Isaiah and Calli English: Life Blog

We have just returned from the funeral and burial of Isaiah's grandfather--William Ralph English. He was a true family patriarch. In case you're wondering, a patriarch is known as "one who rules a family, clan, or tribe," and the dictionary definitions today still reference the Biblical patriarchs for whom the term is named; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his 12 sons. In the Bible these Biblical patriarchs share certain similarities in their deaths and burials. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all "breathed their last and were gathered to their people;" they were all buried with their family; and in each account, the patriarch's sons (whether previously chummy or not) bury their father together. I might add that one other noteworthy commonality is that the patriarch's son(s) are blessed because of their father's faithfulness. Genesis 25, 35, and 49-50 all share these common elements. And so it was with Ralph English, the grandfather I barely knew as an in-l...

It's Thanksgiving here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We've traveled here to spend Thanksgiving with Isaiah's family; and hence, my family. There comes a time when your spouse's family becomes your own, and we have reached and passed that point now, which brings me much joy. Some signs of that point coming upon you may include members of the family starting to appreciate you as who you uniquely are as much as or more than your spouse at times, or perhaps you simply finding your niche in the family and/or those you tend to talk to during the yearly gatherings.  At this point, I'm always open to whatever conversations come my way, but there tend to be specific individuals here in this gloriously large family whom I naturally seek out, or who naturally seek me out. It's a beautiful thing to find your place, or rather, to feel the place you've always had more viscerally in a large family such as the Englishes. It's an interesting paradox, large families, since i...

Greetings friends! It's been some time since I posted a themed blog or a life update. It's high time we remedy that situation. Isaiah and I are currently residing in Coraopolis, PA--an area close to Pittsburgh (20 min. drive). Most of the smaller towns surrounding Pittsburgh are divided via bridges since this is a town of rivers (and steel!). We live in "Cory" (what the locals coin Coraopolis), but we go to church via a bridge since Grace OPC is in Sewickley, PA (9 min. drive), and on Fridays, I often head to Moon Township (one of the only areas I don't cross a bridge to access) to nanny for a wonderful kiddo named Asher. We've crossed some of the bridges leading into Pittsburgh, PA on a few trips there (places we've visited since moving include the Pittsburgh Zoo for a date, the downtown area to vote, a Chris Tomlin concert with our Pastor and First Lady, and the Strip District to have the most amazing cod and crab with Elder Karl and his daughter Bea). W...

Last Summer, I installed an app called Merlin at the influence of my Paw-Paw whom I had seen using it on his back porch at High Rock Lake in N.C. The app listens for bird calls in your immediate surroundings and identifies the birds around you by their calls. The app highlights each bird's name right when the chirp happens whilst adding it the list of your backyard symphony. After a while, as certain birds are highlighted right when they sing their tune, you start to learn the birds in your area via their chirps and music. This experience is quite lovely and immensely enjoyable.  Falling in love with this app right after I finished up another crazy school year got me thinking. I once read a book by Anne Lamott called Bird by Bird in a college writing class, and I remember being captured by her idea that writing is a step by step process (meaning crappy first drafts are part of the fare). You line up the writing "bird by bird" (hence her title), much like my Merlin app c...

When I was told I would be teaching 10th Grade English in a new way my second year at North Hills Christian School, I had no idea how much this would impact me then or now. The new plan, as advised by the intelligent and wise Mr. Matthew Weaver, was to only teach World Literature up until the Medieval Period so that the 10th and 11th grade years would better align with the History curriculum at the school. This meant that about half of my plan for World Literature in 10th grade would not longer be applicable, since it would now be divided into two years rather than one. So, I had a lot more intensive planning and reading to delve into to make the year into a complete and interesting exploration of all things English (including literature, grammar, vocabulary, and writing). And, at the time, the area of early World Literature was indeed my weakest area of knowledge as far as literature and thought were concerned. I had never been a philosopher or mythology girl by nature, and hence my l...