Off We Go!!!

The daily grind can dull even the most zealous passions. It is for this reason that I am very excited to be heading off tomorrow morning, alongside my husband, to the Christian Heritage Conference. We had the privilege of attending it a few years ago, when Hannah was a baby, and it was so very wonderful! This year's theme is "Passing on Faith in a Faithless World". I am looking forward to my fervor being renewed and my devotion to homeschooling our Fabulous Four refreshed. I am looking forward to learning and listening. I am anticipating being challenged... and I can't wait! Having two days of time with Craig is the delicious, thick, homemade, cream cheese frosting on the cake!!!! If you think of it, I sure would appreciate your prayers, that the Lord would use this time to accomplish HIS will in our family. Thank you!!!!

Seasons

In the current issue (March/April, '09) of Homeschooling Today, Shonda Parker wrote an excellent article titled, "The Appointed Time", drawing a wonderful parallel between seasons of a mother's life and the yearly seasons. If you can get your hands on a copy, or read it on line, it is a worthy read. Just a few points that especially encouraged me and hit home...

* "During the spring of childhood, we must work the ground and plant the seeds, watching for those first tender green shoots bursting forth with promise."

* "In the garden, we find that plants thrive in environments of consistent care of watering, feeding, and weeding; so our children need consistency of care in nurturing, teaching and guarding.
A day does not pass when we do not have work to do, repeating the same work day after day. This season can be particularly tiring and a time for growth in patience for us. We cannot yet see the full reward of our daily work. Take encouragement from each blessing that comes from your daily faithfulness when you see the tilled ground begin to part, the tiny plant begin to rise up, the unfurling of the sprout, the tender shoot, the first putting on of leaves, and the upward thrust toward maturity."

* "Though spring seems busy, early summer intensifies as our seedlings grow tall and strong, preparing to flower. Under such rapid growth, our children need intensive training to yield a mature plant capable of producing good fruit. Spring years, focused on training and instruction, turn to summer years of granting increasing freedom to our children as we watch them grow, while we continue to instruct and intensively train on the right path."

* "There are various methods of training a plant for maturity and abundant fruit production. We do not need to worry over someone else’s method; we simply need to remain faithful in our own, as we daily seek to glorify God with our child-rearing."

Good stuff, huh? I'm so thankful that I get to be in the midst of a couple of different seasons at the same time. A little spring here, the beginnings of summer there. God is so good to use it all not only to grow up these seedlings He's blessed us with, but to grow me up, too!!! Praise be to the Master Gardener:)

Discovering Tree Swings

How do you like to go up in a swing
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing

Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

~The Swing, by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

This and That

We've been doing a little of this....

And a little bit of that...

Dirty Dishes

Life is like a camera lens: it's all about perspective.

Isn't it true? I was pondering this while tackling a sink full of dirty dishes just this afternoon. With the right angle, aperture, lighting and lens, my sink full of those blasted things could be a thought-provoking, eye-catching piece of art. (Of course, in order for MY sink full of dirty dishes to be considered art, a good photographer would also be a necessity!!! )


Want to know something else? With the right attitude, angle, Light, and perspective, my sink full of dirty dishes can also be proof of God's blessing. My sink was full because I had an angel food cake cooling on the counter for an Easter dessert at my parent's house; I had a 1/2 gallon mason jar full of strawberries, sliced to perfection by two handsome boys; I had Cowboy Cookies (Craig's very favorite cookies of all) baking in the belly of Thelma for our Spring Break trip in a few days, and I had four tummies full of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, complete with sticky smiles.


My friend, Sharon, reminded me of the value of perspective in this blog post.

Just something to think about...

On the Bedside Table

A new find from the library, one of the best parenting books EVER, a gift from my mom, who knows me so very well, an old friend in a new body, and one of the most beautiful flowers I have ever been given.

Sleeping Beauty