Yesterday I had to drop off RM yesterday at his new job because I needed the car, so it was my first opportunity to see where he was actually working. As we pulled up to the college, I was in awe. It was a big, brand new facility, nothing like I had pictured (I had pictured some rundown decrepit old buildings for some reason...!) It turns out the building he is working in only opened this past spring, so he is one of the first to actually have a job there. It is state-of-the-art everything - for him, an amazing opportunity. He comes home each time he goes in saying, "I get paid to play" as he's always being exposed to some new technology or million dollar toy.
As I drove away, one of the preachers on the radio was talking about Mary's Magnificat, which is the song she sang after meeting Elizabeth, both pregnant with very special babies. Our kids are right in the middle of memorizing The Magnificat because they have to memorize Luke for Bible Quizzing this year, so I'd already been thinking about how much I love that set of verses.
This was just minutes after I'd dropped him off, when I heard the preacher say, "...for he has looked on the humble estate of of his servant....for He who is mighty has done great things for me....And his mercy is for those who fear him....and exalted those of humble estate; He has filled the hungry with good things....."
I felt like Mary for the few minutes driving away. I felt so humbled that God would choose to hear us, to bless us, to exalt us in a way by giving us this amazing job. It is such an answer to prayer (have I said that a hundred times yet???!!)
I have often written about Joseph in prison. I almost used to feel sorry for him when I would read his story about how he was down in the well, thrown there by his brothers, only to be taken out and then thrown in prison by his master, unfairly, only to be forgotten there by the guy who got out and was supposed to help him get out. I could relate to Joseph, I felt. I knew the end of his story and I wanted so badly to tell the younger Joseph, "Hang in there! There's a happy ending!"
At the same time, I would feel sorry for myself as I often felt like I was in a well, or in prison, or unfairly treated. I don't think I deserved to be "Pharoah's assistant" like Joseph was....I just wanted freedom! But somewhere along this path, (I've been blogging for nearly 3 years now) I learned to love prison, to embrace it, to realize prison was exactly where God wanted me and He wasn't going to take me out until He wanted to. I had to accept it was going to be for an indefinite period of time and quite possibly....forever. Though I didn't love that thought it was good to get to that place.
The preacher on the radio talked about that place yesterday where you are finally humbled. We were there. Then, he said, you have grace, "He gives grace to the humble." This grace, he went on, allows you to accept whatever comes your way, it takes away all the stress, and though you don't love everything that is going on in your life, you know if God has chosen it then God wants it for you and you become ok with it.
There we were, at the bottom of the pit, and we could only look up. It was a constant battle to not lose hope though as I still felt God could save us at any time if He so chose, so though I was content to stay in the well, I kept on praying for freedom. Not once did I ever feel I was supposed to stop praying. That is the one thing that developed the most in our prison - we knew like never before our constant dependence on God, for everything, the food on our table, the gas in our car, the clothes on our backs. I don't think Joseph ever stopped hoping either. Prison isn't a fun place to be, you find yourself always dreaming of what freedom will look and feel like.
This is the thing....we aren't entirely out of prison yet, but this job represents the beginning of freedom, Lord willing. I had been afraid to write a few months ago about how this was our 7th year of attempting debt-reduction. But, by faith, I wrote it anyway trusting that God would do something in this 7th year. The Bible speaks about how masters, in the Old Testatment, are to let their slaves go in their 7th year of bondage. I started to pray for freedom in our 7th year. To some, it will be coincidence that we got this job in our 7th year. It is hard for me to say that. I only see it as part of the miracle, especially as the 7th year was drawing to a close!
We might be out of the prison cell, but we aren't out of the actual prison. Knowing we still have one foot in prison is good as God knows how quick we are to lose sight of Him. Keeping us in a state of dependency keeps us ever relying on God as we are also so quick to pat ourselves on the back and say, "Look what we've done."
I came home and told the kids what I had heard on the radio and then I thanked them for being with us on the journey, for allowing themselves to be in the humbled estate we found ourselves in, for rarely complaining about things they could have easily complained about. I told them, "Remember this! Tell your kids! We can never forget all the stories of God's provision."
And that's the message of The Magnificat as well. They have to tell the generations to come all that God has done,
"And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation."
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Monday, 26 September 2016
Gotta Keep My Clothes On!
If we ever wondered about the benefits of sending our children to the worldview camp this past summer, we will wonder no more. They have made some really neat connections with youth in the southern Ontario area. These young adults get together sometimes weekly, depending on where they meet up, and off they go and street preach, handing out tracts, talking with people about their faith and where they stand with respect to eternity.
A couple summers ago we had some street preachers stay on our property for a few weeks using our place as their "headquarters" as they went around the area going different places day to day. Each night they would come back and debrief with us about their experiences that day. We asked them a lot of questions wondering if what they were doing was really effective, if it was the best way to evangelize, all the questions we'd ever wondered. They just kept pointing us back to the gospels, to Paul the apostle, to the disciples, how they went out two by two or stood in the "streets" of the Old Testament shouting out the good news of Jesus Christ without fear. We couldn't really argue. I think as long as it is done respectfully and not shouting in people's faces, it can be a really good way, not the only way of course, but another thing that can make people think about their eternal destination. That was probably the beginning of the "bug" for my kids. It got them thinking. Then the camp equipped them and furthered the challenge to get out there.
My oldest son is getting more and more comfortable sharing his faith and got into many conversations with people that night. That made me so happy to know he is actually engaging people in dialogue. Over the last year or two they've also learned a lot about other people's faith so he would often start conversations that way, explaining what he knew about their faith. I'm sure that would have caught the other people off guard as they were likely about to use that against him, that he didn't know what they believed, but he's beginning to learn how to diffuse people and get right to their main objections. Really neat. That was how they spent their Friday night.
Another week ahead....as the weather cools down, I get less and less excited about winter. But Fall field trips are fun. We enjoyed an apple picking day on Friday with the younger 4. I love getting the chance to redo all the field trips I did with the older kids. I feel like a grandma with all the young moms, but thankfully they include me and it is another chance to hang out with these neat women and their kids. I see myself in all of them and love watching them and being around them.
As I go into the week ahead, I'm reminded in Nehemiah that it is a battle. For me, it is a challenge to keep the kids excited about school, chores...all the menial stuff that just has to get done. It is a challenge to stay positive when the kids are getting into little skirmishes seemingly all the time, When Nehemiah built the wall he had so many challenges, but he did not give up. Instead, he just changed his game plan. Chapter 4 says, "So we laboured at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out....neither I nor my brother nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes, each kept his weapon at his right hand." That's it, can't take off my clothes! I have to sleep with my "clothes on" and a "weapon at my side". Isn't that it? The battle is literally day and night, from the "break of dawn until the stars come out". I don't find that depressing, but instead encouraging, to know Nehemiah just handled the stuff that came against him, didn't fuss about it, just did it. Sleeping with a weapon is hardly convenient. Sleeping with your clothes on is just another way of saying, "no time to get cozy" - always have to be ready for a fight! My kids don't know I have a sword strapped to my leg under my clothes (ahhh...just kiddin). But in a way I do! I have to think that way, so I'm not caught off guard when my kids try to throw me off with their antics or life tries to stress me out. So that's my new phrase for the week - keep your clothes on!
A couple summers ago we had some street preachers stay on our property for a few weeks using our place as their "headquarters" as they went around the area going different places day to day. Each night they would come back and debrief with us about their experiences that day. We asked them a lot of questions wondering if what they were doing was really effective, if it was the best way to evangelize, all the questions we'd ever wondered. They just kept pointing us back to the gospels, to Paul the apostle, to the disciples, how they went out two by two or stood in the "streets" of the Old Testament shouting out the good news of Jesus Christ without fear. We couldn't really argue. I think as long as it is done respectfully and not shouting in people's faces, it can be a really good way, not the only way of course, but another thing that can make people think about their eternal destination. That was probably the beginning of the "bug" for my kids. It got them thinking. Then the camp equipped them and furthered the challenge to get out there.
My oldest son is getting more and more comfortable sharing his faith and got into many conversations with people that night. That made me so happy to know he is actually engaging people in dialogue. Over the last year or two they've also learned a lot about other people's faith so he would often start conversations that way, explaining what he knew about their faith. I'm sure that would have caught the other people off guard as they were likely about to use that against him, that he didn't know what they believed, but he's beginning to learn how to diffuse people and get right to their main objections. Really neat. That was how they spent their Friday night.
Another week ahead....as the weather cools down, I get less and less excited about winter. But Fall field trips are fun. We enjoyed an apple picking day on Friday with the younger 4. I love getting the chance to redo all the field trips I did with the older kids. I feel like a grandma with all the young moms, but thankfully they include me and it is another chance to hang out with these neat women and their kids. I see myself in all of them and love watching them and being around them.
As I go into the week ahead, I'm reminded in Nehemiah that it is a battle. For me, it is a challenge to keep the kids excited about school, chores...all the menial stuff that just has to get done. It is a challenge to stay positive when the kids are getting into little skirmishes seemingly all the time, When Nehemiah built the wall he had so many challenges, but he did not give up. Instead, he just changed his game plan. Chapter 4 says, "So we laboured at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out....neither I nor my brother nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes, each kept his weapon at his right hand." That's it, can't take off my clothes! I have to sleep with my "clothes on" and a "weapon at my side". Isn't that it? The battle is literally day and night, from the "break of dawn until the stars come out". I don't find that depressing, but instead encouraging, to know Nehemiah just handled the stuff that came against him, didn't fuss about it, just did it. Sleeping with a weapon is hardly convenient. Sleeping with your clothes on is just another way of saying, "no time to get cozy" - always have to be ready for a fight! My kids don't know I have a sword strapped to my leg under my clothes (ahhh...just kiddin). But in a way I do! I have to think that way, so I'm not caught off guard when my kids try to throw me off with their antics or life tries to stress me out. So that's my new phrase for the week - keep your clothes on!
