Carry On!

One of my favorite children's books and there are many, is
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. I just love it!

Here are a few of the things I love:

It is based on Nathaniel Bowditch's actual life

It gives us a wonderful example of what a determined individual can accomplish

It mentions that young men should always protect women and children

It is inspiring and fun to read

As a home school mom, I loved reading to my kids about a boy who got so excited about a subject that he studied everything there was to study on it and filled a notebook with what he had learned. He did this about every topic that interested him.

(that's homeschooling at its best right there!)

He eventually became the brightest mathematician in the country. He also taught himself whatever language he decided he needed to know using a grammar book, a New Testament and a dictionary in that language. (by the end of his life, he'd learned about 2 dozen)

We also loved that he had a heart to teach even the most uneducated men on a crew, navigation in a way that they could understand. His lessons to those men eventually evolved into his book.

The part that touched our hearts the most was that when people told him that his life was 'becalmed' because of his circumstances, he decided to live above the circumstances and 'sail by ash breeze.' (in other words when you are stuck, start rowing and make things happen!)

He never made excuses for his lot in life, he just worked very hard at everything he put his mind to. He preserved.

All the talk about 'taking a lunar' had my kiddos getting the telescope out of the attic recently to look at the moon. : )

We enjoyed checking out Nathaniel Bowditch's book American Practical Navigator from the library. It is HUGE! No wonder he worked on it for so long! All the sailors of America and the world must have been so thankful that he carried on! : )

~Becky