I just love the sound of that! 

Serendipity! 

It is so musical!  So spontaneous!  What is the definition of this lovely word?  It think it means something like "finding an unexpected surprise in a most ordinary situation."  Let me see, I think I will go see what Webster defined it as, back in 1828.....Oh, my!  I went to Noah Webster's online dictionary and it wasn't there!  Unbelievable.  It is one of our favorite resources for learning at home....we splurged a couple of years back and bought one for our family.  (It is such a large, lovely volume.) It has been one of the best investments we ever made! I am kind of sad that I couldn't find "Serendipity" listed, however, I did find it over at Dictionary.com:

ser·en·dip·i·ty     /ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪti/ [ser-uhn-dip-i-tee] 

–noun

1.	an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

2.	good fortune; luck: the serendipity of getting the first job she applied for.

---

[Origin: 1754; Serendip + -ity; Horace Walpole so named a faculty possessed by the heroes of a fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip]

—Related forms

ser·en·dip·it·er, ser·en·dip·i·tist, ser·en·dip·per, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

I think I was pretty close with my definition.  Words are not just trifles to be tossed upon a page,or a blog, but they are rich in meaning, sound, history, nuance, and broad in their usage!  If you look or listen to the language we use today, it sometimes loses so much of its beauty.  I hate to say it, but it is dumbed down, washed out and has been downright trampled by the masses. 

Unfortunately, it is sometimes trampled right here on my blog :)

However, I just want to call your attention to some of these things called words that we take for granted.  We use them every day.  Yet, we oftentimes don't think before we speak.  We don't realized the multitude of them that we spew forth, or the magnitude that just a few of them can effect those we love.  Words can express so much love and beauty, or so much hatred and ugliness.

Words of Love.  Have you had your minimum daily requirement of those today?  I read somewhere in the vast sea of "shoulds" that they say you need a miminum daily requirement of 7 hugs for you to feel loved.  (Who are they and how do they know this?)  But it may be altogether too true!  We need to be affirmed by the words of those who love us, and by the affectionate actions towards us also.  We need to be hugged and loved out loud!

I suppose some of this rambling is the result of knowing how much abuse the English language endures around our home.  We hear "ain't" occasionally, not because the kids think it's proper, its because they have heard it too many times on old Western TV shows.  One sure fire way to ruin a kids vocabulary.....allow them to watch the television!

We had the privilege of watching "Wheel Of Fortune" the other day, and one contestant introduced her friend in the audience as her "spousal equivilent."  I thought that was pretty interesting!  It used to make me snicker when my Mom called herself a "Domestic Engineer" instead of "housewife."  (She was only joking, of course.)  Lately I have seen sections of the newspaper called "Advertorials," we have all seen "Infomercials," and you can even eat in a "Cafetorium."  (Shudder!  I never liked the sound of that word!)  Sometimes the morphing of our language might be utilitarian, but not necessarily music to our ears.

So back to "Serendipity." I still love that word, I love the sound of it and I love what it means!  It has been a pretty serendipitous week for us.  It seems that everytime I turn around, the Lord, the living Word Himself, has been interjecting wisdom into my life.  Whenever I have a question, a need, or a prayer has been uttered.....He is right there surprising me with His timing and truth.  Oh, I 'm not surprised that He can do it that way, it's just that it never ceases to amaze me!  When I am seeking, He is sending.  When I am hurting, He is helping.  When I am needing, He is giving.  When I am faithless......He is faithful!

Doesn't it amaze you that the little things that we love, and use all day in our relationships with each other....these amazing little words.....they were all thought out before the world even began?  The Creator, the Logos Himself, thought that we would need this form of communication!  So He gave us a mind, a voice, a language, fingers....for holding a pencil, or for tapping on a keyboard.  He knew it all. He planned it all.

For the love of words, and from the Love of THE WORD, I just find that very Serendipitious!

Blessings!

Nancy

Happy Homeschooling from Homeschooling IS Life!

(c) 2007  Nancy K. Baetz

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 By the way, speaking of words......have you seen this?  Oh, Jill Novak is an amazing artistic lady and she has outdone herself with the NEW beautifully colorful Girlhood Home Companion!

Be sure to go see how you can get your copy!

Jill is the author and creator of The Gift of Family Writing, a wonderful book on journaling everyday events and preserving your family history.  Several bloggers are featured in it!  It is a great asset to your homeschooling, full of ideas for your family, interspersed with wonderful, special stories from families of all walks of life.  

The Girlhood is a very precious, feminine magazine meant for girls of all ages.  It is beautiful to look at, and full of lovely devotions and stories that will touch your heart.  It is meant to be shared with all the girls in our home as a read-aloud treasure or a private moment of blessing.

Jill  has a heart for "vintage" homekeeping and spiritual disciplines that you can share with your girls and strengthen the Mother and daughter bonds that are growing in your home!

Can you tell I love it?  Well, I do, and I love Jill.  She's a gem!

Blessings,

Nancy

Related Tags: serendipity, Noah Webster, words, The Word, English Language, Girlhood Home Companion, Magazines for young ladies, Remembrance Press, Faith