CMER

Dawn Rhymer

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CMER 2022: Lead, Kindly Light

Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, 1800, by Benjamin West.

This year we will be singing the hymn Lead, Kindly Light. Can anyone guess why?

As I was researching the hymn, I came across this blog. As I read it, I realized I simply wanted to link to the blog rather than try to create here what was done so well there. As I finished, to my joy and wonder I learned it was written by sweet, past CMER attendee Jenna Dilts. She gave me permission to use the art work she chose for her blog.

I hope you enjoy learning some of the history of this hymn. For those who would like to hear it ahead of time, here is a YouTube video and the music to the version we will be singing at the retreat. There are also links to two other versions in Jenna’s blog.

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Advent 2021

Advent is here.

Last year Advent caught me off guard. Unlike in 2020, this year my heart and my mind are better prepared for it, and I am looking forward to the beauty of the season. But with the season come new changes. This will be our first year of Advent with a son away at college, and I am thinking about how to keep him part of our time together in a way that will be a blessing to us all as he is entering a new phase of life. He will be here as we put up and decorate the tree this weekend and will return in the middle of December, so it is not quite a good-bye yet, but I know that time quickly approaches.

Handel’s Messiah

For many years (I don’t know when we actually began) our family’s Advent tradition has been to listen to Handel’s Messiah. We have been using Cindy Rollins’s 25 Days to Handel’s Messiah: An Advent Devotional Guide, and this year I bought Cindy’s book Hallelujah and look forward to incorporating ideas I find there.

The Guide

Cindy gave me permission to share the guide I made for my family to help with reading the scripture and getting to the right spot in the video. We have chosen to use Youtube for our music, and our favorite version is Stephen Cleobury conducting King’s College, Cambridge Choir.

I hook my laptop up to the TV and use the links for the scripture and music. We begin by reading the opening scripture. Then, we listen to the listed pieces. Over the years, we have found it more challenging to come together as a family each night, so usually we are only listening a few times a week and covering several days.

This year I have also found the MP3 of the performance. Each year I see if I can find it and have not been successful in the past. Perhaps this has always been there, but I’m grateful to have found it.

I hope our family’s simple tradition is a blessing for you as you contemplate this advent season.

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Advent 2020

Charlotte Mason Educational RetreatAdvent is here.

The arrival of Advent caught me off guard this year. I am realizing how big of a part the seasons play in our rhythm of life. This past summer our family moved from Colorado to Georgia. Here in Georgia there is no snow. The weather has been quite warm. There are still leaves on many of the trees. How can it be Thanksgiving, Advent, and just a few weeks from Christmas?

Handel’s Messiah

Tonight my family begins to listen to Handel’s Messiah. For several years, we have been using Cindy Rollins’s 25 Days to Handel’s Messiah: An Advent Devotional Guide.

We begin by reading the opening scripture. Then, we listen to the listed pieces. If we miss a day, we simply double up on a different night.

We have chosen to use Youtube for our music, and our favorite version is Stephen Cleobury conducting King’s College, Cambridge Choir.

The Guide

Cindy Rollins gave me permission to share the guide I made for my family to help with reading the scripture and getting to the right spot in the video. Please, let me know if you find any errors.

I hope our family’s simple tradition is a blessing for you as you contemplate this advent season.

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Planning: Choose a Curriculum Spine Part 1

Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat
Leonardo da Vinci

Aside: I use the term spine in this blog, so I have been thinking about it as it is often used in modern Charlotte Mason speak. For example, a history spine would be the main book you would use for history, though there might be other side books you use in conjunction with it. With a simple search of Mason’s Volumes, though, I do not find the word spine used in this way. Perhaps a more thorough search of Parents’ Review articles or other vintage CM publications could reveal something else. Until then I will take the term as modern but also widely accepted in the CM community.

Last week  I wrote about planning for the new school year. This week I share more about choosing a curriculum spine.

A spine. We all have one, and, when functioning optimally, our spines are a blessing to us. When they are damaged and not working properly, though every bit as vital, our spines become a major source of pain. So whether helping or hurting, what should our spine be doing? I like this short list of functions.

Functions of the Spine1

The three main functions of the spine are to:

  1. Protect the spinal cord, nerve roots and several of the body’s internal organs.
  2. Provide structural support and balance to maintain an upright posture.
  3. Enable flexible motion.

This is what I want my choice of a Charlotte Mason curriculum to do: to serve as a healthy spine which will protect, provide support and balance, and enable flexibility. [Read more…] about Planning: Choose a Curriculum Spine Part 1