Ginny’s Gems

by John Clark | Alright, homeschool Dads. Your wife is reaching the end of another academic year. She has endured arguments from the teenagers about book reports for Goodbye, Mr. Chips. She has sharpened dozens of number 2 pencils.

In the teaching of the Church, there are only three original societies or communities on Earth: the family, the Church, and the state. … According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in love, and in the gift of life."

by Charles Asper | All 19 years of my classroom education took place in public institutions. My father (a son of a Lutheran missionary and minister) was a public school teacher. I even had him as my Algebra, Trigonometry and Geometry teacher in High School (not quite homeschooling, but I really enjoyed him as a teacher).

by Dave Armstrong | Our Protestant friends in Christ often challenge us to find “proofs” of our doctrines in the Bible. When it comes to the doctrine of the Assumption, almost all of them think or say: “there is nothing whatever in the Bible about that!”

by Mary Kay Clark | St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, is considered by the Church to be a patron saint for mothers, and is honored by the Church with her feast day on May 4th. Monica was born in 332—only 300 years after the crucifixion of Jesus—in Tagaste, currently Algeria, in North Africa.

by Liz Beller | The past few months have put a little strain on our wallets… due to that finally, a year and a half after our wedding, my husband and I are beginning to budget. I know, we probably should have started sooner, but getting over the initial hurdles of settling into an apartment, figuring out monthly bills, oh yeah, and having a baby, pushed budgeting to the back burner.

by Emily Molitor | Our days are eternal. Yes, you and I will live forever in heaven, but have we ever reflected upon the fact that not only are our heavenly days eternal, but that the moments we are living here and now will live forever in the mind of God, and therefore live on in eternity?

by John Clark | Why don’t more people write moving pieces? I think that one of the answers is that it’s risky. When you leave a part of yourself on the page, and someone doesn’t like it, it is hard to accept that fact—when people don’t like your work, you sometimes feel like they don’t like you. That can be a bitter pill to swallow.

by Mary Lou Warren | All my life, I thought the ability to multitask was a positive and desirable “talent” to acquire. It seemed a great way to accomplish numerous tasks in a short period of time. Intellectually I reasoned that with all the many technological innovations at hand, life should become simpler.

As pro-life Catholics, Barth and Abbie Bracy don’t want to pay for health insurance that covers elective abortion, but under the Affordable Care Act, they don’t have much choice. The Bracys’ health-insurance plan is set to expire in November, and all policies currently offered by Access Health CT, Connecticut’s health care exchange, include coverage for elective abortions.

Being organized often seems impossible, & moms ask “Why try again?” Here are 3 simple themes broken into 13 easy tips to give you fresh hope and order!

by Dave Armstrong | One of the most fascinating of Luther's beliefs has to do with the question of Mary's Immaculate Conception (her being preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception). Luther had a rather “high” Mariology in many respects.

by Ken Clark | Back in the golden age of Hollywood, major studios made religious movies that actually praised God and religion. Charleton Heston alone seems to have played most of the Apostles and Prophets. Who can forget his roles as Moses in The Ten Commandments or John the Baptist in The Greatest Story Ever Told, two excellent religious movies.

Jim Morlino from Navis Pictures, Director of EWTN favorites 'The War of the Vendee' and 'St Bernadette of Lourdes', is helming a new film to be completed by December 2014. "The Sanctuary" is an exciting and poignant, feature-length drama set in 1949 about a group of plucky children who escape the "confines" of their orphanage - only to find themselves lost in a forest of confusion and unrest.

by Abby Sasscer | The biggest change in our family this year is that Baby girl decided that she was ready to sleep in the “big” girls’ room with her sister. My heart is aching from this inevitable change and I’m still not used to seeing all this empty space at the foot of our bed. Sniff...sniff…..

As a homeschooling Mom and a Theology student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, learning new theology lessons is a daily occurence. What is amazing to me is that it is ...

Kids Corner | Download this ‘Glory of Easter’ Crossword! A fun activity to challenge your knowledge of facts and trivia. For all ages! Answer these questions: 1) The Feast of St. Joseph the ___ is celebrated on May 1st. 2) He was bishop of Alexandria in the 4th century; his feast is May 2nd.

by John Clark | In the homeschool world, articles abound about how to teach our children to write well. They tend to cover areas such as how to outline, how to write a strong thesis statement, and so forth. These articles are certainly necessary, but as we teach our children composition, we need to remember another aspect of good writing.

by Pope Francis | The transmission of the faith not only brings light to men and women in every place; it travels through time, passing from one generation to another. Because faith is born of an encounter which takes place in history and lights up our journey through time, it must be passed on in every age.

Some of the best adventures for family field trips are the Catholic shrines located all around the country. These shrines are sometimes tucked into the smallest slivers of land in the middle of cities, surrounded on all sides by soaring skyscrapers. Sometimes they are just off the main highway and millions pass by unknowing each day. And sometimes they are so far down abandoned and forgotten roads that having but a quarter tank of gas seems a potential hazard.