There are days when I feel like my sacrifice of homeschooling is accomplishing nothing. Days when my children fight, bicker and act selfish and I think they have learned nothing about character. Days when there are tears over math problems that I thought we mastered months ago. Days when no one can answer any questions from the reading that we just did. Days that make me wonder if I have been wasting my time.
Yet it seems like just before I decide to throw the towel in God gives me a gift of seeing some of the fruit of my harvest. A child with a learning disorder who reads aloud to his siblings, or who reads a book for fun. Going through a lesson and having children understand exactly what I am talking about. Or having children with bad attitudes turn around the next morning and offer to do something nice for a sibling.
If homeschooling produced quick and easy results then everyone would do it. My attitude and sacrifice as a homeschool mom is part of what plants the seed that harvests the fruit. Oftentimes it takes months or years of doing something before I start to see the fruit (good and bad) of the seeds that I planted.
Sometimes I am so busy trying to keep my schedule running according to plan and trying to make sure that I "get everything done" that I miss the sprouts, the leaves, the buds, and even the fruit that I have helped produce in my children.
So while I would love a whole harvest I will be content with an apple or an orange here or there, and I'm thinking I may even keep a journal of those apples and oranges, just like I keep a journal of my garden. Then the next time it seems like my crop isn't going to come in I have somewhere I can go to recall the fruit that has already been harvested.
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Monday, August 22, 2011
The myth of the "homeschool" mom...
I know that I haven't blogged in a while, partly because this last month of summer I was just trying to pull my life together. When I feel disorganized I certainly don't feel like blogging about homeschooling or mothering since I feel like I am not as put together as I should be.
So, imagine my surprise over the last couple weeks when people keep telling me that I seem to have it all together. Then last week at a homeschool park day a mom shared that she was having a rough time and felt like she must be doing it wrong because the rest of us seemed to have it all down.
And that's when I realized that I should be blogging about my crazy and sometimes chaotic life. I wanted to blog to give other moms helpful tips and things I've done that have worked well, but I think they are also needing the truth of what the live of homeschool moms really look like.
The myth of the homeschool mom is that her kids are sitting down to school (which everyone is so excited to do) at precisely the time they are supposed to, dressed and with their morning chores done. They listen to her read without interruption (or raise their hand if they need something) and then go and do their work. No one yells or cries, and everyone LOVES homeschooling.
Now, since I have 6 children and have manged to homeschool without causing serious bodily harm to any of them people assume this is my life. Or they assume that anyone who can homeschool 6 children has some sort of saintly type qualities. So, let me assure you that I am not a saint and the only reason I have succeeded at all is by the grace of God. I also want to assure you that I do have bad days around here, and not just bad like we couldn't get everything done, or bad like no one cooperated and everyone lost privileges for the day. I'm talking bad like there was loss of privileges and the continued bad behavior until there was some yelling and then crying on mom's part, and on a really bad day she may even breathe the threat "Maybe I should just send you to Public School."
Now, I am not justifying this behavior. And I am willing to believe that there are some moms who never go there, but I really think from my experiences of talking with other homeschool moms we all have some days like this, and we all have a couple of those really bad days. But those days are not a failure if we turn around the next day and do better, or even if we just manage to get up the next day and try it again. Marriage, mothering, and homeschooling are exercises in character for us just as they are for our children. I shouldn't be yelling at my children, but my character is flawed and some days under extreme pressure it shows. The blessing of learning that is that I can make the changes I need.
And I think that is the real heart of a homeschooling mom. A flawed woman who wants to do what's best for her children and her family; who wants to follow God's leading and bring Him glory, but gets tripped up daily by her own character flaws as well as her response to her children's character flaws and after some weeping and praying gets back up and tries not to trip over the same things again.
