We heard a sermon on the Magnificat this past weekend. This is one of my favourite passages of Scripture. The pastor opened it up in a new way and as a result I can now argue Mary would have been one of the top quizzers if she had been in Old Testament Bible Quizzing.
The entire song in Luke 1:46-55 is taken from different passages in the Old Testament. This isn't so unusual. What is unusual is that SHE KNEW THEM ALL. Why? Why would she know them all? She studied them. She memorized them. She was taught them by her parents. As a result, she was found righteous. Scripture had transformed her life. God looked down on her and saw a young girl (the pastor argued she could have been as young as 13) who would have understood the message the angel was bringing to her. It wouldn't have been a shock entirely because she knew all the prophesies about a coming Saviour. The shock would have been that in her humility God had chosen her, a humble peasant girl.
I was just loving this entire sermon so much. I started listening to it through the eyes of a young girl, or even just a young person. They were sitting all around me. I came home so fired up to share it with those who hadn't been able to make it. But even those who had been there, I wanted them to hear how I had heard it. It had struck me in the middle of the sermon how critical Bible Quizzing and the memorizing of Scripture is and could be for their future. If Mary had been like a typical teenager of her time, not caring about the Lord or about the importance of Scripture, she could have missed out on being the mother of Jesus!
I kept thinking about this. The pastor described how initially a FACT was given to her, "You will conceive in your womb and bear a son". This then moved her to FAITH, "let it be to me according to your word". Then the FEELING came. In fact her heart nearly exploded with joy as she sings the Magnificat, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has looked on the humble estate of His servant...."
How many times do we do it the other way around? Or, dare I say, a young teenage girl, thinks the other way around. Instead of knowing the facts of Scripture, they only dwell on how they feel. That's when it occurred to me how the entire sermon could have been written just for a teen girl. Mary's life, as a young girl in her early teens, was such a role model for how to live a godly life. So I came home and started discussing this with great passion.
"We have to think about what promises and truth we know instead of how we feel! Don't you see?!"
What does a young teen think, "I'm not pretty enough. I'm not smart enough. I don't have any skills. No one likes me. I will never be successful in life."
But Mary probably never had a thought like that in her life. Because her mind was filled with Scripture! So many teens instead fill their minds with the lies that come from malls, instagram, lame friends (who aren't really true friends half the time).
So I went on and on, "The next time any thought occurs to you that is negative, or a lie, or whatever it is that is making you feel awful about yourself.....do what Mary did....think about the FACTS!"
It's true. We have to think on what is "true, pure, lovely". Then our mind gets restarted. I reminded them, "Faith is next and out of that faith, feeling will come and your heart will explode!" That really upset my 6 year old, "Did Mary's heart really explode?!" I had to explain!
Oh, how I wished all the teens in my life had heard the sermon the way I heard it. I wanted to shout it from the mountain tops. I even shared this with my teenage son who had been at work that night so was unable to be there. He is finishing up a major math course that has been a struggle all year. He is looking to get into a program that will potentially determine his life career. I told him to be encouraged! All the Scripture that he has memorized in the past may one day be what he falls back on to lift his spirits when the lies start to come in. I encouraged him to reflect on the truth he knows, not the lies. To embrace, by faith, these truths and then to get excited about how God may have a life-changing plan for him, just because he is being faithful to what he knows. Mary never knew how memorizing all the Scripture would one day make her purpose for living so clear! That was one of the truths that struck me. Her joy in the whole passage is partly because God gave her such a high calling, such an amazing purpose for living! I wanted my kids to embrace that excitement. I wanted them to know their purpose will flow out of all that they have memorized! One day, there will be this moment when it all comes together and they will have this "Aha" moment....
The reason I loved this, too, was that Mary didn't have to wait till she was old to have purpose. If she really was 13 then her purpose was discovered at a very young age! Lord, make my kids know their purpose early on! May they not wander for years wondering who they are, what they are good at, where they should be used.....But again, we don't know a lot about Mary's parents, but I'm guessing they regularly taught her from a young age. They didn't know what lay ahead for their daughter. They were simply diligent, trusting in God for their future and her's. Mary was blessed undoubtedly, but her parents must have also been blessed beyond their imagination! Imagine being the grandparents of Jesus! That would have been amazing!
I was recharged, if you can't tell. I was ready to take this Magnificat to all the pastors of all the churches and I was ready to challenge them to change all their programs to strictly memorizing Scripture just because of the impact it had on Mary. It is my new go-to passage to prove the benefits of Scripture memorizing! How can you do anything else with young people? How can we get so off-track and make it anything BUT memorizing Scripture? Is it easy? No. Trust me. My 8 year old said the other day, "THIS IS SO HARD!!!" when I asked him to sit down and memorize for the next quiz meet. But the benefits are so huge I can't even imagine any pastor daring to argue with me to NOT have that as part of any youth or child program.
My 19 year old was excited, too. We may just take on this challenge, I don't know. All I know is that it explains a lot as to why Bible Quizzing was so hard to organize this year. We have had so many challenges putting it together. We wanted to throw in the towel so many times. It makes so much sense now. If we stop Bible Quizzing and memorizing, we could miss what God has in store for us. We will end up not knowing Truth so that when the hard times come, we will be stuck with Feelings which are so unreliable. Mary was filled with Truth, with Facts. She didn't miss out. Her incredible purpose for living was crystal clear.
So, this is my prayer, for my kids, my nieces and nephews, for all those who struggle with wondering who they are, what they are to do, and who sometimes miss the truth and instead hear the lies. Know Scripture the way Mary did and it will all be crystal clear.
Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Monday, 17 December 2018
The Kitten Dynasty
Last week I got a call from a local farmer who sells eggs. I had been in touch with him earlier in the Fall as he was looking for homeschoolers who could work for him in the afternoons. I guess some of his help hadn't quite worked out and he was looking for new blood. I was very interested as I knew my kids wanted work and would do anything for it. But I also knew I'm not as discerning as my husband, so I asked him to stop in, check out the farm and then make the call.
He was willing to do so and went and checked it out. He was glad he did. It was brutal work. Yes, they would be paid well, but not well enough. He was concerned that it could potentially be a negative situation for our kids, so he came back and said, "No." My son was disappointed as he really wanted the work, but understood. I felt badly for him and was really praying that there would be a way for him to make money that wouldn't be so hard. Does it always have to be awful work?
That's when the kitten dynasty was born. Like I wrote before, we had never charged ever for kittens. Once we started to charge a little it occurred to me, we really are offering something that is worth something. I stopped feeling badly about it. In fact, we upped our prices! They still sold! Suddenly my son who had so badly wanted work had money and, dare I say, it was pretty easy money! Though my house does suffer a little because of these cats, I would say it's worth it! They are all now gone or spoken for and no one even flinched at our pricing. The kids are almost at the amount for the overseas child for the entire year! After that, they get to keep the rest. At the rate they are going, they'll make it easily and then some.
I just marvel once again at how God heard my prayer for my son. He immediately answered my request for work for my son, work that was on our property that wouldn't kill him, that was safe, that was lucrative, not slave labour. So great.
Now, we are watching our cats....never before have we hoped they were pregnant!
He was willing to do so and went and checked it out. He was glad he did. It was brutal work. Yes, they would be paid well, but not well enough. He was concerned that it could potentially be a negative situation for our kids, so he came back and said, "No." My son was disappointed as he really wanted the work, but understood. I felt badly for him and was really praying that there would be a way for him to make money that wouldn't be so hard. Does it always have to be awful work?
That's when the kitten dynasty was born. Like I wrote before, we had never charged ever for kittens. Once we started to charge a little it occurred to me, we really are offering something that is worth something. I stopped feeling badly about it. In fact, we upped our prices! They still sold! Suddenly my son who had so badly wanted work had money and, dare I say, it was pretty easy money! Though my house does suffer a little because of these cats, I would say it's worth it! They are all now gone or spoken for and no one even flinched at our pricing. The kids are almost at the amount for the overseas child for the entire year! After that, they get to keep the rest. At the rate they are going, they'll make it easily and then some.
I just marvel once again at how God heard my prayer for my son. He immediately answered my request for work for my son, work that was on our property that wouldn't kill him, that was safe, that was lucrative, not slave labour. So great.
Now, we are watching our cats....never before have we hoped they were pregnant!
Friday, 14 December 2018
Soap, microgreens, renos and kittens
The last week has been so fun for me. It started off with my 2nd annual soap making day with a friend. I came out with lots of bars of soap for gifts and for myself. I love it so much and feel so much better about using that on my skin. I am not about to go into a soap business, but feel good about making it for myself, friends and family.
Next, I moved into microgreens. These are the little plants that are a few inches high that you can put on salads or eat just as a snack. They are the healthiest little greens you can eat and they are apparently quite easy to grow. I was introduced to them a couple of years ago when I watched my friends grow them and sell them at farmer's markets around southern Ontario. I interviewed them, saw their business and was so excited to try it myself, but then put it off and put it off. Then I met another lady this past summer at another local farmer's market in town and started talking with her. She was happy to get together as well and share her knowledge which is what I love best about being out here, everyone is so happy to share what they know.
She and another homeschooler from the farmer's market came over yesterday (who I had never met until yesterday!). We planted microgreens together on my kitchen table and now we're just hoping for the best! If this works I will have microgreens year round! This is very exciting for me! My kids love them, so I'm hoping it works out.
Now we're into renovation mode....nothing makes me happier than renovating. Today I was told to take the decor off the walls and move everything off to one side. When that happens I know he's serious. There is a saw on the floor. All good signs! I'm still trying to keep my expectations in check, but even if a little work gets done, I'll be happy.
Still in full-Christmas mode, running off to cookie exchanges, baking cookies, watching Christmas plays....the season is so full and I'm enjoying every minute of it.
We also had a windfall of unexpected money this week from a very funny source.....KITTENS! We had never listed our kittens for money, but we kept being encouraged to do so, so we tried it. Unbelievably people will pay for kittens. We listed and sold all of them in one day. The kids were thrilled! They were sure they were going to keep all the money until I reminded them they had started sponsoring a child.....
A week ago we all went to that country music concert. As many artists do these days, they showed footage of Sudan where the kids in a war zone are being terribly affected. My kids were so upset and begged me to sponsor a child. We have done this in the past, but not with the younger set. I explained to them what it would cost and told them they would need to help find the money to pay the monthly rate. They were willing to do whatever it took. I went ahead and filled in the paperwork knowing the reality would hit them once we got home. Sure enough, when the kitten money started flowing, they suddenly didn't want to give it away. They wanted to keep all of it. You could see dollar signs in their eyes. But RM wouldn't budge. They had made a deal to help pay for this little boy and they weren't going to get out of it. Now they have to raise nearly $500 a year to pay for him! It appears we are kitten breeders now. Good thing we only have 100 cats (ok, I exaggerated, but that's what it seems like around here!)
So, if my house smells permanently like kitty litter and cat food, it's all for a good cause.....
Next, I moved into microgreens. These are the little plants that are a few inches high that you can put on salads or eat just as a snack. They are the healthiest little greens you can eat and they are apparently quite easy to grow. I was introduced to them a couple of years ago when I watched my friends grow them and sell them at farmer's markets around southern Ontario. I interviewed them, saw their business and was so excited to try it myself, but then put it off and put it off. Then I met another lady this past summer at another local farmer's market in town and started talking with her. She was happy to get together as well and share her knowledge which is what I love best about being out here, everyone is so happy to share what they know.
