Tidbit #6: A Tribute to My Parents

#1 · September 7, 2003, 8:18 am

Quote from Forum Archives on September 7, 2003, 8:18 am
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOPE CHEST HOME SCHOOL NEWS

with Virginia Knowles

Tidbit #6 on September 7, 2003

A Tribute to My Parents

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Hope Chest is a free e-mail newsletter with encouragement and practical teaching tips. The writer is Virginia Knowles, wife of Thad, mother of nine children, and author of Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade, and The Real Life Home School Mom.

Please note that my web site is moving this month! I will send you the new link when it is all set up! For now, the site is: http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html and the resource ordering page is: http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/resourceorders.html

Personal e-mail: [email protected]

Subscription: [email protected]

Unsubscription: [email protected]

(To change your address, unsubscribe from the old one, and subscribe from the new one. It will save me time if you do this with the automated list manager like this!)

A TRIBUTE TO MY PARENTS

Since today is my 40th birthday and my fathers 67th birthday, I thought it might be appropriate to offer this Hope Chest as a tribute to my parents, Phil and Mary Quarrier. They brought me into this world and didnt stop there! (Happy Birthday, Dad!)

Thirty years ago today, to celebrate our mutual birthday, our family took a day trip to nearby San Francisco (which just had an 4.1 earthquake on Thursday). We ate at The Good Earth in Chinatown, watched the mimes and participated in a "magic" show at the Cannery, and bought chocolate at Ghiradelli Square. (Yum!) I dont remember if we visited Fishermans Wharf, as we often did, but our trip that day was certainly typical of our family.

My parents loved to take us on cultural and educational excursions. Whether it was camping at Yosemite, a month-long bicentennial trip across the USA and Canada, a business trip to London, or just a concert in the park, we did it all. By the time I was 20 years old, I had not only lived in 7 states, I had visited 48 of them! (And several foreign countries, too.) Our hometown held just as many educational opportunities, especially since our TV "broke" mysteriously one day and wasnt replaced for 6 years. We were allowed to buy whatever we liked on our frequent trips to bookstores. No wonder we all LOVE to read! Music lessons were important to us, but I also remember classes in puppetry, drama, and oil painting. My brother John and sister Barbara often performed in high school musicals. Mom taught us how to garden; we even grew corn in our backyard one time! California poppies were my favorites. Mom was our Girl Scout leader for many years -- a true test of creativity and sheer grit, in my opinion.

My parents are also great examples of lifetime learning. While in his forties, my dad learned to speak Spanish fluently. He has dabbled in several other languages and taught English as a Second Language classes for Berlitz. A computer programmer since before I was born, he not only knows several computer languages, but he has taught college courses in them. He taught me how to program when I was 15, and this skill put me through college. I still call him whenever I have computer questions.

When I started college early at the age of 17, my mother signed up for one of my classes, Small Business Management, right along with me! It was so fun to be going to class with her and studying with each other. Using what she learned, she started her own janitorial business, and later on, a medical transcription business that she could do from home. Since my mom took up making stained glass about 20 years ago, she has graced our home with several beautiful pieces. She has also sung with the National Christian Choir for over ten years. And she continues to garden! (I unfortunately have a totally "black thumb" despite my early training.)

I know many parents would have a conniption if their children decided to have nine children, but mine have taken it in stride and love each of my children as if they were the only one. They have also enthusiastically supported of our familys home schooling adventure by providing educational materials and taking our children on extended field trips. (My mother also helps home school my nieces and nephew a few afternoons each week.) When I was writing the books over the past several years, they were always encouraging. Its nice to know that they are my cheerleaders in whatever crazy things I think to do!

I could share many more special things about my parents, but this is supposed to be a tidbit and not a novel! I decided to just concentrate on the educational end of life.

Dad and Mom, I love you and respect you a lot! Hey, do you want to move to Florida any time soon? I miss you!

Well, dear Hope Chest friends, I hope this is an encouragement to make a difference in the lives of your children while you still have them at home, and then continue your influence to the next generation!

