t h e m a y f i l e s is foremost a family blog, chronicling everyday life. Life including natural, healthy eating (with recipes thrown in at random), home educating (with ideas popping up sporadically), an attempt to homestead on .2 acres (with very meager yields), raising 3 of 4 children with a rare genetic disorder, and lots of highly personal family triumphs and failures. You may also find an eclectic array of musings on politics, exercise, sewing, emergency preparedness, backyard chickens, and religion. This blog isn't a campaign to glorify anyone or anything. Just simply a record.

12.17.2009

The Grumble Family: A Great Poem for Kids (And Adults!)

I happen to be teaching my girls a new poem this week called "The Grumble Family." As I was helping them understand the metaphors in the poem I started to realize I was being a bit of a grumbler myself.
That last post was quite grumbly. So I better take a piece of my own advice and "keep my feet from wandering into Grumble street...Lest I be mistaken for a Grumbler too!"

The Grumble Family

There is a family nobody likes to meet,
They live, it is said, on Complaining street
In the city of Never-Are-Satisfied
The River of Discontent beside.

The growl at that, and they growl at this;
Whatever comes, there is something amiss;
And whether their station be high or humble
They are known by the name of Grumble.

The weather is always too hot or too cold,
Summer and winter alike they scold;
Nothing goes right with the folks you meet
Down on the gloomy Complaining Street.

And the worst thing is that is anyone stays
Among them too long, he will learn their ways,
And before he dreams of the terrible jumble
He's adopted into the family of Grumble.

So it is wisest to keep our feet
From wandering into Grumbling Street
And never to growl whatever we do
Lest we be mistaken for Grumblers, too.

I don't know the author of this poem. It was taken (along with 95% of the other poems we learn) from a wonderful little "book" my sister gave me years ago. It was written by her brother-in-laws, wife's, mother. "Homemade Joy from the House of Jacob." This is an amazing mother LeDawn Jacob.

You have to be feeling secure to read it, because if you aren't it is easy to feel like you are living on Failure Street! I love her ideas about memorization, work and music. It is very inspirational.

Anyways...I will try to stop my grumbling. It is a gift to bring a child into the world. One never worthy of grumbling about. Too many people are denied this amazing gift. So please forgive the somewhat insensitive nature of my last post.

4 comments:

Jo Lynn said...

I love the poem and this was a great reminder of being grateful for all we have. All though I do not blame you the least bit to grumble, we all need to every once in a while and all that you said reminded me very much of the great sacrifice we make to bring our little ones into this world. Loved the last two posts. :)

Julie said...

And you probably already know that LaDawn Jacob is Terri and Mark Jacob's sister-in-law. Loved this book when my family was young.

Rebecca said...

That was so fun when I figured that out that relationship.

Andyd D said...

It was written by LM Montgomery in the early 1900's she was a great writer.