The boys and I are on vacation! Last week, we went to Elior Camp in Tae-an. This is fairly close to the beach which is great except that it rained a little too much! But the boys enjoyed playing with their friends and I enjoyed listening to sermons related to being children of God. 

Children of God was the theme of this camp. I was in charge of the Bible verses that needed to be memorized before meals. Four days of memorizing verses for breakfast, lunch, and supper does take it's toll on people. Near the end of the last day, the Koreans were more than a little weary from everything and I did extend some grace their way. They were just required to read those verses. It's biblical to give grace, don't you think?

As I meditated on the verses, the theme of suffering kept appearing. After we have suffered a little while, we will enjoy the fellowship and grace that Christ extends and become children of God. We are children of God.

It was good to see old faces and I enjoyed the new people I met. We went swimming on the second day out in the ocean. I remember I was having trouble going completely under water. I was a child playing in front of my maker. I remember taking a nap that afternoon. It was only about twenty minutes but it felt good. I felt like I was being taken care of. God was there. I walked home with two African students. One was from Swaziland and the other was from South Africa. I loved listening to their accented as they compared notes on what had gone on that afternoon. The one was giving the other a hard time about finding a boyfriend. "My mother said that I should study. Don't look around for boys. You can look for a boy back home!" I remembering things that they were just so young and full of life. Children of God.

I taught a short lesson on Zaccheus to the children. They were running around and screaming quite a bit, including Aidan and Jordan! I was trying to teach them a song about Zaccheus and how much he had changed. He did a 180 turn around. That short tax collector was changed by that encounter with Jesus up in the tree. He went from bad to good. He was darkness and became light. He stopped stealing money and probably returned quite a bit of it. Zaccheus was a child of God. 

We wandered in the sand-dunes the following day before it rained. We were dressed in white so it was easy to spot everyone. Jordan, of course, slowed right down until we were close to being dead last. I remember seeing pockets of white and looking out over the ocean. It really was amazing. I had this great picture of what the Red Sea must have looked like right after the big miracle where the waters parted. We then started moving through 'the wilderness'. Sand-dunes just covered the area and I was paying attention to all the flowers that were popping up everywhere. 'The wilderness' really was beautiful. And right on the edge of the sand-dunes were trees. A forest of trees to get lost in. It was a lovely hour where I felt like an Israelite. We wandered, we walked, we enjoyed, we complained. We did everything the Israelites did. 

I also remember the drinks the ladies bought immediately following this. It had started to rain just as we finished and I remember thinking that it was just interesting timing. As we tucked into a small convenience store, the ladies went looking for ice coffee and drinks for the children. Very thirsty children of God. 

This was the theme for the week extending all the way into Sunday night's prayer time. (We pray together as a family every Sunday around 8:00 pm!). Jordan thanked God for lemonade after the English Sunday School was finished! He also thanked God for his brothers and his mom and Dad. Aidan was a little more serious in thanking God for lemonade and lunch. Please notice the L's in that last sentence. He also was thanked God for family and prayed for mommy and daddy. Justin also thanked God for his shoes! And he prayed for God's blessing on our family. 

They are a mischievous bunch but they are my family and I love them all, including that the big one! (Yes, Daddy!) We are all children of God. 

June 25 is the day the war ended in Korea.  Those who remember celebrate that day.  It is also the day that Justin was born. 

I remember that eventful day quite well. We had gone to the doctor to make sure everything was alright. The nurse was able to check my blood pressure and other things were normal. She said come back in one month. I was back in less than a day!

Hansung had gone to work, and I was exercising. I kept running to the bathroom and wondered why and I  remember feeling pain in my back. It was happening! I called Hansung and told him. He said "Mumuma" on the phone and told me he was coming. He also called Pastor Bill from the church to give me a ride. 

I remember thinking that the back pain hurt a lot. I just didn't have anything in me. Then Pastor Bill showed up. He helped down the stairs and into the car. And off to the clinic we went!

When we arrived, they checked everything. I was poked and prodded. I remember the doctor said "Rapid progress". It was then that Hansung arrived at the clinic. This was good for me.

I remember walking up and down as the pain got stronger and stronger. Hansung didn't really know what to do to make me feel better. I thought taking a shower would help. We had planned for a water birth. Why not? I thought to myself.

The water was like a sting ray on my back! That didn't help at all.

I walked around some more. Two nurses told me to come to them. I obediently did what they asked. 

