I like life, life likes me
Life and I fairly fully agree
Life is fine, Life is good
'Specially mine, which is just as it should be
(Sung by the Ghost of Christmas Present, from the musical, Scrooge, with Albert Finney.)
I believe that I have created the life I live, and I love my life. I have always been touched by greatness and beauty.
Le Pont du Gard, South of France
I believe in doing things with passion and a purpose. I work hard and play hard. I love great music, art, literature, architecture, gardening, sewing, writing, keeping family records--like scrapbooks and home movies, playing the piano -- solos and duets with my children, teaching my children at home, holding my grandson, just about anything French -- from the language to the cathedrals, talking with family and friends, taking photos of my children and others (that's why it's hard to find photos of myself), making our home a haven of love and beauty.
Giselle in the flower garden
The motto for my life is:
"La volante' de Dieu me suffit" (French for "The will of God is sufficient for me.")
PRIORITIES AND PASSIONS
My priorities in life are:
GOD, FAMILY, COUNTRY
In that order.
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss things. Small minds discuss people.
1) GOD
The best topics of discussion ARE religion and politics. Though I believe a person's spirituality is personal, I am always interested to learn another's beliefs, and always willing to share my own.
The bedrock of my belief is:
"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust." (Psalms 18:2)
"I go to the woods of prayer each day because I want to live life deliberately. I pray because I want to live life deeply and suck out all the marrow of life! I go to prayer to put to rout all that is not life, to separate those things that are important from those that are of little or no consequence. I go to the woods of prayer, because I don't want to die and discover that I have not lived." (A twist on Henry David Thoreau by Matthew Kelly in, The Rhythm of Life: Living Every Day with Passion and Purpose, p. 204)
2) FAMILY
Hal and Me
Christmas 2006
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 1:4)
Amber, Trenton, Ben, Hal IV, Chase, Jasmyn, Giselle, me, Hal III, Heather
My greatest joys come from my family. I was raised in a large family by children of the depression who taught me how to work hard and play hard -- that is my parents' greatest legacy to me, and I honor them for it. I'm so blessed to have a wonderful husband who is the love of my life and my best friend in the whole world, and six beautiful, talented children, and I am NOT prejudiced;)
Christmas Jammies 2004
Jasmyn, me, Amber; Hall IV, Hal III, son-in-law Ben, Chase; Heather, Giselle
MOTHERHOOD
Motherhood is the most sacred, holy call any woman could hope to attain. As a child I always hoped those magical words spoken by Abraham Lincoln might someday be said of me, "All I am or ever hope to be I owe to my angel mother." (I don't know about the "angel" part, but I've devoted most of my adult life to being the best mother I could be.)
I believe mothers are the greatest influence on humanity. I show my greatest priority by how I spend my time, and I've chosen to spend my time on, for, and with my husband and children first and foremost. They know that they are my priority.
TRADITION
Heather and Giselle with our 2006 family gingerbread house
Family traditions and family records are extremely important to me. Our family bond is nurtured through daily, weekly, monthly and yearly traditions -- daily family devotionals and dinner, weekly family nights and church attendance together; monthly dining with friends and family in our home; and yearly celebration of holidays and birthdays -- especially birthdays and Christmas.
Christmas 1998
Christmas is magic in the Bradley home. The ALL-TIME favorite Bradley family traditions come to life at Christmastime. It is the most wonderful time of the year for me!
EDUCATION
Books
"When I get a little money I buy books. If there's any left over I buy food." Erasmus
That's me! I'm a certified bibliophile -- someone to whom entering Barnes and Noble is as intoxicating as entering a bar is for an alcoholic. I'm addicted to the printed word. My favorite books for years have been non-fiction, but I also appreciate the power of good fiction as well. I read to transform my life, so I'm pretty picky about where I spend my time.
Music
Playing Christmas duets with Jasmyn at the crรจche festival
Music is one of the most powerful forces in my life. One of my favorite memories is listening to the classical music my mother played on the big stereo at night while going to sleep. I've played the piano since I was 7 years old, and since then have learned to play other instruments. I love all kind of "real" music, including classical, French contemporary, Celtic, and bluegrass. My husband Hal and my children all share my passion. We all sing and play at least one musical instrument, especially the piano, except my husband Hal, who plays the stereo better than anyone and sings every day in family devotional.
