c h a r a c t e r

"Love seeks the happiness of the beloved, and shrinks from causing uneasiness to his friend by fretful or sullen tempers, jealousy or mistrust. Love seeks to be worthy of his friend; and as the goodness of his friend is his delight, so he will himself grow in goodness for the pleasure of his friend. Once more, Love desires to give and serve; the gifts and the service vary with the age and standing of the friends; the child will bring the gift of obedience, the parent may have to offer the service of rebuke, but the thought of service is always present to Love. "Love not in word, neither in tongue," says the Apostle, "but in deed and in truth"; that is, perhaps, "Do not rest content with the mere expression of love, whether in word or caress, but show your love in service and in confidence"; for the love that does not trust is either misplaced or unworthy. Love has other signs, no doubt, but these are true of all true love, whether between parent and child, friend and friend, married lovers, or between those who labour for the degraded and distressed and those for whom they labour. Let us notice the word degradation: it is literally to step from, to step down, and it is really a word of hope, for if it is possible to step down, it is also possible to step up again. All the great possibilities of Love are in every human heart, and to touch the spring, one must give Love." -Charlotte Mason

Although meant for older students, I am finding myself challenged and encouraged by Charlotte's character curriculum {Volume: 4 Ourselves} written to teach morals and self control. As the words leave the pages and swirl through my mind, I joyfully reflect upon my son's display of friendly love on one of our recent homeschool group's Nature Study days. Surely he has his moments of expressing, as mentioned above, fretful and sullen tempers. Undoubtedly, so do I. But, oh how good it is when love is chosen and to see it in action.

You can find Volume 4 HERE. Do take a moment to browse around and be blessed.