So, for those of you who have started school and are having a rough time of it, we have all been there. Character training takes years, and just so you know my children are often sitting down at the table eating breakfast in their PJ's when I come up to get school started, and some of the teenagers have not even gotten out of bed yet. I have a couple of children who do not like school at all, one who is disruptive nearly every day and a dog who always seems to need a walk in the middle of history. My kids routinely seem to disappear into the bathroom while I am in the middle of reading aloud, or get up for a snack (which makes everyone else hungry for a snack too). I have children who cry (even when I am calmly explaining something) and some days I make the children cry by the things I say or do. But I love that my children are growing up at home, that we are learning together, that God is using the character flaws in our family to make all of us better people, and that there are good days and brief moments that make it all worth it. Our family (and our character) grows stronger little by little, not in one day of homeschooling.
So, imagine my surprise over the last couple weeks when people keep telling me that I seem to have it all together. Then last week at a homeschool park day a mom shared that she was having a rough time and felt like she must be doing it wrong because the rest of us seemed to have it all down.
And that's when I realized that I should be blogging about my crazy and sometimes chaotic life. I wanted to blog to give other moms helpful tips and things I've done that have worked well, but I think they are also needing the truth of what the live of homeschool moms really look like.
The myth of the homeschool mom is that her kids are sitting down to school (which everyone is so excited to do) at precisely the time they are supposed to, dressed and with their morning chores done. They listen to her read without interruption (or raise their hand if they need something) and then go and do their work. No one yells or cries, and everyone LOVES homeschooling.
Now, since I have 6 children and have manged to homeschool without causing serious bodily harm to any of them people assume this is my life. Or they assume that anyone who can homeschool 6 children has some sort of saintly type qualities. So, let me assure you that I am not a saint and the only reason I have succeeded at all is by the grace of God. I also want to assure you that I do have bad days around here, and not just bad like we couldn't get everything done, or bad like no one cooperated and everyone lost privileges for the day. I'm talking bad like there was loss of privileges and the continued bad behavior until there was some yelling and then crying on mom's part, and on a really bad day she may even breathe the threat "Maybe I should just send you to Public School."
Now, I am not justifying this behavior. And I am willing to believe that there are some moms who never go there, but I really think from my experiences of talking with other homeschool moms we all have some days like this, and we all have a couple of those really bad days. But those days are not a failure if we turn around the next day and do better, or even if we just manage to get up the next day and try it again. Marriage, mothering, and homeschooling are exercises in character for us just as they are for our children. I shouldn't be yelling at my children, but my character is flawed and some days under extreme pressure it shows. The blessing of learning that is that I can make the changes I need.
And I think that is the real heart of a homeschooling mom. A flawed woman who wants to do what's best for her children and her family; who wants to follow God's leading and bring Him glory, but gets tripped up daily by her own character flaws as well as her response to her children's character flaws and after some weeping and praying gets back up and tries not to trip over the same things again.
So, for those of you who have started school and are having a rough time of it, we have all been there. Character training takes years, and just so you know my children are often sitting down at the table eating breakfast in their PJ's when I come up to get school started, and some of the teenagers have not even gotten out of bed yet. I have a couple of children who do not like school at all, one who is disruptive nearly every day and a dog who always seems to need a walk in the middle of history. My kids routinely seem to disappear into the bathroom while I am in the middle of reading aloud, or get up for a snack (which makes everyone else hungry for a snack too). I have children who cry (even when I am calmly explaining something) and some days I make the children cry by the things I say or do. But I love that my children are growing up at home, that we are learning together, that God is using the character flaws in our family to make all of us better people, and that there are good days and brief moments that make it all worth it. Our family (and our character) grows stronger little by little, not in one day of homeschooling.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Don't Forget the Little People
It was hard for me to figure out what to blog about today. I have a list of things I would like to blog about (as I'm sure most bloggers do), but I had one of those days where I was behind the eight ball most of the day. I was running late, messed up dinner, got cranky with my kids, etc. Those kind of days make me feel like not blogging, because what possible advice could I offer other homeschool moms, except maybe what not to do.
However, the day didn't start off badly. I joined some other homeschool moms for breakfast. This summer we decided that it would be fun to do a mom's breakfast every couple weeks. We do a potluck type breakfast, and kids are welcome. For the moms who don't have the room for a lot of people we meet at a park and bring breakfast there.
