Regrets

What do you do with regret? Regrets?  At what point and how do you let go of those regrets?  A dear Christian friend of mind posted recently about a regret in her own life, a hefty and hasty decision she made. I understand regrets. I have some of my own.  Here was my reply written not in a scolding or reprimanding manner whatsoever, but just a reply because her words brought the question forth in my own heart.

"I'm asking this question only to ask but for no other reason: When we pause and reflect at a place of regret in our lives, where would our Forgiver have us turn our gaze? It is wise to pause, but only to pause, and then we move forward or at the least, turn our eyes upward, tear-filled though they may be, whisper our unending gratitude, receive His grace, and keep giving thanks as we ponder the depth of the cross and the power of what took place then and afterwards. Hmmm.....just thinking here because we must."

If you want to take a closer peek at our homeschooling world and some of the things the Lord is putting on my heart to share, please wander on over to Bright Hope Passage.  It'll be my thinking spot, my reflecting place with more of an open door-type look into what God is doing in my heart through homeschooling. Please come by any time.

Finding the Edge of Your Skeleton

Today I had this conversation with my son:

"Mom, you know how in a skeleton there're holes for the eyes?" Me: "Yes?" "Well, I just found the edge of my skeleton. (I loved that!) See....???" Son proceeds to rub his eyes and then we talk about why the skeleton is needed and how it protects the eyes. All in one swift moment brought to me by the beauty of homeschooling. Thank you, Lord. 

In homeschooling, and in living, each day may be  filled with seemingly ordinary moments about common things of which you may know much about.  Today, however, the commonly known  becomes the launch pad for my question. Have you found the edge of your skeleton? Of course, I'm speaking metaphorically.  To be more specific, what is the most recent ordinary and common thing for which God, your Creator, has given you a fresh appreciation?  I'd love to hear about the edge of YOUR skeleton!  

Ask the Lord to show you a new and fresh detail of an aspect in your everyday life  that often appears mundane and routine, and then give Him great thanks!

Family Glue

1. loyal, 2. admirable 3.faithful 4. stubborn 5. nice 6. loving 7. Godly 8. bold 9. obedient 10. stick-to-it-ness 11.laughs 12. smiles 13. strength 14. fast runner 15. fast jogger 16.steady 17. willing 18. alert 19. attentive 20. unbowing.

Tonight, I had Daniel make a list of 20 things he admired about his sister. This was my idea of a gluing exercise. Sometimes our reactions are snapshots of our own coming unglued, and as quick as God gave me the thought, I had him make out a list to snap him out of it. Even in the depth of his irritation, this is what he came up with. I especially loved #20: un-bowing.  This is actually a pretty decent list. I could take issue with the fast-jogger thingy as I wasn't sure *how* someone could be a fast jogger??? but I loved the rest too much. Admired Bethany. Learning and loved Daniel. Thanking God tonight for His wisdom and the assurance there's more where that came from.

Lesson planning: One of my strategies is to plan the hardest subject first. By that I mean, plan the subject or subjects that are most often pushed to the side. At our house that includes science. We meet weekly in a co-op and often find ourselves scrambling at the last minute to finish our notebook journal, or in my case, the lesson plan if it's my week to teach.

 Next up to plan will be Latin. We are working with a new curriculum and I can't wait to sink our teeth into Visual Latin! Writing keeps giving us a run for our money as well, so I need to make some decisions on that.  For History, Bethany is creating and monitoring, I should say, her Ancient History reading and notebook activities on her own, but tonight, I'll make some suggested reading assignments to help her along. Daniel's history is planned out (Notgrass's "America the Beautiful"), so I'll be checking his answers and making sure my planner is up to date with assignments completed and those to come. The children's math and english are mostly planned, and it's a matter of me reviewing the week's upcoming lessons and making a note in the planner of the lessons they'll work on this week.   

I also make a note of the week's appointments and activities to make sure I don't double-book any where.  For the record, I've done that before!  I always say that I don't plan because I am organized, but that I plan because I'm not naturally organized.

Have a great week, and may the Lord crown our efforts with His measurement of success!

Last Night I Dreamed That...

Last night I dreamed I had comments waiting to be moderated on my blog! {insert smile.} And while you're imagining that, here's a brief timeline of the good news of the gospel in video form.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Honesty Monday

This is my brain on  a Philippians 4:13 Monday.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (That's the Philippians 4:13 part.)
I can teach language arts. (I love language arts!)
I can decide between Analytical Grammar Jr. for my 5th grade son OR First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind.
I can pick up the phone and call CBD and ask about their return policy. (Did it!)
I can place the order for both with full knowledge that one will be returned.
I can then choose the best course for my son.
Then I can TEACH that course and return the one we choose not to use.
I will not let this frustration and apparent obstacle deter me from my mission of teaching my children, and how I love the mission!
The end. 

So, this may appear infantile and ridiculous, so yes, I'm a tinge blushed to admit  that these are the kinds of conversations I have every now and then. Yep, honesty can be humbling all right!