She and another homeschooler from the farmer's market came over yesterday (who I had never met until yesterday!). We planted microgreens together on my kitchen table and now we're just hoping for the best! If this works I will have microgreens year round! This is very exciting for me! My kids love them, so I'm hoping it works out.
Now we're into renovation mode....nothing makes me happier than renovating. Today I was told to take the decor off the walls and move everything off to one side. When that happens I know he's serious. There is a saw on the floor. All good signs! I'm still trying to keep my expectations in check, but even if a little work gets done, I'll be happy.
Still in full-Christmas mode, running off to cookie exchanges, baking cookies, watching Christmas plays....the season is so full and I'm enjoying every minute of it.
We also had a windfall of unexpected money this week from a very funny source.....KITTENS! We had never listed our kittens for money, but we kept being encouraged to do so, so we tried it. Unbelievably people will pay for kittens. We listed and sold all of them in one day. The kids were thrilled! They were sure they were going to keep all the money until I reminded them they had started sponsoring a child.....
A week ago we all went to that country music concert. As many artists do these days, they showed footage of Sudan where the kids in a war zone are being terribly affected. My kids were so upset and begged me to sponsor a child. We have done this in the past, but not with the younger set. I explained to them what it would cost and told them they would need to help find the money to pay the monthly rate. They were willing to do whatever it took. I went ahead and filled in the paperwork knowing the reality would hit them once we got home. Sure enough, when the kitten money started flowing, they suddenly didn't want to give it away. They wanted to keep all of it. You could see dollar signs in their eyes. But RM wouldn't budge. They had made a deal to help pay for this little boy and they weren't going to get out of it. Now they have to raise nearly $500 a year to pay for him! It appears we are kitten breeders now. Good thing we only have 100 cats (ok, I exaggerated, but that's what it seems like around here!)
So, if my house smells permanently like kitty litter and cat food, it's all for a good cause.....
Monday, 10 December 2018
Living, Moving, Having our Being....In Him
If someone were to have tried to track our family's activities this past weekend, it would have been a challenge. There are a lot of us and keeping track of where each one is is a full-time job in itself!
Let's take Friday night for an example. My oldest daughter blessed my 2nd daughter for an early birthday present with tickets to Hamilton, the musical of all musicals. It was the best night of her life she said. They went over the border, just the two of them, to see it in Buffalo.
Meanwhile, we were graciously offered 4 tickets to see Tim Neufeld and the Glory Boys (a country band) that same night! I had never heard of this band and I have to admit I was a little skeptical. Country is not exactly my style or anyone in my family's style. But it sounded like a fun event, so we gladly accepted. Who would go? Who would stay? It turns out, I ended up taking 3 of the "medium" aged kids, leaving the youngest at home with the oldest boy! (see, it's complicated!) I have to admit, I walked out saying, along with my kids, "That was one of the best concerts I've ever seen!" Tim shouldn't just be in a band, he should really be a comedian as well. I had tears running down my face I was laughing so much throughout his show. He was HILARIOUS! My kids loved him and his antics, too. It was a super great night.
Meanwhile (there's lots of "meanwhiles"....), my husband and my 2nd son were meeting with a pilot who graduated from a school we're considering for this year or next. That was also a very interesting meeting as he was extremely helpful and informative about the school giving great input as to how and why it blessed him so much. Right now this pilot we met has a once in a lifetime job flying all over the world and he credits his experience to that school, so even though it was off the table, now it's back on!
At the same time, I hadn't even seen my oldest son who had just finished writing another final exam, so missed catching up with him, as did everyone else, 'cause no one was home to hear him, the poor guy!
When we all finally got together the next day, there was so much to say, so much to talk about....everyone was interrupting everyone else. It was funny! We almost have to schedule a family conference in order to hear what's going on in everyone's life. I marvel at all the driving that goes on and thank God every time we are all back safe and sound. Truly God's traveling mercies have been on us.
The following day, Saturday, was spent all apart again - some went with me to attempt making soap at a friend's house. Some stayed home dog-sitting a little golden retriever puppy we've made friends with! Some went to work, some were working in the shop.....it is hard to connect. Life can get so busy.
Our evenings are when we try to debrief. It has meant staying up later than I am used to. But those are when the conversations happen.
Today will be no different. My oldest and I will head to a dental surgeon where she is getting a tooth extracted. She will be totally put under so I will have to drive her home. Some will head for more finals, some will head to work, others will be left at home to watch little ones. We will be all split up again. But this Thursday evening marks the beginning of a 3 week "vacation". For some that would mean a trip. For us, it means a "stay-cation". I don't mind though. My husband has great plans for the house to try and finish up a few things. I've already told a few people to pray for me so that I won't be the wife who has all these secret expectations who then gets disappointed when things don't go her way! More than anything, these 3 weeks will be a wonderful time where we will get to connect as a family, hopefully we will be able to just spend time in the same room, talking, laughing, praying together. Life is going so fast. I want it to slow down, but then again, it makes for a full life, so I don't mind so much.
I read in Acts 17:26-28 that everything I'm feeling and experiencing has been pre-determined. Even in all the craziness, God knew where I would live, He knew the kids I would have, He knew when I would be born and when my kids would be born. And all of this is in order for us to seek God, to feel our way toward Him. That even in the busy-ness, He is not far from me. That "in Him we live and move and have our being".
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
Let's take Friday night for an example. My oldest daughter blessed my 2nd daughter for an early birthday present with tickets to Hamilton, the musical of all musicals. It was the best night of her life she said. They went over the border, just the two of them, to see it in Buffalo.
