It's Still God's Beautiful World

It’s easy to get depressed in the midst of the pandemic, but there is a lot to celebrate, and I’m reminded of it every time I take a walk. In an effort to cheer up everyone (including me), I’m posting photos I have taken since the “shelter in place” order took effect. As you can see, it is still God’s beautiful world.

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The photographs are all © 2020 Kathryn Page Camp.

Coping with Condo Fever

With the coronavirus cancelling many of my activities, I have gotten condo fever. Yes, I can write from home and have plenty to read, but fewer activities create a boring monotony. Still, some good has come from it.

Starting with the Frivolous

My sock drawer finally got organized. (Literally, as you can see from the photo.)

Maintaining a Routine

I am learning that the days tend to blend into each other unless I follow a weekly routine. The markers used to be Women’s Bible Study and photo club on Tuesdays, Stephen Ministry on Wednesdays, choir practice on Thursdays, and church and Adult Bible Class on Sunday mornings. Except for doing church remotely (and an experiment with Adult Bible Class via Zoom), I have had to look for other markers. The ones I selected aren’t new, like my walks on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and doing laundry on Fridays. But it’s important not to let them slide.

I also find that the week feels more normal if I change as little as possible when adjusting to the new circumstances. For example, I still dress up for church on Sunday mornings even though I attend services in my living room.

Conferencing Flexibly

My normal practice is to attend at least one and preferably two writers’ conferences a year. But the ones I am most interested in may conflict with other activities and obligations. Since we can’t meet in person right now, many organizations are providing learning experiences online at my convenience. Some of that was happening already through various podcasts and webinars, but the offerings have expanded.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators had to cancel its summer conference (which didn’t work for me, anyway), so it is providing members with free digital workshops via Zoom. For those who don’t register in time or can’t meet during that time slot, a recorded version of the workshop is available for one month. Two of these workshops are of particular interest to me, and I would have missed out without the pandemic.

Capturing Feelings

The next middle grade historical novel I plan on writing is about a girl whose family lives in a lighthouse. One day when I was suffering from condo fever, I realized that my protagonist will be in a similar situation. So I can draw on how I feel now when I write the scenes that portray her feelings about being stuck on a lonely island.

Trying Something New

I’m ahead on my writing and am ready to begin my next book. My plan was to start the middle grade historical novel I mentioned above. Writing that book would have been fun, and I’m still going to do it. But I’ve been wondering if this wouldn’t be a good time to change things up a bit and try writing a murder mystery for adults. I read the genre but am not sure I’ll be any good at writing it.

Still, this is a good time to take a risk. I don’t think P.D. James has to worry about the competition, but if I can be half as good as she is, I’ll be happy.

So get creative and find your own ways to cope with condo/apartment/house fever.

Nothing Can Stop Easter

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Holy Week and Easter were a disappointment in many ways. Singing in the choir at Easter services and attending Easter breakfast at church have always been highlights of my year, and I missed them greatly. But we can still celebrate what Christ has done for us without all the trappings we have come to expect.

In some ways, Holy Week is the perfect time to suffer through a pandemic. Our suffering reminds us that we suffer because we are sinners. We deserve the effects of this fallen world—including the coronavirus and the current restrictions. But Christ was tempted like we are, yet without sin. [Hebrews 4:15] His suffering was undeserved but chosen. He died to save us from the consequences of our sin. Our suffering during Holy Week reminds us of His suffering and makes us grateful for His agonizing death on the cross and glorious resurrection.

This year I watched my son-in-law’s Easter Sunrise service and joined in with the liturgy and hymns. After that, I watched my own church’s service, again joining in with the liturgy and hymns. Then I had a breakfast somewhat similar to the Easter morning ones served at church in past years. I even dressed up in a new Easter outfit.

Was it the same as worshiping with and enjoying the fellowship of my fellow Christians in other years? Of course not. I miss the physical interaction with my friends and the entire congregation. But it was still a celebration of Christ’s victory over death, and that’s what Easter is all about.

Nothing can stop Easter. The Pharisees tried to kill Jesus, and so—reluctantly—did the Roman authorities. Satan probably danced for joy while Jesus hung on the cross. But none of them succeeded in the end. As it says in 1 Corinthians 15:54b-57 (ESV):

“Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, who gives the us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we celebrate Easter this year, I am reminded of one of my favorite Bible passages. It’s always good to remember Romans 8:35-39, but it seems especially appropriate right now. So my Easter post will leave you with Paul’s words as taken from the English Standard Version.

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long,

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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The picture is a stone relief on the exterior of the Helsinki Cathedral in Helsinki, Finland. I took the photo during a trip there in 2019.

