Such personal stories show surprising kinship to Jerome (a.d. 340-420) who so believed in the nourishing power of the Psalms, he advised mothers to learn Hebrew and teach the Psalms to their young children so together they could sing every Psalm in its original language. Such advice, coming from a world-class linguist, might appear overzealous to parents of energetic children. But generations later, this young Californian understood his purpose.  In the crammed and daily routine of a young mother she found the Psalms to be prized companions, words that invited her home, to belong to a family she barely knew she had.