Meanwhile, we were graciously offered 4 tickets to see Tim Neufeld and the Glory Boys (a country band) that same night! I had never heard of this band and I have to admit I was a little skeptical. Country is not exactly my style or anyone in my family's style. But it sounded like a fun event, so we gladly accepted. Who would go? Who would stay? It turns out, I ended up taking 3 of the "medium" aged kids, leaving the youngest at home with the oldest boy! (see, it's complicated!) I have to admit, I walked out saying, along with my kids, "That was one of the best concerts I've ever seen!" Tim shouldn't just be in a band, he should really be a comedian as well. I had tears running down my face I was laughing so much throughout his show. He was HILARIOUS! My kids loved him and his antics, too. It was a super great night.
Meanwhile (there's lots of "meanwhiles"....), my husband and my 2nd son were meeting with a pilot who graduated from a school we're considering for this year or next. That was also a very interesting meeting as he was extremely helpful and informative about the school giving great input as to how and why it blessed him so much. Right now this pilot we met has a once in a lifetime job flying all over the world and he credits his experience to that school, so even though it was off the table, now it's back on!
At the same time, I hadn't even seen my oldest son who had just finished writing another final exam, so missed catching up with him, as did everyone else, 'cause no one was home to hear him, the poor guy!
When we all finally got together the next day, there was so much to say, so much to talk about....everyone was interrupting everyone else. It was funny! We almost have to schedule a family conference in order to hear what's going on in everyone's life. I marvel at all the driving that goes on and thank God every time we are all back safe and sound. Truly God's traveling mercies have been on us.
The following day, Saturday, was spent all apart again - some went with me to attempt making soap at a friend's house. Some stayed home dog-sitting a little golden retriever puppy we've made friends with! Some went to work, some were working in the shop.....it is hard to connect. Life can get so busy.
Our evenings are when we try to debrief. It has meant staying up later than I am used to. But those are when the conversations happen.
Today will be no different. My oldest and I will head to a dental surgeon where she is getting a tooth extracted. She will be totally put under so I will have to drive her home. Some will head for more finals, some will head to work, others will be left at home to watch little ones. We will be all split up again. But this Thursday evening marks the beginning of a 3 week "vacation". For some that would mean a trip. For us, it means a "stay-cation". I don't mind though. My husband has great plans for the house to try and finish up a few things. I've already told a few people to pray for me so that I won't be the wife who has all these secret expectations who then gets disappointed when things don't go her way! More than anything, these 3 weeks will be a wonderful time where we will get to connect as a family, hopefully we will be able to just spend time in the same room, talking, laughing, praying together. Life is going so fast. I want it to slow down, but then again, it makes for a full life, so I don't mind so much.
I read in Acts 17:26-28 that everything I'm feeling and experiencing has been pre-determined. Even in all the craziness, God knew where I would live, He knew the kids I would have, He knew when I would be born and when my kids would be born. And all of this is in order for us to seek God, to feel our way toward Him. That even in the busy-ness, He is not far from me. That "in Him we live and move and have our being".
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;[d]
So I read those verses to the kids because the last thing I want is for our busy life to take over and to miss seeking God. I don't want us to ever lose focus on God or on each other. What a challenge this is. I love that we can live in him, move in him and have our being in him. I feel like that means we can do all the things we do in our life, go all the places we go and still be in him as long as we don't lose our focus. As long as we acknowledge him in our lives, daily, moment by moment. One way I do this is I pray with the kids as I drive, no matter where we go, I start the car and I say to the kids, "Hey, let's pray for our day and for everybody in our family." Then, each one prays for safety, thanking Him for each experience we have, for all the opportunities we have, etc. It is a small thing, but it reminds us that we have a good life and we need to make sure that we keep God first and foremost. It's all about "as we rise up, as we walk along the way..." I'm trying to keep the spiritual side of their life as regular as breathing.
I'm excited about the next few weeks. It won't be normal. We don't do many "normal" things around here, but's good - as long as we keep living, moving and having our being in Him......
Monday, 3 December 2018
A Tale of Two Women
Starting on Thursday I've met 2 really significant people that I would describe as world changers.....That has always been a secret theme song for my kids that I heard in one of my first years of homeschooling. The 2 lines in the song that I remember were:
I want to be a world changer
I want to be a mover, a shaker
That's it. But I remember thinking, "That's what I want to be. That's what I want my kids to be. Lord, let my kids be world changers." We even started reading books called World Changers about men and women like William Wilberforce and others like him.
Anyway, the first woman I met on Thursday was Tania Granic-Allen. She is the president of PAFE (Parents As First Educators). My husband started following this group awhile ago and loved what they were about. They fight the government on their involvement in parents' lives and how they parent. PAFE wants as little government as possible. Tania is a homeschooling mom of 4 and is a Christian. She recently ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives, but lost. However, she sure raised some eyebrows and can only be described as a fireball.
We had her come down to the homeschool support group to speak and she drove 3 hours to be there. My only sadness was that more people weren't there and that more people didn't get inspired by her. We all left after her talk ready to take on the prime minister and all the awful bills he's allowed pass since coming into office, not to mention all the other left wing politicians who hate families.
Her main goal was to get us to be involved, to not sit back, to write our politicians, to give input on the sex ed curriculum they are trying to change. So many Christians are sleeping and it is time to wake up. She also lives on a farm trying to raise animals and vegetables and kids....not easy (I know!) So she was very impressive as she manages all that as well as a career in politics. But I now know what I'll be doing at the next Policy Convention - I will be there with my older kids. I'm going to try to make sure they go to at least one in their lifetime as part of their schooling, (a crash course in civics!) so that they will see how things work.
She's fighting for a Parental Charter of Rights. Something that is etched in stone just like a Charter of Rights, so that when they try to take our children and or challenge us on how we raise our children, it will forever be there in black and white that WE as PARENTS have FIRST rights..NOT the government. The government thinks that they co-parent. No, they don't. I parent. They are MY kids.
