a button and a what?
There is a poem by Edward Lear, master of nonsense verse, titled "The Jumblies." I regularly borrowed a picture book version of it from our local library to read it to my little brother as a girl. Someday I will write a treatise on why it is important to read nonsense verse to your children, but for now, suffice it say that this poem echoes a key aspect of our family philosophy. You can read the poem here: The Jumblies, and in fact you should. Read it aloud for a real treat. Have you guessed why we like it? Shall I quote the first stanza so you can find the blog title?
They went to sea in a Sieve, they did,
In a Sieve they went to sea:
In spite of all their friends could say,
On a winter’s morn, on a stormy day,
In a Sieve they went to sea!
And when the Sieve turned round and round,
And every one cried, ‘You’ll all be drowned!’
They called aloud, ‘Our Sieve ain’t big,
But we don’t care a button! we don’t care a fig!
In a Sieve we’ll go to sea!’
Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue,
And they went to sea in a Sieve.
Many of our choices are...unconventional. And yet, we feel confident of God's provision and leading on this wild pilgrimage we are on to find the good life. We feel sure that it is far and few, far and few...
A quick overview of our life story would have to include the following...
* Two high school sweethearts leave their rural town in central Massachusetts and head to Gordon College together, on the North Shore.
* Said couple gets married young and begins a family, as well as the adventure of living in intentional Christian community, rooted in the Anglican tradition.
* Said community nurtures couple and growing family through a truly lovley decade on the North Shore.
* Said decade includes the births and baptisms of four healthy boys, the beginning of the homeschool adventure, the discovery of living a family life rooted in faith, and a tremendous amount of formation and growth.
* A sudden yearning for home back in the country of central Massachusetts seizes said family (whose four boys need the woods to play in!), and simultaneously the desire to convert to Catholicism informs the path.
* A homestead is built! By hand! The amazing and supportive extended family and community help to set the little family of 6 on their feet, as they begin a new life together.
*Said family of 6 becomes a family of seven. That's five boys, folks. five. boys.
*Said family of 6 becomes a family of seven. That's five boys, folks. five. boys.
Our prayer, as a newly Catholic family, is to bring glory to God on this little piece of land, living mindfully each day. I hope you enjoy reading about our times together in this place. We are building a homestead and building a life.