I remember being propped up and thinking that it was all very weird and how very, very tired I was. The nurses were talking to teach other. And then they were talking to me. 

Someone was telling me to push through the blur. I pushed and the other nurse pushed on my stomach. I remember the calmness after that. I was so tired and the baby, dear little Justin, was fine.

He was so little. And I was so tired. I closed my eyes almost immediately. 

They took me to my room and I slept for quite a while. I remember when the nurse came in and gave me my son. What a beautiful little thing he was! I remember the angels came knocking on the door after that. I felt like one was watching us as we looked at each other. 

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Fast forward sixteen years later. Justin is in his first year of high school. I never really wanted him to be in high school while we were in Korea, but he is in high school. He is studying many different things and doing projects. 

He is handsome. 

He is funny. He is fun-loving.

He is a bit of a goof-ball! He plays with people. He plays with me. He plays with his brothers. 

He is patient. Patient with his father. Patient with his mother. Patient with his brothers.

He is continuously on his phone until I tell him that he needs to get off. Can't win them all!

His father says he could do anything. He just needs to put his mind to it. 

He has decided that he wants to be a pilot. We talked about it last night actually.

I saluted him and asked if we were going to get a discount on our travel expenses. "I think so!" was his reply.

We all ate cake last night to celebrate his birthday. Happy Birthday Justin! For your mother, your sixteen years is a beautiful thing!

The LORD bless you, and keep you: The LORD make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance on you, and give you peace. Number 6:24-26
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It is no secret that the Kim clan loves the printed word. There are reading and study nooks in almost every corner of our home. Despite the clutter, I believe that books should be everywhere to inspire the boys to read. And they do read. Picture books, comic books, and early chapter books are all over the house. 

Over the past six weeks, Aidan and Jordan have been participating in a book contest designed by yours truly. I give them points for listening to picture books in English, more points for short chapters books, and lots of points for comic books. I will say that there is a magic to comic books. 

The magic of comic books started with Justin. He has probably 30 Maple Story comic books that he started reading in elementary school. Aidan and Jordan both love the Dragon Village  comics where dragons fight out epic battles of good and evil. The latest comic book series has been Kakao friends which is a great package of comic book plus little gift. There is also a comic book series for Old Testament and New Testament stories that is very, very good. The boys got their points doubled on Sunday if they read anything from this series. 

I also love the Why? books that so well done here. There are why? books for just about everything that I used to find in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Aidan and Jordan have learned about the South Korean president and the beloved figure skater Kim Yun-ah. 

We've been able to do this also because of the development of libraries. Our little local library in Jochiwon has a great selection of English books. As well, there is another great library in Sejong City. We go every two weeks on Saturday and stay for a couple of hours. 

The how-to's of this have been worked out over the years. First, they are allowed to pick books that they want to read, not just what I want them to read. Second, I have had to let go of the idea of them reading well in English. They do not read terribly well in English yet, but progress is being made slowly with the read-alouds we do for points. Related to the English is challenge is the Bible verse challenge. They are to practice handwriting in English every weekday with some material that I picked up years ago. It's a short 5 to 10 minutes period where they learn the printed and cursive alphabet. Third, the read-alouds are generally pretty short.  10 to 15 minutes is what they can handle in terms of listening in English. Fourth, I aim for short reading periods when they read on their own. These periods are before bedtime. Devices are to be turned off at 8:00, and the books come out. EPIC is the one exception to this as that application has so many beautiful book options. 

The boys have earned a lot of points, and I want to do something to celebrate this. Interestingly, Jordan pulled ahead of Aidan in terms of points and that's when the idea of cooperation popped into my head. (Aidan is still trying to figure out how his brother go ahead of him!!?!!) We need to go to an amusement park or a movie to celebrate their achievement of over 6000 collective points. 

Reading is a gift to their development. The concentration and perseverance it takes to read through an entire book relates back to their character development. They are developing patience, faithfulness, and self-control, all fruits of the Spirit. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:23 ESV

He has Risen and spring is in bloom. We celebrated Easter Sunday in April and for the first time, I truly understood the beauty of "God is for us". God calls us to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. We come to a realization of our own depravity, our sin. We turn from that depravity to God. We repent and come to faith. The celebration at Easter is more profound then at Christmas. At Christmas, we understand that "God is with us". At Easter, we know that He loves us through the death and resurrection of Christ.

And through the resurrection of Christ and his love, we are aware of how all things grow. I am focusing on the fruit of the Spirit in this post as the boys are growing in these areas in different ways.

