Kelly

Do You Have Expectations?

Posted on February 17, 2016Leave a comment

Might seem like a silly question, but yesterday I asked us to think about who Jesus is to us. Today I feel the desire to reflect on expectations. I truly believe it is our expectations that get us into trouble. Get us into feelings of despair, loneliness, anger, frustration, and I could go one with many more emotions.

What do you expect from yourself? What do you expect from your spouse? What do you expect from your children? What do you expect from friends, parents, siblings, extended family, neighbors, community, world, etc.? Again I could go on and on and on with this.

***Before continuing I ask that you stop and reflect on what types of things you expect from the people in your life and around you. How you want them to treat you? What you may want them to do for you? Then come back here and read the rest of my post. I should just make this a two-part post, but your are grown ups and really it probably doesn’t matter a bunch.***

Expectations are what seems to get me into trouble in many ways, but before I explain that I what to make a note that expecting things out of or from people is not always a bad thing. What is bad is when you expect things you have never shared with the other party. Anyway, let me give some examples. First of all, I expect that people drive with courtesy. How does this get me in trouble? Well, it can cause me great frustration, anger, and stress when someone doesn’t drive in a manner I (YES I) deem appropriate. Yet, another layer to that is that what I deem appropriate comes from how I was taught to drive or how I was raised. So, my expectation of how people should drive really comes from my own perceptions of what is right. You can take this example and apply similar concepts to every area of your life.

I guess the best place to star is in your home. Do you expect things from your kids? Sure we all do, but have you explained and properly taught them the habits necessary to meet your expectations? Then once you are fully aware that they have been properly trained do you properly follow through daily on making sure they meet those expectations? Or do you slack in this and then blow up when over time they are not meeting your expectations? HA…I have made this mistake. How about your spouse? Do you expect your spouse to know that when you mope around the house it means they should cook dinner? Or whatever you please…do you expect them to know that you want them to do anything for you? Yet, you never explain this to them. OH THEY SHOULD JUST KNOW, because they are an adult?? Right…just like you should know how to change the oil in the car because you are an adult? I work REALLY hard NOT to get upset with my husband if he doesn’t respond in a way that I would like him to WHEN I HAVE NEVER told him. I am not in the business of giving advice. Just thoughts. So I will end on that note. I hope you are thinking.

Final Thought…my husband and I rarely fight and I believe that is because we are ALWAYS open and honest with each other about what we need or desire from the other person on everything from doing dishes to our personal relationship. We were not always this way we achieved this after READING LOTS of books!

God Bless! I am praying for you please pray for me!

Why Do They Have Meltdowns and Why Do We Feel Punished?

Posted on February 16, 2016Leave a comment

Let’s assume for this post that my children are NOT the only one’s in the world that can have a meltdown … one that will carry on throughout the day. Why do they do this? And why do we as parents feel like we are being punished by the God’s? (Okay there is only ONE God. I am using sarcasm!) I can not speak for you and your children nor will I ever try, but my kids have meltdowns for what seems like the craziest things and it always SEEMS like it happens at the worst possible times. Anything ringing true for anyone?

So, in my life with four children it seems that on average we have an extended meltdown 1-2 times a week from at least one child. Currently, it is our #2 and #3 children that seem to have them the most often. Our oldest tends to get in a mood that resembles anger more than anything and leaving him alone is always the best policy. The other two, man, when they get going on something there is screaming, foot stomping, LOTS of tears, whining, pouting, etc. Usually when this occurs they also like to make sure to do it all EXTRA hard or EXTRA loud…ya know just in case the neighbors that live 100 yards away can hear.

I used to try to defuse it immediately and be the good mom trying to calm them down, but typically what occurred was that I would wind up getting all worked up and screaming back at them. NOW THAT IS COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE. Then I read or heard some wise words about how … oh read them in The Five Love Languages for Children…that kids will have strong emotions and as parents you have two choices let them experience these emotions with your love and support OR force them to keep the emotion in. By doing the first one you show them you are a safe place for them no matter what.

