Beatitudes (the things upon which we latch).

900 feet.

Snow and crust and a little ice. Some days are a 4-wheel high kind of day to get your wife outta the driveway at almost a thousand foot elevation and en route to work. Some days. Some nights too: stayed most of the night on the living room floor with our 7-yo, who wasn’t feeling well. He drifted in and out. I finished watching The Killer, David Fincher’s tale of a hitman with Michael Fassbender doing the best voiceover narration of the year.

Block rockin’ blocks.

I started making these blocks well over a decade ago, when our Olders were our Youngers. The kids go through phases with them now. Often they’re dormant, piled in a tub - or rather, multiple tubs - and sometimes, they get pulled out - or rather, dumped out - and played with roughly, lovingly, and it makes me happy to see.

A - Take a piece of scrap wood. Could be 1x2 or 2x6 or somewhere in between. Even old flooring.
B - Ensure it doesn’t have nails, tacks, or glue.
C - Sand well. Get the corners and edges.
D - Put a base coat if you want with acrylic paint. Or draw straight on it with paint markers. I like Elmer’s. Draw something representational. Or abstract. Or lines or shapes you find pretty. Or words you like. Or things you want to remember.
E - If you want, apply a coat of beeswax over it when you’re done. Gives a little extra bit of water resistance and smudge-prevention.
F - Build, display, paint over…as my mom would say: Have fun!

Two young boys play with handprinted and handpainted wood blocks in the living room

Thou shalt.

Ate some oatmeal. Made some coffee. Sang some songs with the kids and talked about the teachings of Jesus. Specifically, the Beatitudes.

“Blessed are the…

…poor in spirit
…those who mourn
…the meek
…those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
…the merciful
…the pure in heart
…the peacemakers
—-those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake

Like many on the far right whose favorite pastime is Bible proof texting - looking for specific verses to confirm the usually political points of view they want supported by the rebel Jesus - the last one, I suspect, is a favorite upon which to latch: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.”

The Far Right Political Posturing equation is:

Take your specific dogma.
Find someone who disagrees with you, preferably someone in authority on some level. This provides a veneer of verisimilitude that you’re punching up.*
Detail a way in which you’ve been wronged, and how this wrong is is wrong in absolute terms, and how you are the martyr standing up for righteousness.
Blast it wide, preferably on your favorite social platform.
Gather sympathy and support as you provide corroborating evidence for the ways in which your righteousness is being persecuted. Enjoy the beautiful adrenaline of having stood for Goodness…but remember to not let anyone know how much you enjoy that feeling. Remember, you’re being persecuted, so you can’t focus on all the support you’ve received or all the ways it feels good to have an Enemy.

As with many matters relating to Jesus, I am deeply moved by his actual words and ideas and the ways he called out hypocrisy, especially of those in power. I continue to be flabbergasted by the ways in which his message is bastardized and rejected by so many in the name of a much more Old Testament-leaning fiery crack of vengeance and violence and war against the enemy. And to bring it full circle…the enemy is not only Satan/the Devil, but but all those who are against your specific dogma (see #1 above). That tends to be, on the Hard Right, a long, long list.

*of course, the “punching up” in these cases usually involves The Puncher’s being disgruntled that they’re being forced to a certain level of expectations by Those in Authority.

Conversations.

Talked with my brother J—, five years my junior, about work. He has a ritual of going through Taco Bell on his way to work in the morning. He leaves me on the phone while he’s ordering and picking up his burritos. Again, this is breakfast. He knows I get a kick out of it, for some reason.

There’s something about hearing his cheery voice greeting the employee in a manner that has to brighten their morning, and, of course, the fact that he’s ordering bean burritos and crunch wraps for breakfast. Occasionally I think he does it more for me than for himself, as he knows I can’t stop chuckling every time. Love this guy and and love talking to him.

He is someone who does something enormously difficult: he does very, very stressful work, day in and day out, that benefits society and humanity in ways that the vast majority will never know, realize, or acknowledge. He is amazing, and you can tell the quality of a person’s character, at least a little bit, by the ways they talk about the people they work with when they’re not around. It is unquestionable and unassailable, the way he cares about many of the folks he works with and the creative ways he comes up with to help provide pathways to growth and meaning. He is incredible. Truly.