Whew! I laugh when I read that...I am so NOT political, but I do get riled up when I think about stuff like that. Tania was very animated and I related to her a bit - we were able to chat a bit at the end and I shared with her that we were praying for her. I love women like her.
Then, on Saturday, a completely different woman came over to our home. She was my nurse when I was born in Zambia, Doraine. When my kids heard she was coming over, one of them said, "She's still alive?!" Yes, I am not THAT old.
She is now the "mobilizer" for SIM (Sudan Interior Mission), the mission my son is considering going to Zambia with this next year. My grandparents, parents and even myself have all been to Africa (my mom was born there, too!). It seemed natural that my son would also consider going. The interesting thing was it was his idea, not mine. The interesting thing is that he'll probably end up in the very hospital my dad worked in and where I was born.
One day he thought, "Mom, I think I want to go to Africa and work in the hospital." I mentioned it to my husband later and he came up with the idea that he take a term off school and go for a longer period of time. That was a shocker to me as I was quite certain he liked our kids on this side of the ocean more. When my son thought about that, it really interested him. I mentioned it to my parents and they gave me Doraine's email as she is the one to be in touch with. The next thing you know she's at our house interviewing my son.
Our oldest son has taken quite a turn in his original interest, perhaps considering human medicine over animal. He loves animals, but thinks if it is the same amount of schooling, he'd rather pursue human medicine and keep animals as a hobby on the side. He's doing fairly well at school and hopes to write the MCAT exam this summer. He'd then probably head for Africa either in the Fall or the new year of 2019. It takes that long to prepare.
Seeing my little nurse (she's so small!) was bizarre! To think she was one of the first people if not the first person who ever held me is crazy! And there I am introducing her to my 19 year old of my 8 children. It must be just as crazy for her.
She is a world changer. She told us all about an orphanage one of her student nurses started and how she is helping the 1 million orphans in Zambia (out of a population of 13 million). Amazing. Doraine also shared her story of how she fought being a missionary for years. It was one of the last things on earth she wanted to do and she ran from God doing other things, before she finally gave in and surrendered her life. She is now living in Canada, but hasn't slowed down one bit.
There you have it - two women, in just a few days. Both women are serving the Lord in such different capacities, one in politics, on through foreign missions. One young and just at the beginning of her career. One older and nearing the end of her's. One doesn't realize the fruit she's going to see and all the people she's going to impact. The other can look back and see God's Hand in her life and all the people she's been able to bring into the Kingdom. I guess it really doesn't matter where our kids end up, as long as they love the Lord and want to do His will, they can be world changers anywhere. That's my prayer and I'll keep singing my secret theme song for them.
I want to be a world changer
I want to be a mover, a shaker
That's it. But I remember thinking, "That's what I want to be. That's what I want my kids to be. Lord, let my kids be world changers." We even started reading books called World Changers about men and women like William Wilberforce and others like him.
Anyway, the first woman I met on Thursday was Tania Granic-Allen. She is the president of PAFE (Parents As First Educators). My husband started following this group awhile ago and loved what they were about. They fight the government on their involvement in parents' lives and how they parent. PAFE wants as little government as possible. Tania is a homeschooling mom of 4 and is a Christian. She recently ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives, but lost. However, she sure raised some eyebrows and can only be described as a fireball.
We had her come down to the homeschool support group to speak and she drove 3 hours to be there. My only sadness was that more people weren't there and that more people didn't get inspired by her. We all left after her talk ready to take on the prime minister and all the awful bills he's allowed pass since coming into office, not to mention all the other left wing politicians who hate families.
Her main goal was to get us to be involved, to not sit back, to write our politicians, to give input on the sex ed curriculum they are trying to change. So many Christians are sleeping and it is time to wake up. She also lives on a farm trying to raise animals and vegetables and kids....not easy (I know!) So she was very impressive as she manages all that as well as a career in politics. But I now know what I'll be doing at the next Policy Convention - I will be there with my older kids. I'm going to try to make sure they go to at least one in their lifetime as part of their schooling, (a crash course in civics!) so that they will see how things work.
She's fighting for a Parental Charter of Rights. Something that is etched in stone just like a Charter of Rights, so that when they try to take our children and or challenge us on how we raise our children, it will forever be there in black and white that WE as PARENTS have FIRST rights..NOT the government. The government thinks that they co-parent. No, they don't. I parent. They are MY kids.
Whew! I laugh when I read that...I am so NOT political, but I do get riled up when I think about stuff like that. Tania was very animated and I related to her a bit - we were able to chat a bit at the end and I shared with her that we were praying for her. I love women like her.
Then, on Saturday, a completely different woman came over to our home. She was my nurse when I was born in Zambia, Doraine. When my kids heard she was coming over, one of them said, "She's still alive?!" Yes, I am not THAT old.
She is now the "mobilizer" for SIM (Sudan Interior Mission), the mission my son is considering going to Zambia with this next year. My grandparents, parents and even myself have all been to Africa (my mom was born there, too!). It seemed natural that my son would also consider going. The interesting thing was it was his idea, not mine. The interesting thing is that he'll probably end up in the very hospital my dad worked in and where I was born.
One day he thought, "Mom, I think I want to go to Africa and work in the hospital." I mentioned it to my husband later and he came up with the idea that he take a term off school and go for a longer period of time. That was a shocker to me as I was quite certain he liked our kids on this side of the ocean more. When my son thought about that, it really interested him. I mentioned it to my parents and they gave me Doraine's email as she is the one to be in touch with. The next thing you know she's at our house interviewing my son.
