Tilling the Soul.
I get it. The theraputic nature of gardening. I didn’t always. The grit of the soil between my fingers, it now connects me deeply to God’s earth. The tilling of the ground – an act as ancient as time. And I do it this week. Hardened dirt lays before me. Naked and grassless in a small area, maybe 6ft by 4ft in our messy, unkept, but gloriously green backyard. But not this patch. It’s dead brown. We need to plant seed – so I start to till. On a sunny, cool morning, I just start hitting the soil. Me, a three-pronged weapon and bare dirt – we have a date. WHACK. …
When I say, I HATE WINTER!
God gives me this: So, I’m re-reading Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts. If you haven’t read it, read it. Today. If you’ve read it already, read it again with a hi-lighter and sticky notes in hand. It is to be cherished and savoured, but also studied and used as a companion to looking deep into scripture. I read it the first time several months ago, loved it, prayed about it, cried my eyes out, started my own gratitude journal, felt an overwhelming sense of joy in offering thanks for the everyday, tapped into that deep understanding of life’s gifts… then my dog then ate the book. I laughed at…
A Weak Homeschooler’s Prayer
Might I humbly share what I wrote this morning in my prayer journal? Lord, these days are long, when my husband leaves for work and doesn’t return until after the kids are in bed. Give me strength… no, not only strength but a different perspective. Not thinking “Oh, what a long day ahead… how will I get through it?” but instead, “Oh, what a great day I now have to spend with our children. How blessed I am for these long, quiet, safe, holy days.” It sounds cheesy but how different my life would be if I looked at all things from a positive perspective instead of subconsciously thinking the worst.…
Daily Surrender, Daily Renewal
I find most people have an interesting view of home educators. Sure, ideas about living within the ‘homeschool’ span the horizon but the ladies I speak to share a common response – “Wow, I could never do that! You must be an amazing Mom…” (or something along those lines). I always feel incredibly uncomfortable with comments that glorify my Mom-hood. Incredibly uncomfortable. I’m not perfect. In fact, some days we barely make it. Like the last few, where I’ve yelled at my children, pushed my puppy out in the rain, and spent twenty minutes secretly crying out to God in the bathroom. Home Education is a calling. I feel I’ve been…
Perfection for the Imperfect
We’ve had some very, very rough weeks. The days have been ridiculously hot and I’ve lost my cool. Little boys who think they’re men push their luck and their Mama’s buttons. I yell too much. I’m weary. I’m not enjoying things as I usually do. I drone a continuous, “Please shut the gate. Why is the door open? The flies are coming in. PLEASE SHUT THE DOOR! Don’t hit your sister. Don’t touch your brother. Give that back. Don’t throw sand. Don’t throw toads. Be nice to the dog. Don’t pull the toad’s legs. Don’t colour on that. Don’t eat that. Don’t lick that. Please, PLEASE, PLEAAAASE stop arguing. Just…