Don’t get me wrong … since when this occurs I feel like our life is placed on hold and the roof my fall in. I think “Lord what did I do to deserve this today?” Yet, you know it isn’t about me that child in that moment is suffering and it is our job to teach them how to work through their stuff before a meltdown occurs. We need to get over ourselves and the inconvenience they seem to cause us at times. Besides, think of yourself … when you are all out of sorts isn’t there usually ALWAYS a reason? Well, the same is true for them. Currently, my 2 older children are knocking on hormone changes and #3 is close behind. Pretty sure we are in for lots of extreme emotions over the next 15 years as #4 will have to go through it all as well.

Final Thought…instead of seeing their meltdown as a slight or inconvenience ask God to show you what is wrong so you can TRULY teach them how to handle that emotion when it comes up again.

God Bless! I am praying for you please pray for me!!

Who is Jesus to You?

Posted on February 15, 2016Leave a comment

Part of my Lenten Journey this year I receive daily email devotionals. The other day one was about the Jesus story, where Jesus asks “Who do you say that I am?” In the devotional we are challenged to ask ourselves, “Who is Jesus is to us?”

There are MANY scripture verses that are about Jesus or the prophets or the Apostles or disciples telling us WHO He will be, was and is. Yet, today we should ask ourselves who He is to us. Below is ONE of the verses that struck me just a couple of weeks ago. Then the Lenten devotional. Plus, I have been reading a chapter a night in the Book of Acts. I think God is leading me here to do some reflecting on who He is REALLY to me.

Can I honestly say the portion in John 8:12 that sits with me is the part about not walking in darkness? Have you ever walked in darkness? I think we all have. Let’s not compare how dark it has been for each of us. True compared to me MANY have walked in greater darkness. Yet, I have walked through my own darkness….just like you have. The thing is though that I believe you can not truly escape the darkness or the feelings it left you with UNTIL you except the light Jesus has to offer you. The amount of light and the way He delivers it is different for each of us.

I have also come to understand that there will most likely be more darkness for me and for me family. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world that allows evil to creep around. So, to get myself and my family through what is now and what is to come I pray without ceasing…I accepted Him as my Lord and Savior into my WHOLE being…I wake EACH morning with “Good Morning my Friend Jesus Lets get to it!”…I end each night with “Thank You for _____ of today.” … See for me He is my Savior, my Light, my Best Friend, my Lover, etc. I get that that will be very strange for so many of you that are reading this, but see we as humans are NEVER enough for each other. We are imperfect. God gives us the blessings of amazing human relationships, but the love that we have for our families, spouses, children, friends, etc will NEVER equal the love He has for us. He will ALWAYS give you perfection that will fill each of your needs. Turn to Him. Seek Him first.

Final Thoughts …. Who is Jesus to You? To me He is my friend, my light, my … heart and soul.

God Bless You! I am praying for you, please pray for me!

Will You Be My Valentine?

Posted on February 14, 2016Leave a comment

Throughout my 41 years of life I have grown up on and shared with my girls the wonder of the Princess and Prince stories. As I have grown up I have read the many opinion’s about how WRONG it is to allow your daughter to have those false ideas about what relationships are or what a marriage is. I found myself wondering about that for … a moment….

See I LOVE romance. I LOVE watching chick-flicks. I LOVE watching all things princess with my girls. Yet, they also see me with their Daddy, who does not meet any of those romantic standards at all. He isn’t the buy my flowers, candy, or similar gifts. He doesn’t plan or organize spontaneous weekends away. Believe you and me there are times when I have wondered why in the heck doesn’t he do these things. There are plenty of times I missed or longed for that in our relationship. PRAYER does wonders for things we feel we are missing out on. A funny thing happens when you pray for someone sometimes God shows you what YOU WERE MISSING the entire time.

My girls and I enjoy those movies. We also enjoy time talking about God’s will for our lives. They also see their Daddy and Mommy having a kiss or hug in the kitchen. They see Mom sit on Dads lap every once in awhile. They see us being silly. They see us working together to haul wood into the basement. They see their Dad cooking meals. They see their Dad changing their baby sister’s diaper. They see their Dad taking their Mom on a date…that yes Mom planned, but Dad is willing to go and spend time with their Mom. See they see us making time for each other; however, that maybe.

