Month: September 2013

reading round-up (9.27.13)

/ abby hummel / 1 Comment

(Here’s a round-up of some recent reads I thought worth sharing – enjoy!)
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There are, apparently, still people in the world who think daughters should not seek higher education or employment and career under any circumstances. I won’t rant about all the logical fallacies that position yet, but I’m glad there are people who do a great job of poking fun at this foolishness, exemplified in “Six reasons not to send your SON to college!” 

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I’m relatively unimpressed by hip baby photography with props and contortions and unrealistic settings. My “newborn photo” was taken by a hospital nurse on the day my parents took me home and even though one of my eyes was closed — talk about “unflattering” — I haven’t felt like it really hurt me in any way later in life. However. I just found this article about a woman who had “newborn style” pictures taken of her teenage son right after he was adopted and now I can’t stop laughing. 

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I appreciated this memorial for Sheldon Vanauken (1914-1996), who was the author of one of my favorite books: A Severe Mercy. (Anyone who has loved someone, and loved — or hated — God should read the book!)

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This article about kids and safety made me especially grateful for parents who valued adventure, hard work, and responsibility over false safety nets. Yes, I may have buzzed myself with a screwdriver near a live outlet and my sister accidentally somersaulted a full 360′ flip off a roof once. (We didn’t tell Mom about that one until we reached adulthood, for obvious reasons.) We put the sprinkler underneath the un-netted trampoline. Our life on the mission field wasn’t safe and sterile. I’m convinced this prepared us for life much better than an artificial safety umbrella would have. (Also, I began using power tools from a very young age and I’m really proud of that.)
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Sickie Blogging – Happy Fall!

/ abby hummel / 3 Comments

Nothing inspires a thought such as, “Oh, I guess I could update my blog after a month to reassure people I’m not dead,” like being in bed with a nasty fall bug and a series of exhausting half-finished projects taunting me while I am home ill.

What has life been like in the past weeks? Busy. We remodeled the bathroom entirely. Our family had another wedding in Michigan, making it my fourth trip back-and-forth across the midwest this summer.

Aaron is feverishly working on his dissertation. My piano studio is keeping me so busy that I have a waiting list of students who would want to take lessons if I had a slot available. We have been working very hard for years, and these successes are marvelous gifts. In a way, this feels like we are getting that second burst of energy at the end of a race, as though the light at the end of a tunnel is blindingly bright.  We’re also doing some re-dreaming about the next phase of our life after he graduates, and discerning how to walk best with our desire for a family, our location, and our vocations. I’m pretty sure it’s not going to look like we had planned, but God has been very gracious to close and open doors in a way that takes some of the agony out of making these big decisions. A saving grace in some of these hectic days is that we have sold a significant amount of our stuff online, which streamlines some parts of life while we’re settling into a Fall that’s turning into a whole new kind of adventure.

autumn

Autumn is my favorite season, bringing the delights of soups, sweaters, candles, plaid, roasted acorn squash, hot wassail, and bonfires to accompany the witness of nature: God ordains a lot of beauty in seasons of ending and loss. I’m really thankful that is true.