Our oldest son has taken quite a turn in his original interest, perhaps considering human medicine over animal. He loves animals, but thinks if it is the same amount of schooling, he'd rather pursue human medicine and keep animals as a hobby on the side. He's doing fairly well at school and hopes to write the MCAT exam this summer. He'd then probably head for Africa either in the Fall or the new year of 2019. It takes that long to prepare.
Seeing my little nurse (she's so small!) was bizarre! To think she was one of the first people if not the first person who ever held me is crazy! And there I am introducing her to my 19 year old of my 8 children. It must be just as crazy for her.
She is a world changer. She told us all about an orphanage one of her student nurses started and how she is helping the 1 million orphans in Zambia (out of a population of 13 million). Amazing. Doraine also shared her story of how she fought being a missionary for years. It was one of the last things on earth she wanted to do and she ran from God doing other things, before she finally gave in and surrendered her life. She is now living in Canada, but hasn't slowed down one bit.
There you have it - two women, in just a few days. Both women are serving the Lord in such different capacities, one in politics, on through foreign missions. One young and just at the beginning of her career. One older and nearing the end of her's. One doesn't realize the fruit she's going to see and all the people she's going to impact. The other can look back and see God's Hand in her life and all the people she's been able to bring into the Kingdom. I guess it really doesn't matter where our kids end up, as long as they love the Lord and want to do His will, they can be world changers anywhere. That's my prayer and I'll keep singing my secret theme song for them.
Wednesday, 28 November 2018
Memory Making 101
Christmas is officially here. Every year it starts off in the last weekend of November. We are invited to a Christmas breakfast (yes, Santa is there!) where we enjoy the most delicious brunch and then the kids get a gift (which is the highlight of the morning!). The adults then hang out for way longer than the kids like (they just want to go home and play with their new toys). However, now the cousins hang out together and enjoy one another so much, too, so they also don't want to go home (at least the older cousins). When I look around the room, there are always tables of 4, 6, 8, maybe even 10, but our's is always the largest at 20!
After we've dragged the kids away, there is no stopping there. The Christmas fun must continue. Some years, as a family, we've gone on to cut a tree, but this year we went the more traditional method, at picked one up at IKEA! They are pretty cheap and usually perfectly shaped, so off we went.
We walked into the lot and within seconds each child had picked their own....very hard to decide which child gets to pick which tree, but one of my kids had been very disappointed last year when we didn't pick his, so I whispered to my husband, "Can we go with his this year?" "Sure." So we picked his tree and quickly got home and put the tree in the tree stand. So help me, this skinny tree, when it was all wrapped up, turned into the biggest, widest, fattest, best tree we've ever had. It looks like we paid a fortune for it, when we did not!
But, the fun still didn't end. Traditions are traditions. Christmas music was on (thank you Spotify) pretty much all day. Popcorn was made for stringing the tree. Christmas decorations went on the tree nearly instantly. Lights went up all over the place. Christmas smells, sounds, and tastes went on all day.
To top it off, my husband allowed for a big treat - Chinese food. So went and ordered enough for the whole family which was gobbled up within minutes. I couldn't believe we were all able to eat again after the morning, but it turns out it was many hours later and apparently we were starving.
What I noticed in all of this was how if we had taken one thing out of the day, something would have been missing in their minds. Traditions. You have to love 'em and hate 'em. The kids all have memories based on certain songs we used to play when they were kids. They have certain meals associated with certain people. They have the order of that November Sunday tradition etched in their minds, right down to the last minute. That's the great thing and the worst thing. If we miss something, their world falls apart! However, these are the things of childhood. I absolutely love etching traditions in their minds, creating memories. These are the things that families create together. It bonds us together somehow. And, what I love, is that only my kids will have the memories I've given them. It makes our family even tighter.
When one of my kids found out that another brother couldn't get work off that night, she went into double overdrive trying to help him find a replacement for his shift. All the other siblings started suggesting names of people. They tried so many different names....how could he miss the first day of Christmas?! My other daughter booked it off weeks in advance. She wasn't missing this day. They love this memory most of all. But he couldn't find anyone, so late in the afternoon, off he went. A small piece of the family wasn't around and he was missed...
I think what I've noticed, too, is that since we've taken the whole gift pressure out, we actually love Christmas more. We relax more, laugh more, spend more time together....it is so great.
Don't get me wrong, that first Christmas day is always filled with a few tears. One kid always ends up bopping another one. A toy gets broken. A person (or two) raises their voice. It always happens and it threatens to destroy the peace that everyone is loving so much. But we power through. And I would say most people in the home go to bed with a happy sensation in their heads that is the memory of the day being seared in their minds. I wonder if God created memories as a bank account for the times when life doesn't go so well. It is almost like it is something you can draw on when you are feeling down.
I'm grateful to my parents for helping start that tradition at the end of November. It begins my childrens' Christmas season, has forever seared their minds with happy memories, and has filled their little "memory bank accounts" so full that they'll never be bankrupt on those dark days that might come. I think that is truly the definition of a good childhood. It is hard to fathom those less fortunate who do not have such full accounts, but instead start off bankrupt before they even get a chance to fill them up. We are so thankful. So in awe of our very fortunate lives. We know we are blessed.
After we've dragged the kids away, there is no stopping there. The Christmas fun must continue. Some years, as a family, we've gone on to cut a tree, but this year we went the more traditional method, at picked one up at IKEA! They are pretty cheap and usually perfectly shaped, so off we went.
We walked into the lot and within seconds each child had picked their own....very hard to decide which child gets to pick which tree, but one of my kids had been very disappointed last year when we didn't pick his, so I whispered to my husband, "Can we go with his this year?" "Sure." So we picked his tree and quickly got home and put the tree in the tree stand. So help me, this skinny tree, when it was all wrapped up, turned into the biggest, widest, fattest, best tree we've ever had. It looks like we paid a fortune for it, when we did not!
