Most Important

Reminder to self:

“…Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42

I love homeschooling. It has worked well for our family, which is why we have stuck with it for so long.

When I count all of the hours we’d be in the car, running here and there, doing homework, etc. I think parents who have their kids in traditional school probably spend as much, or close to as much time, as I do, on school! Not to mention, some (probable) stranger would get the honor of spending all of that time with my kids -- and I’d miss out.

But this school year, and the prep leading up to it, this “seasoned” homeschool mom has been befuddled and bewildered.

Reevaluating.

Having to choose.

Too many choices.

Indecision.

Confusion.

Paralyzed at times.

What has always worked before isn’t working for us this year. I have had to make changes. And I really like the comfort of the “same-old, same-old”, so it is sort of hard.

I have four school or pre-school aged children at home this year -- from a highly intelligent and stereotypical Boy With A Curl In The Middle Of His Forehead who needs alot from ME, to a high-school young man who learns differently than his brothers before him, with two in between who cross over each other in some subjects, but have different learning styles and needs.

I finally realized that I needed to let go of a curriculum we really, really like, at least for awhile, and simplify. It was a huge blessing when my kids were closer in levels, and I could do it with multiple ages and levels at once. But things are different now and I need to be flexible. I am still sort of saying “boo-hoo”, but it is getting easier as I see how much sense all of the new things are making.

I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel, finally embracing the hints I’ve been seeing for months now. And I think I am going to rejoice at the “in with the new” as soon as it is all in place and running smoothly. Because it will fit. It will align with what I see as a desired end result, and peace will reign. In my heart anyway – probably not in this house full of jokesters and gymnasts doing parkour!

Back to the Basics:

“Every day, every hour, the parents are either passively or actively forming those habits in their children upon which, more than upon anything else, future character and conduct depend.”

~ Charlotte Mason

I look forward to the next couple weeks of establishing

and settling into our new routine!

Whimsy On Wednesday: Hidden Treasure

"A bird's not defined by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image." ~W. Young

The whimsy I have had on my mind the last couple of days is the little piece of “dog”wood above. My grandpa found it once, long ago. I think it was in his kindling pile. He polished it, gave it a coat of veneer and put a little hook in it so he could hang it on their wall.

Since he passed, I have had it on my wall. It is funny how something so simple and sort of silly can make me think of deeper things.





I love it when people see things with rose colored glasses. Glass half full types, who have a tendency to look on the bright side. People who see the best in others, and the sweetness in life. Bright eyed optimists who see hidden treasure.
My grandpa did that, even with everyday things like the piece of “dog”wood. My grandma is that way, especially about people. 

I think God is that way too, when He thinks about us.

I am reminded of the quote above (below the picture) which I once read in a book I tried more than four times to finish but never did. It reminds me that it is okay to be on the path I am walking right now -- the beaten zigzag of learning and making mistakes and not being who I was created to be on a given day.
Because walking this path, as confused as I sometimes find myself, and how, so many times, I am just bumbling through like a bull in a china closet, it is all part of becoming ‘enlightened’ to who I truly am, causing me to grow into who I was created to be. And, more importantly, to really know Who God is and what He planned for me to do here (Ephesians 1:17-18).
I am still learning. And that’s okay. God sees me as that girl. Already, today.



I hope that, today, you can find something sweet and unexpected, some whimsy in an everyday thing, reminding you that you are a work in progress...

And you are beautiful.

Oh and look, by way of a foggy follow-up, here’s another reminder… I’d love it if you gave this song a listen while you look at the pictures below. Beautiful, sung acapella by Rescue. Fog keeps us from seeing what is underneath. But it still looks really beautiful.

This fog dissipated in a matter of a few minutes, while I got my coffee.

And I could again see the fertile valley below.

I've Got To Talk To Somebody, God

On my recent trip to visit my Grandma, she gave me a few old books she was finished with. In her condo, much smaller than the house she lived in while I was growing up, her bookshelves are full to overflowing. And I love old books. Okay, I love books, period. But old books are something special, especially if they once belonged to my Grandma.

These days, I don't have much time to read long books. On the days I do, just about every attempt leads to sleep. I am a pretty energetic person. But when I sit still my body thinks it must be time to sleep. So I find myself reading books that are short, magazine articles, etc. And blogs. Of course blogs.

