Charlottes Web

We finished the book. We read it as a family. The movie has come to the dollar theatre here in town and we are going to go see it. I have decided that if a book becomes a movie we must first read the book.
I cried. I have read the book before, I have seen the cartoon movie that was made in the early 90's But for some reason I was touched by the sadness of the idea that this great character, Charlotte, dies, alone, in unfamiliar surroundings and is cleaned up with the ferris wheel and garbage of the county fair. It was very moving. My 8 year old daughter cried as well. I asked my 8 year old daughter "What can Charlotte teach us about being a friend?" She said "that we should die for our friends", Charlotte didn't die for Wilbur, but she was loyal. She sacrificed, but it was the circle of life that took Charlotte. She laid her eggs like good spiders do. It created a superb conversation.
We are inspired now to study spiders. We will probably start tomorrow by going to the library to get some books. At least I am inspired, and I will teach them what is mine.
I obtained a copy of the Thomas Jefferson Home Companion, by the Demilles, and Dianne Jeppson. I like the idea of it but I am finding it hard to read it and still feel confident. There are many many great ideas in it. I was warned though to keep in mind that it is the Jeppson plan, and therefore it is hers. I still need to make my plan mine. I can take good ideas from her book but use them and my ideas and come up with the plan for my family. But, WOW, do I feel inadequate. Dr.Demille then wrote an article on is GWC website

http://www.gwc.edu/pdf/statesman_10_12.pdf

I hope the link works.
It explains a few things and takes some of the pressure off. But also The Demille plan is not my plan. One of the great things this has inspired in me is to get a plan. I hosted a Face to Face with Greatness this past month and was truly inspired to want to do better and be better. Along with this book and the 55 ingredients
by Rachel Demille, I have created a very very rough draft of what could some day be a plan. It is in its very humble beginning stage. The incredibly sad part is we have been working at this for almost 2 years now and I finally realize the importance of a plan. Its pretty funny. But time is my best friend, and when I watch my daughters reading independly, and write all kinds of stories, and make up their own service projects I realize I am doing something right. I am on the right track. Even if it did take 2 years to get an inkling of an idea of how this whole thing works.
I guess Charlotte had to spend a lot of time upside down to get an plan on how to save Wilbur. Maybe that's where I went wrong. I need to spend more time on my head.
To watch my children connect things and make epiphanies of there own, I tremble with Joy.