A Carpe Diem Snapshot:
The things we do for kids. Adopt adorable kitties, for example. Kitties who are nocturnal and keep you up all night randomly jumping on you and nibbling on your toes with tiny yet very sharp fangs, and then spend all their daylight hours napping while you make your third cup of coffee to stay awake. Homeschooling is another crazy thing we do out of love for our unique kids. We make plans, we buy curriculum, we make more plans, we buy more curriculum. And then they prefer to do their own thing and learn from each other. Pictured above is a moment captured yesterday during "Cookie School" in which Valentina plays teacher for Cookie (Cordelia's nickname), teaching her English Language Arts through a book about Michigan (you see I have stacked the deck here and put out only the books I had hoped they would read anyway!). A mom has to be very clever and think ahead when faced with children who resist formal teaching methods. But, to be honest, some of the most enjoyable and lasting educational lessons have come from following the kids' own spontaneous interests and following rabbit trails wherever they lead. For example, when Valentina decided we should study a new country and culture each month, for June we chose Greece (which fits right in with our studies of chronological history anyway!). In the course of our interdisciplinary research on Greece, we discovered "The Touring Teacher" (from New Zealand) and all of her resources. What a dream job!
Liturgical: Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Bishop Barron's Gospel reflections today.
Sanctoral: Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle; Other Commemorations: St. Leo II, Pope.
St. Thomas is the patron saint of many, many places, including India, as well as doubters. Here is a lovely reflection on the important role of this apostle.
Human: 321 AD – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great issued an edict which forbade proceeding trials on Sunday. In the first edict of March 3 the same year, he introduced a Sunday rest for all categories of workers with the exception of farmers.
324 AD – the victory of Constantine the Great over Licinius in the battle of Adrianople. Both emperors (according to Zosimus) were to gather powerful forces – for this period – of over 120 000 people and several hundred ships. This number seems to be overstated, but the emperors had numerous armies. According to Zosimus, 34 000 people of Licinius died in the battle, and the rest fled in disarray from the battlefield. The defeated commander withdrew to Byzantium, and the remnants of his army found refuge in Asia.
The Writer's Almanac edition today.
Natural: Dog Days Begin
The phrase “Dog Days” conjures up the hottest, most sultry days of summer. The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days: the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. The rising of Sirius does not actually affect the weather (some of our hottest and most humid days occur after August 11), but for the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile’s flooding, so they used the star as a “watchdog” for that event. Since its rising also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time: “Dog Days bright and clear / indicate a happy year. / But when accompanied by rain, / for better times our hopes are vain.”
Italian Word of the Day: Spesso (often)
Quote: "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered." --Proverbs 28:26
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