Friday, 23 September 2016
Commending His Works to the Next Generation
Haven't been writing much about debt-reduction lately, but I think that it because this blog has become about so much more than that. If I could retitle it, which I've considered, it would definitely have the word "faith" in the title and it would be more about my journey of faith. This would still include our journey about getting out of debt, but what I've learned is that getting out of debt isn't my entire focus in life! It is still a big part of what we are about. It started out that way, when I first began the blog a few years ago. In a way, I still want it to be that way where we try every day to do something that will reduce debt, but now, looking back over all the journal entries, I see that God had so many more things to teach me and so many more things to write about. I will continue to pursue writing about the things we do and the miracles that happen in our debt-reduction journey, but I also love writing about the many lessons I learn sometimes that have nothing to do with debt-reduction. That's just a disclaimer for the title of my blog and why I sometimes have nothing financial in a post!
Last night was an awesome opportunity for me to get to know my in-laws' and my husband's uncle's history a lot better. RM's uncle flew in from California for a couple of weeks. He's in his late 70s, as is my mother-in-law (they're brother and sister). Knowing that you never know when it'll be the last time you see someone, we thought we should take advantage of his being in town and get the two of them together to talk about their amazing history. RM and I went over with a laptop and I just sat there for two hours while they talked, me typing down every word that was said.
We began with prayer, big mistake....the tears started right away, for everyone. They have a sad and moving history.
It began well. They were people of faith who came from people of faith, who came from people of faith. Did the great-grandparents pray for us so many years ago? Their father used to preach in the local church (which he also helped build) whenever the regular pastor couldn't be there. They were living in what would now be Poland, but it was Germany then, before borders were changed. It was a happy life.
One day, in 1939, the war started. At first there was no impact, but a few years later, they were told to grab all their things and head for the train station, with only the clothes on their backs and whatever they could carry. The Russians were coming and their lives were in danger. Their dad had already left and had been drafted for the war. That would be the last time they ever saw him. His ship would be shot down and he would drown at sea.
Their young mom, only 33, would leave their village with 5 children, ages 1-8 along with her sister, her children and their elderly mom. The next few weeks and months, they would become refugees along with thousands of others. The Russians would even rape their aunt at one point, when the soldiers were drunk and looking for trouble one night. RM's grandmother would avoid this terrible fate because her children clung to her legs when they tried to get her, too.
Just before being forced out of their village, their mom (RM's grandmother) would get the awful news that her husband was officially missing in action. RM's uncle could barely get through that part of the story as he remembered it like it was yesterday, being a boy of 8. Their dad was only 39 when he died.
They went from railroad station to railroad station, from village to village, walking down the beaches of the Baltic, over the bodies of dead soldiers and horses, narrowly missing shots from the Germans shooting at the Russians, trying to keep them at bay. Eventually they would end up with 4 families living in a barn that had been turned into living accomodations. They stayed in that place for several years. Hard to imagine. Over 600 km from their original village.
It was in that new location that they settled and regular life began, children grew up, money was saved, a house was built and then some eventually immigrated to the U.S. and Canada. This is a much shorter version of what was shared last night, but it gives a picture of some of what they went through.
Through it all they saw the miracles that happened that kept them alive. When other trains were shot down by the Russian planes, their train wasn't. When other ships were torpedoed, their's was safe. They cannot explain this, except that they were given second chances at life, by the grace of God. I'm grateful for that because I married one of the descendants of these brave people! It was wonderful to learn of my children's godly heritage. I knew more about my parent's side of course and the faith my grandparents had. It was exciting to learn that it was also from my husband's side. My children need to know this and the impact of faithful grandparents and great-grandparents.
Last week my kids had the fun opportunity to see Hillsong Young and Free at a church nearby. A concert that gave them sore muscles from "worshiping"!!! The band used this verse as a theme for the night...it reminds me of what I've just been writing about,
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts. (Ps. 145:4)
I think that was what I was hearing last night, the commending of God's mighty works to us, the next generation. It brings me back to the beginning of this post. I think that is what I want my blog to be about more than just debt-reduction. I want it to be a written account of God's mighty acts to the next generation.
Last night was an awesome opportunity for me to get to know my in-laws' and my husband's uncle's history a lot better. RM's uncle flew in from California for a couple of weeks. He's in his late 70s, as is my mother-in-law (they're brother and sister). Knowing that you never know when it'll be the last time you see someone, we thought we should take advantage of his being in town and get the two of them together to talk about their amazing history. RM and I went over with a laptop and I just sat there for two hours while they talked, me typing down every word that was said.
We began with prayer, big mistake....the tears started right away, for everyone. They have a sad and moving history.
It began well. They were people of faith who came from people of faith, who came from people of faith. Did the great-grandparents pray for us so many years ago? Their father used to preach in the local church (which he also helped build) whenever the regular pastor couldn't be there. They were living in what would now be Poland, but it was Germany then, before borders were changed. It was a happy life.
One day, in 1939, the war started. At first there was no impact, but a few years later, they were told to grab all their things and head for the train station, with only the clothes on their backs and whatever they could carry. The Russians were coming and their lives were in danger. Their dad had already left and had been drafted for the war. That would be the last time they ever saw him. His ship would be shot down and he would drown at sea.
Their young mom, only 33, would leave their village with 5 children, ages 1-8 along with her sister, her children and their elderly mom. The next few weeks and months, they would become refugees along with thousands of others. The Russians would even rape their aunt at one point, when the soldiers were drunk and looking for trouble one night. RM's grandmother would avoid this terrible fate because her children clung to her legs when they tried to get her, too.
Just before being forced out of their village, their mom (RM's grandmother) would get the awful news that her husband was officially missing in action. RM's uncle could barely get through that part of the story as he remembered it like it was yesterday, being a boy of 8. Their dad was only 39 when he died.
They went from railroad station to railroad station, from village to village, walking down the beaches of the Baltic, over the bodies of dead soldiers and horses, narrowly missing shots from the Germans shooting at the Russians, trying to keep them at bay. Eventually they would end up with 4 families living in a barn that had been turned into living accomodations. They stayed in that place for several years. Hard to imagine. Over 600 km from their original village.
It was in that new location that they settled and regular life began, children grew up, money was saved, a house was built and then some eventually immigrated to the U.S. and Canada. This is a much shorter version of what was shared last night, but it gives a picture of some of what they went through.
Through it all they saw the miracles that happened that kept them alive. When other trains were shot down by the Russian planes, their train wasn't. When other ships were torpedoed, their's was safe. They cannot explain this, except that they were given second chances at life, by the grace of God. I'm grateful for that because I married one of the descendants of these brave people! It was wonderful to learn of my children's godly heritage. I knew more about my parent's side of course and the faith my grandparents had. It was exciting to learn that it was also from my husband's side. My children need to know this and the impact of faithful grandparents and great-grandparents.
Last week my kids had the fun opportunity to see Hillsong Young and Free at a church nearby. A concert that gave them sore muscles from "worshiping"!!! The band used this verse as a theme for the night...it reminds me of what I've just been writing about,
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts. (Ps. 145:4)
I think that was what I was hearing last night, the commending of God's mighty works to us, the next generation. It brings me back to the beginning of this post. I think that is what I want my blog to be about more than just debt-reduction. I want it to be a written account of God's mighty acts to the next generation.
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
Political Picnic
Today is day 2 of RM's new day on the job! He'll only work 3 days a week allowing him to do his other work the rest of the week, so it really is ideal. He's working in a brand new advanced manufacturing facility so it's nice to be in a place that isn't all old and rundown, a much more pleasant work environment! So far so good. Praising God every day still for the miracles He has done.
Meanwhile, our weekend was full as usual! We hosted a homeschool picnic on Friday which is what we do twice a year, nothing too out of the ordinary there, except we had a really unique opportunity to have a special guest come by part way through the day. My friend called me and said, "Hey, I know this guy.....can he come by?" Sure! So around noon, this young 19 year old popped in. He's currently running for political office looking to replace a senior guy who's been in politics for years. Truly, he doesn't have a chance....or does he?
He was homeschooled himself, the second youngest of 8 (which makes him have a lot in common with my second youngest of 8 who thinks he's Donald Trump.....coincidence? Maybe my son will run for office one day, too.....!). Through a series of unique circumstances, he found himself working for another politician which showed him what was really going on in Ottawa. He thought, "I want to make a difference." This kid, I mean he really was just a kid, was incredibly articulate and well-spoken. I would have voted for him just because of that. But what really got all of was that he was willing to take a stand for all the big controversial issues like pro-life, euthanasia, and the rights of the family (i.e., homeschooling as the right of a parent). Very few politicians will take a stand on these issues.
He gave a short talk to the crowd of homeschoolers and got a big round of applause. Then he explained how we have to become members of his political party to vote him in as a candidate, but that you can be 14 to vote. As well, he asked for help with his campaign. Our eyes lit up as did our kids! They ran and all got their $10 (the fee to become a member). They signed up on the spot.