Other acts of play.

DUPLO blocks. How do they decide on these, rather than LEGO today? I don’t know. Later, they magically disappear the DUPLO blocks to hidden corners of the room’s universe, and pull out the 17 trillion LEGO pieces we have; methodically, or as methodically as can be done with 17 trillion pieces, they began building something from their imagination.

Four-year old LEGO quote for the day: “…and now they have to marry the butler! Daddy can you ask me how to spell ‘butler?’”

A 16-year old strolls to the living room. Her gaze alights upon her 4-year old brother. She strides over, and hops on top of him. He squeals, laughs, yells, tries to fight back. With a 12-year age difference, the gap makes for a significant size differential. She tickles, teases, and chins him - “chinning” is something she invented when she was around three herself. It involves using your chin to aggressively dig into another person’s chest or neck or stomach. It can be both ticklish and uncomfortable. She tries out new techniques on him, and I try to monitor, somewhat, as this is a ritual of theirs, and he is getting better and better at fighting back, although the outcome is inevitable, without fail. He will lose today and tomorrow. But not forever. He looks at her and yells with great cheerful fury: “You meanie pesty!”

And it is something that binds and bonds them. They are characters.

Is that correct? Miscellaneous acts of learnings.

Two boys do mathematics at the table. The 2nd grader works on single-digit multiplication. The K-er on 1-digit addition. I quiz them.

One of my favorite things is how, when I administer a math or spelling quiz, they stand on the bench at our dining room table and loudly read the question, then their answer:

“8 times 2 equals 16. Is that correct?”

Then over to the other, who also ends each query with: “Is that correct?”

I love the pleasure they get at accomplishing tiny big things, like playing with numbers.

Schooling

An 11th grader works on AP Human Geography homework. On our bed, which has lately become a favorite perch for her to study. Later, she moves on to do a mastery check of Logarithmic and Exponential Equations. Earlier this year, we emphatically moved past the point where I am able to assist her faster or better than she herself can figure it out. As such is the nature of both parenting and teaching: you give your best and know that in doing so, they will surpass you in so many ways. It has happened, is happening, will continue to happen. I will push and fight and become stronger as a result of trying to hang onto the strengths and skills I have, though it may be largely futile, but it does not mean the fight is not worth it. That is how we grow and excel.

An 8th grader works on math, assisted by his father. Me. I grill him on the single-digit multiplication tables. This is something I’ve noticed is becoming less and less of a skill, at large, in class. So what if you have the knowledge of the world at your fingers, if you don’t have the fundamentals of a discipline down to a certain degree? We review 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13. My approach has been to try and get them familiar with multiples up to 20 of themselves.

E.g. 9s, all the way up to 9. 9 x 9 = 81.
13, up to 13. 13 x 13 = 169
16, up to 16. 16 x 16 = 256
And so forth.

I think he’s teasing me by pretending to not enjoy it. It is a masterclass in acting. He would have most bystanders convinced he’s in misery. I’m almost convinced myself. But…nah. How could anyone not enjoy the the joy of numbers, to say nothing of the joy of learning, period?!

Later, the same 8th grader sits on his bedroom floor, watching ELA videos for class, and simultaneously doing pushups. He looks up with a sheepish grin when I poke my head in the door.

A 1st grader slowly makes his way through, aloud, a Mother Goose rhymes book with his brother.

Other learnings, readings and happenings previous in the day

Reading Ramona. Sooo delightful.
Studying French, earnestly, with the Youngers.
W is for Whales: the alphabet animal drawing for today.
Presidents. Review up to Abe Lincoln.
Our 7yo is reading so well, and his 4yo younger bro is sounding out words great!

An 8th grader reviews Energy and Electricity for Science. He has had a very positive attitude this afternoon, and most of the day, overall. I appreciate it greatly. I do some boxing with him in the late afternoon, and…wow, he is getting powerful. And nimble. And fast.