"The Good Seeds"

"Children need to be educated and need to understand the world from an Orthodox view, from teachers and parents that know Christ and see the world, life, and their own soul with the illumination of Christ. This is very important. The children need to be formed in this environment, but they need also to learn how to wrestle against the world view they will encounter after they leave our school or home."

TV-ul

Mersi Lorena, draga:)

The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set --
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink --
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK -- HE ONLY SEES!
'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right!' you'll say,
'But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!'
We'll answer this by asking you,
'What used the darling ones to do?
'How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?'
Have you forgotten? Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY ... USED ... TO ... READ! They'd READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!
One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales
And treasure isles, and distant shores
Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,
And pirates wearing purple pants,
And sailing ships and elephants,
And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,
Stirring away at something hot.
(It smells so good, what can it be?
Good gracious, it's Penelope.)
The younger ones had Beatrix Potter
With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,
And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,
And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-
Just How The Camel Got His Hump,
And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,
And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,
There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-
Oh, books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago!
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start -- oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

Interviul si altele

Am luat taurul de coarne si i-am chemat pe parintii mei aici... A fost o decizie luata peste noapte, ma simteam cumva datoare sa-i aduc langa mine, sa vada si ei America pentru prima oara in viata lor..
Nu stiu daca a fost bine, distanta ma proteja intr-un fel de toate discutiile pe care eu si mama le avem de la 16 ani ai mei.. Acum, in aceeasi casa pentru prima oara dupa 11 ani, tensiunile dintre noi s-au acutizat, diferentele ne fac sa ne simtitm straine si uneori ma gandesc cu tristete ca am stat 9 luni in pantecele ei si totusi, ma simt ca o straina fata de ea:((.. E drept ca iubirea mea e indeptata cum spre alte persoane insa mi-aduc aminte de copilarie ca o iubeam cu ardoare, o idolatrizam si numai gandul ca ar fi putut pati ceva, ma facea sa nu mai respir de frica... Unde s-a dus iubirea?:(((
O luna a durat aparenta liniste si intelegere, dupa care intr-o dimineata, saptamana trecuta, exact cand ma pregateam sa merg la biserica, mi-a taiat din nou aripile...
"Ar trebui sa dai copiii la scoala. Asta nu e scoala ce faci tu!"

Am plecat de acasa cu sufletul rupt, calcat in picioare, imi venea sa ma ascund intr-o groapa sa se termine toate- bineinteles ca e un gand tampit, dar durerea era asa mare ca simteam ca nu o mai pot cuprinde.

Am ajuns la biserica la sfarsitul intalnirii saptamanale a grupului Moms in the church.. In fiecare Marti, mamele se intalnesc cu Fr Anthony si discuta pe marginea unei carti a lui Sister Magdalena. Parintele tocmai vorbea despre o anumita categorie de oameni carora orice le-ai face, spune, demonstra, nu stiu decat sa critice. Parea ca vorbeste exact de mama.. i-ar fi prins bine sa participe la catehizare, numai ca nu stie engleza..
Dupa ce s-a terminat intalnirea, i-am spus in mare amaraciunea mea, numai cea legata de faptul ca mama nu ma sustine in HS si considera ca fac o prostie si distrug copiii:(..Si el, totusi, m-a mangaiat cumva, amintindu-mi ca de fapt, noi crestem copiii pregatindu-i pentru eternitate..Asta incercam sa face prin HS, pentru ca altfel, in scoala ii pregatesc numai pentru viata de aici..
Deci "eternity is our goal":)

Interviul a fost stangaci, m-am simtit f tulburata si limba mi se incurca in gura, as fi vrut sa-l intreb atatea, insa nu stiam cum, nu-mi veneau cuvintele.. m-am lasat pagubasa.. L-am lasat sa vorbeasca, cuvintele ii curgeau lin, nu l-am intrerupt.

Dupa cateva zile, in timpul slujbei, l-am vazut pe fiul lui la strana, una din fete canta, alta avea grija de un copil mic... si mi-au venit in cap cuvintele lui din timpul interviului, era ca un ecou in inima mea: "I have 5 kids and all are in the church"..
Ce alta bucurie pot avea eu ca parinte crestin decat asta? Mi se parea ca toti sfintii de pe pereti traiesc si ma bat pe umar, greutatea cuvintelor lor, insemnatatea lor, ma cocosa.. Oare eu voi putea spune la fel peste 20 de ani?

Trebuie sa plec sa iau fetele de afara.
Sunt mari de acum, vor sa mearga singure la joaca, iar mie mi se rupa inima de fiecare data cand le vad plecand.. Doamne ajuta-ne sa crestem bine pe copiii nostri.