Patience is a virtue, worth cultivating in ourselves and our children. Some years ago I read an article by Pamela Druckerman that extolled the way French parents teach their children to wait. In her article, Why French Parents Are Superior, Druckerman pointed out that children who have learned patience are…
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A Call to People of Faith for the Sake of the Children
Attorney General Bill Barr gave a speech to the law school at the University of Notre Dame on October 11, 2019. In that speech he said: “For anyone who has a religious faith, by far the most important part of exercising that faith is the teaching of that religion to…
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Is There Something We Can Learn from Nazi Germany?
At the back of the book there are 57 pages of notes. Erik Larson has written a meticulous history based on government documents, letters and diaries. The book, In the Garden of the Beasts, provides a view of Nazi Germany through the eyes of the American ambassador. William Dodd was…
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Extending Hospitality at Home and With the Church
During WWII children were being evacuated from France and Paris. I just finished reading Until We Find Home, a historical novel by Cathy Gohlke. It is a story of unexpected hospitality. When Claire arrives at her aunt’s home in Windemere England with five French Jewish children she completely surprises her…
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A Storm on the Sea of Galilee and Fleas in the Concentration Camp
We lived in troubled times and sometimes it is difficult to discern truth. It is hard to know how we should respond to things happening around us. Looking back over the centuries, this has always been the case in human history. It is thought that the writer of the book…
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Parenting with Courage
As I looked through a local newspaper I saw an editorial cartoon that seemed to equate the measles with polio and Nazis. Something to fear. There is a hysteria about the measles that doesn’t jive with history. We cannot let fear control us. On this same day I received the…
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Seeking Guidance for Parental Rights
Parents today have difficult issues to confront. As I was driving home from Michigan today I was listening to Janet Parshall on the radio.She was discussing a case that was decided by the Supreme Court of British Columbia. It hit me hard because a friend of our family recently disclosed…
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Women in White
On Tuesday evening a large group of women in congress were dressed in white for the State of the Union address. They functioned as a group; they sat stoically quiet or they looked to each other for cues for when they would clap. They all stood and chanted “USA” when…
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An Ancient Call to Holy Living
In this new year our women’s precept group has begun to study the book of Deuteronomy. As the book begins Moses is reviewing the history of Israel’s release from slavery in Egypt and their years in the wilderness. Then he goes on to give them specific instructions. In chapter six…
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Should We Fear the Measles?
News reports about the measles are appearing in several states including Michigan and New York. The tone of the reports is fearful. It urges everyone to be sure they have been vaccinated . . . unless they were born before 1957. Everyone born before 1957 is assumed to have natural…