Tonight, the older four will go to his house and help him on his campaign! What a great experience! It's highschool civics/political history in action! Sometimes I wonder if one of my children will become a lawyer. These kinds of experiences direct children in a way that a course cannot. I'm hoping that this will be a positive way to introduce our kids to politics.
A few years ago at a homeschool conference, Rick Boyer spoke on "Taking Back the Land". He was encouraging families to educate their kids and take back the positions that so many non-Christians had taken over, doctors, lawyers, politicians.....This young guy is doing just that and he is inspiring others to do the same, including my own kids.
Will he win? Will he get into office and make a difference at just 19? He has virtually no experience, but he has God on his side and a lot of nerve. In a lot of Bible stories in the Old Testament, that was enough!
Meanwhile, our weekend was full as usual! We hosted a homeschool picnic on Friday which is what we do twice a year, nothing too out of the ordinary there, except we had a really unique opportunity to have a special guest come by part way through the day. My friend called me and said, "Hey, I know this guy.....can he come by?" Sure! So around noon, this young 19 year old popped in. He's currently running for political office looking to replace a senior guy who's been in politics for years. Truly, he doesn't have a chance....or does he?
He was homeschooled himself, the second youngest of 8 (which makes him have a lot in common with my second youngest of 8 who thinks he's Donald Trump.....coincidence? Maybe my son will run for office one day, too.....!). Through a series of unique circumstances, he found himself working for another politician which showed him what was really going on in Ottawa. He thought, "I want to make a difference." This kid, I mean he really was just a kid, was incredibly articulate and well-spoken. I would have voted for him just because of that. But what really got all of was that he was willing to take a stand for all the big controversial issues like pro-life, euthanasia, and the rights of the family (i.e., homeschooling as the right of a parent). Very few politicians will take a stand on these issues.
He gave a short talk to the crowd of homeschoolers and got a big round of applause. Then he explained how we have to become members of his political party to vote him in as a candidate, but that you can be 14 to vote. As well, he asked for help with his campaign. Our eyes lit up as did our kids! They ran and all got their $10 (the fee to become a member). They signed up on the spot.
Tonight, the older four will go to his house and help him on his campaign! What a great experience! It's highschool civics/political history in action! Sometimes I wonder if one of my children will become a lawyer. These kinds of experiences direct children in a way that a course cannot. I'm hoping that this will be a positive way to introduce our kids to politics.
A few years ago at a homeschool conference, Rick Boyer spoke on "Taking Back the Land". He was encouraging families to educate their kids and take back the positions that so many non-Christians had taken over, doctors, lawyers, politicians.....This young guy is doing just that and he is inspiring others to do the same, including my own kids.
Will he win? Will he get into office and make a difference at just 19? He has virtually no experience, but he has God on his side and a lot of nerve. In a lot of Bible stories in the Old Testament, that was enough!
Thursday, 15 September 2016
New Hearts
Still continuing in a state of shock, I read this verse this morning and it was perfect,
"But now, for a brief moment, favour has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are slaves. YET our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. (Ezra 9:8, 9)
That is such a perfect description of how we are feeling right now. We are still slaves. YET, God has not forsaken us in our slavery. For a "brief moment" He's shown us His favour. He's provided work, a contract, (new garage doors even), and some security that we haven't had for a long time. He "hasn't forsaken us in our slavery" at all, but instead has "extended His steadfast love" to us. He has brightened our eyes and has granted us a "little reviving", well, actually a lot of reviving! Even the Israelites needed a boost in their dark times. So did we.
Yesterday when RM was reading to us from 1 Samuel, he read about how Saul was given 3 signs to show him and confirm for him that he was God's chosen king. They were obscure signs, but that was so he would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that "God has annointed you to be prince over His heritage". After Samuel told him what the signs would be, "he turned his back to leave Samuel and God gave him another heart." Then "all these signs came to pass that day". (1 Samuel 10)
During my time of praying for direction for RM over the last couple of months, I felt I just needed confirmation that we were in His will. I really needed some "signs". Yesterday I looked back in my journal where I actually recorded events that happened during that time of praying and I realized even then that God was talking to me and was giving me "signs". From the outside view, all these things could have been complete and utter coincidence, but to a praying wife, it was evidence that God was hearing me pray. I really do believe He still gives "signs", personal signs, to those who are seeking Him.
God was not trying to show me that my husband would be a prince over Israel. No, but I believe He was answering my prayers about doubts I had. One of the first ones I had was when I spoke with my friend in the berry patch. Before speaking to her I was quite against applying to work in a college as I thought it would ruin my husband. He just wasn't a 9-5er/desk/classroom type of guy. But after speaking to her I was encouraged that maybe there were other positions he could seek out, so I left determined to speak to RM about this only to come home and find out he had already applied without having had me speak to him! Not only that, but he applied in the 11th hour, with a 12 year-old dusty resume that was hardly polished. In addition to that, it was part-time, summers off, not a desk/teaching position.....the list of "signs" goes on and on. And, all that on day one of our intense time of praying. It is just too hard to write that off as coincidence. I feel like God was trying to give us "another heart", too, one piece at a time. We clearly needed to see that God was at work.
Later on, just a few days later, I had a very dark morning. Doubts had crept in again, about our future. Perhaps we would never get work, never get out of debt. I started to believe the lies Satan was sending my way. Satan must have known we were in a serious time of prayer and just like he came to Jesus in His 40 day fast in the desert to tempt Him to worship him, I was starting to give in and cave to his lies. I was even beginning to doubt my husband in ways. Over the next two days, two different men spoke to me about my husband without knowing my doubts and fears. One man told me what a strong man my husband was and said, "I am so glad he is on my team." It was a strange affirmation that I really needed to hear. I left feeling, "Hmmm...yeah....my husband is strong....how did I forget that?" Then, the next day, in front of 150 people at his own wedding, our good friend spoke about how my husband had shown him was it meant to be a man and "so many other things". He was so grateful for my husband's input in his life. But that was what I needed to hear, too. In my dark time of doubting God and His purposes for my life, Satan used those doubts to make me question my own husband. I was questioning if he would be able to get work, get us out of debt, if he was in the right field of work....so many fears were trying to creep in. Yet, God, knowing this, sent those two men to tell me, "No, you need not doubt your husband. He is a strong man. He is exactly who you need and is the exact right man to lead you and your family. Don't question Me on that ever again." Again, I received another piece of my new heart.
Then, an impossible contract was awarded to us. We were up against the big guys. How would we ever hope to win it with being just a little company, but somehow, by God's grace, His wisdom and His goodness, we got the contract. If I didn't have a completely new heart yet, I certainly did by that point.
These 3 major signs during our time of praying helped me to believe God was at work, answering our entreaties, as Ezra put it. He used obscure people that I rarely see and interact with. He used unusual "coincidences". He just kept affirming we were exactly where He wanted us. We just needed to keep believing and trust Him for the long haul. When Samuel told Saul all the signs he was going to see he said, "Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you." (1 Samuel 10:7) We have met the signs, we really feel that affirmation that God is with us. Now we just have to do what He lays in front of us to do - work! And keep doing what we are doing! We had been prepared to move to China if that's what He wanted us to do, or sell the farm, or sell all the animals, switch careers if necessary.....or whatever it was, but we feel it wasn't that at all, though we did surrender all those things. In the surrendering, He gave it all back (though He doesn't do that all the time) and then some.
Was Saul's heart dying that he needed a new one? Maybe it just wasn't soft enough and was more like a heart of stone. For us, our hearts weren't stone, but were just beating slower and slower....we were needing a heart transplant as worry, doubts, fears, were starting to take its toll on our slowly dying hearts. These signs gave us new hearts, renewed, revived hearts. Ezra, too, needed a brightening, a brief moment in time to see God's favour, "a little reviving" in his slavery in order to set up the house of God. We, too, needed that reviving to keep going.
Does God always have to use "signs"? I'm sure He doesn't, nor should He have to, but He does. I see it all the time. I believe He knows our humanity and knows we need that encouragement as I've written many times before. I'm so grateful for the little ways He speaks to me, but wow, sometimes He uses big things and though it isn't every day, both RM and I feel revived and brightened, ready to set up, rebuild, repair whatever God has in store for us.
"But now, for a brief moment, favour has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are slaves. YET our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. (Ezra 9:8, 9)
That is such a perfect description of how we are feeling right now. We are still slaves. YET, God has not forsaken us in our slavery. For a "brief moment" He's shown us His favour. He's provided work, a contract, (new garage doors even), and some security that we haven't had for a long time. He "hasn't forsaken us in our slavery" at all, but instead has "extended His steadfast love" to us. He has brightened our eyes and has granted us a "little reviving", well, actually a lot of reviving! Even the Israelites needed a boost in their dark times. So did we.
Yesterday when RM was reading to us from 1 Samuel, he read about how Saul was given 3 signs to show him and confirm for him that he was God's chosen king. They were obscure signs, but that was so he would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that "God has annointed you to be prince over His heritage". After Samuel told him what the signs would be, "he turned his back to leave Samuel and God gave him another heart." Then "all these signs came to pass that day". (1 Samuel 10)
During my time of praying for direction for RM over the last couple of months, I felt I just needed confirmation that we were in His will. I really needed some "signs". Yesterday I looked back in my journal where I actually recorded events that happened during that time of praying and I realized even then that God was talking to me and was giving me "signs". From the outside view, all these things could have been complete and utter coincidence, but to a praying wife, it was evidence that God was hearing me pray. I really do believe He still gives "signs", personal signs, to those who are seeking Him.