But, the fun still didn't end. Traditions are traditions. Christmas music was on (thank you Spotify) pretty much all day. Popcorn was made for stringing the tree. Christmas decorations went on the tree nearly instantly. Lights went up all over the place. Christmas smells, sounds, and tastes went on all day.
To top it off, my husband allowed for a big treat - Chinese food. So went and ordered enough for the whole family which was gobbled up within minutes. I couldn't believe we were all able to eat again after the morning, but it turns out it was many hours later and apparently we were starving.
What I noticed in all of this was how if we had taken one thing out of the day, something would have been missing in their minds. Traditions. You have to love 'em and hate 'em. The kids all have memories based on certain songs we used to play when they were kids. They have certain meals associated with certain people. They have the order of that November Sunday tradition etched in their minds, right down to the last minute. That's the great thing and the worst thing. If we miss something, their world falls apart! However, these are the things of childhood. I absolutely love etching traditions in their minds, creating memories. These are the things that families create together. It bonds us together somehow. And, what I love, is that only my kids will have the memories I've given them. It makes our family even tighter.
When one of my kids found out that another brother couldn't get work off that night, she went into double overdrive trying to help him find a replacement for his shift. All the other siblings started suggesting names of people. They tried so many different names....how could he miss the first day of Christmas?! My other daughter booked it off weeks in advance. She wasn't missing this day. They love this memory most of all. But he couldn't find anyone, so late in the afternoon, off he went. A small piece of the family wasn't around and he was missed...
I think what I've noticed, too, is that since we've taken the whole gift pressure out, we actually love Christmas more. We relax more, laugh more, spend more time together....it is so great.
Don't get me wrong, that first Christmas day is always filled with a few tears. One kid always ends up bopping another one. A toy gets broken. A person (or two) raises their voice. It always happens and it threatens to destroy the peace that everyone is loving so much. But we power through. And I would say most people in the home go to bed with a happy sensation in their heads that is the memory of the day being seared in their minds. I wonder if God created memories as a bank account for the times when life doesn't go so well. It is almost like it is something you can draw on when you are feeling down.
I'm grateful to my parents for helping start that tradition at the end of November. It begins my childrens' Christmas season, has forever seared their minds with happy memories, and has filled their little "memory bank accounts" so full that they'll never be bankrupt on those dark days that might come. I think that is truly the definition of a good childhood. It is hard to fathom those less fortunate who do not have such full accounts, but instead start off bankrupt before they even get a chance to fill them up. We are so thankful. So in awe of our very fortunate lives. We know we are blessed.
Wednesday, 14 November 2018
Chairs, Quizzing and Contentment
You never lose when you settle on being content. That has to be one of the biggest lessons I've learned in life. Discontentment only leads to discouragement and misery. I saw this yet again in our home just yesterday.
We've been living with the kitchen chairs we currently have for our whole married life. We bought them at Home Depot a hundred years ago, assembled them, stained and varnished them, used them and then went on to break at least two of them (who takes kitchen chairs to the barn or to the side of the pond to put on skates and then leaves them there all winter?????). But, our family multiplied so we had to add a few mismatches here and there including desk/rolling chairs...it was the shabby chic look, but not quite so cool. Kind of ugly really.
But I had stopped caring a while ago. What could I do?! But then we started Bible Quizzing. It's funny what makes you start looking for chairs - Bible Quizzing! The thing about quizzing is that you have to have firm chairs to sit on that are all identical. The kids sit on quiz pads that are highly sensitive to movement. If you have a soft chair, they don't work. When kids would come over, often each child would have a different chair, some were broken, and occasionally we just wouldn't have enough when we joined up with other teams. I just kept thinking to myself, if we need them, we'll worry about it then. We kept making it work.
The funny thing was, this entire Fall, our quiz pads didn't work! Somehow over the years, our quizzing console that lights up when a kid would "jump" stopped working. It didn't matter in some ways about the chairs because nothing worked anyway! But then, necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and our quiz team was starting to suffer. If you don't practice your jumps, the other teams with working quiz pads are bound to win. We tried borrowing from a couple other teams, but that wasn't sustainable as they needed their own working set and it was complicated to keep borrowing. Good thing my husband is an engineer (I'm getting to my cool chair story....)
We had sent the broken console to the makers in the U.S., but they said, "Unfixable". Harumph! RM knew they were fixable. He decided enough was enough. He was going to start his own quizzing console business! And just like that he designed a control board, wrote the program, soldered the resistors and and capacitors (or whatever those things are called) and voila - a working set of quiz pads and a working console with lights and beeps and everything! Take that! He's actually hoping to take over the quizzing world by storm and sell millions to the Bible Quizzers of the universe! Ok, perhaps a little overboard, maybe just to locals! We'll see....I'm his greatest sales person, so.......
The problem now was the chairs - ah yes, the chairs.....now it mattered that we had a matching set of chairs for all the quizzers in order for everything to work the best. In the olden days, when we were dumb, we would have bought new (that's how we always did things), but now that we are more clever, we immediately looked on-line for used. We thought we were going to buy what the quiz league uses (old stacking church chairs - kind of ugly but functional!). So we searched for "stacking chairs". Up came the classic ugly ones, but then (play awesome exciting music.....) there were these really cool, kind of modern yet could-work-anywhere-type of chairs, for, get this, $5 a chair! We got in touch with the seller yesterday. They had been listed for a month about 45 minutes from us, so fairly local. We couldn't pick them up easily, so he offered to drive them out (no charge!) and threw in a free chair! How is that a deal for him?! Didn't matter - we took it! He really wanted to be rid of them (makes me wonder if they're haunted!)
