Burning, Fiery Passion

It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind.
~T.S. Eliot

#5- What are 5 things you are most passionate about?

1. Food. As silly as it seems, I love food. I love to eat. I love the comraderie that comes from sharing a meal. I love the preparation of a meal. I love watching people's faces as they try, and delight in, something I made for them.

2. Motherhood. As has been discussed many times in this blog, motherhood has not come easily to me. It is a challenge that I grab by the horns every day of my life. My feeling is, if I weren't passionate about it, I wouldn't be able to tackle it everyday. I love the Sharkbaby so deeply, so passionately, with a love that only a mother can understand. The passion for motherhood, for raising a child into a good adult, drives me.

3. Reading. Is it possible to be passionate about a passive activity? Yes. Yes, it is. Reading, knowledge, study, these are all important things to me. We read often in our house, both separately, and as a family. One of my favorite times of day is storytime during the bedtime routine with Sharky. I love that he will bring me books throughout the day, crawl into my lap, and read stories with me. I love that he reads stories with himself. There is a power in knowledge, and if that means that I read "Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom" a thousand times this year, so be it!

4. Family. I mentioned in a previous post that I love seeing my family succeed. If I lost everything in this world, I would still make it if I had my family by my side.

“The family is the corner stone of our society. More than any other force it shapes the attitude, the hopes, the ambitions, and the values of the child. And when the family collapses it is the children that are usually damaged. When it happens on a massive scale the community itself is crippled. So, unless we work to strengthen the family, to create conditions under which most parents will stay together, all the rest — schools, playgrounds, and public assitance, and private concern — will never be enough.”-Lyndon Baines Johnson

5. Education. Everything that is taught in the education system needs to be reiterated at home. Learning does not only happen in school. Our earliest learning comes from our parents. I was blessed to come from a home environment where education was not only encouraged, it was expected. After high school we would go to college. Period. End of story. Curious George, however, was not so blessed. Education was not a priority for anyone in his house. It didn't matter what sort of grades they brought home. There was no expectation of post-high school learning. What happened at school, stayed at school. I am incredibly passionate about learning in the home, and at school, working as a team with the educator to prepare my child for the best life they can possibly have. Will I have high standards set? Yes. My children will thank me some day, just like I thank my parents now.