My 12yos just started reading JRR Tolkein's; The Hobbit. I am really excited that he is voluntarily reading what is considered a literary classic. He saw it at the library the other day and we checked it out. As soon as he got home he immediately began to read and finished two chapters before having to stop to eat dinner.

     I was thinking about it later and it's funny how things have switched around. It used to be that reading these books inspired people to want to make movies about them so that we could put real pictures with the words. Now we watch the movies and that inspires children to read the classics. It always intrigues me to watch how things change over time.

     We were reading about blacksmithing in CS Lewis' Prince Caspian this week. The boys and I discussed how being a blacksmith was a very important position at one time. Vital to the smooth running of a village or town and necessary for the production of food as well as defence of a land. We read a picture book about a little boy whose blacksmith father lets him shoe a horse for the first time. (Winter Shoes for Shadow Horse a very sweet book)

     We talked about how horses were the main  power source for all the work on a farm and were used  for transportation etc. Even today we still refer to horsepower when discussing an engine in a modern car. Again I marveled at how things change so much. A vocation that was imperative at one time is now almost forgotten as time rolls along.

     It made me think about how we must remain flexible and willing to change as time moves along. We must be willing to consider new ways of doing things for different time periods and even be willing to let go of things that once had importance to us in favor of new parts of our lives. Like motherhood. Our roles and methods have to change so much in the course of raising our children. And when our children are all grown up we will have to learn to adopt new ways of living and finding our place in the world.

     As long as I know that God never changes and he is ever faithful and ever present in ancient times as well as the future I can have hope that I will be courageous in times of change. Even in the re-arranging of all I consider valuable I can be encouraged and stand strong while I learn to change.