I was wandering through the big bookstore chain this week, just looking at the shelves, seeing if any particular book jumped out at me. I'd received some birthday money and thought that I might buy something for myself with it. Two particular books did jump out at me, but only as an interesting anomaly that has stuck with me in the ensuing days. An anomaly which turned into an analogy.

On one shelf was a book by Stephen King. Directly underneath was a book by Rudyard Kipling. I didn't really notice the particular titles but those two authors seemed to be light years away from each other in their subject matter, or at least what genre each is remembered for. Horror and classic literature are both considered "Literature and Fiction," hence why these two authors were in the same section. They seem, at least to me, at first glance, two totally different types of authors. Yet they sit within inches of each other amidst a blur of many, many other authors.

Our children are like those authors--all authors. We are helping to write their story, but at some point they will take over with "their book." Whether they are "part of the crowd" of authors which society barely sees sitting on a bookshelf, or they are prominent in their field, is yet to be seen. What they write can truly vary greatly.... Will they have their own horror story to impart, a sad tale, an adventure, or will they go down in the annals of history as an important character, someone to emulate, someone to be read.

I don't know if King is such an author. For my own tastes, I don't enjoy such stories. Kipling, however, has such a large repertoire of work that I would say he "stands the test of time" and should be read.

As homeschoolers, I think we have an immeasurable amount of impact and power over who our children will be, what their story for future generations will hold. We spend so much time with them, preparing them for when they fly the nest; it definitely is a large responsibility.

Those with lots of "arrows" in their quiver know that each arrow could easily go in directions which they don't want, so they put every effort into "starting the story right" with each one. When you only have one arrow in your quiver, you may feel almost overwhelmed with the responsibility you have over this one arrow; wanting it to fly straight and true, wanting it to make its mark. You craft the arrowhead point, sharpening it; shape and choose the right fletching; painting the right colors on the crest... preparing it for its flight. Where each arrow, each child, lands ultimately depends on the arrow, that child. Lots of things will influence it. Hopefully preparing it well at its beginning will serve as a good foundation for the direction it takes.

Hold the responsibility seriously, yet realize that our children have their own choices and flight path to travel. With the Lord's help, perhaps our child will become a good author among many good authors, or may even become an author that stands the test of time and becomes a "must read."

Thanks to this website, for the terminology on the parts of an arrow:

http://www.hunter-ed.com/images/graphics/arrow_parts.gif

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