Book Recommendations, Homeschooling, Parenting

A Year Of Learning

September 5th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

With Miss Agnes the world got bigger and then it got smaller … she told us all the things that were bigger than us, the universe and all that, and then all the things that were smaller. Too small to even see.

Before Miss Agnes came, we didn’t know people like us could learn that much …

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

I was intrigued when I first saw The Year of Miss Agnes in a catalog. While I was on a library waiting list, a dear friend gifted me this book.

As I read about this Alaskan, one-room schoolhouse in 1948, I longed for a slower pace that allowed for more music, the wall map from my homeschooling years, and the timelines I never made.

I wasn’t alone. The villagers in the book get drawn into the learning adventure. One carries a timeline in his pocket. Another studies the class map. A few meet with Miss Agnes after hours to improve their reading. For me, it was a reminder to be a life-long learner.

I think I’ll work my world map puzzles.

PS There’s a sequel, Miss Agnes and the Ginger Tom.

God's Faithfulness

Thriving Where One Lands

August 29th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

This week, my husband sent me a snapdragon photo like the one below.

Where was this?

Obviously, the post was nearby but the rusted black didn’t match our wooden mailbox post or our white porch railing.

The answer was a surprise.

The snapdragon was too high to be placed without a ladder. How could an entire flower be blown by the wind?

Upon further examination, this flower was growing in soil. The post has been in place over twenty-five years. My husband believes leaves were trapped and decayed during that time.

An internet search revealed that snapdragon seeds are small and light enough to be caught by air currents and carried for short distances. Their size allows them to nest in small crevices, where they usually don’t have the right light and temperature to survive.

The Source: Snapdragons on my porch

This summer, my family experienced multiple storms and violent winds. We survived but so did a tiny seed that was tossed upward. The seed grew in unexpected and seemingly undesirable conditions.

The Word of God has been compared to a seed. It can also thrive in unexpected and seemingly undesirable conditions.

Parenting

Honoring Our Children’s Work

August 22nd, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

When I viewed the items below at the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery in Washington DC this week, I was more impressed with the preservation than the items.

Zephyr means light wind or west wind.

Who saved this boat made by a 12-year-old boy in 1835? The boy? His parents? Who was next? How many hands touched the boat during the past 191 years?

Girls practiced the stiches needed to make and mend clothes

Who saved these sewing samples made by a nine-year-old girl in 1882? The girl? Her parents? Who was next? How many hands touched the sewing samples during the past 144 years?

One son used soap cartons to make drawers for his brother. I kept it over 25 years before it became too worn.

The soap box mini dresser—made with care, love and creativity—is dear to my heart. I like to think that the objects at the Renwick’s State Fair Exhibition were saved for the same reason. The people who loaned the 1835 boat and the 1882 sewing samples to the Smithsonian never met their creators, but they honored family history, the children, and the people who loved them.

I wonder if the items’ stories were also passed down?

Decisions, God's Faithfulness

The Blessing of Showing Up

August 15th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

If you don’t go, you won’t have the story to tell.

The advice above resonated with me because I’m an introvert in a family of introverts. Not only do I have to convince myself to show up, but I have to convince others.

I’m usually glad when I go and regret the times I don’t, but one place I didn’t want to be brought a story I have told.

During August 2003, my mother was in intensive care. Hard, necessary decisions about her care had to be made. I didn’t want to be present at those conversations. I didn’t want others, known to be contentious and irrational, to be present either. Cowardly, I prayed that God would remove the situation. My back up prayer was that if I went, others wouldn’t. God said no to both.

I expected maturity from one relative and received more. He showed wisdom and backed it with Scripture. The usually difficult relatives were thoughtful and respected others’ opinions. My mother’s doctor gave a perspective I have thought about repeatedly and seen to be correct. The unexpected, sweet unity was a blessing that I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. A story worth showing up to receive.

Relationships

The Joy of Errands

August 8th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

When visiting friends … I always find it more interesting to run errands with them …

Melissa Kirsch, NY Times

Errands with friends is a new trend. It’s good to know I’m not weird. My favorite memories of friends and family include running errands.

My neighbor Mary and I made a Target run for a small bookcase. Over a decade later, I look at that bookcase and remember standing in the Target aisle and her reasons why white was a better choice than the teal I had my heart set on.

With Mary at a Christmas party

My friend Kathy and I walked miles together and shared many a meal. My fondest memory is a Costco run. We shared a basket. The clerk asked, “Are you friends?” We looked at each other and laughed.

The only thing I remember about Kim’s visit to Texas is our grocery trip. She marveled that I could drive a stick. She gave up.

When my son calls while he runs errands, I trace his route in my mind. When we visited him in Colorado Springs, I enjoyed accompanying him on errands more than visiting the Garden of the Gods.

Let’s run some errands together.