Barbara Curtis's Blog, page 173

Once Upon a Saint

A reader recommendation that seems appropriate to rerun as we approach All Saints Day:

I had a book recommendation that I thought you and your readers might enjoy...

My oldest son had his First Holy Communion yesterday and received a few fabulous books as gifts. These great books tell the stories of saints in the form of fairy tales in a way that engages even my youngest two (four year old twins). Although the stories aren't gory, they are not sanitized of all the scary bits the way so many modern children's books are (my kids loved the story of St. Nicholas, in which a inn-keeper chops up three little boys to make them into pickles, only for St. Nicholas to happen along and bring them back to life with the sign of the cross). I anticipate that these will become some of our favorites and will serve to interest my boys in delving deeper into the lives of the saints as they get older.

Thanks again, Kristen!

I Sing a Song of the Saints of God - All Saints Day

[image error] All Saints Day is November 1. You probably know that that is where Halloween came from - All Hallow's Eve.

While I was brought up like every American kid in the 50s going trick or treating on Halloween, our family has been out of the loop for years. We usually make popcorn, turn off all the lights, and watch a movie together.

Whatever your family does on Halloween - no judgment here - you might want to add a spiritual component to the coming weeks by focusing on the saints. If you are a Christian who has shied away from the saints - thinking incorrectly that Catholics worship them - I would encourage you to reconsider in light of this post and the next.

Teaching your children about the lives of the saints has great benefits. Just as you teach them about national heroes, you can teach them about spiritual heroes without detracting from Jesus.

Your kids will love this hymn - and you will love the story behind it:

It starts with a mom who wrote songs for her children when they would ask "Write us a song about a foggy day," or "Make us a hymn about a picnic."

One year, as the Feast of All Saints approached, she decided to write a song that would inspire her children and teach them something about the commitments of Christian faith.

I Sing a Song of the Saints of God

I sing a song of the saints of God,

Patient and brave and true,

Who toiled and fought and lived and died

For the Lord they loved and knew.

And one was a doctor,

And one was a queen,

And one was a shepherdess on the green:

They were all of them saints of God--and I mean,

God helping, to be one too.

They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,

And his love made them strong;

And they followed the right, for Jesus' sake,

The whole of their good lives long.

And one was a soldier,

And one was a priest,

And one was slain by a fierce wild beast:

And there's not any reason--no, not the least,

Why I shouldn't be one too.

They lived not only in ages past,

There are hundreds of thousands still,

The world is bright with the joyous saints

Who love to do Jesus' will.

You can meet them in school, or

In lanes, or at sea,

In church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea,

For the saints of God are just folk like me,

And I mean to be one too.

Though this hymn became part of the Anglican hymnal in 1940, I could not find it at Cyberhymnal or Oremus. Hymnsite has it, but I can't use their plugins with Firefox - maybe you can use it with your browser. This left me with a grand organ version on YouTube - which lacks the childlike quality I was looking for :) but you can learn for the tune.

From Singing the Song:

'I sing a song of the saints of God' was intended for use on saints' days to reinforce the fact that saints not only lived in the distant past but may also live and work in everyday lives. Mrs Scott's hymns were first published in England in Everyday Hymns for Little Children, 1929, and in the United States in the Episcopal Hymnal 1940.

Lesbia Lesley Locket was born in Willesden in 1898, and educated at Raven's Croft School in Sussex. She married John Mortimer Scott, a naval officer, who later became an Anglican priest and served a parish near Dartmoor. Active in amateur theatre and religious drama, Mrs Scott did considerable writing, especially of religious drama. She died in 1986 at Pershore

Besides the Episcopal Hymnal 1982 (Hymn #293), it is also found in the 1974 Book of Worship for United States Forces (Hymn #444) and the United Methodist 1989 Hymnal (Hymn #712).

I also came across a lovely picture book illustrating the lines:

I Sing a Song of the Saints of God by Lesbia Scott (Author), Judith Gwyn Brown (Illustrator)

Product Description

Now, this much beloved hymn is whimsically illustrated by a renowned children's book artist. In charming rhyme, the lives of various saints, like Joan of Arc, are acted out by a mischievous children's choir. Young readers will be delighted by the full-color drawings and by the message that all God's children are His "saints." Brief biographies of the saints appear at the end.

Amazon has used paperback copies for as little as $5. I recommend the hardback, though, because this book is a keeper - one you'll want to pass down to your children and grandchildren.