Jordan has had some amazing movements into love, joy, and peace.

He is a beautifully emotional boy who cries easily when he does something wrong. Perhaps it is his age, but I see him full of love for his family. Every Sunday night he thanks God for his family and has at least one story about a sweet or great food that he enjoyed over the week.

He expresses his love for family and his delight and joy in friends, food, and family relationships. He smiles delightfully when he talks about his seatmate at school. I still receive sweet expressions of love every evening and morning from this dear child.

He is learning peace. We spend quite a bit of time learning Bible verses from Sunday School during the week. He does this with great enthusiasm most of the time. 

(Jordan being delightfully mischievous!)


Aidan has been working on patience, kindness, and goodness.

This child has an unending amount of patience. He endures teasing from his older brother, and encourages his younger brother to try things when scared.

His endurance for kindness can be seen in his aptitude for service. He enjoys helping around the house. This past Saturday, he did one of Justin's chores. He took out the wet garbage and washed the pail. He returned it to the kitchen perfectly clean and proceeded to show me.

​He also continues to work on goodness through the memorization of Bible verses. This seems to come easily to him and has resulted in fewer emotional outbursts. 

Justin has started high school; he is learning faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

This is the child who had incredible hills and valleys of learning in middle and elementary school. He seems to be getting a grip on faithfulness. He is starting to understand commitment and what Eugene Peterson coined as 'a long obedience in the same direction'.

Faithfulness is becoming a habit! He is learning to breakdown his learning into manageable chunks that are done little by little over a long period of time. He will say, "I am angry" when something happens that he doesn't like, but he does this in his gentle and funny ways. 

Self control is an thing that many adults still aspire to. A little over a month ago, Justin expressed to me that he wanted to be like Aquaman. He wants that actor's build and particularly the long hair. "I am going to get a flat stomach Mom! Then, I am going to work on a six-pack!" Well, he has the flat stomach, and is working on the six-pack.

The fruits of the spirit are about growing in Christ, and they reflect growth in personality. I'm excited to see what will happen with their lives as they grow into who they are in Christ. 

The fruit of the spirit are about growing in Christ, and they reflect growth in personality. I'm excited to see what will happen with their lives as they grow into who they are in Christ. 

We all grow in the fruit of the Spirit. We are saved by God and then we grow into who he calls us to be, but we all grow into love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Which of these virtues are you contemplating lately? 

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Just one more shot that happened this morning! Too good not to post!

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8 
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The turn in the weather has a blessed thing here in South Korea. The sun shines, the temperature climbs, and March has beautifully come in.

Our family has enjoyed March as a season of beginnings. The school year has started, the new semester has begun for my husband and myself, and the season of Lent has started.

Aidan passed a Taekwondo test a few weeks ago. He, of course, was brilliant on the day of the test! I am one proud momma! And we are still waiting for him to bring home the actual belt. 
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Aidan's birthday was March 21st, but it was much more like a birthday week!

On the Sunday before, he had no problem putting up his hand in church when the announcer asked if there were any birthdays. He gleefully accepted a box of chocolates. I was not surprised when he asked if he could eat a few before lunch, but I told him to wait. He enjoyed most of the box after Sunday School.

On the actual day, we went out to eat at the one and only Uzbeki restaurant in Jochiwon. Justin also brought him special chicken on that day which all of the boys ate on the way to the restaurant. Aidan ordered a really lovely pork and rice dish, but he couldn't finish it all. 

We let him have a couple of friends over on Friday night for a pajama party and sleep over. They had a great time eating pizza and cake, drinking cola, and playing games on their devices until 11:00! Apparently, this was way past their bed time for all of them. Interestingly, they all got up early to play more games together, enjoyed chocolate pancakes for breakfast, and went off to spend the afternoon together.

In other news, Justin has started high school, and can't you tell from this picture that he is quite proud of his uniform? LOL!

I admit that I am not exactly comfortable with him going to high school. What happened to that energetic, rambunctious young boy who bounced around like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh? He grew up! 

We prayed for him the night before he started. I hugged and cried my eldest boy and the reality of it all set in. I hope and pray that he will continue to improve himself in high school! Strive on to bigger and better things young man!

And for those of you who are wondering, it's an all boys school! There are only a handful of female teachers, so he will not be learning how to flirt or any of those other skills that are necessary for relationships of the opposite sex! Mom will continue to be the main woman in his life for now.
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And Jordan! A wonderful mischief maker, lemonade stealer (yes, the lemonade in the picture was mine), and all around fun kid! This is the child who still get excited about dances with Mom, picture books, and hidden cookies in the pantry.