Read for Free: PDF Chldren's Classics

If you want to encourage your children or grandchildren to read but would prefer that they read a paper copy or don’t want the Kindle version for some reason, there are a number of websites where you can download a free copy as a PDF, plain text, or versions for other types of ebooks. Some of these sites, such as Project Guttenberg, may even have free Kindle versions that you couldn’t locate on Amazon.

Planet eBook has a limited selection of PDF books and no search function but offers some of the best children’s classics, including:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Aesop’s Fables by Aesop

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Andersen’s Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Grimm’s Fairy Tales compiled by the Grimm Brothers

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Kidnapped by Robert Lewis Stevenson

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

The Tales of Mother Goose by Charles Perrault

Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson

Or do your own search for one of your childhood favorites at one of these sites:

Project Gutenberg at www.gutenberg.org

Internet Archive at https://archive.org

Full Text Archive at www.fulltextarchive.com 

Freeditorial Publishing at https://freeditorial.com

These resources can also be used to find adult classics.

You now have access to plenty of reading material, so make the most of your time indoors.

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The picture is an illustration John Tenniel drew for the original edition of Alice in Wonderland. It is in the public domain because of its age.

Read for Free: Kindle Chldren's Classics

With sports and other extra-curricular activities cancelled, children have more time to read for fun. This is a good chance for them to explore some of the old classics that their parents and grandparents read at their age.

But the libraries are closed and money is tight, you say. I can’t afford to buy them any more books.

While it is true that physical library locations are closed, some libraries are still “open” for patrons who want to borrow ebooks or audiobooks. Check yours out.

Another option is to “purchase” Kindle books that are offered for free, which is often the case with older publications that are in the public domain. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the free Kindle app for your other devices.

A few cautions, however. Free versions may have typos or formatting errors, and some of them are abridged from the original. They are generally worth the price, although you may want to look at the one-and-two-star reviews first. Collections can be the exception, however. Before downloading a free collection, make sure the table of contents has links to locations within the book. I downloaded a Mark Twain collection, only to discover that I had to “guess” at the location of a particular book. The trial and error was frustrating and more trouble than it was worth.

Here are a few suggestions for free Kindle books you can get for your children or grandchildren on Amazon. (Another caution: they were free when I looked them up, but that could change.)

·       Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge

o   https://www.amazon.com/Brinker-Silver-Skates-Mapes-Dodge-ebook/dp/B004UJHBWW/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2LAM7M1PEB9Z4&keywords=hans+brinker+or+the+silver+skates&qid=1585000727&s=digital-text&sprefix=hans+brink%2Caps%2C199&sr=1-4

·       The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

o   https://www.amazon.com/Wind-Willows-Kenneth-Grahame-ebook/dp/B0083Z9D7U/ref=sr_1_1?crid=WDHMI9AQP1Q8&keywords=the+wind+in+the+willows+free+kindle&qid=1585000908&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+wind+in+the+will%2Cdigital-text%2C180&sr=1-1

·       The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

o   https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Garden-Frances-Hodgson-Burnett-ebook/dp/B0083Z614S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=CVXN39BTXMTB&keywords=the+secret+garden+kindle+free&qid=1585001034&s=digital-text&sprefix=The+Secr%2Cdigital-text%2C258&sr=1-1

·       Heidi (Gift Edition) by Johanna Spyri

o   https://www.amazon.com/Heidi-Gift-Johanna-Spyri-ebook/dp/B004TRPTT2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=heidi+johanna+spyri+kindle+free&qid=1585001178&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

·       Black Beauty (Young Folks’ Edition) by Anna Sewell

o   https://www.amazon.com/Black-Beauty-Young-Folks-Sewell-ebook/dp/B00848O64Q/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=black+beauty+anna+sewell+kindle+free&qid=1585001261&s=digital-text&sr=1-2

·       Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sydney. This is the first in a series, and the others may also be available for free.

o   https://www.amazon.com/Five-Little-Peppers-They-Grew-ebook/dp/B0083Z4XZW/ref=sr_1_7?crid=G7USQ6708CT1&keywords=five+little+peppers+and+how+they+grew&qid=1585001327&s=digital-text&sprefix=five+little+pepper%2Cdigital-text%2C161&sr=1-7

·       A Little Maid of Old Maine by Alice Turner Curtis. Many of her other Little Maid books are also available for free.

o   https://www.amazon.com/Little-Maid-Old-Maine-ebook/dp/B004UJS950/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=A+Little+Maid+of+Old+Maine+kindle+free&qid=1585001394&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

Then there are the lesser-known books written by well-known authors. For example, some middle-grade girls have read Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott but nothing else by those authors. The following are available as free Kindle books.