Most of the moms there today had younger children (younger elementary, preschool, toddlers and babies). It reminded me of when I was in that stage of my homeschool journey and how much I needed the support of other moms, especially "veteran" homeschool moms. It was so hard to make connections and feel like I was doing the right thing when I didn't know anyone else who was homeschooling.
I think about this topic off and on since I help lead a support group. I plan activities and field trips, but since my kids are older I don't always have activities that include the younger moms. I don't leave them out on purpose, we just aren't always doing things the younger kids can do. It can be a challenge to plan an activity that my older kids can't (or don't want to attend). For instance my teens aren't excited about going to a Play Place.
So, I do my best to try and encourage these moms, and stay in touch with them, since I remember how much I needed someone to say, "You can keep doing this." But I wanted to encourage other moms to do that too. Don't forget the little people, the moms who are just starting out and need encouragement and connections. Even if our kids aren't the same age I know it gives other homeschool moms comfort knowing that if they show up at an activity they will know somebody.
Some of the ways we can help these moms is to help them get plugged in. If we know two moms with kids the same age, or two moms who have only children we can introduce them and try and help them connect. We can send emails or make a phone call to see how they are doing, how homeschool is going. We can tell them the things we did to make connections, to help our kids find friends, etc.
We had a mom leave our group recently. She was having a hard time finding other moms with younger kids to connect with. After she left we had an influx of moms with younger kids. So, I sent her an email and let her know there were some younger moms and that I hadn't forgotten about her, etc. She told me that she had found another group and made some connections, but she said something else that stuck with me. She said that if she had still been seeking to connect with others my email would have been a lifeline to her, and she appreciated that I was concerned for her well-being.
It made me think, "Am I being a lifeline to the moms who are newer to this? Am I being a lifeline to the moms who just moved here and are trying to find connections for their kids again?" I wanted to put this out in the blogosphere to encourage other moms to do this too. Homeschooling is a LONG journey (as is motherhood in general), and we all start it at different stages. Some of us start at the very beginning and some pull their kids out in elementary, or Jr. High. We may think we don't have anything to offer, but sometimes being a listening ear is all that another mom needs. Someone to say, "That sounds tough," or "I'm sorry you had to deal with that." I read recently that women process our feelings by talking, and that our husband's brains are actually not capable of dealing with the amount of words that we speak in a day, nor the amount of emotion that we sometimes throw at them. I'm not offering this as an excuse, just an interesting observation that sometimes our husbands physically cannot process these things as fast as we can. If we give them too much they stop listening because they have to. This is a good reminder to be concise, but what it really made me realize is that we need other women to process our feelings to, or a prayer journal or a blog. Maybe we can be that for other homeschool moms as well.
So, this week I am going to try to reach out and be a lifeline (or at least a sounding board) for one mom. I hope that you will consider doing that as well.
However, the day didn't start off badly. I joined some other homeschool moms for breakfast. This summer we decided that it would be fun to do a mom's breakfast every couple weeks. We do a potluck type breakfast, and kids are welcome. For the moms who don't have the room for a lot of people we meet at a park and bring breakfast there.
Most of the moms there today had younger children (younger elementary, preschool, toddlers and babies). It reminded me of when I was in that stage of my homeschool journey and how much I needed the support of other moms, especially "veteran" homeschool moms. It was so hard to make connections and feel like I was doing the right thing when I didn't know anyone else who was homeschooling.
I think about this topic off and on since I help lead a support group. I plan activities and field trips, but since my kids are older I don't always have activities that include the younger moms. I don't leave them out on purpose, we just aren't always doing things the younger kids can do. It can be a challenge to plan an activity that my older kids can't (or don't want to attend). For instance my teens aren't excited about going to a Play Place.
So, I do my best to try and encourage these moms, and stay in touch with them, since I remember how much I needed someone to say, "You can keep doing this." But I wanted to encourage other moms to do that too. Don't forget the little people, the moms who are just starting out and need encouragement and connections. Even if our kids aren't the same age I know it gives other homeschool moms comfort knowing that if they show up at an activity they will know somebody.