This is my sweet trinity of sons. Our home is full of love, and I am blessed by each of them.

And I need to end with the man who has been with me for over twenty years. Hansung Kim is a husband, friend, father, professor, and part-time singer. Next month, we get to celebrate his birthday.

For now, I just thank God for all of these gifts. Aidan, Justin, Jordan, and Hansung. 

But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children--
Psalm 103:17

Life definitely does through things at you! January and February saw a number of life events for the Kim Clan. First, my eldest, Justin, graduated from middle school. Jordan and Aidan passed their grades with flying colours. Jordan will go into grade two and Aidan will be going into grade four in March. January and February also brought news of three different deaths. A dedicated teacher in the KOTESOL passed away, my neighbor's father, and the elderly father of the blessed soul who organizes things for English Sunday School also passed away. Quite a few ups and downs for the beginning of 2019.

​Let's begin...

Justin will jump into high school! His graduation was on a Wednesday in January. I finished my class early in order to get to the ceremony that started at 11:00. He was one happy camper and thrilled that his aunt from Seoul came to celebrate with us. Aidan was also rightly proud of his brother.

January also saw a jump into responsibilities. The boys were finished their classes before my winter class was finished. I gave them a list of things to do during the day and came home to find that most of it was accomplished. Hansung was teaching a seminary class in Nepal, so the boys really were alone in the house for a good part of the day.

The end of January saw us take a trip to Cambodia. It was a trip that I had wanted to take for quite some time. Out of all the places I have seen in Asia, Angkor Wat has been a favorite and I wanted to see it again. As well, we got to spend time with Shannon Smith, Justin's former youth pastor from Korea Nazarene University's International English Church. She is now a missionary with the Nazarene church and is learning Khmer. We were able to hangout for two days and had a grand time together.

We had a few days to recover before the Lunar New Year holiday. In Korea, this is three days. The first day is to travel to wherever your family lives, the second day is the holiday, and the third day is to travel back home. We went up to Seoul to see Grandma in the nursing home on the second day, as its only about an hour and half up to Seoul. 

Grandma was ready for visitors! Considering that the woman is in her nineties, she really does have quite a bit of energy! She was well dressed, smiling, and had prepared the little bit of money all children receive after they have bowed to their elders. We visited for about an hour before she showed signs of getting tired.

In other news, I finally got around to putting a world map up on the wall beside the kitchen table. I had fun watching Aidan the other day look at the map carefully. He found the state of Virginia (Mom's name!), Austin (his cousin's name) and Dallas (my sister's name) in the state of Texas, and Jordan (his brother's name) the country and the river. I was greatly amused when he asked if there was a city or town called Aidan or Justin somewhere in the world!

The boys and also also spent three days at Elior English Camp, which for me has become a spiritual retreat of sorts. The mountain air, the good food, the conversations with friends, and the workshops all were blessings that brought me through all the grief and depression to a place of thankfulness. 

The three big lumps in February have been the laundry lump (or amazing pile up), the food lump (putting together three meals a day when you are used to only two can be a challenge), and handwriting lump (the boys are writing out Bible verses everyday morning and writing in their diaries in English)!  God bless the women who homeschool and do this as a regular part of their routine. I am already tired and looking forward to when the boys go back to school.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

I love the season of Advent and and all the majesty that starts with the beginning of the church year. Advent, originally from the Latin word Advenio, means coming to. It starts four Sundays before Christmas and has two purposes. It is to prepare us for the celebration of the birth of Christ and it reminds that we are eagerly waiting for Jesus' return in glory. Advent, arrival, invasion, coming. Christ is coming!

We had a great start! In the morning the boys, of course, love discovering the chocolates in our hanging Advent calendar in the kitchen. I can hear and see delight with God’s word and chocolate to celebrate God’s word. 

In the evening, we are using Ann Voskamp's beautiful Advent book for children that has the pop up Christmas tree. Jordan loves opening up the book and putting the beautifully done decorations on the tree. First, we are reading one of the devotions from that book every night, praying, and asking questions. Second, we are reading Christmas picture books. The boys are taking turns picking the next Christmas book out of some 'wrapped' books In our Advent basket.

Why am I doing this?

First, it is giving me an opportunity to tell an overview of Bible stories and show the boys how Jesus is the Rescuer. He rescues us from our sin.

