Reading Log 2010 - May

The Game of Life and How to Play it by Florence Scovel Shinn

Not usually my style of book, but it was nice to read a book I wouldn’t normally (this is one of Snowdon’s Amazon picks).  I did enjoy reading it and it has some interesting ideas.  In particular it helped me understand the meaning/relevance behind some messages from the Bible, which from my experience trying to read it when I was about 8yrs old, I thought that other than it being about sin and guilt was all gobbledygook.  Thus I have a more informed view of the usefulness of the Bible now!

• ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord’ (the super-conscious mind, or Christ within)’  The book explained that man violates the law of gravity if he carries a burden (burden: adverse thought or condition), and that a rock taken high above the planet has no weight (no law of gravity).  So cast that weight up high (to your higher self)!  Well I tried this out, and it worked very nicely.  My two ‘burdens’ were 1. Feeling like a burden on our wonderful hosts.  2.  Feeling a burden of worrying about financial security whilst travelling.  Well I cast these two burdens upon ‘the Christ within’ 1 – and I go free to travel, spend, have fun, love and prosper, 2 – and I go free to share, contribute, love, laugh and be appreciated.   The results 1.  We arrived back to beautiful crayon messages all over the bathroom about what we’d like on our pizza the following night (obviously not a burden), and 2.  I let go of the money worries and have been having a great time travelling!  So I certainly recommend casting the burden (whilst still being responsible of course!).

• ‘The darkness before the dawn’.  I’m picking that this refers to faith.  I’ve previously thought of faith, as ‘blind faith’ and being very silly and ignorant.  However I see the point of this statement now.   In Landmark we see it as creating a possibility and everything that is not that possibility will certainly show up, and all there is to do is to keep being that possibility until it becomes real!  The book describes it as the doubts rising up TO BE PUT OUT!  How long must you stay in the dark – until you can see in the dark (and casting the burden helps with this)!  Also something that I read/heard somewhere before we left NZ, which keeps coming up and is very true for me is that ‘God gives you the opportunity to develop the skill, not the skill’ (in my words). 

• How can I get rid of fear, by walking up to the thing that you are afraid of.  The Lion takes his fierceness from your fear.  I’ve been working on this (and looking where I can walk up to the lion courageously)!

• ‘God loveth a cheerful giver (as well as a cheerful receiver)’.  Giving opens the way for receiving….all money should be set forth cheerfully and with a blessing.  No man can attract money if he despises it, be in harmony with a thing in order to attract it.  In letting it go out fearlessly and cheerfully, he opens the way for more to come in.’  When I remember to do this it makes spending money much more fun!

• 'JC said condemn not, lest you also be condemned, judge not unless you also be judged.’ An old saying, ‘man only dares use his words for three purposes; to heal, bless or prosper’.  There is an angel in the marble and out of it he carved a work of art (in reference to being harmonious with people in place of resentful).  People can neutralize remorse from years ago by doing someone a kindness in the present.  Hear! hear! 

Teach with your Heart by Erin Gruwell

Snowdon and I watched the movie of this book last year and I was very inspired by the story.  In Costa Rica I’d been thinking about beginning a tutoring business and even began a website, but got stuck when considering the theories, content, philosophies behind it.  I realized that I have some teaching theories in who I am, but when it comes to putting them in words, I can’t, and I also feel that I want to know more, to broaden my own teaching views and values.  So I’m out to do just that.  On looking for books on teaching in The Strand Bookshop in New York I found this book (and another), remembered how inspired I was from the movie, and decided to get it.

Oh my gosh this story, Erin Gruwell and her students are just incredible!  Tears came to my eyes many times during this book, it was captivating, and after feeling like having a break from classroom teaching for a while, it inspired me to at least reconsider this option!

The book has also inspired us to read The diary of Anne Frank’, which we’ve since purchased in Rome and I’m nearly finished, to visit The Secret Annexe in Amsterdam, and also to track down the book, ‘Zlata’s Diary’, which we have yet to find (it may be easier for us to find a copy in English when we’re back in an English speaking country!).  I also have another Erin Gruwell book in my pack, still to read called 'Teaching Hope' (pic in big pile above) and there is another, ‘The Freedom Writers Diaries’, that is on our list.

(Note this blog was posted in July)