God was not trying to show me that my husband would be a prince over Israel. No, but I believe He was answering my prayers about doubts I had. One of the first ones I had was when I spoke with my friend in the berry patch. Before speaking to her I was quite against applying to work in a college as I thought it would ruin my husband. He just wasn't a 9-5er/desk/classroom type of guy. But after speaking to her I was encouraged that maybe there were other positions he could seek out, so I left determined to speak to RM about this only to come home and find out he had already applied without having had me speak to him! Not only that, but he applied in the 11th hour, with a 12 year-old dusty resume that was hardly polished. In addition to that, it was part-time, summers off, not a desk/teaching position.....the list of "signs" goes on and on. And, all that on day one of our intense time of praying. It is just too hard to write that off as coincidence. I feel like God was trying to give us "another heart", too, one piece at a time. We clearly needed to see that God was at work.
Later on, just a few days later, I had a very dark morning. Doubts had crept in again, about our future. Perhaps we would never get work, never get out of debt. I started to believe the lies Satan was sending my way. Satan must have known we were in a serious time of prayer and just like he came to Jesus in His 40 day fast in the desert to tempt Him to worship him, I was starting to give in and cave to his lies. I was even beginning to doubt my husband in ways. Over the next two days, two different men spoke to me about my husband without knowing my doubts and fears. One man told me what a strong man my husband was and said, "I am so glad he is on my team." It was a strange affirmation that I really needed to hear. I left feeling, "Hmmm...yeah....my husband is strong....how did I forget that?" Then, the next day, in front of 150 people at his own wedding, our good friend spoke about how my husband had shown him was it meant to be a man and "so many other things". He was so grateful for my husband's input in his life. But that was what I needed to hear, too. In my dark time of doubting God and His purposes for my life, Satan used those doubts to make me question my own husband. I was questioning if he would be able to get work, get us out of debt, if he was in the right field of work....so many fears were trying to creep in. Yet, God, knowing this, sent those two men to tell me, "No, you need not doubt your husband. He is a strong man. He is exactly who you need and is the exact right man to lead you and your family. Don't question Me on that ever again." Again, I received another piece of my new heart.
Then, an impossible contract was awarded to us. We were up against the big guys. How would we ever hope to win it with being just a little company, but somehow, by God's grace, His wisdom and His goodness, we got the contract. If I didn't have a completely new heart yet, I certainly did by that point.
These 3 major signs during our time of praying helped me to believe God was at work, answering our entreaties, as Ezra put it. He used obscure people that I rarely see and interact with. He used unusual "coincidences". He just kept affirming we were exactly where He wanted us. We just needed to keep believing and trust Him for the long haul. When Samuel told Saul all the signs he was going to see he said, "Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you." (1 Samuel 10:7) We have met the signs, we really feel that affirmation that God is with us. Now we just have to do what He lays in front of us to do - work! And keep doing what we are doing! We had been prepared to move to China if that's what He wanted us to do, or sell the farm, or sell all the animals, switch careers if necessary.....or whatever it was, but we feel it wasn't that at all, though we did surrender all those things. In the surrendering, He gave it all back (though He doesn't do that all the time) and then some.
Was Saul's heart dying that he needed a new one? Maybe it just wasn't soft enough and was more like a heart of stone. For us, our hearts weren't stone, but were just beating slower and slower....we were needing a heart transplant as worry, doubts, fears, were starting to take its toll on our slowly dying hearts. These signs gave us new hearts, renewed, revived hearts. Ezra, too, needed a brightening, a brief moment in time to see God's favour, "a little reviving" in his slavery in order to set up the house of God. We, too, needed that reviving to keep going.
Does God always have to use "signs"? I'm sure He doesn't, nor should He have to, but He does. I see it all the time. I believe He knows our humanity and knows we need that encouragement as I've written many times before. I'm so grateful for the little ways He speaks to me, but wow, sometimes He uses big things and though it isn't every day, both RM and I feel revived and brightened, ready to set up, rebuild, repair whatever God has in store for us.
Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Ezra's Prayer and Our's....Answered
Two months ago, my husband and I decided we would take the 40 days before our anniversary and we would pray together, and fast, specifically about what direction in his career he should be focusing on. He had his fingers in so many pies and all the pies tasted great, but was there a better pie than another?! We needed God to show us.
Yesterday I read Ezra 8:21. I had read this passage before, but I hadn't underlined it. Yesterday I underlined it. This is what it says, "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods....So we fasted and implored our God for this, and He listened to our entreaty."
That's what we did, too. We implored God for this and He listened to our entreaty. We were praying for a "safe journey for ourselves, our children and our goods". The safe journey also needed to have a clear path, one that would get us where we needed to go without going off-track. We needed this not just for ourselves but for our children so that we could provide for them, too. Like I said, He listened.
On day 1 of the fast, I was out with a friend. This was two months ago. That was when I heard about her being debt-free. I shared with her how I was struggling, my husband was struggling. What were we supposed to do? I explained how there was so much potential, but we weren't experiencing the freedom we longed for, nor were we 100% sure which area of work we were supposed to pursue. Her husband was a prof at a local university. It has often been suggested all along my husband's career that he work in an engineering department, but he doesn't have his ph.d. and even if he did, this university doesn't have an engineering department anyway.
I explained the quandary to her, how working at a university seemed ideal, but impossible without him going back to school for a loooong time. She was very knowledgable about the local colleges though and strongly encouraged that as there are good engineering tech departments. We'd looked before, but jobs aren't always available, so we hadn't looked in that area for awhile. Plus, we were hesitant to apply for a full-time teaching position as that would limit my husband incredibly. He loves being an entrepreneur and yes, it would bring stability, but at what cost? Entrepreneurs aren't good at sitting at desks all day. If they aren't doing what they love, it is a form of torture. This same friend's husband, however, loves his job. He's doing something he enjoys so much that is doesn't feel like torture to him.
I left that day feeling two things.....the battle had started. On the one hand, Satan was trying desperately to discourage me, "You're not out of debt like her. What are you doing wrong? Too bad you can't be like them. I guess you never will be out of debt. Oh well. Poor you." But, on the other hand, I was kind of excited. I was determined to go home and encourage my husband to look one more time on the college job site. I was determined to encourage him by her story of being debt-free instead of being worn down by Satan's attack. I could see the enemy's tactics and I was not going to let him win. This is where is gets funny.
I walked in the door ready to tell him, "Hey, you should hear the conversation I had to today. I was just thinking you should......." I hadn't even gotten my sentence out when my husband said, "I applied at the college today." WHAT?????!!!!! Had he read my mind? Had he been there picking berries with us the whole time without me noticing him???? No, God had prompted him to look without me even saying anything. Wow. It turns out if he had waited for me to get home it would have been too late.
On the job site of the college that day, he had quickly scanned and there before him was a job that was being taken down that day. It was the last day it was being posted. It may as well have been written for him with his name on it. I'm actually shocked they didn't mail him the application form because everything in the job description had my husband's name on it. He quickly whipped up a resume from 12 years ago and threw a cover letter together and made it with minutes to spare before they took it down. All this while I was out picking berries getting ready to tell him to apply when I got home.
This job was PERFECT. It was part-time, ideal, only 3 days a week, with the potential for full-time if more funding came through. That way he could still do his entrepreneurial work on the off-days and even have his summers off for farming. Like I said, a perfect fit. It wouldn't be teaching, which he didn't love anyway, but instead it would be a research/industry liason position, meaning he would be doing what he does all day anyway, working with others in the industry helping them get their products to market and mentoring students as they work in the same process. Unbelievable. How we prayed and lifted this up before the Lord, imploring Him again and again. Could this possibly be the answer we had hoped for? The neat thing was this might be more than just a little job giving us some financial stability. It might also be a way to bring in his other work and provide amazing connections and networking opportunities allowing his other businesses to succeed as well! We could only hope. All that on day 1.
The rest of the summer we could only wait....what a looooong summer of waiting. We started to notice the college checking out his linkedin profile all the time. Hmmmm....they seemed interested in him. Then, finally, the first interview....seemed to go well. It was hard not to get excited. We were telling no one so it was hard to keep this to ourselves. We just didn't want expectations to get up in ourselves or anyone else and then to be disappointed......
Then interview 2.....this was looking good! References were asked for.....another great sign!
Then....yesterday, I read that verse in the morning. A verse I had read a long time ago and I was reminded how we had prayed and fasted. The verse said He had listened to our entreaty. Midafternoon, he got the email, "We are thrilled (love that word!) to offer you the position." WE ARE THRILLED TO ACCEPT, I felt like yelling!!!!
All I can say is, "Thank you, Lord. Thank you for listening to our entreaty, for giving us the direction we sought, for allowing a position like this to even be created, for showing us at the same time in different places that this was something to consider, for giving us the experience to even apply, for making it so exactly suited to us, part-time, and for his skill set......"
It really is a miracle. He starts Monday! Yikes. How our life is going to change! One of the questions the interviewers asked was, "So how will you do this job and run a full-time business?" They knew he was an entrepreneur. His answer was classic entrepreneur...."There are more than 8 hours in a day." They looked at each other and said, "You don't hear that very much." Yup. So he's going to be busy. He's got a major contract due in March or earlier, which is going to take up a lot of his time without this job. But we are not complaining, it just means every moment is spoken for! A small bonus, is that it really is a local school, so his commute isn't on the major highways, but down country roads. He's going to love driving to work! What a blessing.
