Making Bread and the Small Marvels of Homemaking
It is an everyday miracle to make sourdough bread. From water, flour, a little salt, and natural yeast growing quietly in a […]
Scheduling Childhood Away: In Defense of Summer, an Image of Eternity
In a country that graduates illiterate students from high school, some people question the value of summer vacation. It was made for […]
When To Start Reading Long Stories to Young Children
The question of when to begin reading long stories with no or few pictures to children is a surprisingly nuanced one. In […]
The Place of Mystery in Motherhood
Motherhood convinces many women that they should, as one eloquent writer put it, be “lauded.” Self-sacrifice demands praise, honor, glory. Afterall, she […]
Motherhood: Specific, Essential, Irreplaceable
Certain subjects bring probing insights that defy partisanship or cultural divides. One such subject is motherhood. Even for the thorough-going progressive, the […]
George Eliot’s “Middlemarch” and the Beautifully Forgettable Mother
Middlemarch is an interwoven narrative of many lives, intertwining and developing over decades. George Eliot’s perhaps best-known work, the book offers much […]
Hope in Action or No Hope At All
“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And […]
No Substitute for Real Children
Few are the people who outright state that they dislike children. There are misanthropes willing to despise what they once were, but […]
Extravagance: an Essential Ingredient for Life
Betty Smith includes many memorable details of the life Francie Nolan growing up in poverty and instability in “A Tree Grows in […]
Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller: Education Is Always Individual
Annie Sullivan is remembered as the “Miracle Worker” who brought communication to Helen Keller who was deaf and blind. Sullivan displayed commitment […]