Even though my husband, their Dad, isn’t the sort to make a mix tape (ha!) for their Mom he is the type to love her, pray for her, work like hell to make her dreams come true, provide for her and their kids, work like hell to make THEIR dreams come true, and finally he is the type to grow and change to become a better man for us all.

Forever Blessed God brought me this amazing man to be my Valentine! Guess what….watching Princess movies and romantic movies did not ruin me or my relationship they just forced me to see that romance comes in MANY forms. My girls will learn they same thing. Yet, in full disclosure Valentines Day isn’t much of anything in our home. Again, because

God Bless! Happy Valentines Day! I am praying for you please pray for me!

How to Handle a Party as an Introvert?

Posted on February 13, 20162 Comments

Many people I know are quite familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality test or those that are similar. So, I will refer to myself as an INFJ, which apparently is the rarest of types. You can Google INFJ and find all sorts of information about us and how we operate. That is not what this is about.

This evening my husband and I will be going out. We have a sitter and we are going to the home of some of our friends. Over the past 6 years we have gotten out very little due to our kid’s ages, sitter complications, and my husband working 2nd shift. Now we have found ourselves in a different season where we are enjoying date night more often. Typically, though he still has to work 6-7 days a week so we are usually out and about on our own and still missing group gatherings. I will be horribly honest here I really don’t mind missing events with people. People and the thought of people give me anxiety. My dear friend, also an INFJ, calls me an out-going introvert. She thinks I am much more comfortable with people that she is so thus the name. Yet, I think what helps me is years of being surrounded by STRONG extrovert personalities and the fact that according to Now Know Your Strengths I am a Learner. This is about as true as my Introvert self I do LOVE to learn. So, people are one of the things I LOVE to learn about and to learn from.

Back to the party though … AUGH … I am excited to chat with friends we have not seen in a while, but the whole thought of going brings anxiety. If you have never experienced anxiety you are lucky. Those butterflies in your tummy. The thoughts of walking into a room filled with people. Then for me as an Empath the energy that just gets drained from me. Have you ever heard someone say “People exhaust me”? Well, they do. It is not intended to be a mean statement I love people, but to explain that statement is something that is best understood through experience. I guess I just get my understanding for other Empath’s.

We are already to do this evening and 90% of me is excited, but 10% of my is trying to come up with a reason to stay home. AGAIN, NOT BECAUSE we are stuck up or trying to avoid people, but just because we do not function … or I do not function at my best with lots of people. Most likely at large parties you will find me sitting at the same table all night or standing in the same location. I will talk myself into roaming and mingling and will do some of that, but then work myself back into some alone time. HA!

Final thoughts…just because someone appears to not be socializing doesn’t mean they are a snob or not having fun it might just mean they are like me and prefer to be on the sidelines at larger gatherings. After all, God made Extroverts to enjoy the lime light I will let them!

Understanding personality types is a huge benefit to ALL RELATIONSHIPS I highly recommend it.

God Bless! I am praying for you please pray for me!

One Day At A Time…

Posted on February 13, 2016Leave a comment

I wrote this title MONTHS ago. You know how many times people say this to themselves or others in a lifetime. I am guessing many times in a DAY. So, this blogger has been quiet for quite some time. I can honestly say it is because the “voices” around me were louder then my own voice and more importantly the voice of the Holy Spirit. I reached a point where I couldn’t hear direction anymore. That may sound funny to some of you and REAL to others. For me it is my reality to look back on my life and really see the times that I was the happiest were the times when things were quiet….times when I was writing in my journal every night…times when I was just reading His word…times when I was reading…times when I was taking time to myself allowing my mind to take a break.

So, over the past couple of months of my quiet time I have realized that this blog is just going to not have a focus at all. Have you ever let things carry you away? Or let the ASSUMED perceptions of others change your direction? Well, I struggle with that a great deal. I have very strong convictions, but I also want the best. So, in many ways I am like my #3 child that wants to try everything. This is where the “voices” around my became a problem. Yet, my heart and soul knew exactly the direction I was supposed to be headed. As a result, I was in a tug of war between my true self where God was leading me and with what it looked like I should be doing. Not sure if that makes sense, but I needed to quiet things down and listen.

