An unforgettable Thanksgiving

Peaceful Thanksgiving morning. While washing and cutting vegetables to take to our fellowship's annual Thanksgiving day hot pot lunch, I remembered the load of laundry that I had put in the washer earlier.

"Daniel, please go and check the laundry. Put the load into the dryer if it's done." One minute later, Daniel cried from the laundry room, "Mom, you better come and take a look! It's hard to explain."

Drying my hands on the apron, I walked toward the laundry room, "What's hard to explain? What's the matter? ... Oh, NO!" Our laundry room was flooded with half-inch deep water! The carpet of the hall way next to the laundry room was soaking wet too, while the washer was still running. I called out to Guibo, "Honey, come quick! The washer is leaking!" Then, we frantically took actions to stop the washer, search for a bucket, scoop water from the floor, and throw sheets and towels on the laundry room threshold and the wet carpet. One package of training diaper, leftover from James' potty training, was put into good use for absorbing water.
When we pulled the clothes off the washer, I noticed that a piece of folded paper towel was stuck in the washer's water outlet.
"Could it be this that has caused the leakage?" I asked Guibo.
"Who knows. But you really need to inspect all the pockets before you put the clothes in." He thinks that I'm often absent-minded, and I am sometimes. So I didn't say anything, believing that it could be my fault, although I was mystified at why somebody would have paper towel in his pocket. Tissue paper, very likely, but why paper towel?

After we finished phase one of the disaster recovery, dear hubby graciously volunteered to stay home to do  phase two work, so the kids and I could go to the hot pot lunch at Olivia's house. The kids and I (and everybody there) had a good time and tons of yummy food, but the disaster zone was always on my mind. I did call Guibo around noon and knew that he was still working on it.

Long story short, by late afternoon, the situation was largely under control. While Guibo and I were blotting the carpet and the padding with paper towel, Daniel came to us,
 "Dad and mom, I have to confess. I did it."
Quite puzzled at his confession, I asked, "You did what?"
Daniel: "I put the paper towel in the place where water comes out. I want to know what would happen, and then I forgot about it."

Oh! Mystery solved. Even though the disaster recovery was not all done yet, and our dryer was not working after the flooding, I was actually very delighted with Daniel's confession, and I let him know this clearly and right away.

It does take courage and integrity to admit one's wrongdoing when nobody is even suspecting, doesn't it? My little guy is far from perfect (in fact, he often drives me nuts!), but at that moment I am proud of him. It is truly a Thanksgiving moment.

By the way, the act of sticking paper towel into the water outlet is a typical Daniel exploration. One time when he was about two and half years old, he put a Lego block on a burning candle which caused smoke filling the bathroom and triggered the smoke detector. Because the Lego block was melted beyond recognition, it took me many days to find out what had happened.

The Reign of Law in Education

I've been reading Home Education by Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) with a yahoo reading group for over a month now. It's definitely not an easy read, partly because of her Victorian style of writing. In fact, somebody has complied a sentence-by-sentence modern English paraphrase as an  attempt to make Charlotte's words accessible to modern parents. 


Anyway, something in last week's reading was so enlightening to me that I have to quote it. 

It is a shame to believing people that many whose highest profession is that they do not know, and therefore do not believe, should produce more blameless lives, freer from flaws of temper, from the vice of selfishness, than do many sincerely religious people. It is a fact that will confront the children by-and-by, and one of which they require an explanation; and what is more, it is a fact that will have more weight, should it confront them in the person of a character which they cannot but esteem and love, than all the doctrinal teaching they have had in their lives. This appears to me the threatening danger to that confessed dependence upon and allegiance to Almighty God which we recognize as religion––not the wickedness, but the goodness of a school which refuses to admit any such dependence and allegiance. (Vol I page 39)

Although my children have not been confronted by the fact that some nonbelievers are living a more righteous life than some believers, this fact has indeed been one of the stumbling blocks for a few of my non-believing friends and acquaintances.

As for this superior morality of some non-believers, supposing we grant it, what does it amount to? Just to this, that the universe of mind, as the universe of matter, is governed by unwritten laws of God; that the child cannot blow soap bubbles or think his flitting thoughts otherwise than in obedience to divine laws; that all safety, progress, and success in life come out of obedience to law, to the laws of mental, moral or physical science, or of that spiritual science which the Bible unfolds; that it is possible to ascertain laws and keep laws without recognizing the Lawgiver, and that those who do ascertain and keep any divine law inherit the blessing due to obedience, whatever be their attitude towards the Lawgiver; just as the man who goes out into blazing sunshine is warmed, though he may shut his eyes and decline to see the sun. (underlines were added by me) Conversely, that they who take no pains to study the principles which govern human action and human thought miss the blessings of obedience to certain laws, though they may inherit the better blessings which come of acknowledged relationship with the Lawgiver. (Vol I page 40)

Reading this was like having a light bulb went off for me. I have not read elsewhere that explained so clearly why law-biding lives are often more blameless and accordingly more blessed than pious lives. A quote from Francis A. Shaeffer seems to strike a cord with what Miss Mason was saying. (No, I have not read Shaeffer's book. Just saw the quote a while back and was able to locate it.)

When I say Christianity is true I mean it is true to total reality--the total of what is, beginning with the central reality, the objective existence of the personal-infinite God. Christianity is not just a series of truths but Truth--Truth about all of reality. And the holding of that Truth intellectually--and then in some poor way living upon the truth, the Truth of what is--brings forth not only certain personal results, but also governmental and legal results.  (A Christian Manifesto, page 19-20)

Random moments, abundant blessings

Culinary practice 

Daniel has yet to own his Cub Scout pocket knife, but he's quite good at using a small kitchen knife helping mom out. He is cutting tofu.






In Dad's pants

James tried on dad's pants and t-shirt. I guess that he's serious about wanting to be a dad when he grows up. :)










Cuddly bears and buddies

Jeremiah, the boy in the middle, is Daniel's good friend. They knew each other when both were very young because Jeremiah's mom babysit Daniel for six month (from age 6 month to 12 month).

Now that their family has moved back from bay area, Daniel is always eager to meet with his buddy.

Father-Son tennis

Daniel is at the other side of the net, and James doesn't really know how to play.

October field trip to Apple Hill

Perfect fall weather. Sunny. Clear blue sky. Warm breeze. It was three weeks ago -- the SCOPE field trip to High Hill Ranch at Apple Hill.

The small fish pond on the hill was teemed with rainbow trouts, some of which would occasionally leap out of water. Looking out by the pond was the beautiful view of the hills and trees against the autumn sky.

There were about ten families in the group and quite a few boys. While Daniel and James were having a very good time playing football with the other boys on the hill, hubby and I sat by the pond watching the fish.

Lady bug ... eggs

When: Friday, October 28, 2011, about 3:30 pm
Where: a tree in Daniel's piano teacher's front yard (sorry for my poor knowledge of botany that I don't know the name of the tree)
What: tiny lady bug eggs
Side note: Daniel was so busy trying to climb the tree that he forgot his book bag on the front lawn. We had to stop by the next day to get it.