If I could have prayed for an ideal answer when we were first started our time of praying and fasting, I would have asked for this exact situation, as I really didn't want him to have to give something up. I wanted the financial stability for sure, but I really wanted my husband to be happy, too, and to somehow be able to keep on pursuing his entrepreneurial interests and farming as he also loves farming! This was a big request and quite obnoxious, really! This amazingly allows him to do all of that and provides that extra stability we've longed for. What an amazing God that would even be able to create a position like that and would know and care enough about our extra wishes and desires. As Ezra 3:11 says, "For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever...." I'm in awe.
Yesterday I read Ezra 8:21. I had read this passage before, but I hadn't underlined it. Yesterday I underlined it. This is what it says, "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods....So we fasted and implored our God for this, and He listened to our entreaty."
That's what we did, too. We implored God for this and He listened to our entreaty. We were praying for a "safe journey for ourselves, our children and our goods". The safe journey also needed to have a clear path, one that would get us where we needed to go without going off-track. We needed this not just for ourselves but for our children so that we could provide for them, too. Like I said, He listened.
On day 1 of the fast, I was out with a friend. This was two months ago. That was when I heard about her being debt-free. I shared with her how I was struggling, my husband was struggling. What were we supposed to do? I explained how there was so much potential, but we weren't experiencing the freedom we longed for, nor were we 100% sure which area of work we were supposed to pursue. Her husband was a prof at a local university. It has often been suggested all along my husband's career that he work in an engineering department, but he doesn't have his ph.d. and even if he did, this university doesn't have an engineering department anyway.
I explained the quandary to her, how working at a university seemed ideal, but impossible without him going back to school for a loooong time. She was very knowledgable about the local colleges though and strongly encouraged that as there are good engineering tech departments. We'd looked before, but jobs aren't always available, so we hadn't looked in that area for awhile. Plus, we were hesitant to apply for a full-time teaching position as that would limit my husband incredibly. He loves being an entrepreneur and yes, it would bring stability, but at what cost? Entrepreneurs aren't good at sitting at desks all day. If they aren't doing what they love, it is a form of torture. This same friend's husband, however, loves his job. He's doing something he enjoys so much that is doesn't feel like torture to him.
I left that day feeling two things.....the battle had started. On the one hand, Satan was trying desperately to discourage me, "You're not out of debt like her. What are you doing wrong? Too bad you can't be like them. I guess you never will be out of debt. Oh well. Poor you." But, on the other hand, I was kind of excited. I was determined to go home and encourage my husband to look one more time on the college job site. I was determined to encourage him by her story of being debt-free instead of being worn down by Satan's attack. I could see the enemy's tactics and I was not going to let him win. This is where is gets funny.
I walked in the door ready to tell him, "Hey, you should hear the conversation I had to today. I was just thinking you should......." I hadn't even gotten my sentence out when my husband said, "I applied at the college today." WHAT?????!!!!! Had he read my mind? Had he been there picking berries with us the whole time without me noticing him???? No, God had prompted him to look without me even saying anything. Wow. It turns out if he had waited for me to get home it would have been too late.
On the job site of the college that day, he had quickly scanned and there before him was a job that was being taken down that day. It was the last day it was being posted. It may as well have been written for him with his name on it. I'm actually shocked they didn't mail him the application form because everything in the job description had my husband's name on it. He quickly whipped up a resume from 12 years ago and threw a cover letter together and made it with minutes to spare before they took it down. All this while I was out picking berries getting ready to tell him to apply when I got home.
This job was PERFECT. It was part-time, ideal, only 3 days a week, with the potential for full-time if more funding came through. That way he could still do his entrepreneurial work on the off-days and even have his summers off for farming. Like I said, a perfect fit. It wouldn't be teaching, which he didn't love anyway, but instead it would be a research/industry liason position, meaning he would be doing what he does all day anyway, working with others in the industry helping them get their products to market and mentoring students as they work in the same process. Unbelievable. How we prayed and lifted this up before the Lord, imploring Him again and again. Could this possibly be the answer we had hoped for? The neat thing was this might be more than just a little job giving us some financial stability. It might also be a way to bring in his other work and provide amazing connections and networking opportunities allowing his other businesses to succeed as well! We could only hope. All that on day 1.
The rest of the summer we could only wait....what a looooong summer of waiting. We started to notice the college checking out his linkedin profile all the time. Hmmmm....they seemed interested in him. Then, finally, the first interview....seemed to go well. It was hard not to get excited. We were telling no one so it was hard to keep this to ourselves. We just didn't want expectations to get up in ourselves or anyone else and then to be disappointed......
Then interview 2.....this was looking good! References were asked for.....another great sign!
Then....yesterday, I read that verse in the morning. A verse I had read a long time ago and I was reminded how we had prayed and fasted. The verse said He had listened to our entreaty. Midafternoon, he got the email, "We are thrilled (love that word!) to offer you the position." WE ARE THRILLED TO ACCEPT, I felt like yelling!!!!
All I can say is, "Thank you, Lord. Thank you for listening to our entreaty, for giving us the direction we sought, for allowing a position like this to even be created, for showing us at the same time in different places that this was something to consider, for giving us the experience to even apply, for making it so exactly suited to us, part-time, and for his skill set......"
It really is a miracle. He starts Monday! Yikes. How our life is going to change! One of the questions the interviewers asked was, "So how will you do this job and run a full-time business?" They knew he was an entrepreneur. His answer was classic entrepreneur...."There are more than 8 hours in a day." They looked at each other and said, "You don't hear that very much." Yup. So he's going to be busy. He's got a major contract due in March or earlier, which is going to take up a lot of his time without this job. But we are not complaining, it just means every moment is spoken for! A small bonus, is that it really is a local school, so his commute isn't on the major highways, but down country roads. He's going to love driving to work! What a blessing.
If I could have prayed for an ideal answer when we were first started our time of praying and fasting, I would have asked for this exact situation, as I really didn't want him to have to give something up. I wanted the financial stability for sure, but I really wanted my husband to be happy, too, and to somehow be able to keep on pursuing his entrepreneurial interests and farming as he also loves farming! This was a big request and quite obnoxious, really! This amazingly allows him to do all of that and provides that extra stability we've longed for. What an amazing God that would even be able to create a position like that and would know and care enough about our extra wishes and desires. As Ezra 3:11 says, "For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever...." I'm in awe.
Tuesday, 13 September 2016
Fall Fair and the State of Homeschooling in Canada
This past weekend was FULL. We somehow simultaneously attended a National Homeschooling Convention and the local Fall Fair. Our kids had grown all sorts of vegetables this summer and I had made a couple of different pickles, so everyone wanted to check out the new fairgrounds and see if we would win anything. I am very proud to say I won 2nd and 3rd place in the two pickle categories!!!! I always have to check to see if there were even more than 3 in the competition! But apparently there were! Very fun. It makes me laugh whenever we get ribbons. The kids did well, too, picking up a first place in the hay competition, so apparently we grow good hay!
Meanwhile, RM and I attended our first National Convention where homeschooling leaders from across Canada get together to meet and hear speakers talk about the state of homeschooling from province to province. It was really good for us, as relatively new leaders (we've been on the board of our group for a couple years now), to go and hear what other provinces are struggling with. I was most blown away when I heard what the percentage of homeschoolers in Canada actually was.....I would have guessed perhaps in the 15% range of total students, but no......1.5%. That means only 37,000 kids are being homeschooled in the whole country. I couldn't believe it. I knew we were a minority but I had no idea there were so few of us. That explains why people still shake their heads when they hear I'm homeschooling my kids.
The first night of the convention they brought in a young 12 year old, Tanmay Bakshi (google his name and you'll be blown away). This genius kid, who is now homeschooled, was one of the guest speakers (who regularly speaks at IBM and other tech conventions). He talked about how he learned at home watching his dad program when he was just 5. By 9 he had learned to program and had written his first app. Now he's got his own youtube channel where he regularly tutors on what he's learning. He's also a published author and, like I said, is a regular keynote speaker at all the big conventions. He was incredible to listen to and made all of us feel like underachievers. But he also went on and on about the benefits of homeschooling and how it had helped him and his family. He was so excited to be an advocate of homeschooling.
I read yesterday in Ezra about how the Israelites were trying to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple after it had been torn down. They got started, but then a decree was made by the government that it was "illegal" and, by force, they were made to stop. Then, again, they were told by the prophets to start up again. They did, but officials were sent to see what they were doing and approached them with a bunch of questions, "Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure? What are the names of the men who are building this building?" Wow. That passage may has well have been about homeschooling. This is pretty much this situation around Canada and the world.
As homeschoolers we are just trying to quietly build our families, our individual "walls" (being our children), our "temples", but government officials simple don't like it. They insist in provinces like Quebec that we teach all the curriculum that they demand and they ask for names of people who aren't. Then, children are taken away if the parents don't follow what they government says. Yet, all we want to do is be the primary caregivers and teachers of our children, but they say no, the government is responsible. Mind boggling. My kids. My responsibility. Not to them. They say, your kids, our responsibility. Very dangerous.
