shipping and fees, I made $5.04. Total profit for the month so far: $213.79.
Reading //
- Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit by Corey Olsen // It’s like a literature course in a book! I really enjoyed pairing it chapter by chapter with the novel.
- The Carnivore Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Optimal Health by Returning to our Ancestral Diet by Paul Saladino, MD // I’m seriously considering a strict elimination diet to get the to root cause of my issues.
Watching/Listening //
- Winter Survival Food: French Onion Soup by Townsends // This was so cool.
- Floriani Sacred Music Chant School // Continuing on with lesson four and Jesu Dulcis Memoria.
- Episode 2: Death in the Morning of the 1970s documentary series, Connections by James Burke // You really see the technological “connections” throughout history in this one!
Loving //
- the idea behind Iliad Athletics
- Gorilla Grip adhesives // I bought another pack for my front door rug and they worked like a charm!
- stepping inside the Sistine Chapel (virtually)
Ashley,
So sorry about your allergic reaction. I’ll keep you in prayer.
A few books that fit in with your theme:
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
(Here’s a quote on courage I once scribbled down while reading Harper Lee’s novel:
“…I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.: (Atticus Finch to Jem) – Harper Lee)
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald
Love that Norman Rockwell print!
Have a great week,
Melisa
My oldest just read To Kill a Mockingbird this past fall – I should have added that one to the list. And thank you so much for the other recommendations!
Are you familiar with The Green Ember series by SD Smith? It’s wonderful.
I’ve heard of that one! Thanks for the push to add it to our read aloud list.