I do so believe - and this story reinforces my belief - that motherhood does not squelch our creativity but releases it, helps us reach deep down and find our true selves.

And I hope this inspires you to teach your children this lovely hymn. Throughout our homeschooling days, though I am not a great singer, I sang hymns with my children because they contain the essentials of our faith in a way that praise music did not. While praise music can be very moving, it is centered more on feelings than doctrine and - let's face it - just isn't as intellectually challenging. Each has its place. But if you have not grown up in a faith tradition that has instilled a love of hymns you might want to stretch in this area to bring hymns into your home - for the sake of your children.

The more senses involved in learning, the more a part of your child the lessons become. Music helps build a strong foundation, but as Paul talked of feeding disciples milk and meat, you might want to consider giving your children more substance through hymns.

"I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" is a good place to start.

Facebook humor/inspiration stream #5

My Facebook News Feed is like a river streaming so much humor and inspiration, I plan to do roundups of the best whenever I have a minute. In the random order they appeared:

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See all my facebook humor/Inspiration streams

Mainstream Media working w/Occupy Wall Street

Big Journalism delivers insightful and fearless news. You might want to bookmark them:

Journolist 2.0: Occupy Wall Street Emails Show MSM, Dylan Ratigan, Working With Protesters To Craft Message

Posted by Dana Loesch
Oct 16th 2011 at 5:47 pm

Big Journalism has learned that the Occupy Washington DC movement is working with well-known media members to craft its demands and messaging while these media members report on the movement. Someone has made the emails from the Occupy Wall Street email distro public and searchable. The names in the list are a veritable who's who in media.

Journolist 2.0 includes well known names such as MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan, Rolling Stone's
Matt Taibbi who both are actively participating; involvement from other
listers such as Bill Moyers and Glenn Greenwald plus well-known
radicals like Noam Chomsky, remains unclear. The list also includes a
number of radical organizers, such as Kevin Zeese.

In these emails we see MSNBC's Ratigan, hawking his book in the
footnotes, instructing occupiers on how properly to present their
demands and messages while simultaneously appearing on television
reporting "objectively" on the story (when he's not taking part in the protests himself as content.)

Read more at Big Journalism

My latest PalinTracker at Pajamas Media

PalinTracker: Not Running, but Still Kingmaking


As in 2010, her endorsement looks to be the big prize this season.



October 15, 2011 - 12:00 am - by Barbara Curtis
With Sarah having emphatically removed her hat from the ring, is
there any point in PalinTracking? I've concluded, at least for now: You
betcha!

As she made clear in her statement to Mark Levin on his nightly radio show on October 5,
after much soul-searching Palin is convinced she can be more effective
on the sidelines than as a presidential candidate. Given her history --
chafing under John McCain's handlers in 2008 and resigning her Alaska
governorship to spare her state the debacle of malicious lawsuits --
Sarah knows the toll candidacy exacts on an individual's independence,
spontaneity, and authenticity. It's no surprise she would not surrender
them, especially given the fact that she has proven to be an
unprecedented outside force for change simply by doing things her way.
Since no one has ever been able to predict what Sarah will do next, I'd
caution naysayers with a paraphrase of Abraham Lincoln: better to remain
silent on the subject of Palin's political demise and be thought a fool
than to speak out and remove all doubt once she delivers the goods.

The goods will come in the form of her shaping the discussion. She has already captured the grudging admiration of the New York Times
(see below) and ultimately may become the Republican kingmaker (so to
speak) by delivering the votes of faithful conservatives who trust
Palin's discernment and lack of compromise.

So with a quick dash through some noteworthy Will She? Won't She?
pieces leading up to Sarah's announcement, I'll begin where we left off
PalinTracking in September, then move on to reaction and questions
about what lies ahead.

September 3

Palin still undecided on White House run

DES MOINES -- Alaska Republican Sarah Palin is still
pondering whether to seek the White House, she said in a brief interview
this afternoon. ...

In her speech, Palin said the challenge is not simply to replace
President Barack Obama in 2012, "it's who and what we will replace him
with."

September 5

Sarah Palin warns against Tea Party infighting



Palin: The tea party whisperer

Palin Praises Influence of the Tea Party

Palin, not even in the race, draws double the size crowd as Romney

September 6

Because she can:

Sarah Palin Runs Iowa Half-Marathon Unannounced Over Labor Day Weekend

Read more - plus lots of comments - at Pajamas Media.