Some of the ways we can help these moms is to help them get plugged in. If we know two moms with kids the same age, or two moms who have only children we can introduce them and try and help them connect. We can send emails or make a phone call to see how they are doing, how homeschool is going. We can tell them the things we did to make connections, to help our kids find friends, etc.
We had a mom leave our group recently. She was having a hard time finding other moms with younger kids to connect with. After she left we had an influx of moms with younger kids. So, I sent her an email and let her know there were some younger moms and that I hadn't forgotten about her, etc. She told me that she had found another group and made some connections, but she said something else that stuck with me. She said that if she had still been seeking to connect with others my email would have been a lifeline to her, and she appreciated that I was concerned for her well-being.
It made me think, "Am I being a lifeline to the moms who are newer to this? Am I being a lifeline to the moms who just moved here and are trying to find connections for their kids again?" I wanted to put this out in the blogosphere to encourage other moms to do this too. Homeschooling is a LONG journey (as is motherhood in general), and we all start it at different stages. Some of us start at the very beginning and some pull their kids out in elementary, or Jr. High. We may think we don't have anything to offer, but sometimes being a listening ear is all that another mom needs. Someone to say, "That sounds tough," or "I'm sorry you had to deal with that." I read recently that women process our feelings by talking, and that our husband's brains are actually not capable of dealing with the amount of words that we speak in a day, nor the amount of emotion that we sometimes throw at them. I'm not offering this as an excuse, just an interesting observation that sometimes our husbands physically cannot process these things as fast as we can. If we give them too much they stop listening because they have to. This is a good reminder to be concise, but what it really made me realize is that we need other women to process our feelings to, or a prayer journal or a blog. Maybe we can be that for other homeschool moms as well.
So, this week I am going to try to reach out and be a lifeline (or at least a sounding board) for one mom. I hope that you will consider doing that as well.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
The Effects of a homeschool convention...
I spent the weekend at our local homeschool convention and there are a ton of things I could write about. How wonderful and encouraging it is to be supported. How overwhelming it is to be surrounded by curriculum. Yet what struck me the most this weekend was how the convention can make homeschool moms like us feel less than.
Now there are highs and lows at every convention and certainly I believe the benefits outweigh the low self-esteem we can struggle with. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about let me paint the scenario for you.
You enter a workshop, looking for great ideas, hoping to be encouraged and find ways to make your homeschool experience go better next year (since we all have things that need improving). But as the speaker starts talking about all the things she does/did on her homeschool journey to make their homeschool great and their family closer we can start feeling discouraged. For example, even though she has grown kids they all still come over on Fridays with their spouses and have a potluck dinner and play games. One son wants to go into politics. Or he takes his teenagers to work with him because they need their dad and every dad should have a job where his teens can be with him.
Now I am not saying any of these things are wrong. In fact a lot of things that other homeschoolers try can bring us great benefits if we implement them as well...BUT sometimes they make us feel guilty because we know we just can't do some of those things, or our husbands wouldn't do some of those things. Or we had a great time at the convention and when we come home our kids are bickering and fighting. We're in such a good mood from the convention that we put on our "good mom" face and discipline the right way. But as the bickering continues we start feeling like our family will never be as successful as those other homeschool families.
Now we all know that those homeschool families have their struggles and downfalls, but it makes little difference to us when our 12-year-old is telling us that we're the meanest mom ever. I must confess that one of my biggest pet peeves is when the speakers say that they did this or that and their kids have never strayed as if homeschooling a certain way is a formula that guarantees wonderful lives for our children full of only good choices. As if homeschooling can protect our children from all the temptations of Satan, as if the enemy can't figure out how in the world to tempt homeschool kids. Now let me get off my soapbox and finish this post.
So I feel like I need to say that the workshops do give us some good goals to strive for, but we need to carefully consider and pray about implementing any idea just because it worked for someone else. I believe that sometimes we are convicted to change something that needs to be changed, but sometimes we are just changing something because we feel bad or guilty just because someone else says we should.
