Liam and I went on a treasure hunt the other morning. We filled our basket with all kinds of marvelous little wonders - flowers, herbs, weeds, rocks and sticks. Then one by one we identified them. Liam smelled and tasted a few. We rubbed lemon balm on our hands and nibbled on dill. What we had initially thought were rocks turned out to be bone. It was a morning of discovery and connection to the outside world.
As Liam examined seed pods today I was reminded of a quote by Henry David Thoreau,
"I have great faith in a seed.
Convince me that you have a seed there,
and I am prepared to expect wonders."
This quote sums up why we homeschool. I too have great faith in the seeds I am planting in the minds of my children. I must carefully choose which seeds I am planting. Not just any old seed will do. I already see wonderful things in my children - budding ambitions and ideas sprouting from their tender minds. This type of gardening is not for the hobbyist. This is my life. It does not end when the bell rings - there is no bell. I am constantly planning and planting - not only in my children's minds but in my own. Is this life for everyone? Well, you have to love it. In one of my favorite books An Island Garden by Celia Thaxter she writes about gardening, " He who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth is generally considered a fortunate person, but his good fortune is small compared to that of the happy mortal who enters this worlds with a passion for flowers in his soul. I use the word advisedly, though it seems a weighty one for the subject, for I do not mean a light or shallow affection, or even an aesthetic admiration; no butterfly interest, but a real love which is worthy of the name, which is capable of the dignity of sacrifice, great enough to bear discomfort of body and disappointment of spirit, strong enough to fight a thousand enemies for the thing beloved, with power, with judgment, with endless patience, and to give with everything else a subtler stimulus which is more delicate and perhaps more necessary than all the rest." This is how I feel about homeschooling but more importantly about my children. Listen a little more to what Celia Thaxter has to say, "Often I hear people say, "How do you make your plants flourish like this?" "What is your secret?" And I answer with one word, "Love." For that includes all, -- the patience that endures continual trial, the constancy that makes perseverance possible, the power of foregoing ease of mind and body to minister to the necessities of the thing beloved, and the subtle bond of sympathy which is as important, if not more so, than all the rest. You may give them all they need of food and drink and make the conditions of their existence as favorable as possible, and they may grow and bloom, but there is a certain ineffable something that will be missing if you do not love them, a delicate glory too spiritual to be caught and put into words. The Norwegians have a pretty and significant word, "Opelske," which they use in speaking of the care of flowers. It means literally "loving up," or cherishing them into health and vigor." Well, I could quote her all afternoon but I think the point is made. And I must always remember this valuable lesson. Whenever we feel a little 'wilted' I need only apply a little 'Opelske'. Happy Planting!