Do more kids make dads healthier?

Do More Kids Make Dad Healthier?


A new study says that men who have either no
children or only one are much more likely to develop heart disease
compared to fathers with a full quiver of offspring.

October 17, 2011 - 12:00 am - by Paul Cooper

As the youngest of six and father of two (so far), I'm a fan of most
things that promote having more children. It's a rare message in our
country today. With our ever more uncertain economic future, these days
more couples are deciding to have either no children or waiting until
they are older to have maybe one. But this past month research came out
suggesting that men who love their heart may want to consider having
multiple kids.

A new study
says that men who have either no children or only one are much more
likely to develop heart disease compared to fathers with a full quiver
of offspring. Researchers studied nearly 138,000 married or once-married
men over 50 years of age. Their research covered more than ten years
and discovered some alarming numbers. The men who never fathered
children were 17% more likely to die from heart disease compared to
fathers of multiple children and 13% more likely to die from
cardiovascular problems than men who had sired only one child.

The main researcher, Dr. Michael Eisenberg, made it clear that more
research is necessary to see obvious direct connections of number of
kids and heart disease. However, the researchers were careful to take
into account other heart risk factors like smoking or body mass index.
Eisenberg isn't sure why fathers of two or more have healthier hearts,
but the numbers don't lie.

Read more at Pajamas Media

Hattie Curtis - Leesburg fundraiser 11/4

Hattie Ketterman Curtis is my daughter-in-law, who most of you know has been struggling with cancer for five years. This year she has had seven surgeries - and two of those each kept her in the hospital for a month.



Hattie and Josh are blessed to have good health insurance through Ketterman's Jewelers, her family's business. But there are still countless copays, travel (gas/tolls/parking) to Georgetown Hospital (124 miles round trip) for her hospitalizations and doctor visits.



Leesburg Christian School has chosen to highlight Hattie for their annual Lady Lions volleyball fundraiser:





Leesburg Christian School's "Dig4Hattie" Event

Dear
Faithful Fans:  Leesburg Christian School's Lady Lions'
varsity and junior varsity volleyball team will hold a charity event
and fundraiser for Hattie Ketterman Curtis as she fights Thyroid
Cancer. The Lady Lions have planned an event called "Dig4Hattie,"
which will take place on Friday, November 4, 2011, at 6 PM. The team
is hoping to receive donations from individuals and businesses that
support Leesburg Christian Athletics and Lady Lions Volleyball. This
is our fourth year to hold a charity event for cancer last year we
raised $3,500 for baby Max Popish as he fought through and survived
Neuroblastoma Cancer! Donations from boosters, family, friends, etc.,
will also be accepted. On November 4th at 6 PM the Lady Lions will
play two matches (best out of three). The Lady Lions will take on
alumni and coaches in match one and the Lions Soccer team in match
two. There will also be door prizes for fans, so please attend! A
large percentage of all gate fees and concessions will go to
"Dig4Hattie."  "Dig4Hattie" t-shirts also are being sold now. Order
your shirt ASAP, they sell fast! Youth sizes are available for $10 and
adult sizes are available for $12. All proceeds will benefit the
Hattie Ketterman Curtis in her fight against Thyroid Cancer. Order no
later than October 24: leesburgathletics@gmail.com.

Hattie Ketterman Curtis' Story:



Hattie was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer with Follicular
variances in August of 2007 after a tumor was removed from her spine
and soon after had a total Thyroidectomy. Since then, Hattie has had a
dozen surgeries, seven surgeries within the last year alone. After all
of this she is still only considered Stage 2 because with Thyroid
Cancer, if you are under the age of 45, you cannot be a ny higher than a Stage 2. Hattie and her family have put their complete trust in the Lord to see her through these trials.



Hattie has been married to Josh Curtis for 5 years and he has been her
rock. She got married young (at 20) but knows this was the Lord's plan
for her, because she does not know what she would do without this
amazing man by her side. They were able to enjoy their first year of
marriage, and work on building Josh's contracting company, Kinsmen
Contractors, before starting this "Cancer Journey" together. She views
it as "our story", as they are one in the eyes of the Lord. The support
of both of their families has been amazing, and they look forward to
living a long and hopefully soon healthy life together.



