Mary | Rajdeep Paulus

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I’m starting to think meaningful story times with the girls is one of Hubby’s new year’s resolutions. He’s been reading more to them. Which to me reminds me of my teaching days when I had the kids make reading circles and discuss a chapter from a novel. Fun to the fun for this writer/reader lover. I just don’t know that Hubs planned for the interesting insights and discussions that have risen from our first two couch times. But then again, when you have a room full of tweeny-bopper girls and you throw in a precocious five-year old, you have to sort of expect the unexpected.I invite you to be a fly on the wall of our living room Christmas morning [Think good-looking, non-bugging type of fly…and read on.] 🙂

Hubs: “So we’re going to read a little of the Christmas story before we open presents.”

Three older girls: “Okay Daddy.”

Sarah *the five-year old: “But, but, but… okay.”

Hubs reads the first few lines of Mary’s story from the book of Luke, when an angel comes to her and tells her she’s having a baby. And Joseph takes her to Bethlehem and there was no room in the Inn. Most of you have heard this classic take of the birth of Jesus, so I won’t rehash all the details.

Then Hubs says, “Do any of you have any questions?”

Third Princess: “I just have one: What does the word, ‘union’ mean Daddy, because you read a part that said, ‘Joseph did not have union with Mary,’ or something like that.”

Hubs and I exchange glances. Neither of us expected Christmas morn to turn into a birds and bees conversation. Whatcha gonna do? Continue reading →

Student working on laptop

Fell asleep in my jeans last night. Came home after piano lessons, basketball practice and jazz class. Hit the books after scarfing down some leftover lasagna. By the time I covered all my reading, pumped out a lab write-up, and conjugated three pages of Spanish verbs, math became one big blur of numbers. Hopefully, they all found their homes in the right spots and my Algebra teacher will lay off on the eyebrow-raised, head-shaking, “Mary, did you know…” because I do know that x + 7 = y + 17 does not make x and y equal to zero. Every time. Just when the one is dropped.

And I’ve been dropping the ball in math class. But I promise to pick it up and shoot up a three percentage point increase on my report card so Mom and Dad won’t make me do times tables every weekend. They still think that if I just master the 13’s, math will no longer be a struggle for me. I told them, “I just have a feeling, not everything in life adds up. Like most people expect it to. That’s why math and I don’t get along.”

“Do you homework, Mary.” Dad’s response no matter what I say. Continue reading →