I needed to remind myself today that God uses the good things that we are doing in the lives of our children, but He also uses the bad things. If we as mature believers are shaped by trials and struggles then so are our children. I remember reading once that being married is meant to make us holy and not just happy. That doesn't mean marriage is all the pits, just that God uses those relationships to make us better people. In the same way He will use our failings to make our children the people He wants them to be. Much like He makes us better people (and better parents) by what our children bring into our lives. (Nothing like 4 out of 6 children throwing up every 15 minutes from 9 PM-4AM to teach endurance). Having lived with flawed human beings we have more patience with others. Having a sibling who talks too much might teach us better communication techniques. Having a brother who struggles learning to read might teach us not to make fun of the kids at church who stumble when asked to read out loud from the Bible.
So, at the homeschool conference this weekend I was encouraged. I was encouraged by being around other homeschoolers, by being in some workshops where I was doing some of the things the speakers were doing, by getting some ideas that might help me change some struggles for the better. I was also encouraged by a God who reminded me that just as He is using all the situations in my life (good and bad) to change things that need to be changed, He is using all the things in my life (good and bad) to shape my children into the people He wants them to be.
Now there are highs and lows at every convention and certainly I believe the benefits outweigh the low self-esteem we can struggle with. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about let me paint the scenario for you.
You enter a workshop, looking for great ideas, hoping to be encouraged and find ways to make your homeschool experience go better next year (since we all have things that need improving). But as the speaker starts talking about all the things she does/did on her homeschool journey to make their homeschool great and their family closer we can start feeling discouraged. For example, even though she has grown kids they all still come over on Fridays with their spouses and have a potluck dinner and play games. One son wants to go into politics. Or he takes his teenagers to work with him because they need their dad and every dad should have a job where his teens can be with him.
Now I am not saying any of these things are wrong. In fact a lot of things that other homeschoolers try can bring us great benefits if we implement them as well...BUT sometimes they make us feel guilty because we know we just can't do some of those things, or our husbands wouldn't do some of those things. Or we had a great time at the convention and when we come home our kids are bickering and fighting. We're in such a good mood from the convention that we put on our "good mom" face and discipline the right way. But as the bickering continues we start feeling like our family will never be as successful as those other homeschool families.
Now we all know that those homeschool families have their struggles and downfalls, but it makes little difference to us when our 12-year-old is telling us that we're the meanest mom ever. I must confess that one of my biggest pet peeves is when the speakers say that they did this or that and their kids have never strayed as if homeschooling a certain way is a formula that guarantees wonderful lives for our children full of only good choices. As if homeschooling can protect our children from all the temptations of Satan, as if the enemy can't figure out how in the world to tempt homeschool kids. Now let me get off my soapbox and finish this post.
So I feel like I need to say that the workshops do give us some good goals to strive for, but we need to carefully consider and pray about implementing any idea just because it worked for someone else. I believe that sometimes we are convicted to change something that needs to be changed, but sometimes we are just changing something because we feel bad or guilty just because someone else says we should.
I needed to remind myself today that God uses the good things that we are doing in the lives of our children, but He also uses the bad things. If we as mature believers are shaped by trials and struggles then so are our children. I remember reading once that being married is meant to make us holy and not just happy. That doesn't mean marriage is all the pits, just that God uses those relationships to make us better people. In the same way He will use our failings to make our children the people He wants them to be. Much like He makes us better people (and better parents) by what our children bring into our lives. (Nothing like 4 out of 6 children throwing up every 15 minutes from 9 PM-4AM to teach endurance). Having lived with flawed human beings we have more patience with others. Having a sibling who talks too much might teach us better communication techniques. Having a brother who struggles learning to read might teach us not to make fun of the kids at church who stumble when asked to read out loud from the Bible.
So, at the homeschool conference this weekend I was encouraged. I was encouraged by being around other homeschoolers, by being in some workshops where I was doing some of the things the speakers were doing, by getting some ideas that might help me change some struggles for the better. I was also encouraged by a God who reminded me that just as He is using all the situations in my life (good and bad) to change things that need to be changed, He is using all the things in my life (good and bad) to shape my children into the people He wants them to be.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Keeping my mouth shut
I have to celebrate just a small victory today. I know there aren't many people reading my blog yet, though there may be some who come back to this article, or some friends who check in from time to time. Still the blogging universe makes it seem like you are talking to others even if you are just having a conversation with a computer screen.