Later on in Ezra it says, chapter 6, "...let the house be rebuilt....restored and brought back..." It even says to the governor and his associates to "keep away" and to let the people "alone". It then suggests instead of hindering the building that the governor in fact supply "whatever is needed" and "without fail". Not only that, but anyone who doesn't do what the edict says is to be "impaled" by a beam and "shall be made a dunghill"! That is truly what the government should be doing. Instead of hindering homeschoolers, they should be doing all they can to help! Instead of of constantly intervening and trying to control, they should be keeping away and leaving us alone! Impaling people and making them a dunghill is perhaps a little strong, but the point is.....don't make up laws that hurt....instead let us govern our own families as we see fit!!!!
The convention was put on by the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and their whole reason for existing is for this purpose alone - to defend the rights of homeschoolers. When the young 12 year old boy got up to talk, he went on and on about HSLDA and what this organization had done for him and his family. Without the help from HSLDA, his parents wouldn't have been able to take him out of school and work with IBM. He was being challenged and they made it possible for him to succeed and thrive in the homeschooling environment. To think he would have been made to stay in a gr. 7 class when he was so clearly gifted makes no sense, but that's the government's thinking.
I left that convention so grateful for where I live and very grateful for HSLDA. So far, it's still legal and we don't have too many officials breathing down our neck....yet. But it's illegal in Germany and other parts of the world. Quebec and the East Coast are struggling with tons of government officials and the right to homeschool. Alberta gives money to homeschoolers, but then there's a catch.....you have to teach what they want you to teach. We, in Ontario, don't get any benefits even though we pay taxes for school, but at least there is some freedom. We all prayed that that freedom would remain. We can't take it for granted at all. HSLDA says, "We do what we do so that not just you, but your grandchildren and their grandchildren will always be able to homeschool." That's my prayer.
Meanwhile, RM and I attended our first National Convention where homeschooling leaders from across Canada get together to meet and hear speakers talk about the state of homeschooling from province to province. It was really good for us, as relatively new leaders (we've been on the board of our group for a couple years now), to go and hear what other provinces are struggling with. I was most blown away when I heard what the percentage of homeschoolers in Canada actually was.....I would have guessed perhaps in the 15% range of total students, but no......1.5%. That means only 37,000 kids are being homeschooled in the whole country. I couldn't believe it. I knew we were a minority but I had no idea there were so few of us. That explains why people still shake their heads when they hear I'm homeschooling my kids.
The first night of the convention they brought in a young 12 year old, Tanmay Bakshi (google his name and you'll be blown away). This genius kid, who is now homeschooled, was one of the guest speakers (who regularly speaks at IBM and other tech conventions). He talked about how he learned at home watching his dad program when he was just 5. By 9 he had learned to program and had written his first app. Now he's got his own youtube channel where he regularly tutors on what he's learning. He's also a published author and, like I said, is a regular keynote speaker at all the big conventions. He was incredible to listen to and made all of us feel like underachievers. But he also went on and on about the benefits of homeschooling and how it had helped him and his family. He was so excited to be an advocate of homeschooling.
I read yesterday in Ezra about how the Israelites were trying to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple after it had been torn down. They got started, but then a decree was made by the government that it was "illegal" and, by force, they were made to stop. Then, again, they were told by the prophets to start up again. They did, but officials were sent to see what they were doing and approached them with a bunch of questions, "Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure? What are the names of the men who are building this building?" Wow. That passage may has well have been about homeschooling. This is pretty much this situation around Canada and the world.
As homeschoolers we are just trying to quietly build our families, our individual "walls" (being our children), our "temples", but government officials simple don't like it. They insist in provinces like Quebec that we teach all the curriculum that they demand and they ask for names of people who aren't. Then, children are taken away if the parents don't follow what they government says. Yet, all we want to do is be the primary caregivers and teachers of our children, but they say no, the government is responsible. Mind boggling. My kids. My responsibility. Not to them. They say, your kids, our responsibility. Very dangerous.
Later on in Ezra it says, chapter 6, "...let the house be rebuilt....restored and brought back..." It even says to the governor and his associates to "keep away" and to let the people "alone". It then suggests instead of hindering the building that the governor in fact supply "whatever is needed" and "without fail". Not only that, but anyone who doesn't do what the edict says is to be "impaled" by a beam and "shall be made a dunghill"! That is truly what the government should be doing. Instead of hindering homeschoolers, they should be doing all they can to help! Instead of of constantly intervening and trying to control, they should be keeping away and leaving us alone! Impaling people and making them a dunghill is perhaps a little strong, but the point is.....don't make up laws that hurt....instead let us govern our own families as we see fit!!!!
The convention was put on by the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and their whole reason for existing is for this purpose alone - to defend the rights of homeschoolers. When the young 12 year old boy got up to talk, he went on and on about HSLDA and what this organization had done for him and his family. Without the help from HSLDA, his parents wouldn't have been able to take him out of school and work with IBM. He was being challenged and they made it possible for him to succeed and thrive in the homeschooling environment. To think he would have been made to stay in a gr. 7 class when he was so clearly gifted makes no sense, but that's the government's thinking.
I left that convention so grateful for where I live and very grateful for HSLDA. So far, it's still legal and we don't have too many officials breathing down our neck....yet. But it's illegal in Germany and other parts of the world. Quebec and the East Coast are struggling with tons of government officials and the right to homeschool. Alberta gives money to homeschoolers, but then there's a catch.....you have to teach what they want you to teach. We, in Ontario, don't get any benefits even though we pay taxes for school, but at least there is some freedom. We all prayed that that freedom would remain. We can't take it for granted at all. HSLDA says, "We do what we do so that not just you, but your grandchildren and their grandchildren will always be able to homeschool." That's my prayer.
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
First Day
A good first day. After we went through all our new books and supplies, we broke for lunch and rest time. That will be a critical part of our day this year! Then, I finished some more organization while the kids did either more school or the little ones played. Around 2:30, I went outside and found out how hot it was!!! Our home felt air-conditioned for some reason and I had no idea how it was getting hotter and hotter without us even knowing it.
I told the kids, "Get your suits and a towel and we'll go to the beach!" Field trip #1! They were buckled in a matter of minutes. Within 10 minutes we found ourselves at the lake swimming in the water, riding driftwood, and cooling off. Pretty fun first day of school, I'd say.
The day had its down moments, too. Everyone realized mom was serious about getting up early and I don't think they liked that. So there were a few grumpy kids walking around for awhile, but once they woke up their demeanor was better. Then, the challenging child, gave me some challenges, big surprise. I expected it, but still, keeps me always praying and trying to keep my patience in check. But, eventually, he, too, came around and sat at the table working away at his school. I need to realize it isn't all going to come together perfectly on day 1.
The benefits of waking up ridiculously early is that the kids went to bed so well! After a full summer of staying up very late and sleeping in, it was great to see my kids falling asleep on the couch while we did a readaloud at night. The four year old crashed at 6:30 pm and never woke up! He was tired!
Going to the beach yesterday afternoon was as much for me as it was for them. A nice change of scenery and a good reminder that I want a relationship with my kids. It isn't all about the academics though that is important. I also want to create memories, have fun, and enjoy them. Now that my oldest one is done and the next son is about to finish, I'm like one of the older ladies in the store who used to come up to me and say, "Enjoy them while they're young! It goes soooo fast!" I never believed them, but now I'm the one saying that to young moms in the store! It really does go so fast, so I'm trying to not take any moment for granted.
Today will be another day of trying out the new schedule, dentist appointments and regular life....regular is good. Actually, it won't be entirely regular....the local fall fair is this weekend! This year we are entering every vegetable we grew and everything we've made on the farm from peach salsa to skirts. The kids are going to make that a part of their school day. I don't expect to win anything, but it will be fun to enter anyway. The kids like to try to make a buck, too. So, it'll be a fun thing to try.
I told the kids, "Get your suits and a towel and we'll go to the beach!" Field trip #1! They were buckled in a matter of minutes. Within 10 minutes we found ourselves at the lake swimming in the water, riding driftwood, and cooling off. Pretty fun first day of school, I'd say.
The day had its down moments, too. Everyone realized mom was serious about getting up early and I don't think they liked that. So there were a few grumpy kids walking around for awhile, but once they woke up their demeanor was better. Then, the challenging child, gave me some challenges, big surprise. I expected it, but still, keeps me always praying and trying to keep my patience in check. But, eventually, he, too, came around and sat at the table working away at his school. I need to realize it isn't all going to come together perfectly on day 1.
The benefits of waking up ridiculously early is that the kids went to bed so well! After a full summer of staying up very late and sleeping in, it was great to see my kids falling asleep on the couch while we did a readaloud at night. The four year old crashed at 6:30 pm and never woke up! He was tired!
Going to the beach yesterday afternoon was as much for me as it was for them. A nice change of scenery and a good reminder that I want a relationship with my kids. It isn't all about the academics though that is important. I also want to create memories, have fun, and enjoy them. Now that my oldest one is done and the next son is about to finish, I'm like one of the older ladies in the store who used to come up to me and say, "Enjoy them while they're young! It goes soooo fast!" I never believed them, but now I'm the one saying that to young moms in the store! It really does go so fast, so I'm trying to not take any moment for granted.
Today will be another day of trying out the new schedule, dentist appointments and regular life....regular is good. Actually, it won't be entirely regular....the local fall fair is this weekend! This year we are entering every vegetable we grew and everything we've made on the farm from peach salsa to skirts. The kids are going to make that a part of their school day. I don't expect to win anything, but it will be fun to enter anyway. The kids like to try to make a buck, too. So, it'll be a fun thing to try.
Tuesday, 6 September 2016
Move Over California Closets....Hello School Year!