Going forward this blog will be going back to whatever comes to mind each night … HOPEFULLY. ALSO, I WILL NOT BE EDITING and if that bothers you go read someone else’s blog. I am and always will be a writer of journals NOT a writer or an editor. I will not be worried about run on sentences, clauses, proper comma location, etc. I just feel like I need to share my thoughts as they come to mind.

Final thought for tonight … Are you struggling with direction? Do you have too many voices in your head? I promise if you turn to Him He will surprise you with a Love and Blessings all around you and before you know it you will have your direction. Just Take It One Day At A Time with Him leading you every step of the way!

God Bless! I am praying for you. Please pray for me.

Who, but God, Knew – Part 2

Posted on November 11, 2015Leave a comment

So, the joy of holding that blond blue eyed beautiful baby boy was nothing like I had ever known. Seeing in him parts of so many family members. Watching him grow to become a great joy in the lives of so many others. I remember having to go back to work and it broke my heart. As much as I loved teaching I wanted to raise my boy more. Yet, Gods plan is best and He needed that boy to spend time with his Grandpa and Grandma. Three years later Grandpa would go on to be with our Lord. When he was 1 year old Great Grandma passed away at the funeral home Grandpa told a friend of the family that having that little boy around each day was like getting his time back with his own boys. See Grandpa worked second shift many years and missed a great deal of time with his boys when they were little. God rewarded him for his work by giving him 3 years with our beautiful tenderhearted boy!

Around his first birthday we learned we were expecting again. So, we are now on our fourth pregnancy. All the thoughts of a boy or a girl ran through our hearts, minds, and words. We were excited. My husband at this point though preferred to keep things quiet after two miscarriages you learn how heart wrenching it is to tell people that you lost yet another child. I especially recall running into someone at the post office. They were all smiles and said “I heard you were expecting! Congratulations!!” Then I had to explain that we lost the baby. I felt very bad for this person as they were horrified, but they did absolutely nothing wrong! With all that said about 6 weeks again into the pregnancy we lost our third child. We sent another little soul to Heaven to with God.

At this point I need to add that a few of my co-workers knew every time we lost a child and in the case of the first two my students knew as well. I was sick and needed to run out of the classroom. I sort of felt like I needed to explain. I always felt so much love from them all after we lost a child. When we did have our boy they were all so wonderful. Giving us a shower and blessing us with gifts and prayers. I thank God for that love and support!

We mourned the loss of this third child. I recall lying in bed wondering what I was doing wrong. If I was being punished for something. Was I eating foods or drinking drinks that would causing something to happen, The entire time I was doing this I also KNEW it was nothing I did or wasn’t doing. I have since learned though that some blood type A women when deficient in selenium when carrying a boy are at higher risk of losing the baby. This research is in the early stages, but that which has been done is very extensive. What is the irony in this is that when looking at Blood Type Diet science blood type A’s are typically deficient in selenium. The research is done by two separate groups. So, that is probably another story.

We moved on like we did in the past. We continued to raise that blond haired boy to be all he could be. We also knew God would give us more babies. It was the desire of my heart I just knew He would see it through. Well, a few months later we were expecting again. This time our pregnancy had a good start. Then about 10 weeks I started spotting at work. I immediately went to the doctor and learned there was no heartbeat. Our sweet baby had died. The feeling was quite unreal to be laying there alone and have them tell you …to show you … there was no heartbeat. Then to go home to wait to have a DNC and still be vomiting. To still be sick …sick…sick…and know you were carrying your sweet baby that had died. One thing I think about now is how horrific this must have been for my amazing husband to watch me going through it all. How hard he must have prayed, but how alone too he must have felt. I am sure he never wanted to share his feelings with me. He wanted to be my shoulder. Certainly an amazing glorious husband he is and was to those babies that we never held. That our arms were eager to rock to sleep each night.

More about our journey another day.

God Bless you! Please pray for me I am praying for you!!