Second, it always all of us to grow a little in terms of consistency and discipline. (Last year we managed to get about half way through Advent before the challenge of consistency became difficult!)

Third, it gives the boys an opportunity for their faith to spiral inward. Those little Hands that flung the stars and planets into their places now reach inside us to grip and hold our hearts. 

Fourth, it gives the boys an opportunity for their faith to spiral outward. They are learning about the Ultimate Giver. As they think and prepare gifts for family members and an act of service, they grow a little in how to express love and appreciation for each other.

Fourth, I love the consistency of paying attention to light and beauty. The Christmas story strikes again as beauty in the midst of chaos. Celebration in the midst of craziness. It seizes my attention. In this barren, broken stretch with no snow on the ground, the tree captures my imagination.

That gorgeous tree is defiant beauty. In a world where people continue to choose themselves, where ugliness happens, where sin seems unchecked, where daily assaults take their tool, we can point to the defiant beauty of a selfless life, seeking first the King of God, putting others first, and even sacrificing. All to proclaim the truth of something great than ourselves.

Other small gifts along the way:

Jordan loves picking the Christmas books which means he is growing in understanding the gift of reading.

Aidan grabbed the devotional last night, read the Bible verse, and started to read the meditation!

Justin even managed to learn about the light and turn it into a science experiment. Apparently, all things wax can enthrall a teenager!

Our other highlight has been light. The light and wonder of our Lord is all around us. It is displayed in candles, on the Christmas tree, in Christmas lights around our home. Light and beauty. Holiness is coming down soon!

Did you know that O come O Come Emmanuel has been sung in monasteries for 1 500 years? This song and other like it are called O' Antiphons because they began with "O" and were followed by a name of Christ. There were seven O' Antiphones and one was meant to be sung each day the week before Christmas. Here is the interesting part! The first letter of each antiphon adds up to an acrostic in Latin which read "ero cras" which means tomorrow I will be there, an anticipation of Christ's coming. 

Here is what they sang:
17 December: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)                                                   
18 December: O Adonai (O Lord)                                       
19 December: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)                     
20 December: O Clavis David (O Key of David)                     
21 December: O Oriens (O Dayspring)                     
22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)       
23 December: O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)

May God bless you and your family as you move towards Christ's coming! I can feel the Spirit of the Lord moving in prayer all around me as I walk through Advent.

I would love to hear what you have done for Advent and/or what you are doing for Advent this year. I welcome you to drop a line in the comments or post on Facebook. 

Grace and peace!

Virginia
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“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
— John 1:14

Halloween activities have not been the usual around here. There has been no trick-or-treating or dress up parties but there have been other creative and treasure hunting activities. Let's start with the Night of 1000 Pictures.

What was the Night of 1000 Pictures? An art gallery in Daejeon had the great idea of inviting people into their gallery to draw, paint, or color pictures of anything that inspired them.

It turned into a beautiful, slightly cool evening as people wandered in and out of the gallery. Aidan and Jordan were enchanted by this and spent a little under an hour creating their 'art' to be displayed at the gallery. 

One of the highlights of the evening was the man wearing the white shirt who invited anyone and everyone to draw on him. Jordan, of course, loved him!

Hallowed Eve's brought the possibility of a party at the piano hogwon (institute) that never quite happened. The boys were excited in the morning to be find the box of costumes. Aidan spent a good ten minutes trying to find the box before asking for some help. Jordan asked for 3 000 won to be vampire teeth and the fingernail attachments so he could be a vampire. (I may not be thrilled with a little vampire but considering the small amount of money, I caved!)

The Halloween party with the kids from piano never panned out for reasons that weren't explained. The condolence prize was a small package of candy that the teacher gave to all her students.

So, the night after Halloween, I wanted to do something fun with the boys. I had found this cute and fun treasure hunt activity online. It was a string of Bible verses with clues that lead to the next Bible verse and its clue. The boys enjoyed decoding the Bible verse to figure out the clue and I enjoyed watching the whole process. It combined reading skills, problem solving, and a puzzle to find their treasure of special treats.

There are treasures everywhere if you are really looking...

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Matthew 16:19

It’s been a beautiful Thanksgiving (Chuseok) week here in South Korea. We have spent lots of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather as well as eating, laughing, and fellowshipping with good people.

