My eldest is sick, as a consequence he blew a test in one of his classes.  This is a really tough class; to score an A you have to score a 75%.  It's not a class that you want to be under the weather in.  I asked him how bad it was and was told that it counted for 1/5 of his grade, but that he thought he could still pull an A for his final grade.  As he reviewed the test in his mind though he began to beat himself up.  He tends to be a perfectionest to he took this pretty hard.  He began to talk about not being good enough and that maybe he should just quit.

I stopped him and said "Wait a minute son.  You just said that you thought you could still pull an A out of the class and now you want to quit.  Don't you see a little inconsitancy here?"  He bowed up and didn't say anything at that.  I had to get his brothers through the school day so I continued on with my youngest's science class as he listened in. 

We are using the Among the People series; right now we are on Among the Medow People.  I really like it because it give a light touch of science, which is probably good enough at his age, and also gives a moral lesson.  When we finish the story we always go on to do a light further study of the featured topic.  We listen to bird songs, check out squirles, whatever. 

One this day the featured topic was the Harvestman spider (Daddy Long Legs).  In the story it talked about how good the Harvestmen were.  How they always had a kind word for their fellow medow neighbors.  How they never gossiped, were always cheerful and so on. 

At the end one particulare Harvestman had lost a leg due to a naughty little boy.  One of his neighbors asked what he would do.  The reply was this:

"Do?" answered the biggest Harvestman, and it was then one could see how [49] truly brave and cheerful he was. "Do? I'll walk on those seven. If I lose one of them I'll walk on six, and if I lose one of them I'll walk on five. Haven't I my mouth and my stomach and my eyes and my two feelers, and my two food-pincers? I may not be so good-looking, but I am a Harvestman, and I shall enjoy the grass and the sunshine and my kind neighbors as long as I live. I must leave you now. Good-day."   (T h e   B a l d w i n  P r o j e c t   "Among the Medow People"  The cheerfull Harvestman)

Around the middle of the story my eldest stopped me and rather indignantly asked "Did you pick this story because of me?"  I hadn't it was the next one he was supposed to do.  After I read the portions above my ninth grader, who had finished his class andcome to sit by us and listen, whispered "Mom did you pick that story because of happened?"  I again said no that it was what was schedualed.  I actually showed everyone the lesson plan just to prove it.  I told them some times the Lord just does that. 

My eldest took the sentament to heart and cheered up.  I told him that all his dad and I expected was his best.  That is all that anyone can expect of anyone else.  Given the fact that he was as sick as he was there was noway we could expect more than he did.  He just needed to dig in and do the best he could to make up for it.  Even though he is a perfectionest, he is basicly a practical young man and I am sure he will.  As a matter of fact he is already working on it.  All because of a second grade science story and a God who could see into the future and cared enough to make sure that it was scheduled at the right time