Around the Web:

An Undocumented Migrant Farmer Talks About Her Life

It's really helpful to have a human face for this. I think this is an issue that is quickly politicized; I read it (and hope you will too) for the human reminder.

In a typical year, I prune grapevines starting in April, and pick cherries around Madera in May. I travel to Oregon in June to pick strawberries, blueberries and blackberries on a farm owned by Russians. I take my 14-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son with me while they’re on their summer break. They play with the other kids, and bring me water and food in the field.

It's a whole different world. Read more.

One of the Reasons We're Still Reading Lewis

Justin Taylor points to John Piper talking about Lewis's timelessness.

Lewis’s unwavering commitment to what is True and Real and Valuable, as opposed to what is trendy or fashionable or current, has been another kind of liberation for me, namely, from “chronological snobbery.” He loved the wisdom of the ages, not the whimsy of the passing present. He called himself a Neanderthaler and a dinosaur.

There's something here worth grabbing a hold of. Read more.

Is it Okay to Love Animals and Eat Meat?

This helps to frame the whole discussion in a distinctly Christian way.

At its root, consumerism arises from a distorted view of human nature. This ethos teaches that our wants are insatiable (and the provocations of advertising help to make this so), that buying a new article of clothing or fancy gadget will answer our deepest longings, that we are what we own. Humans, then, are seen as greedy and lacking and shallow. To the degree that we believe this, we are under the thrall of consumerism.

If your kids haven't asked yet, they will. Read more.

A Children's Book on Vocation

This looks like our kind of book on our kind of topic. Gene Edward Veith's daughter wrote a kids book about the doctrine of vocation.

Luther was insistent that being a child is a vocation, that even very young children have callings from God. This book shows kids how God serves them through other people (especially their parents) and how God also serves other people through them.

Our Kids Will Never Understand Blockbuster Video

This is it for Blockbuster Video's retail outlets:

The final nail will be hammered into Blockbuster’s coffin by early January 2014, Dish announced in a press release, when the company will shut down the remaining 300 U.S. retail stores and stop mailing out movies.

A moment of silence. Never again will I swipe that card from my wallet and hope they don't ask how John Mackay could've been born in 1949 and look like he's 14. Read more.

Around the Warren:

Narnian Equality:

James Witmer started our week with a healthier understanding of equality:

Family tradition says my dad’s youngest sister once believed she could fly. To prove it, she climbed the stairs and leapt from the top.
Predictably, she flew only a little way (mostly down), and rolled the rest of the way. Hilariously (according to her siblings), she did not stop at the bottom of the stairs, but revolved onward until she disappeared into a laundry cupboard.
Once they dug her out, she was strongly encouraged to spend her time doing little girl things, and leave flying to the birds.
As far as I know, nobody implied that girls were better than birds, or birds better than girls.

Pilgrims, Pies, and Poetry—Books for Thanksgiving:

Julie Silander brought us a round up of great Thanksgiving Books:

Homemade egg noodles. Cranberry jello with chopped fruit, served in a crystal bowl. Crescent yeast rolls, perfect for sandwiches made with leftover turkey. The sights and smells of the foods from my childhood have become synonymous with the Thanksgiving holiday. What we grow to know and love when we’re young, we carry into adulthood. Family traditions can be powerful vehicles of grace.
As you’re planning your Thanksgiving festivities, consider adding a select book or two to your family’s traditions. Here are a few which are enjoyed by our family

On Cleaning the Kitchen:

Rebecca Reynolds captures the challenge of the kitchen.

A dozen empty glasses stand on the countertop
filmed over with last night’s supper.

I should have washed them straightaway,
but I was heavy in the legs and
grimy with day labor.