I feel old...

Ya know, I'm beginning to feel old! As I've written here before, my oldest, after working hard for a year and trying to be frugal with her money, started college about 6-7 hours away.  I miss her a lot and with the problems she's been having with her computer and her phone, communications have been pretty limited.  It stinks!

My youngest daughter is still at home.  We're homeschooling and having fun.  She's in 9th grade this year.  Part of our homeschool curriculum is a worldview course.  I have a little more time to spend with her on this than I did with my older child but not much.  The things we're talking about raise some very interesting ideas and questions.  And you know me and my questions! 
In the book How To Read Slowly by James W. Sire  the author gives a set of guidelines for the Christian to use when reading other works to help them comprehend the meaning of the text and glean how the author views the world based on the things they write.  After the basic steps that you'd probably find in any book about comprehending what you read, including that there's no place for speed reading in reading world-viewishly (his word), the author gives a few more specific points. These questions are asked in the light of the worldview you hold but it's not about what you, the reader believe; these questions are about the author and why he or she wrote what they did.  Every piece of writing won't lend itself to answer every question on the list but it's a good guideline to form a picture of the author's own worldview.
Here's a basic list of questions to ask about the author;

What is their view of prime reality?
What do they consider to be the nature of the universe?
What does the author believe to be the nature of humanity?
What do they believe happens to a human being at death?
What do they consider to be the basis of morality?
In their opinion, what is the meaning of history?

You can learn a lot about where an author is coming from based on the answers to these questions.  Even Christian authors, whether writing to instruct, entertain or record information, leave clues or offer key things about their heart values that flow through the words they write.  Hmmm....I think we've talked about this before.  Words, words, words...it's so important how we use them.

Back to the reason I'm feeling old...my little girl (nearly 15 and taller than me) has always been my biggest tomboy. She's tougher than some of the boys she knows and loves doing more "guy" things than most girls her age.  She's always balked at the girls section in the Vision Forum catalog with it's ruffly dolls and hair ribbons preferring to shop from the boys section where all the action/adventure stuff was shown.  Swords, bow and arrows, spy equipment; all good things and better than silly little tea sets to her mind.  The Taylor Swift song that compares a girl in t-shirts and sneakers with another in short skirts and high heels is a perfect description of her and her best friend.  Or it was.  Before my eyes, I've seen this cute, tomboy go through a bit of an ongoing transformation toward a lovely young woman.  I never thought I'd see the day.  Now, I'm sure there are parts of her that will always favor the more adventurous, tomboyish stuff because she's too much like me to give it up completely but it's certainly been curious to watch what's happening.

She's cute with snappy dark eyes, big dimples and lots of thick, dark hair.  She's never been interested in cute clothes or hairstyles much less makeup or heels, preferring to wear torn jeans and t-shirts with her favorite dirty sneakers.  But all that is changing!  This year has been a year of changes for her.  First preparing herself for her sister to go off to college.  They are really close.  Then adjusting to a new reality.  We started a new schedule at our house where I was gone from the home about 5 hours every week day morning.  It was a big adjustment for both of us but she was a trooper and picked up some slack around the house and completed as much school work as she could without me.  When I got home we'd  finish it together.  Then came soccer after school.  As a homeschooler trying to fit in to a group of kids who go to school together everyday, it's a little rough at times even if they are some of your friends.  Then there's theater...her home away from home.  This Christmas they're playing "It's A Wonderful Life" by Frank Capra.  She's a little too young to play Mary or Violet so they're making her into an older townswoman who has a speaking part in one of the scenes and is in a lot  of the others.
 
I've noticed over the past few weeks that her interest in looking nice and fixing her hair (which usually just falls into place without any effort anyway) and a little makeup have been higher up on her list of to do's before going out.  Hmmm...I wonder if a certain young man may be the reason for all this?  Hahahaaaa!  So, yeah!  I feel old!