Sunday afternoon after church we went into Sejong City to the Lake Park beside the library. It was a beautiful afternoon for a walk and we spent about an hour walking around the lake, poking our noses into interesting spots, including a new coffee shop, and a few other improvements since we hadn’t been there for over two years.  Aidan and Jordan enjoyed using the kick board around the lake.

Monday we had a great visit with Grandmother and Big Aunt and her husband in Seoul. We managed to get up there quite early and were able to visit Duck Su Koon (palace) which is where we had wedding photos done 20 years ago. It’s always good to revisit places like this (note to self here)!

Tuesday was a lovely day of playing around in the house and walking around a reservoir 10 minutes from our place. We strolled down the boardwalk and got to listen to Justin sing. He had a hilarious Sound of Music moment where he learned the words to Do-Ray-Me. (Check Facebook for the video on this)

Wednesday we enjoyed fellowship time with people from church. We had some good conversations about teaching English, missions, ethics, and just horsing around. 

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Justin is studying for midterm exams and tends to distract himself with news, YouTube, Kim’s Convenience (CBC show now on Netflix). 

Aidan continues to be a source of support and joy unlike any other kid I know. I made him tea earlier this week and he must not of expected me to do it. His eyes popped open and said, “Woo!”. He sat down, tasted his tea, looked at me, and declared “Mommy, you are the best Mommy ever and I love you!” I know this sounds terribly cheesy but he was completely sincere in that moment.

Jordan has been practicing Taekwondo all week because he wants to get the next belt. He woke up rather early this morning, ate breakfast, brushed his teeth without being asked, and wanted to leave an hour early for his Taekwondo test.  We kept him in the house for as long as we could. We will get the results in a few weeks.  Pictures to come...

Just for fun...

Summer vacation started last week. The boys and I finished our classes at the end of the week. I had everything finished, including the grading, by Friday at 2:00 and everyone was home at 3:00 in the afternoon! We celebrated over the weekend with some easy homemade meals, family movie night, and an evening at the spa for the whole family (this probably seems strange to all the westerners reading this unless you have been th Korea and enjoy the Jimjilbang or 짐질방).

Earlier this week we went up into Seoul to visit Hansung’s sister and grandma!  I managed to get the boys to write letters and buy a little gift for both ladies before the big event. Grandma genuinely enjoyed reading their letters and clapped her hands when each grandson finished. This then turned into a sing-song for the next 30 minutes. Aidan and Jordan sang children’s songs in Korean, Justin sang an Italian opera song that he had memorized in music class last year and my hubby joined in on that one after looking up the lyrics. The singing continued in Korean with Hansung’s sister and her husband singing old Korean country songs. I was gearing up for Edelweiss because I thought grandma would recognize it when the whole event ended. Grandma was tired from all the young stimulation in the room. The art of the song was more noisy stimulation than actual art!

I laughed when she called me an excellent woman for taking care of three boys. I leaned in and told her it was actually four boys and she burst out in hysterics. It was a good visit and I think we gave her some good memories!

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It turns out little boys know swear words in Korean and it was time to put a stop to it. 

“If you swear, you have to eat soap! It will make your mouth clean and take out all those dirty words!”

Jordan replied to this without missing a beat! “Mom, you too! No swearing!” I agreed.

It turns out that soap has only been eaten once to change someone’s language. Yes, it was the little guy!

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Justin has inspired to the boys to burst into short sentences from Black Panther. He taught Aidan and Jordan “Ee Pompei” which is some kind of war cry. They all break out with this whenever more than two of them are in trouble!

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Aidan was the first place winner for cute sayings when he woke up, rolled over, and declared, “I want to sleep forever but I should get up!”

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i have been thinking a lot about language from stories that keep us connected. We have been reading Kate Di Camillo’s Mercy Watson series. (If you haven’t read these, you really should! They are hilarious stories about a pig that basically lives as a child, not a pet!) There is a great part about two-thirds of the way through the first book where the pig is described. “She is amazing! ... She is unbelievable! She is a porcine wonder!”

These are great lines that the kids have been using around the house. Jordan finished his meal the other night and Aidan declared, “HE is amazing! ... He is unbelievable! He is a porcine wonder!” It was a great family moment with Justin and myself busting with laughter.

Stories connect us in special ways. Of course, there are amazing benefits in terms of academics, improved listening skills, improved vocabulary, but I love how other stories have become a part of the way my children and I speak to each other! They get to experience another life, learn from it, and apply it to their own! Magic and astonishment in a new way! 

Narratives of all kinds bless us. Even those epic narratives in the Bible!
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