Tammy’s Reviews > Offering Ourselves: A Lenten Journey with Charlotte Mason > Status Update

I love that Anne chose Brother Sympathy for the Sunday Interlude. Sympathy is what a teacher needs most. Some kids are in such distressing situations and pity can leave them mired in the mud. Sentimental and false sympathy can leave them confused or justified in staying stuck. Sympathy communicates that we understand and care. The lever lifts them up and points them to resiliency.

Day 22 Anne does several delightful things. She has been quoting from 1 Corinthians 13 which is perfect. She points out that Brother Kindness has a short memory because he does not remember what he does. She phrases his kindness as giving people the benefit of the doubt. You get what you expect and sometimes assuming kindness will bring it out even when it’s not there originally.

I love the Star Trek examples. LOL Beam me up!

For some reason, the reflections for Day 19 reminds me of Ken Sande’s writings on relational wisdom. Another example of books talking to each other!

Day 18 I love what Anne does with the Lords in the House of Heart. She conceives it as a Moral Monastery and I love that idea because monasteries are places of service. I also like the catchy names she came up with for Self-Love’s colleagues: Don’t-You-Love-Me and the Trifler.

Day 17 Knowledge. I think I pass the reading challenge test. In the years, I have fallen short it is because the goal is to read for understanding, joy, and pleasure. Whether I make my goal or miss it, I’m better for it because of what reading does for the mind and heart.

I’m way “behind” but am I? She quotes from a very meaningful verse from John--the vine and the branches have lived with me for a long time and it’s one of the earliest visions that have driven my life. Today, before reading this, I was pondering on the passage from Ruth because I was wondering about Ruth Wilcox in Howards End. I may be “behind” but the timing is perfect. God’s timeline is not ours.

Day 16 Anne White explains the meaning of the Lord Exchequer and gives a quick summary of four desires and concludes with the perfect Bible verse for this topic. If anyone experienced these desires, King Solomon would have. The title of this section is curious because it seems to point to a mindblowing verse.

What an excellent analogy--Reason is like a GPS. It works beautifully but it can’t tell you if you chose your destination wisely. Ironically Satan used reason to trick Adam and Eve in the garden. It’s been our Achilles’ heel from the very beginning.

Day 14 Indeed beauty can become an idol. To pursue it obsessively, can shut out people and other interests. It can breed disatisfaction with other interests and with ordinary life. It’s wonderful when beauty touches us and it is a great gift. I think about Christ leaving Heaven, which must be so incredibly beautiful, for us. He experienced such ugliness and there is such beauty in his choice.