·       The Story Girl by Lucy Maud Montgomery

o   https://www.amazon.com/Story-Girl-Lucy-Maud-Montgomery-ebook/dp/B0082QFL0S/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+story+girl+kindle+free&qid=1585001501&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

·       Chronicles of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

o   https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Avonlea-Lucy-Maud-Montgomery-ebook/dp/B0082RBUBQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=chronicles+of+avonlea+kindle+free&qid=1585001571&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

·       Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

o   https://www.amazon.com/Little-Men-Women-Book-ebook/dp/B004UJH4C4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=little+men+kindle+free&qid=1585001625&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

·       Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

o   https://www.amazon.com/Eight-Cousins-Louisa-May-Alcott-ebook/dp/B004UJD62Q/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=eight+cousins+kindle+free&qid=1585001716&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

But maybe you would rather print off a paper copy or don’t want a Kindle version for some other reason. Next week’s post will provide additional resources.

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Frank T. Merrill drew the picture for the original edition of Little Women. First published in 1868, the illustration is in the public domain because of its age.

A Silver Lining: Time to Read

Even the worst situations can have a silver lining. Being stuck at home gives me more time to read. Yes, I already read one or two books a week, but church and photo club meetings took a lot of my spare time. So I might as well take advantage of the break to catch up on some of those classics that I either read long ago or planned to read “some day.”

The illustration at the head of this post is from Silas Marner by George Eliot. She has been one of my favorite authors since high school, and it hasn’t been that long since I re-read The Mill on the Floss and Middlemarch. But I finally got around to re-reading Silas Marner, and it reminded me how much I enjoy some of the old classics.

I’m going to read Moby Dick next. I can’t remember if I ever have, but it would have been a long time ago, anyway. I also downloaded a free version of War and Peace for my Kindle, although I’m not guaranteeing that I’ll read that anytime soon.

Then there are multi-published authors like Charles Dickens. Wikipedia lists twenty “notable works,” and I’ve only read about half of them. I’ve read every book Jane Austin wrote, but if you haven’t, consider picking up Persuasion or Mansfield Park, which are among her lesser-known works.

As you sit at home trying to keep busy, consider reading or re-reading the classics. And if you have children or grandchildren, this is the time to get them interested in the books you read as a child.

That’s the subject of next week’s post.

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The illustration was drawn by Hugh Thomson for a 1907 edition of Silas Marner. It is in the public domain because of its age.

Reading as Grief Therapy for Children: Advice from Mr. Rogers

When I was researching books to help children deal with grief, I came across one with advice from Mr. Rogers. Yes, the Mr. Rogers of television fame and the subject of a recent movie.

Dear Mr. Rogers, Does It Ever Rain in Your Neighborhood? Letters to Mr. Rogers by Fred Rogers is composed of letters to Mr. Rogers from children and parents with his replies. The book is written for parents to help them respond to their children’s questions.

The book’s pervading theme is that parents should encourage children to talk about their feelings. It isn’t good to suppress feelings, and Mr. Rogers has several suggestions for bringing them into the open. Besides talking, drawing pictures and making up stories can be therapeutic even if they are dark or fantasize about unacceptable behaviors. The important thing is to let the child express the feelings that exist right then.

Chapter 7 deals with family relationships and includes several letters about divorce. Here is an excerpt from one of his replies.

One thing that seemed to help the children was knowing the divorce was not their fault. Separating and divorce are about grown-up problems. Sometimes children worry about the bad things they’ve done, and they think their behavior made their parents want to get divorced. But . . . all children do bad things once in a while. And, even in families where there’s no divorce, there can be angry times.

It can also help to know that your parents still love you and that they will take good care of you, even if they don’t live together. [Pgs. 114–115.]

Chapter 8 is dedicated to death, ranging from death of a pet to death of a sibling. Mr. Rogers’ advice is the same in all these situations. Here are two examples.

Most people—adults and children—who have lost a loved one often feel guilty, helpless, and angry. That’s only natural. Even if we have a sense that the person who died is in the loving hands of God, there still can be painful and angry feelings because we miss that person. Letting your child know that his feelings are natural may be one of the most helpful things you can do. [Pgs. 137–138.]

Throughout their lives, children will find themselves dealing with death. It’s not our constant smiling that will help them feel secure. Rather, it’s their knowing that love can hold many feelings, including sadness, and that they can trust that there will always be people who love them and who will care about them through all kinds of times—the painfully sad times as well as the joyful times. [Pg. 145.]

A blog post can’t do Mr. Rogers’ advice justice. Read the book for more.

I highly recommend it.