Treasure Hunt

How can it be, that after years of searching you can find the item you have looked for relatively easily--once the correct clues have been discovered and tried? I can only attribute it to knowing that "in the fullness of time" the hidden will be revealed!
If you thought I was weird up until now you will be sure when I tell this story:
When I was in elementary school our school library had a couple of "horse" books I checked out over and over. I loved the illustrations! I never remembered the name of the books, nor the authors, but I remembered the pictures, the subjects, and the story lines.
Try finding that on Google!
I tried. No luck.
I peruse used bookstores whenever I get the chance, and for years I have searched for these two books, knowing that when I saw them I'd KNOW them, and my quest would be complete.
Each year, at the MACHE home school conference I attend, I search diligently among the stacks of used books brought by the various sellers, chatting about the stories, getting thoughtful responses. Each year I have had no success. This year was no different, but I came home with all sorts of wonderful "finds" anyway! Looking for something specific always reveals other treasures.
I did get a clue about my treasure hunt this year. I went home and thought, let's try this one on Google. Up came ANOTHER clue! Several tries later I had my prize!
The book is "Little Owl Indian" by Hetty Burlingame Beatty, published in 1951. What a beauty! The quest is over! The picture I found on Ebay was of the cover I remembered as a child!
Oh the joys of the internet!
The other book I loved and found was "Ponies of Mykillengi" by Lonzo Anderson. I had remembered only the subject: Icelandic ponies, and this time (why this time?) I keyed in the right combo to reveal the exact book! Someone on a blog about children's books had loved this story too.
Now I'll return to my favorite book sellers, perhaps next year, or any used book sale, armed with pertinent information, and the funny looks will cease! Perhaps I can find them for a reasonable price too!
The home school conference was in Duluth, and the weather was frightful! Glad we had a warm hotel and a cozy convention center for the conference! I've never seen waves crash in from Lake Superior like that. The spray hit the hotel and covered the lake walk. Had anyone been close to the shore he or she would have been swept away. Freighters anchored out in the bay, unable to make a landing in the harbor. It was an experience.
Each year that I go this conference I am encouraged. I know that home schooling is right for our family and I get the "shot" in the arm needed to bolster my resolve to see this whole adventure through.
I love being with people who think hard about life and how the world should be. It's inspiring to share a faith in Christ (however diverse in interpretation) and a similar worldview. I am encouraged with the evidence of success in the lives of people who continue to walk this counter-cultural path. Perhaps we are the "hippies" of this age (sans the long hair and wild clothes!)
It was nice to get away for a weekend, too. We drove across the state to my son's college the day after the conference. His choir was performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony oratorio, and we got to be there. Lovely! Our state is still covered with snow "up north" and the swans, loons, and ducks were standing on the edges of the lake ice, longing to get on with spring activity! I couldn't help feel badly for them!
I am SO glad to see the loons are back. I confess to being anxious about how the Gulf of Mexico oil spill would affect our wintering loons. Seems to have had no major effect on them yet. I am thankful.
I'm still processing all the information I gleaned over the weekend. Did I have a day to catch my breath at home afterward? No chance. I'm back in the activity swirl that exists in any family like ours. Snow tonight? Perhaps. It's Passover, and tomorrow we want to do our own version to celebrate. Holy Week is meaningful to me, and I want to commemorate this one and how the Lord has worked in my life this year. I'm not talking Easter Baskets, either.
If I don't get back to post before the weekend I'd like to say, "He is Risen!"
He is risen indeed!