I questioned for a long time why we chose the wedding date that we did so many years ago. Because I was teaching at the time it meant that my honeymoon got shortened. Split in half, in fact, due to the fact class was in session just a few days after we got married. Now, however, I think it was genius! It has become the greatest way to recharge our marriage batteries right before the school year that takes place right in our home.
I had written that it would be done on-a-budget....well, that didn't exactly happen. RM surprised me and he ended up not following too many of the financial rules. I'm not sure how he justified it, but he made it clear that he wanted me to enjoy myself and to not be stressed. I guess once a year bending the rules is ok as long as we are back on track now! All I know is that it was so fun to get away and though it was short, we stretched it by making little outings just the two of us over the course of the weekend. I think it was a good mental break right before school starts.
The weather was fantastic over the weekend and it preparation for school, I got a "bee in my bonnet", as they say, and took advantage of the warm weather by cleaning up a ton of wine crates that we have in one of our barns. One of the main things I like to do before school starts is go through all their stuff, restock, clean up, organize, etc. I like doing that in the school area and even other areas like the kitchen or their toys. My whole house is our classroom and so their stuff makes it all over the "classroom" by the end of the year. Drives me nuts and takes me weeks to put it all back into some kind of order.
I had already been doing that all summer, but hadn't finished the way I had hoped because this year the garden took up so much of my time! This weekend with only days before school started, I decided to tackle their clothes and my family closet/mudroom. First, I had to get out all the big and bulky shelves that were full of their clothes and shoes. No problem, that's why teenage boys were invented. Then, a quick vacuum over the floor that used to be the floor of the garage, so huge planks with giant cracks full of everything from kitten litter remains to cat food. Didn't take too long. Then, I don't even think the wine crates were completely dry, I moved in the wine crates and stacked them in a huge semi-circle around the edges of the wall. It honestly looks like an American Eagle clothing store now. I'll include a picture later.
I quickly loaded up all the kids clothes in nice tidy piles and everyone that came by kept saying, "Mom! It looks soooo good!" Why? Because the behemoth shelves were gone that were not matching and were so awkward. The space just looks so much better. I was going to have RM build closets before, but he has had so many other projects, it hasn't gotten done. He still wants to do the floor so that it is level and matches the other half the mudroom, but for now it looks great. I had extra crates, so I just kept adding more and more. That's when I realized, "Hey....I could put my own clothes in here...there's enough room!" So off I went to the one closet that exists in the whole house and I took down all my clothes and even my husband's few things and guess what I did? I folded dresses, skirts, blouses and shirts, and put them in the wine crates. Why not? I didn't have a bar for hanging things and I thought to myself, "Hanging things up is overrated." If they get wrinkled, I'll iron. I wanted the closet space for toys.
Out came more wine crates....into the closet. This was where I had to stop as it was getting too late last night to continue, but after a morning of school today, you can bet I will finish up the toy organization. This closet has a door, so all the excess toys that spill out all over the place will now have homes and I'll be able to shut the door on them! Yeah! Who needs California Closets when you have a stash of crates?! I felt like once again God gave me a vision of what could be done, and then, on top of that the resources FOR FREE on site!!!! I love it when He does that!!! At one point my husband came into the room before I had started and he saw me leaning against a dresser with my head on my arm, eyes closed. I wasn't sleeping or crying. "What are you doing?" "Oh! Just praying....I don't know what to do with that space....." I think when it was all said and done he was relieved. I had been asking him since we had moved in to help me finish the family closet idea. He wanted to. He knew I needed it done, but there were other much more important projects. The night before I started my overhaul of the room, he had asked me to prioritize my dream list of projects. Doing the closet wasn't actually first.....there were other things I wanted done for sure. Taking this off the list for him was a dream come true I think. I'm always so happy when I become like some of my friends that I call "capable women". These friends use tools, build things and their husbands get out of the way and are able to work on things that they really need to instead of always doing projects for their wives. That was me this weekend....I became a capable woman!
This morning, I print off chore cards, new schedules and start school. We'll have a yummy breakfast, sitting together as a family and then one kid at at time we'll go through what their year will look like. At our last homeschool meeting, one friend described how she has a scavenger hunt for new school supplies before the day starts. I thought, "What a great idea!" So, thanks friend, I'm going to do that, too! The kids will love searching the house for their new things. May as well make it fun! I'm planning on really focusing on the younger team because I did so many neat things with the older ones that the younger ones never got to do. I don't want them to miss out. It'll mean lots of field trips which I'm looking forward to as I loved doing that with the older kids. The poor older children have to actually work hard! Sigh.....
In the past I motivated my kids with "bucks". I've used Lego bucks, Hotwheel bucks, etc. Everytime they finished a page of math or were well-behaved I would give them a buck. Just a fun thing to do, not every day, not even all year, but whenever school was becoming a drag and we needed something fun to do or to look forward to. That got expensive with the first four, so last year I used thrift store bucks! But that, too, became hard to do as I felt like they were always wanting to got shopping....! This year, new idea, "Field Trip Bucks"! I'm looking to bless them with field trips all year, but I'm going to make them feel like they've earned them. They need 20 "Field Trip Bucks" to go on one. But they are only allowed to contribute 5 bucks each. That means one kid can't earn all the bucks for the family. They all have to earn them as a team (the younger ones are the one earning them). We'll see how it goes....! They've already earned a few by doing hard projects over the weekend and wow did it motivate them!
The homeschool group's theme this year is Psalm 23. My prayer is that the Lord will be our Shepherd, guiding us, protecting us, leading us through whatever the year will hold......
I had written that it would be done on-a-budget....well, that didn't exactly happen. RM surprised me and he ended up not following too many of the financial rules. I'm not sure how he justified it, but he made it clear that he wanted me to enjoy myself and to not be stressed. I guess once a year bending the rules is ok as long as we are back on track now! All I know is that it was so fun to get away and though it was short, we stretched it by making little outings just the two of us over the course of the weekend. I think it was a good mental break right before school starts.
The weather was fantastic over the weekend and it preparation for school, I got a "bee in my bonnet", as they say, and took advantage of the warm weather by cleaning up a ton of wine crates that we have in one of our barns. One of the main things I like to do before school starts is go through all their stuff, restock, clean up, organize, etc. I like doing that in the school area and even other areas like the kitchen or their toys. My whole house is our classroom and so their stuff makes it all over the "classroom" by the end of the year. Drives me nuts and takes me weeks to put it all back into some kind of order.
I had already been doing that all summer, but hadn't finished the way I had hoped because this year the garden took up so much of my time! This weekend with only days before school started, I decided to tackle their clothes and my family closet/mudroom. First, I had to get out all the big and bulky shelves that were full of their clothes and shoes. No problem, that's why teenage boys were invented. Then, a quick vacuum over the floor that used to be the floor of the garage, so huge planks with giant cracks full of everything from kitten litter remains to cat food. Didn't take too long. Then, I don't even think the wine crates were completely dry, I moved in the wine crates and stacked them in a huge semi-circle around the edges of the wall. It honestly looks like an American Eagle clothing store now. I'll include a picture later.
I quickly loaded up all the kids clothes in nice tidy piles and everyone that came by kept saying, "Mom! It looks soooo good!" Why? Because the behemoth shelves were gone that were not matching and were so awkward. The space just looks so much better. I was going to have RM build closets before, but he has had so many other projects, it hasn't gotten done. He still wants to do the floor so that it is level and matches the other half the mudroom, but for now it looks great. I had extra crates, so I just kept adding more and more. That's when I realized, "Hey....I could put my own clothes in here...there's enough room!" So off I went to the one closet that exists in the whole house and I took down all my clothes and even my husband's few things and guess what I did? I folded dresses, skirts, blouses and shirts, and put them in the wine crates. Why not? I didn't have a bar for hanging things and I thought to myself, "Hanging things up is overrated." If they get wrinkled, I'll iron. I wanted the closet space for toys.
Out came more wine crates....into the closet. This was where I had to stop as it was getting too late last night to continue, but after a morning of school today, you can bet I will finish up the toy organization. This closet has a door, so all the excess toys that spill out all over the place will now have homes and I'll be able to shut the door on them! Yeah! Who needs California Closets when you have a stash of crates?! I felt like once again God gave me a vision of what could be done, and then, on top of that the resources FOR FREE on site!!!! I love it when He does that!!! At one point my husband came into the room before I had started and he saw me leaning against a dresser with my head on my arm, eyes closed. I wasn't sleeping or crying. "What are you doing?" "Oh! Just praying....I don't know what to do with that space....." I think when it was all said and done he was relieved. I had been asking him since we had moved in to help me finish the family closet idea. He wanted to. He knew I needed it done, but there were other much more important projects. The night before I started my overhaul of the room, he had asked me to prioritize my dream list of projects. Doing the closet wasn't actually first.....there were other things I wanted done for sure. Taking this off the list for him was a dream come true I think. I'm always so happy when I become like some of my friends that I call "capable women". These friends use tools, build things and their husbands get out of the way and are able to work on things that they really need to instead of always doing projects for their wives. That was me this weekend....I became a capable woman!
This morning, I print off chore cards, new schedules and start school. We'll have a yummy breakfast, sitting together as a family and then one kid at at time we'll go through what their year will look like. At our last homeschool meeting, one friend described how she has a scavenger hunt for new school supplies before the day starts. I thought, "What a great idea!" So, thanks friend, I'm going to do that, too! The kids will love searching the house for their new things. May as well make it fun! I'm planning on really focusing on the younger team because I did so many neat things with the older ones that the younger ones never got to do. I don't want them to miss out. It'll mean lots of field trips which I'm looking forward to as I loved doing that with the older kids. The poor older children have to actually work hard! Sigh.....