Travel
My favorite spot on earth is my home. I am a home body who likes to travel. From museums to beautiful earthly sites to historical places to performances, our family likes traveling together and learning together. For years I've said that when I grew up I wanted to be a world traveler!
Chase, Hal, Heather, Giselle -- Santa Fe 2006
Homeschooling
In 1989 I began teaching my children at home. My oldest daughter attended public school for two years before she came home to learn, and they have all been at home ever since, through high school. I have loved being at home and embarking on adventures with my children all these years. I'm still having a wonderful time getting a great education while learning about and sharing the world with my children.
Giselle, me, Chase, and Heather with Queen Elizabeth the First (Jasmyn) at the opening day of our Shakespeare year, September 2006
I learned how to put together an EPIC Adventure from Karen Kindrick and Cynthy Black in 1990, and my life hasn't been the same since. My children's passion for learning, especially outside educational environments, stems directly from the brain-firing principles I learned and followed for the sake of my children's education.
We are all students in our home. My children who have graduated from our homeschool continue their education inside and outside educational institutions. My two oldest children graduated from universities with an associates degree, a bachelor degree, and a recent acceptance into a masters program. Our children continue their education through extensive reading writing, book clubs, learning blogs, etc. They can't wait to begin more formal education with their own children.
I attended California State University Sacramento and Brigham Young University, but I received my greatest education through continuing self-education, such as the research and writing of EPIC Adventures for my children. I remember how I felt after co-writing the first adventure for my children on American colonial life and the Revolutionary war. I remember thinking that I had learned the equivalent of a master's degree in American History! Every year I become an expert on something else. I love this opportunity to show my children how much I love to learn and how important they are to me.
The closing day of "A Magic Carpet Ride to Lands of Enchantment" school year 2005-2006
Example
"Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck leads the flock to fly and follow." Chinese Proverb
I believe that one of the greatest things I can do for my children's education is to show them what a student looks like. When I decided that I wanted my children to learn to draw, I began to draw. My years as a homeschooler have been the most rewarding to me, in part because of finding hidden talents within myself. My children's education has been my own.
Service
My parents taught me to work hard and to serve others. As a child, whenever we attended a church function that involved clean-up, our family stayed to clean up and were usually some of the last to leave. My current service in the community involves serving on the district level for the Boy Scouts of America and in my church, where I oversee the children's Primary organization of about 400 children, teachers, and leaders in seven congregations.
Friends
Karen and me on the Seine, the most beautiful avenue in Paris! 2001
I have so many friends who are like family to me. They are all wonderful, good people. Karen Kindrick happens to be my bestest friend -- my alter ego. On the one hand we finish one another's sentences, and purchase the same books, clothes, and shoes, at practically the same time in different cities without knowing it. We also unknowingly yet simultaneously and separately, work on the same kinds of projects and write the same thoughts at our homes, which we discover and laugh about later. On the other hand, our looks and personalities are almost completely opposite. I want to be like Karen when I grow up!
My grandson and me at the beach
3) COUNTRY
I'm grateful for the past and hope for the future of America. I believe in the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the sacred contract of the Constitution to preserve those principles. I believe with John Adams that "the Constitution is made for a moral people; it is totally inadequate for the governance of any other." I believe that one way to preserve our sovereignty is to preserve the Constitution through living moral lives and teaching our children to do the same. I thank God every day that I am an American.
THE TIME I HAVE LEFT TO LIVE
Every day I am thankful to be alive and to have one more day to cultivate relationships and experience the world. I believe we all have something important to do while on this earth. Everyone is unique in their call to action. I want to live my life with passion and fulfill my purpose. I'm always inspired when others share their unique gifts with the world, and am grateful to share mine.
I will take the time
That I have left to live
And I'll give it all
That I have to give
I will live my days
For my fellow men
And I'll live in praise
Of that moment when
I was able to begin again
(Sung by Scrooge in the movie Scrooge with Albert Finney)
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