The hot pavement is an eternal distance under my feet.
The sky is an infinite more.
My mind wanders as if it is approaching a black hole.
Flute, Drums, Bass, and Guitar are playing a melody in my ears.
Behind me is darkness. In front of me there is light.
The heat waves distort the horizon the icy wind blows behind me.
I’m standing there absorbing it all.
My heart tells me one thing my mind another.
The sound of a dog barking is in the air.
A cat is sleeping on the porch of a nearby house.

Dear Homeschooling Friends,

Ah, the thoughts and sensations I would like to convey to you and to myself through words both glancing and sound! How I store them up from one day to the next in half formed sentences, each trembling for completion – each waiting to be sown in some sunlit or snowy field of real things and budding life....

Since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, the words 'God Bless America' and 'America will never be the same' have echoed and re-echoed in our ears a million times, in prayers, in songs, in inspirational comments. But stop for a minute and think of how hypocritical these words are.

Sitting on the makeshift tarmac, Derrick Schmidt ate his prepackaged meal in silence while surveying the scenery around him. Despite the staleness and bland taste of the bread, the geologist ignored the poor food quality. To him, the new lands-unexplored and untainted by humans-needed his complete attention. His swarthy complexion and unbleached hair made obvious his outdoors career, but Schmidt still shaded his eyes from the blinding light of the mid-afternoon sun.

What should I write about?
Is there something wrong with me today? Nothing seems to stick to my brain. I’m just dry.

Two great literary works of the twentieth century, Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia, captivate the imaginations of children long after their authors have deceased. Tales of magic, both good and evil, dwarves and elves, power and battles make these series popular. J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings has sold in excess of 100 million copies in twenty-five languages. For fifty years, C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia captured the hearts of millions of children and adults alike. Movies for both series have played in theaters or will play on movie screens in the near future.

Rain from the previous night had washed into Asbury Street that morning and formed puddles that wicked up the hem of little Tim's luxurious red velvet robe, chilling his skinny legs to the bone as he walked. Prestigious heirs to the throne of England should not walk down gutters, but Tim did not care; he had become too angry at his father to give a rip. He flashed a mean and venomous sneer at an old beggar man as he passed. "Get out of my way old man, unless you intend to be beaten!" Tim squawked.

Last night I found myself reading and reading in bed while the sounds of my family rolled up the wood staircase and into my room. The water faucet in the kitchen, the clip-clop of my little sister's "ruby slippers," a piano key being played, and the voice of my father saying the goodnight prayer. But I hardly noticed the noises or the minutes slipping by then. Only now, looking back and creating a picture of myself in my mind, do those details come into view. Strange how that works.

Ere Time begun, You were.
You made the Heavens and the Earth;
At the beginning of what we know Time to be.

Ere we begun, You were.
You knew us before did the world;
In the space before we came to be who we are.

Ere morning comes, You are. Within the fading moon and stars;
whispering in the still, breathing soft o'er the hill.

Ere flower blooms, You are.
Designing a most glorious garb;
and drawing out, from the depths, a new miracle.

For nearly three decades of film making John Williams has fashioned a landmark for himself in composing film scores. His use of a symphony and how he contrives to place the viewer in the midst of the film's plot involves amazing talent in communication skills. In other words, when Williams creates the musical score for a film, the viewer feels that he rides with Han Solo aboard the Millennium Falcon. Williams succeeds in enticing the viewer through majestic, musical descriptions of the film's setting.