I am very pleased, on behalf of the entire Story Warren criminal syndicate, to welcome our newest partner in crime, Julie Silander. I’m joking about the crime thing, of course, unless I mean stealing your hearts. Julie has been a friend and ally to SW from the beginning and is a personal friend to my wife and I as well. We are delighted to welcome her as our newest contributor. She is someone who gets the mission we have at SW and lives it out in her home. When I first pitched the idea of SW to Randy Goodgame, he said, “Julie Silander would be great.” We agree. Please welcome: Julie! –Sam
—– —– —–
It had been a long day. We were exhausted. But we had traveled a long way, and the trip wouldn’t be complete until we found it.
In the prior week, our family had roamed the fields at Gettysburg, floated down the Charles River, cycled the picturesque trails of Nantucket, and skipped stones across Walden Pond. We had endured long-winded tour guides on the Freedom Trail, haunted the House of Seven Gables, and foraged through Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in search of Alcott, Emerson and Thoreau. Our family had gorged on history with the zeal of Templeton at the fair. I was full.
But not my daughter. She was on a mission. With quickened step and unshakable resolve, she scanned the horizon searching for her destination. No, not toward the crimson dappled Virginian mountains. No, not behind the gardens where slaves had toiled for decades. Where could it be?
Suddenly, she stopped. Her pause was not due to uncertainty or confusion, rather it resulted from her being absorbed in a moment of delight. Her gaze was fixed beyond the flowerbeds at the end of the meandering brick path. There it was. The Reflecting Pool. She sprinted with abandon toward this, her final destination. Knowing the significance of her discovery, I dug the camera from my bag and prepared to capture the moment. “Not there,” I was instructed. “You have to take it from the other side – where the house is reflected in the pond.” The angle had to be just right. We were finally at her pond. It was perfect.
In preparation for our trip to New England, my children sketched landmarks which were included on our itinerary. They had taken a great deal of time and effort in selecting and recreating their building (or pond) of choice. A clever tactic, I thought. They would have exposure to the historical icons prior to experiencing them. We would optimize our time and financial investment in the trip.
The goal was indeed achieved. They did learn much about American history. Yet I was unaware of a deeper working in their hearts. What had started as a simple sketch had taken on dimension. As my daughter had considered angle, perspective, depth and shading of the Reflecting Pool, she had grown in attachment to it. She became intimately aware of each curve, shadow, and line. Through each stroke of pen on paper, the picture in her mind became more clear. As we roamed the grounds of that stately home, she knew exactly what she was looking for. A similar pond wouldn’t do. She longed to see the real thing.
When our children experience goodness, glimpses of eternity are etched onto their hearts.
Each great story engraves lines of truth.
Each work of art imprints ultimate beauty.
Each symphony resonates loveliness.
They all leave their mark, their imprints reflecting the image of the Master Artist. Their effect, to woo His children to himself.
Our children’s lives will be full of adventure, detours, landmark moments and wrong turns. They will travel long distances and lose their way. I can think of no greater honor than to present a rich array of goodness from which they can choose. Goodness that will find its place in their souls. Goodness that will mark the way toward Home.
- A Few of My Favorite Things - February 1, 2021
- The World Needs the Class of 2020 - June 22, 2020
- Books for Boys – A Show and Tell - February 5, 2020
Lovely, Julie. And welcome!
Thanks so much, Loren. I feel warmly welcomed 🙂
Julie, this is beautiful. I’m so glad to see you here. 🙂
Thank you, Becca. I’m very grateful to be here!
Beautiful all over. And I am definitely going to steal the idea of sketching before seeing something, with my own children! Love it!
April, I know. It was so great. And I can say that because it wasn’t my idea – my children’s art teacher had them draw several different buildings. It was amazing, really. Thanks for your kind words.
What a wonderful realization. Thank you!
Thanks so much, Amy.
Thank you, my friend. Thank you for this post, for your understanding and support, your work and heart for the Kingdom.
Sam, It’s a joy to be “in this” with you all. Thanks for asking. I’m glad I finally answered 🙂
I’m with April: I’m going to steal the idea of sketching before seeing. Thanks so much for this poignant reminder of the mysterious workings of the Spirit in attuning our–and our children’s–hearts to Beauty and wonder…and through them, to God.
I’m grateful as well, Kimberlee. It’s amazing how He continues to woo us, isn’t it?
“A similar pond wouldn’t do. She longed to see the real thing. …When our children experience goodness, glimpses of eternity are etched onto their hearts.”
Yes. This is what I want to see in my kids – and in me! May the Lord grant enough glimpses of eternity that we become unsatisfied and un-distracted by temporal enticements.
I, too, am glad you’re writing with us, Julie.
Yes – I want that as well. I wonder how often I’m too busy to notice that I’ve stopped at a “lesser pond” because I was too busy to notice. We are indeed, too easily pleased.
Thanks for the warm welcome. I’m so very glad to be joining you all.
James – Sorry about that! I tried to delete due to typo and didn’t succeed! I am, indeed, the redundant “guest.”