All the same, there was a small victory for me today. I love words. I love to write. I love to talk. In my adult life I have learned there are some times that it's better not to share things with others, because I have been hurt. So, I can be cautious and quiet sometimes around others. However, if there is anyone who gets to hear all my words it is my husband and my children. This means sometimes a brief history discussion gets turned into a lecture, or I am not content ending the discussion of a character trait we are working on until I have given numerous examples (or too many numerous examples). This means when I am hurting or worried my words can be discouraging or even mean-spirited. I know other people wouldn't think that of me, but sometimes those who love us best are the ones who see those parts of us that we hide from everyone else.
My husband is self-employed and work has been dreadfully slow this Spring. Actually it is the worst Spring that we've ever had. The past several weeks it seemed like work was coming only to have one job after another cancel. I know that none of the people canceling are being mean-spirited. There are legitimate reasons that none of these people can have the work done right now. However, last night I was very discouraged because it seems like this Spring we just can't get back on our feet. I cried and cried, but when my husband came into the room amazingly I did not speak. Oh I was tempted to tell him all my discouraging thoughts, but some things are left better unshared (or shared only with Jesus). Don't get me wrong, my husband would still have loved me if I had said mean things about how he can't get any work, or discouraging things about how things are never going to get any better, but I know those things would have hurt his feelings. I am sure as much as I struggle with trying to homeschool and raise 6 kids on my husband's income the struggle is even greater for him. I don't want him to feel like a failure, especially when it isn't his fault. So, I kept my mouth shut. I kept thinking of the line most of our mothers have told us, "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all."
And this morning when I sat down to have school with my children I also did not lash out at them or try to discourage their happiness. I even laughed with them today. I am still not sure how God will get us through this Spring, but He has gotten us through difficult times before, so I know He can do so again. In the meantime while I am waiting for Him to do something I am going to try to keep my mouth shut more often. I always thought my husband should know everything that I am thinking and feeling, because we are one, because I want us to be intimately connected. However most of the time my husband knows that I am hurting...crying is usually a clue to that. I don't always have to spill the whole jug of milk for him to see that it's sour inside.
So, I am celebrating today, because today I can see that my comments would have just made my husband feel worse, even if they had succeeded in making me feel better. Today I can see that the words would not have accomplished anything. Would they have brought in work? No. Would they have made him look for a real job? Maybe, but that isn't necessarily what I want. Would they have strengthened our relationship? No.
So, today I am writing it down, just so that I remember that it can be done. I can keep from speaking words that won't build up our relationship. I hope that I will remember this again and again so that even during difficult times I can encourage my husband to keep doing what he has been called to do, even if that encouragement only comes from me keeping my mouth shut.
All the same, there was a small victory for me today. I love words. I love to write. I love to talk. In my adult life I have learned there are some times that it's better not to share things with others, because I have been hurt. So, I can be cautious and quiet sometimes around others. However, if there is anyone who gets to hear all my words it is my husband and my children. This means sometimes a brief history discussion gets turned into a lecture, or I am not content ending the discussion of a character trait we are working on until I have given numerous examples (or too many numerous examples). This means when I am hurting or worried my words can be discouraging or even mean-spirited. I know other people wouldn't think that of me, but sometimes those who love us best are the ones who see those parts of us that we hide from everyone else.
My husband is self-employed and work has been dreadfully slow this Spring. Actually it is the worst Spring that we've ever had. The past several weeks it seemed like work was coming only to have one job after another cancel. I know that none of the people canceling are being mean-spirited. There are legitimate reasons that none of these people can have the work done right now. However, last night I was very discouraged because it seems like this Spring we just can't get back on our feet. I cried and cried, but when my husband came into the room amazingly I did not speak. Oh I was tempted to tell him all my discouraging thoughts, but some things are left better unshared (or shared only with Jesus). Don't get me wrong, my husband would still have loved me if I had said mean things about how he can't get any work, or discouraging things about how things are never going to get any better, but I know those things would have hurt his feelings. I am sure as much as I struggle with trying to homeschool and raise 6 kids on my husband's income the struggle is even greater for him. I don't want him to feel like a failure, especially when it isn't his fault. So, I kept my mouth shut. I kept thinking of the line most of our mothers have told us, "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all."