How to Take Charge of Your Anxiety

Posted on August 26, 2015Leave a comment

I am NOT AN EXPERT! I simply have a great deal of personal time with Miss. Anxiety and Mr. Stress. Ever have a migraine? Have tension in the neck and shoulders? Hmmm….grind those teeth or maybe a clincher like me? What about crazy fits of anger? Insomnia? Tears? Panic Attack? And the list could go on and on and on, right? How do we stop the ANXIETY???? I can ONLY speak for myself and to say I am still a work in progress and most likely will be until death.

First of all, years ago I simply started understanding myself. I read personality books and continue to read them today. Not only to understand my weaknesses, because I did dwell on those at great length as we must improve, right? Eventually, I am not sure what happened, but I realized it wasn’t the weaknesses I needed to change I needed to focus on using and enhancing my strengths. Yes, we all have certain things we should change, but those are more bad habits or learned behavior not things the are core to who we are. Once, I learned about my strengths I started to use them to eliminate things that increased my anxiety level. This is something I still work at even today. My number one strength is order and organization. When things go too long or get to busy and things are out of place I literally feel myself hyperventilate and begin to lose control. So, how do I handle this with kids with active lives. Well, I created spaces that are for them to enjoy their toys and crafts. Then I gave myself permission to set boundaries for them and myself. They can have disorder in their rooms and the basement. We restore order once a month and they must never destroy order in the rest of the house. HA…if that were always true life would be great. It works most of the time, but let me tell you day 25 of 30 I am near losing it when I walk through that basement to get to the school room. Try allowing space for your kids, your mind, and allow order in those places you see all the time. Learn about yourself and pick that one thing that you are good at. I bet it is also that one thing that raises your anxiety level. Find a way to let go.

Secondly, I make lists this keeps me focused on tasks. If I don’t I have moments that I feel lost on which direction I need to head next…laundry, cleaning, planning, shower…hehehe yes I need to remind myself to shower. Life with four kids, home schooling, activities, gardening, and so on I can go a couple of days before my husband says, “Honey, take a walk and then a shower.” Or I get caught up doing random things and then forget to do something important, which will bring on guilt and anxiety. As I write that list I am in my head talking it through with God (more on that). I create a monthly project list and daily to do’s. I also have monthly folders to keep things put away so I do not think or wonder about them until I have to. You know everyone has that pile of cool things you would like to do with your kids at Christmas or a next vacation or a camp they would like. Well, instead of leaving them in a pile to sort through weekly or even daily I place them in file folders labeled by month. Then each month when I do our draw erase calendar, meal plan, etc I pull that folder out and sort through the things to see how everything works together. Some things I keep are even for a few years out. Then I am not worried about forgetting cool ideas for a birthday party or a gift. All this helps me, but I have to be careful not to get to caught up in things to do, which is why I talk to God about it. Let Him lead your day and that lifts all anxiety.

Next, I have this devotional that I love. A couple years ago I was reading and came across part that talked about allowing God to lead through each day. This I always knew, but it hit my heart and soul that evening. It was freeing to know I could wake up each morning, give the day to God, and follow His lead. I have been pretty good about it, but have days, when like a friend of mine said, “When you have the worst days…the days that just feel like you are battling all day…then surprise the end of the day comes and you realize you were fighting for control all day. If I had just let Him take the lead it would have been a great day.” Yep, I still have days like that, but more and more of them are freeing days where we just go with the flow. It is wonderful and my kids have even commented that Mom has been more fun lately. That makes me happy. Let it go to Him. Let Him lead you. How? Just ask Him to take charge and WAIT, wait on Him to tell you what is next. It may come immediately or take a few minutes, but before you know it you are playing games, doing dishes, folding laundry, doing a science experiment, baking, and whatever He always comes through. Just go with it. TRUST ME everything does get done! That was and still is the hardest thing for me making sure things get done. I have faith in Him that He provides for ALL my needs even the time to do what needs to be done.