In His Sovereign Grace,

Virginia Knowles

www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html

Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOPE CHEST HOME SCHOOL NEWS

with Virginia Knowles

Tidbit #6 on September 7, 2003

A Tribute to My Parents

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Hope Chest is a free e-mail newsletter with encouragement and practical teaching tips. The writer is Virginia Knowles, wife of Thad, mother of nine children, and author of Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade, and The Real Life Home School Mom.

Please note that my web site is moving this month! I will send you the new link when it is all set up! For now, the site is: http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html and the resource ordering page is: http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/resourceorders.html

Personal e-mail: [email protected]

Subscription: [email protected]

Unsubscription: [email protected]

(To change your address, unsubscribe from the old one, and subscribe from the new one. It will save me time if you do this with the automated list manager like this!)

A TRIBUTE TO MY PARENTS

Since today is my 40th birthday and my fathers 67th birthday, I thought it might be appropriate to offer this Hope Chest as a tribute to my parents, Phil and Mary Quarrier. They brought me into this world and didnt stop there! (Happy Birthday, Dad!)

Thirty years ago today, to celebrate our mutual birthday, our family took a day trip to nearby San Francisco (which just had an 4.1 earthquake on Thursday). We ate at The Good Earth in Chinatown, watched the mimes and participated in a "magic" show at the Cannery, and bought chocolate at Ghiradelli Square. (Yum!) I dont remember if we visited Fishermans Wharf, as we often did, but our trip that day was certainly typical of our family.

My parents loved to take us on cultural and educational excursions. Whether it was camping at Yosemite, a month-long bicentennial trip across the USA and Canada, a business trip to London, or just a concert in the park, we did it all. By the time I was 20 years old, I had not only lived in 7 states, I had visited 48 of them! (And several foreign countries, too.) Our hometown held just as many educational opportunities, especially since our TV "broke" mysteriously one day and wasnt replaced for 6 years. We were allowed to buy whatever we liked on our frequent trips to bookstores. No wonder we all LOVE to read! Music lessons were important to us, but I also remember classes in puppetry, drama, and oil painting. My brother John and sister Barbara often performed in high school musicals. Mom taught us how to garden; we even grew corn in our backyard one time! California poppies were my favorites. Mom was our Girl Scout leader for many years -- a true test of creativity and sheer grit, in my opinion.

My parents are also great examples of lifetime learning. While in his forties, my dad learned to speak Spanish fluently. He has dabbled in several other languages and taught English as a Second Language classes for Berlitz. A computer programmer since before I was born, he not only knows several computer languages, but he has taught college courses in them. He taught me how to program when I was 15, and this skill put me through college. I still call him whenever I have computer questions.

When I started college early at the age of 17, my mother signed up for one of my classes, Small Business Management, right along with me! It was so fun to be going to class with her and studying with each other. Using what she learned, she started her own janitorial business, and later on, a medical transcription business that she could do from home. Since my mom took up making stained glass about 20 years ago, she has graced our home with several beautiful pieces. She has also sung with the National Christian Choir for over ten years. And she continues to garden! (I unfortunately have a totally "black thumb" despite my early training.)

I know many parents would have a conniption if their children decided to have nine children, but mine have taken it in stride and love each of my children as if they were the only one. They have also enthusiastically supported of our familys home schooling adventure by providing educational materials and taking our children on extended field trips. (My mother also helps home school my nieces and nephew a few afternoons each week.) When I was writing the books over the past several years, they were always encouraging. Its nice to know that they are my cheerleaders in whatever crazy things I think to do!

I could share many more special things about my parents, but this is supposed to be a tidbit and not a novel! I decided to just concentrate on the educational end of life.

Dad and Mom, I love you and respect you a lot! Hey, do you want to move to Florida any time soon? I miss you!

Well, dear Hope Chest friends, I hope this is an encouragement to make a difference in the lives of your children while you still have them at home, and then continue your influence to the next generation!

In His Sovereign Grace,

Virginia Knowles

http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html