And this morning when I sat down to have school with my children I also did not lash out at them or try to discourage their happiness. I even laughed with them today. I am still not sure how God will get us through this Spring, but He has gotten us through difficult times before, so I know He can do so again. In the meantime while I am waiting for Him to do something I am going to try to keep my mouth shut more often. I always thought my husband should know everything that I am thinking and feeling, because we are one, because I want us to be intimately connected. However most of the time my husband knows that I am hurting...crying is usually a clue to that. I don't always have to spill the whole jug of milk for him to see that it's sour inside.
So, I am celebrating today, because today I can see that my comments would have just made my husband feel worse, even if they had succeeded in making me feel better. Today I can see that the words would not have accomplished anything. Would they have brought in work? No. Would they have made him look for a real job? Maybe, but that isn't necessarily what I want. Would they have strengthened our relationship? No.
So, today I am writing it down, just so that I remember that it can be done. I can keep from speaking words that won't build up our relationship. I hope that I will remember this again and again so that even during difficult times I can encourage my husband to keep doing what he has been called to do, even if that encouragement only comes from me keeping my mouth shut.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Worth it in the End
Today is the most glorious of Sundays because it's the day that we celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior.
Since I sing in the choir at my church this means getting up at 4:45 so that I can be there for the sunrise service, and singing in all 4 services. I don't love mornings anyway, but I don't sleep well when I know I'm getting up early because I am afraid that I will oversleep. This can make for a really long Sunday, so I drag my feet a little bit on Easter Sunday morning.
Having done this for several years now though I know that it's worth it. Being in the choir loft at our church I have one of the best views. There are four small windows that overlook one of the foothills that our church is at the base of. There is no feeling more incredible than singing about our risen Savior as the sun comes up. Knowing that I have that sunrise to look forward to is what gets me out of bed, even if I drag my feet a little.
I think homeschooling is the same way. We believe that it will be worth it in the end, but some days we just aren't motivated to do it. Some days we drag our feet but still get out of bed and do it. We can keep our motivation up by remembering those incredible feelings we've had. Even if we've only been homeschooling for a short time there are little successes to celebrate. If you need something to keep you getting out of bed this time of year find a homeschool mom farther along on the journey than you. Someone who can share some of the joys of homeschooling, who can give you encouragement to overcome those "hurdles" that you are facing.
So today keep in mind the bigger picture, not just the goals we have for our children and the rewards of homeschooling, but the incredible hope that we share because of our risen Savior.
Since I sing in the choir at my church this means getting up at 4:45 so that I can be there for the sunrise service, and singing in all 4 services. I don't love mornings anyway, but I don't sleep well when I know I'm getting up early because I am afraid that I will oversleep. This can make for a really long Sunday, so I drag my feet a little bit on Easter Sunday morning.
Having done this for several years now though I know that it's worth it. Being in the choir loft at our church I have one of the best views. There are four small windows that overlook one of the foothills that our church is at the base of. There is no feeling more incredible than singing about our risen Savior as the sun comes up. Knowing that I have that sunrise to look forward to is what gets me out of bed, even if I drag my feet a little.
I think homeschooling is the same way. We believe that it will be worth it in the end, but some days we just aren't motivated to do it. Some days we drag our feet but still get out of bed and do it. We can keep our motivation up by remembering those incredible feelings we've had. Even if we've only been homeschooling for a short time there are little successes to celebrate. If you need something to keep you getting out of bed this time of year find a homeschool mom farther along on the journey than you. Someone who can share some of the joys of homeschooling, who can give you encouragement to overcome those "hurdles" that you are facing.
So today keep in mind the bigger picture, not just the goals we have for our children and the rewards of homeschooling, but the incredible hope that we share because of our risen Savior.
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