Fourth, is simple make time for yourself. Get out of the house even if just for a drive. Maybe do some form of exercise. Read, journal, and pray. Watch a movie. I have learned that I need to balance this time with people and being alone. Some people NEED people others NEED to be alone. For me to recharge I need to be myself. Yet, I love to have friends and be around people. So, we work to have balance in our relationships and time. Alone time is good for shutting everything down and just listening to your own thoughts. To listen to Him. MAKE that time for you.

Lastly, the latest thing I have been struggling with is holding myself back from God and all He has for me. How is this causing anxiety? Well, do you ever feel moved to do something, but just think you can’t? Then an inner battle occurs and carries on and on and on. All the while life is happening. I have really been focusing on letting go of fears, guilt, unforgiveness, ideas of perfection, etc. and focusing on where I am holding back or being “disobedient” to God and all He has for me. For example, just last night this verse was part of my Bible study and it brought this journey of letting go of anxiety full circle for me. Yes, back to square one, but so much further along in the journey than 10 years ago.

Here you go, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and THE ANXIETIES OF DAILY LIFE [caps inserted], and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.” Luke 21:34-35

Back to letting go of everything. Each day that I HOLD onto something that keeps me from God it keeps Him from giving me everything He wants to give me that day. Holding on creates the anxiety. For me I have learned my anxiety is self induced. Is yours? GREAT! Then you can fix it!!

WHAT ARE YOU HOLDING ONTO? Like the song says “Let It Go”.

Thanks for reading. Please pray for me I am praying for you!

Making Family Memories

Posted on June 29, 2015Leave a comment

How many times as a Mommy or Daddy have you wondered if you were successful at making family memories? Or tried to make more time to do things with the kids to make lasting memories? Or even desired more time so you could make those connections with family?

Well, I am here to tell you I can answer yes to all of the above. Not sure if you are familiar with the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, but after reading this I learned I was a quality time person. This I hope is self explanatory, but it basically means I show love and desire to be loved through spending time time with others. It can even be the time someone took to do something for me or think about a gift to buy me. With that said I am always focused on the idea of TIME with those I love. Whether you are quality time or not you may have family that is and they are desiring more time with you. Leaving you to wish you had more time to do that. Or wondering how in the world can you afford to spend more time with them. I will elaborate, but this is much more simple than I made it out to be over the past 10 years. Yep, took me 10 years to realize I was making family time very complicated.

Another reason I desired memory making time was that my own father passed away when I was seven years old. Over the years since that accident I sub-consciously drove my schedule to squeeze in as much QUALITY time with family as humanly possible. My definition of that was gatherings, vacations, events, in other words, BIG type moments. Sure I seen the value in the little moments, but something in me wanted more. Once our kids started arriving I immediately started thinking of all the vacation spots I wanted to explore with them. Oh, and when could we get that camper or cabin to make summer time memories. As time began to tick away I felt myself feeling guilty for not doing MORE with our kids. Sure we had taken them on some week long trips that I can vividly recall, but what about the other 51 weeks during the year. Okay there are the birthday parties and holiday parties. So, lets say the other 50 weeks we are making NO memories as a family, right? Dear God what will my kids have for memories someday when I am gone. INSERT GIGGLE … as I honestly thought and felt those things for a VERY long time. How stressful!

The change happened gradually as God revealed to me daily these little moments of Joy until suddenly the dots connected and I flash backed over thousands of memories made in our home, back yard, driving from activity to activity, bedtime, bath time, dinner time, etc. Spending time with our kids making memories is the easiest thing we can do and the cheapest. The problem is we complicate it thinking it has to be done a certain way or that money has to be spent for it to be a valued time. Or we ruin moments or let them pass by because we weren’t truly present in the moment. Instead we were focused on the tasks that will be there tomorrow or YEP … the phone, tablet, computer, or TV. For me I wondered … Am I watching him practice his sparring or forms at Karate? Did I see that she FINALLY mastered that step in tap class? Yes, she completed a cart wheel! I asked my kids what their favorite family fun time is and they all replied that it was when we turn our favorite radio station up and dance like crazy people. How about how just last night they ran around the yard chasing firefly’s while watching for the three bats that were flying through the yard. Or even before that we made pizza’s on the fire and roasted marshmallows. Memories are made everyday. You just have to step out of the way of God and let Him show you how to love and appreciate the little moments. If you are not a quality time person, then it might be harder for you to realize that others need you to spend little moments with them everyday. Will we still do the big trips and have the big parties sure, but now instead of focusing on how we can’t do certain things I focus on the things we can do or are doing.

