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Hickem, Catherine. (2012). Heaven in Her Arms: Why God Chose Mary to Raise His Son and What It Means for You. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-1-4002-0036-8.

What do we know of Mary?

 What we know of Mary’s family is that she is of the house of David; it is from her lineage Jesus fulfilled the prophecy. Given the archeological ruins of the various places thought to have been living quarters for their family, it is likely the home was a room out from which sleeping quarters (cells) branched. As Mary and her mother Anne would be busy maintaining the household, with young Mary working at her mother’s command, it is likely Anne would be nearby or in the same room during the Annunciation. Thus Mary would not have had a scandalous secret to later share with her parents but, rather, a miraculous supernatural experience, the salvific meaning of which her Holy parents would understand and possibly even witnessed.

 Mary and Joseph were betrothed, not engaged. They were already married, likely in the form of a marriage contract, but the marriage had not yet been “consummated”. This is why he was going to divorce her when he learned of the pregnancy. If it were a mere engagement, he would have broken it off without too much scandal.

 Married but not yet joined with her husband, her mother would prepare her by teaching her all that she needed to know. This is further reason to assume that Mary would be working diligently under her mother’s eye when the Annunciation took place.

 We know that her cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy was kept in secret for five months, and not made known until the sixth month when the Angel Gabriel proclaimed it to Mary. We know Mary then rushed to be at her elderly cousin’s side for three months (the remaining duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy), and that this rushing appeared to be in response to Elizabeth’s pregnancy (to congratulate her), not an attempt to hide Mary’s pregnancy. Note how all of this is connected to Elizabeth’s pregnancy rather than Mary’s circumstances. As Mary was married to Joseph, he likely would have been informed of the trip. Had the intent been to hide Mary, she would have remained with Elizabeth until Jesus was born, not returned to her family after the first trimester, which is just about the time that her pregnancy was visible and obvious.

 So we these misconceptions clarified, we can put Mary’s example within an even deeper context and more fully relate to her experience. We can imagine living in a faith-filled family who raises their child in strict accordance of God’s word. The extended family members may not understand, and certainly their community will not, so Mary, Anne and Joachim, and Joseph face extreme scandal as well as possible action from Jewish authorities. But they faced this together steep in conversation with God, providing a model for today’s family.

 Although sometimes scriptural interpretations are flavored with modern-day eye, overall this book will be more than just a quick read for a young mother (or new bride, or teen aspiring to overcome the challenges of American culture, or single parent losing her mind). It is a heartwarming reflection with many examples that open up conversation with God. As an experienced psychotherapist, the author’s examples are spot on and easy to relate to. We do not need to have had the same experiences to empathize, reflect, and pursue meaning; we see it around us in everyday life. As such, a reflective look upon these examples can help one overcome an impasse in their own relationship with God and also open the reader up to self-knowledge as Hi

     Most parents notice the talents of their children early on, whether it’s a child who is athletic, artistic or an early reader. But what do teachers look for when they formally identify students as “gifted”?
     As your child moves through school, teachers begin selecting students who have the potential or ability to be included in a gifted program. In addition to teachers’ observations, identification is also based on:

•  Group or individual intelligence tests (IQ tests given in 3^rdand 5^thgrades. OLSATs are given in Illinois’ public schools)
•  Standard achievement tests (In Illinois, these are the ISATs)
•  Grades
•  Parent observations

    Below are some of the most commonly used IQ score categories. NOTE: There are different versions of this breakdown, so you need to find out where the cut-off is for your school’s program, according to the Judy Galbraith, author of “You Know Your Child is Gifted When…”.

• 180   Profoundly gifted (about 1 in 1,000,000)
• 160   Exceptionally gifted (about 1 in 100,000)
• 145   Highly gifted (about 1 in 1,000)
• 130   Gifted
• 115   Bright
• 100   Upper normal
• 85     Lower normal

      What’s important to remember is that your child is so much more than a number, said Joy Bell, a gifted education teacher in Illinois. The intelligence tests identify students who bubble out from the mainstream as having a higher ability in learning. Bell said she is looking for students who not only score high, but are great at abstract thinking, an ability that separates bright students from gifted students.

    “It is in the thinking. Gifted students are great abstract thinkers,” Bell said. “It’s not about, gee, this student did well on the tests because their parents prepared them. Those students will struggle too much in a gifted classroom and could lose their self-esteem.”

  Abstract thinking is a concept often compared to concrete thinking, in which thinking is limited to what’s in front of the face, and the here and now.   In contrast, the abstract thinker can conceptualize or generalize, understanding that each concept can have multiple meanings. Such thinkers might see patterns beyond the obvious and be able to use patterns or a variety of concrete ideas or clues to solve larger problems.

    Bell said she also looks for:

• How quickly students learn. A gifted students needs between 1 and 4 repetitions. An average student needs between 6 and 12. If you have to drill a child to learn something, it takes the fun out of learning.
• Students who are so thoughtful about what is being taught that they jump 2 or 3 steps ahead of the teacher.
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