In the past I motivated my kids with "bucks". I've used Lego bucks, Hotwheel bucks, etc. Everytime they finished a page of math or were well-behaved I would give them a buck. Just a fun thing to do, not every day, not even all year, but whenever school was becoming a drag and we needed something fun to do or to look forward to. That got expensive with the first four, so last year I used thrift store bucks! But that, too, became hard to do as I felt like they were always wanting to got shopping....! This year, new idea, "Field Trip Bucks"! I'm looking to bless them with field trips all year, but I'm going to make them feel like they've earned them. They need 20 "Field Trip Bucks" to go on one. But they are only allowed to contribute 5 bucks each. That means one kid can't earn all the bucks for the family. They all have to earn them as a team (the younger ones are the one earning them). We'll see how it goes....! They've already earned a few by doing hard projects over the weekend and wow did it motivate them!
The homeschool group's theme this year is Psalm 23. My prayer is that the Lord will be our Shepherd, guiding us, protecting us, leading us through whatever the year will hold......
Thursday, 1 September 2016
It's Not My Fault!
What a breakthrough yesterday. I have been struggling with a child, who shall remain nameless! As the school year started to approach, I was dreading it! How was I going to handle him, I mean, uh, this person? I was praying for wisdom, but didn't feel like any was coming. We were having a lot of conflict it seemed. He was getting into so many arguments with me or little skirmishes with his siblings. I felt like I was always having to work through so many issues all day long!
Then, I started to see a pattern. Every time an issue came up, the same types of words and phrases were heard. I almost missed it because the phrases always changed, but when I stopped to think about it, he was really only saying the same thing over and over, just in a different way. Maybe you've heard these words before, too....
"I didn't mean to."
"I didn't do it on purpose."
"It was an accident."
What is the common theme amongst all these phrases?
"It's not my fault."
That was it! I suddenly saw what the problem was. He refused, adamantly, I might add, to take responsibility.....ever. I had to stop him yesterday. As my lights were going on I had to tell him, enough was enough. This is literally what our conversation was yesterday,
"Ok, from now on, when there is an issue, this is what you are going to say......'Mom, I'm sorry, it was my fault, I shouldn't have done this or this....'"
"What? How can I say that if it was an accident!?"
"There are no accidents anymore."
"Why was the word 'accident' invented then!?" he said rather snarkily.
"Because people don't want to take responsibility for their actions," I said matter-of-factly.
I explained that even if he accidentally hit someone by just walking by them or something like that, he still HAS TO take responsibility for not looking or walking too fast or whatever it is, so that he can learn to take responsibility for his actions. I really meant it. He needs to learn to BE SORRY! He is never sorry first. Yes, eventually I can get him there, but who has time for the half hour conversation that takes. I need to see it right away. He must learn to be immediately repentant when there is an altercation. He MUST learn to stop blame-shifting. He must learn to realize he played a part. As my mom always used to say, "It takes two!" It does. It is never just one person's fault and he always tries to find out, "Whose fault is it? Mine or his?'
His eyes opened, too. After our ridiculously long conversation about it, he looked at me and with a true repentant tone, which I hadn't heard in a looooong time, he said, so simply, yet so profoundly, "I'm sorry." I nearly jumped up and down. I ran over to him. I hugged him. I told him, "That was it! You did it! You were sorry! Did you see how that changed me? Did you see how that completely disarmed me?!" He did. His heart went from stone to flesh, before my very eyes.
Eve did it. Adam did it. They blamed the other one. Original sin. Right from the get-go. My son comes by it honestly. Well, we all do.
Character training. I no longer need to panic about the school year. I feel like God opened my eyes to the true issue, it was a heart problem. I'm not afraid of next week anymore. I think I can handle it now that I know what the problem was. Instead of running from one issue to another, I've identified what the character flaw is. Before I used "Band-Aid" type solutions which really never changed the situation. I can now go to the heart, literally, of the matter and take out the cancer that was not only eating me up, but him, too.
It won't be easy at first as the pattern of shifting blame is so a part of his character. He immediately says one of those phrases I wrote above....every single time. But now that I've shown him that, I think he will be more aware and I've asked him to catch himself now. Which just means I really have to catch myself, too. And, truly, it isn't just this one child, all of my children, and myself, and my husband have this terrible character flaw, too. We are blame shifters. Ugh. I'll blame Adam.
On a happier note, today is my 21st wedding anniversary! This day last year we were on our way to the Outer Banks. So sad we aren't going every year. But we still savour the memories from a year ago.
Today it's "me day". I will be spoiled by my husband, well, on a budget/spoiled! That's the deal. We actually started a new tradition as of last night. We began the celebrations early by going out for a wine and cheese event at a local winery on what I called, "Anniversary Eve". Why not? Life is too short! We even kept it economical because I found out all the cheese platters were half-price on that particular night, so I didn't feel too badly for going out. It was a beautiful warm night, sitting outside on a patio, listening to a singer playing guitar...so fun. We know we are blessed to have one another and we are enjoying the later years of our marriage even more than the first 21!
My parents will come over to watch the kids which is a very fun part of the tradition as well. My kids pick movies specifically with my dad in mind, as he loves to watch them with the kids, too. They'll talk about his days in Africa...he has so many stories. So my kids will have a fun time as well.
I think I will be killing a rooster later on today, too.....woke me up before 5 am.......Oh well, that's the funny side of farm life.....
Then, I started to see a pattern. Every time an issue came up, the same types of words and phrases were heard. I almost missed it because the phrases always changed, but when I stopped to think about it, he was really only saying the same thing over and over, just in a different way. Maybe you've heard these words before, too....
"I didn't mean to."
"I didn't do it on purpose."
"It was an accident."
What is the common theme amongst all these phrases?
"It's not my fault."
That was it! I suddenly saw what the problem was. He refused, adamantly, I might add, to take responsibility.....ever. I had to stop him yesterday. As my lights were going on I had to tell him, enough was enough. This is literally what our conversation was yesterday,
"Ok, from now on, when there is an issue, this is what you are going to say......'Mom, I'm sorry, it was my fault, I shouldn't have done this or this....'"
"What? How can I say that if it was an accident!?"
"There are no accidents anymore."
"Why was the word 'accident' invented then!?" he said rather snarkily.
"Because people don't want to take responsibility for their actions," I said matter-of-factly.
I explained that even if he accidentally hit someone by just walking by them or something like that, he still HAS TO take responsibility for not looking or walking too fast or whatever it is, so that he can learn to take responsibility for his actions. I really meant it. He needs to learn to BE SORRY! He is never sorry first. Yes, eventually I can get him there, but who has time for the half hour conversation that takes. I need to see it right away. He must learn to be immediately repentant when there is an altercation. He MUST learn to stop blame-shifting. He must learn to realize he played a part. As my mom always used to say, "It takes two!" It does. It is never just one person's fault and he always tries to find out, "Whose fault is it? Mine or his?'
His eyes opened, too. After our ridiculously long conversation about it, he looked at me and with a true repentant tone, which I hadn't heard in a looooong time, he said, so simply, yet so profoundly, "I'm sorry." I nearly jumped up and down. I ran over to him. I hugged him. I told him, "That was it! You did it! You were sorry! Did you see how that changed me? Did you see how that completely disarmed me?!" He did. His heart went from stone to flesh, before my very eyes.
Eve did it. Adam did it. They blamed the other one. Original sin. Right from the get-go. My son comes by it honestly. Well, we all do.
Character training. I no longer need to panic about the school year. I feel like God opened my eyes to the true issue, it was a heart problem. I'm not afraid of next week anymore. I think I can handle it now that I know what the problem was. Instead of running from one issue to another, I've identified what the character flaw is. Before I used "Band-Aid" type solutions which really never changed the situation. I can now go to the heart, literally, of the matter and take out the cancer that was not only eating me up, but him, too.
It won't be easy at first as the pattern of shifting blame is so a part of his character. He immediately says one of those phrases I wrote above....every single time. But now that I've shown him that, I think he will be more aware and I've asked him to catch himself now. Which just means I really have to catch myself, too. And, truly, it isn't just this one child, all of my children, and myself, and my husband have this terrible character flaw, too. We are blame shifters. Ugh. I'll blame Adam.
On a happier note, today is my 21st wedding anniversary! This day last year we were on our way to the Outer Banks. So sad we aren't going every year. But we still savour the memories from a year ago.
Today it's "me day". I will be spoiled by my husband, well, on a budget/spoiled! That's the deal. We actually started a new tradition as of last night. We began the celebrations early by going out for a wine and cheese event at a local winery on what I called, "Anniversary Eve". Why not? Life is too short! We even kept it economical because I found out all the cheese platters were half-price on that particular night, so I didn't feel too badly for going out. It was a beautiful warm night, sitting outside on a patio, listening to a singer playing guitar...so fun. We know we are blessed to have one another and we are enjoying the later years of our marriage even more than the first 21!
My parents will come over to watch the kids which is a very fun part of the tradition as well. My kids pick movies specifically with my dad in mind, as he loves to watch them with the kids, too. They'll talk about his days in Africa...he has so many stories. So my kids will have a fun time as well.
I think I will be killing a rooster later on today, too.....woke me up before 5 am.......Oh well, that's the funny side of farm life.....
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