Time is what is valuable not the money spent of it. God Bless! I am praying for you please pray for me.

NOTE: I am an affiliate with Amazon, but I just had to write this as the whole thought came to me last night watching them chase those firefly’s. Besides the book is wonderful. Two others he wrote after that are The Five Love Languages for Children and The Five Love Languages for Teenagers. I must add I was at a conference last week and one of the speakers was a very powerful speaker and touched our hearts. He promoted this book. He told us over and over to appreciate the little moments and that we will never get this day back. Maybe he is why I seen the little moments and felt the need to share with you. Thank You Mark Mcleod for sharing your heart with us for two days. God Bless You!

You Are Doing What? Homeschooling Really?

Posted on June 17, 20152 Comments

Let me begin by taking a journey back in time about 20 years ago sitting at my Grandma’s kitchen table learning my Uncle and Aunt were going to home school. I remember saying and thinking the very same thing I assume nearly every one says when they hear someone is home schooling ….”How will they learn to communicate with others?” Now I laugh hysterically loud at myself for being so naive and even uneducated about how people really learn to communicate with each other. Over the years I grew to stop thinking about home schooling at all. In my mind it was just something some people choose to do to educate their children. I do recall thinking the girls were quiet or shy, but never thinking that was due to homeschooling. I just figured that was their personality.

Now jump ahead to my 20-something years. I am beginning my public school teaching experience and associating with people that challenged me in my thinking of school, character, faith, government, etc. I began to have my heart and eyes opened to what I know to be the truth about a great deal of things. I had not really decided to home school my kids when they arrived; heck, I wasn’t even married yet. As time went on I just came to know home schooling was what we would do. Figuring out how to convince others that was the right thing is another story. We eventually decided convincing people wasn’t our job or place. Our role was just to let God lead us through this journey and He would take care of the rest.

Why are you homeschooling? In all honesty, I have never truly been able to answer that question with an answer that the person doing the asking would understand. Not that they wouldn’t get it or where … well, dumb, but because at first it was me just following my gut…my God’s leading. I really did not even know I was doing something so crazy. Why I was making waves in our small town … in our family. Don’t get me wrong we did get some love and support, but mostly silence. I would wonder at times if it was really worth it. I would ask myself why? Again, I still can not verbalize why I KNEW we were to home school. I just KNEW it. Today I see, hear, and learn about our world about the state of so many things…I discover things about our kids learning abilities and I think “Oh, I get it NOW God! I see NOW why you led me … us into this amazing beautiful world!”

Today, right now as I am typing the 1st draft of this post in the Fall of 2014 at 10 pm, I have a full heart. I have a head that wonders if it is doing it all right. I am amazed at how the mind works. I am truly blessed to have read and discovered learning styles, multiple intelligence’s, abilities, etc before we found dyslexia. It has been a heart breaking heart warming tear jerking journey. That is another story. Yet, you know I still know beyond any doubt that home schooling is right for our family. With that said I also know that it is NOT right for every family. Could every family do it YES…”With Christ all things are possible”, BUT to be right one has to believe it is right NOT just do it. That is how I know it is right for us I believe it is God led.

Now it is June 2015 and I am editing the final draft. Nothing has changed, but do want to add that though I never question that I am supposed to be home schooling our kids I do question my abilities all the time. Then I thank God that I do not have to do this alone and that I trust that since He led us to this journey He will lead us through it. Thanking Him every moment of every day!

So, why are we homeschooling? Because my heart tells me so…..

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You Are Welcome to Share!

You Are Welcome to Share!

You Are Welcome to Share!

You Are Welcome to Share!

You Are Welcome to Share!

You Are Welcome to Share!

You Are Welcome to Share!

You Are Welcome to Share!

You Are Welcome to Share!