Hattie is related to Leesburg Christian School graduates, Hunter and
Taylor Jenkins, and is a cousin of former student, Ricky Greene, and
LCS homeschool family, the Allens. Hattie's parents own Ketterman's
Jewelers in Leesburg. Ketterman's Jewelers has been a faithful sponsor
of Leesburg Christian School for over a decade. Throughout the years,
they have contributed to the yearbook, to the Silent Auction and to
many events that required door prizes. On November 4, at LCS, please
join us as we raise money to show our support to Hattie.



On Friday night the teams will play two matches: the first taking on
alumni and coaches, and in the second the Lions Soccer team! There will
be door prizes for fans, so please attend!



There are also "Dig4Hattie" t-shirts being sold. Order your shirt ASAP,
they sell fast! Youth sizes are available for $10 and adult sizes are
available for $12. All proceeds will benefit Hattie in her fight
against Thyroid Cancer!!



Even you're unable to attend, you can still make a donation!!


Invite all your friends!!   To make a donation contact Lady Lions Coach Christa Schlichting (leesburgathletics@gmail.com)
or look for sign up sheets that Lady Lions members will have.  All
for Christ, one for States, go Lions go! Sincerely,Coach Christa
SchlichtingEMAIL: leesburgathletics@gmail.com  "...It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Paperback Swap

I try to remember to mention Paperback Swap once or twice a year - for the benefit of new readers or anyone else ready to give it a try. So many of you have joined and are now enjoying the give and take of free books with others who love to read:

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This is amazing!! At least for a household of book lovers like ours.

A couple years ago, Angie told me about PaperbackSwap - where you list your books (hardbacks too) and agree to send them free as people order them (usually 2.38 media mail).

For every book you sell, you get a point which you can then use to order a book FREE from their huge database. And when you sign up and list 10 books, they give you two points to start ordering stuff right away.

Here's their friendly tutorial.

I signed up immediately and within 10 minutes had listed 10 books and ordered a book I've been looking for (in hardback too!). Two of the books I listed were on people's waiting lists and I'd packed them off and made two more points within a week.

Since then I've sent over 300 books and received over 300. Which sounds like a lot, but there are five AVID readers involved here. And Sophia taps into my account from college :)

When I signed up, Angie got a point because I listed her as my referral. The link above is coded so that if you use it to sign up yourself, I will get a point on my account.

But I would tell you even if there were no points for referrals. I would tell you, because Paperback Swap has been so totally COOL!

Green Valley Book Fair - 50,000 discount books VA

Some of you may be interested in this

2192 Green Valley Lane,
Mount Crawford, VA 22841

800-385-0099

The Green Valley Book Fair is basically a huge book warehouse outlet store with one catch--we're only open at certain times of the year for about two weeks at a time. See our current schedule for a complete listing of upcoming Book Fair dates and hours of operation.



We're a family-owned business located on a farm just south of Harrisonburg, Virginia. We're only two miles off Interstate 81 in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley. It's easy to get here from just about anywhere.

We have three floors of showroom space, totaling over
25,000 square feet. The stock changes at every Book Fair, with new
titles being added and others selling out, but we always have a good
selection of children's books (usually over 1,000 different titles),
cookbooks, history, literature, general fiction, mysteries, reference,
computer books, health and self-help, audio books, science, nature,
fine arts, crafts, gardening, business and more. Check out our Book Fair preview page for more details on
what new to expect at the next Book Fair.

We carry 500,000 books in hardcover and trade-size
paperback.
Books are discounted 60%-90% off retail, with the majority being
discounted in the 66%-75% off retail range.

I live
several hours from the Book Fair. Is it worth the
drive?

For most people the answer is Yes. If you're the
type
of person who loves bookstores and looks for the nearest bookstore when
visiting a city, then you'll probably love the Book Fair. Likewise, if
you love a bargain and the thrill of looking for a great deal, then the
Book Fair is for you. However, if you're looking only for one specific
title, or if you're only interested in one specific topic or type of
book, then you might want to call or e-mail
before making the drive.

The overwhelming majority of people who visit the Book
Fair
love it and end up returning several times a year, year after year.
People come from as far as Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina,
Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and New York specifically for
the Book Fair.

October: Down syndrome Buddy Walks

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.



There are over 250 Buddy Walks across the
country and in select international locations, mostly taking place in
and around October, all in celebration of Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
Buddy Walks are great family events in which anyone can participate.
The more people with Down syndrome are accepted and included, the
better off we all are.
 



You can find out if there's a Buddy Walk near you by clicking on the map below.  Sorry I'm a little late posting this, so some are past, but there are some still coming up: