Thank you for your kind words! They truly mean a lot to me, especially since it's easy to tell myself that "likes" and "views" may be from people who didn't actually read the full (lengthy) piece.
Great piece, Kaitlyn. I love your emphasis on Iolaus--someone we can all be, if we just pay attention! It links to our need for a village, a tangible, embodied place with real people who are slogging away with us.
Along with that, our Christmas traditions should certainly help us in that regard, as you so thoughtfully point out. Another good bonding experience: a carol or hymn sing. We’ve been singing a verse or two of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” during our Advent devotions, and even the two minutes of song brings us together in ways few others things do.
I totally agree! I have fond memories of caroling we did with our church (I believe in nursing homes) growing up. We haven't yet ventured *out* to do caroling, but have been singing "Savior of the Nations, Come" with the kids most nights. It's been hilarious to hear the alternative words my middle two kids (newly 6 and nearly 4) come up with - but they have the tune down pat! Actually, just tonight at Advent Vespers we sang "Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow" and my nearly-4 year-old was delighted to be able to sing along, since we sing her at least the first stanza most nights. Music is such a gift, and I plan to write more about it soon :) Blessings to you and your family as well!
Yes! Read-alouds with older kids is a thing! We have 8 kids, youngest is 13, and we've done this for years. Reading A Christmas Carol is a yearly tradition. We spread it out over many days. In spite of being only 5 chapters long, chapters 1-4 are quite long. Read slowly the first few times as everyone gets used to the more complex language and longer sentences.
Thanks for sharing, Colleen! I'm very excited to read it, especially since I haven't yet myself. I think as a family we might end up reading the abridged version that Ruth Gaskovski shared recently in her post "From Digital Dependence to Analog Dickens," but I haven't yet decided. Maybe my nearly-8 year-old and I will venture into the full version together this year :)
Thank you! I have to admit, I was intrigued by the short description of Exogenesis on the Ignatius Press site, which said Maelin would "come face to face with a secret that will tear her life apart and alter the course of her civilization" - but I expected that description might be overblown. Instead, I was blown away by how everything unfolded, and by how you shared so much wisdom so beautifully along the way. I'm excited to share the book with more people!
Great piece! You know how the ins and outs of life start to weigh down on you and it’s easy to slip into laziness? This can be especially pronounced during holidays (and is doubly so for me this year since we’re moving to a new house in a week). Your piece gave me a much-needed jolt and has renewed my resolve to be “more human.” Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your comment, Justin! I'd venture to guess you're just directing your energy differently than usual if you're moving in a week, rather than being lazy, but I'm glad you got a jolt to get over that "finish line" :) I hope settling into your new home provides many opportunities to break bad habits and choose to do things differently.
What an excellent piece. So happy to have found your work--it resonates deeply. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words! They truly mean a lot to me, especially since it's easy to tell myself that "likes" and "views" may be from people who didn't actually read the full (lengthy) piece.
Great piece, Kaitlyn. I love your emphasis on Iolaus--someone we can all be, if we just pay attention! It links to our need for a village, a tangible, embodied place with real people who are slogging away with us.
Along with that, our Christmas traditions should certainly help us in that regard, as you so thoughtfully point out. Another good bonding experience: a carol or hymn sing. We’ve been singing a verse or two of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” during our Advent devotions, and even the two minutes of song brings us together in ways few others things do.
Blessings to you and your family!
I totally agree! I have fond memories of caroling we did with our church (I believe in nursing homes) growing up. We haven't yet ventured *out* to do caroling, but have been singing "Savior of the Nations, Come" with the kids most nights. It's been hilarious to hear the alternative words my middle two kids (newly 6 and nearly 4) come up with - but they have the tune down pat! Actually, just tonight at Advent Vespers we sang "Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow" and my nearly-4 year-old was delighted to be able to sing along, since we sing her at least the first stanza most nights. Music is such a gift, and I plan to write more about it soon :) Blessings to you and your family as well!
Yes! Read-alouds with older kids is a thing! We have 8 kids, youngest is 13, and we've done this for years. Reading A Christmas Carol is a yearly tradition. We spread it out over many days. In spite of being only 5 chapters long, chapters 1-4 are quite long. Read slowly the first few times as everyone gets used to the more complex language and longer sentences.
Thanks for sharing, Colleen! I'm very excited to read it, especially since I haven't yet myself. I think as a family we might end up reading the abridged version that Ruth Gaskovski shared recently in her post "From Digital Dependence to Analog Dickens," but I haven't yet decided. Maybe my nearly-8 year-old and I will venture into the full version together this year :)
Thanks for the novel mention, Kaitlyn, and also for this wonderful essay. A very thoughtful analysis.
Thank you! I have to admit, I was intrigued by the short description of Exogenesis on the Ignatius Press site, which said Maelin would "come face to face with a secret that will tear her life apart and alter the course of her civilization" - but I expected that description might be overblown. Instead, I was blown away by how everything unfolded, and by how you shared so much wisdom so beautifully along the way. I'm excited to share the book with more people!
Great piece! You know how the ins and outs of life start to weigh down on you and it’s easy to slip into laziness? This can be especially pronounced during holidays (and is doubly so for me this year since we’re moving to a new house in a week). Your piece gave me a much-needed jolt and has renewed my resolve to be “more human.” Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your comment, Justin! I'd venture to guess you're just directing your energy differently than usual if you're moving in a week, rather than being lazy, but I'm glad you got a jolt to get over that "finish line" :) I hope settling into your new home provides many opportunities to break bad habits and choose to do things differently.