One of the books Grandma gave me is a normal sized chapter book. But within each chapter is a series of prayers. I have a similar one by Elisabeth Elliot that I love. This one is written by Marjorie Holmes and is called I've Got To Talk To Someone, God -- A Woman's Conversations With God, published in 1968. I love the conversational style in which she writes. And the authenticity I hear through what she writes.

How much of this prayer rings true for you? What parts? I love that she is just so real. And I love that the Lord is just so always there.



"I've got to talk to somebody, God.

I'm worried, I'm unhappy. I feel inadequate so often, hopeless, defeated, afraid.

Or again I'm so filled with delight I want to run into the streets proclaiming, 'Stop, world, listen! Hear this wonderful thing'.

But nobody pauses to listen, out there or here -- here in the very house where I live. Even those closest to me are so busy, so absorbed in their own concerns.

They nod and murmur and I make an effort to share it, but they can't; I know they can't before I begin.



There are all these walls between us - husband and wife, parent and child, neighbor and neighbor, friend and friend.

Walls of self. Walls of silence. Even walls of words.

For even when we try to talk to each other new walls begin to rise. We camouflage, we hold back, we make ourselves sound better than we really are. Or we are shocked and hurt by what is revealed. Or we sit privately in judgment, criticizing even when we pretend to agree.



But with you, Lord, there are no walls.

You, who made me, know my deepest emotions, my most secret thoughts. You know the good of me and the bad of me, you already understand.

Why, then, do I turn to you?

Because as I talk to you my disappointments are eased, my joys are enhanced. I find solutions to my problems, or the strength to endure what I must.

From your perfect understanding I receive understanding for my own life's needs.

Thank you that I can always turn to you. I've got to talk to somebody, God."




I pray you can turn to Him today, to share whatever it is that is on your heart. Me too:)

Let's Talk About Grief: Anniversaries Can Be Hard

One year, ten years -- it doesn't matter how long. Once a loved one is gone, they are always gone. And their memory is a part of who we are. So anniversaries are often hard. It can be the anniversary of a birthday, a wedding anniversary, the anniversary of a special time spent together ... or the anniversary of their death. That is why I write today.

Seven Years. I don't think any American hears the numbers 911 or 9-11 without remembering. And when we remember those who died, in sympathy we think of those who knew them. Those who walked along beside them and were witnesses to their lives. Those who loved them and were loved by them. And our hearts are squeezed anew with sadness.

I think of so many others who are suffering on this day because of the war that ensued. Lives have been valiantly given. Many people have paid the price, either by giving their life or by the loss of a loved one who courageously paid that price.

And I think of people who have recently lost loved ones and grief is fresh. A sweet young mother in our church died unexpectedly this week. She has a husband and an 8 year old daughter. Heartbreaking. Heart rending. Raw grief.

There are those of us who are further along in grief, yet still have aching hearts, and who yearn for that someone who is not here. Every day can bring memories, every year more anniversaries. Once you have grieved, truly grieved, you are never the same.

This is the human condition, yet not a condition we were created for. I don't personally believe death is natural. That is why we struggle with it so. We were not created unto death, but unto life. And one day there will be no more death. No more death of our bodies and no more death of hopes and dreams and expectations.

For each of these griefs we can turn to the Bible for comfort. There is so much there that sustains. When we lost our baby boy in 1998 I turned to it often. I was so grateful for the passages I had "hidden in my heart". And I read alot of books whose authors pointed me toward that Source, and who made so many of the words and concepts more understandable.

"Here we will attempt to show that God is dependable in grief always - no matter what causes it - and that once we accept the loss there is a chance for participation in healing for the stricken person left behind.

Are you rebelling already at that word accept? To accept the irrevocable fact that a loved one is gone, whether by natural death, desertion, divorce, suicide, or accident is the first necessity. But in the early hours of our journey through any darkness,true acceptance is often impossible. You will say "You don't need to remind me that my loved one is gone. It hurts to breathe." But true acceptance does not stop with mere acknowledgment of the fact. True acceptance, when one is counting on God's redemption of grief, includes our agreement to join God in bringing an end to our night of weeping. And you who grieve, only you, will know when the moment comes that you feel you can begin to participate with Him." ~Eugenia Price

We are all today, in our collective grief, remembering. May we be comforted as we comfort one another. And if you are weeping today in your personal pain, I pray you too will find comfort and solace. Let us all reach out in love and compassion. We never know who is sitting right next to us with an aching heart.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be abel to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with whcih we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds in Christ." 2 Cor. 1:3-5