This is the cool thing - they are the exact colour of our table in the kitchen. They are slim so they fit around our table and there is a chair for everyone with even an extra! They are new looking, they are stackable, they are perfect for quizzing......and basically free. As soon as they arrived, I grabbed all the old chairs and all the kids, all the mismatches, and said, "Get these out of here!" So they took them to their "clubhouse" which is an old room behind the barn and now they have a little room full of chairs for when their friends meet.
It all boils down to contentment. I needed to be content in this whole process. The entire Fall I knew our console wasn't working. I actually knew for over a year. But we had used someone else's set, so we had made it work. I knew RM had the ability to make it all along, too, but I also knew he was quite overwhelmed with his workload so couldn't push. To design a working board, he needs hours and hours of thinking time let alone manufacturing time. It seemed fast to all of us once it was done, but in fact, it took quite a while in the behind-the-scenes working out. I had to wait until he knew he had the time. I also knew for some time how much I detested our chairs. Well, maybe detest is a strong word. I disliked strongly. I had started looking on-line for my dream chairs. No joke, the ones I really wanted were $1200/chair! I had "settled" on $125/chair, but even that was way out of our league. So then I started looking for "vintage" chairs, but no one sold a set of ten. They were always sold in sets of two or four. And they weren't free either. I hadn't thought to look for "stacking"! That was the genius moment. And, I should add, when God stepped in and just blessed for the sake of blessing. We didn't deserve it, He just did it.
So, it's really great - the quizzers now have matching chairs. We now have matching chairs in the kitchen (for everyone!), complete with gum on the bottom. We tried to look them up to see if by chance we had purchased some well-known chair, like Herman Miller, but can't prove it. But, to us, they look like a Herman Miller chair which wouldn't surprise me at all if we found that out to be true.
We sat together at dinner, the younger four and me, and we just thanked God. Can you thank Him for chairs?! Yes. I'm also so thankful for a super genius husband who can pretty much do anything. He's amazing! I am in awe of his technical abilities. We were going to have to buy another quizzing console/set of quiz pads which was going to cost over $600. By having him develop it, we cut our costs down to nearly nothing.
We tried them out this past Monday and it was a big success. This Monday will be our first practice with the chairs. Very exciting stuff for a quizzing family! I suppose this makes no sense to people who don't quiz, but to us, it's huge! Anyway, just another great story for us and how contentment led to blessing.....
We've been living with the kitchen chairs we currently have for our whole married life. We bought them at Home Depot a hundred years ago, assembled them, stained and varnished them, used them and then went on to break at least two of them (who takes kitchen chairs to the barn or to the side of the pond to put on skates and then leaves them there all winter?????). But, our family multiplied so we had to add a few mismatches here and there including desk/rolling chairs...it was the shabby chic look, but not quite so cool. Kind of ugly really.
But I had stopped caring a while ago. What could I do?! But then we started Bible Quizzing. It's funny what makes you start looking for chairs - Bible Quizzing! The thing about quizzing is that you have to have firm chairs to sit on that are all identical. The kids sit on quiz pads that are highly sensitive to movement. If you have a soft chair, they don't work. When kids would come over, often each child would have a different chair, some were broken, and occasionally we just wouldn't have enough when we joined up with other teams. I just kept thinking to myself, if we need them, we'll worry about it then. We kept making it work.
The funny thing was, this entire Fall, our quiz pads didn't work! Somehow over the years, our quizzing console that lights up when a kid would "jump" stopped working. It didn't matter in some ways about the chairs because nothing worked anyway! But then, necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and our quiz team was starting to suffer. If you don't practice your jumps, the other teams with working quiz pads are bound to win. We tried borrowing from a couple other teams, but that wasn't sustainable as they needed their own working set and it was complicated to keep borrowing. Good thing my husband is an engineer (I'm getting to my cool chair story....)
We had sent the broken console to the makers in the U.S., but they said, "Unfixable". Harumph! RM knew they were fixable. He decided enough was enough. He was going to start his own quizzing console business! And just like that he designed a control board, wrote the program, soldered the resistors and and capacitors (or whatever those things are called) and voila - a working set of quiz pads and a working console with lights and beeps and everything! Take that! He's actually hoping to take over the quizzing world by storm and sell millions to the Bible Quizzers of the universe! Ok, perhaps a little overboard, maybe just to locals! We'll see....I'm his greatest sales person, so.......
The problem now was the chairs - ah yes, the chairs.....now it mattered that we had a matching set of chairs for all the quizzers in order for everything to work the best. In the olden days, when we were dumb, we would have bought new (that's how we always did things), but now that we are more clever, we immediately looked on-line for used. We thought we were going to buy what the quiz league uses (old stacking church chairs - kind of ugly but functional!). So we searched for "stacking chairs". Up came the classic ugly ones, but then (play awesome exciting music.....) there were these really cool, kind of modern yet could-work-anywhere-type of chairs, for, get this, $5 a chair! We got in touch with the seller yesterday. They had been listed for a month about 45 minutes from us, so fairly local. We couldn't pick them up easily, so he offered to drive them out (no charge!) and threw in a free chair! How is that a deal for him?! Didn't matter - we took it! He really wanted to be rid of them (makes me wonder if they're haunted!)
This is the cool thing - they are the exact colour of our table in the kitchen. They are slim so they fit around our table and there is a chair for everyone with even an extra! They are new looking, they are stackable, they are perfect for quizzing......and basically free. As soon as they arrived, I grabbed all the old chairs and all the kids, all the mismatches, and said, "Get these out of here!" So they took them to their "clubhouse" which is an old room behind the barn and now they have a little room full of chairs for when their friends meet.
It all boils down to contentment. I needed to be content in this whole process. The entire Fall I knew our console wasn't working. I actually knew for over a year. But we had used someone else's set, so we had made it work. I knew RM had the ability to make it all along, too, but I also knew he was quite overwhelmed with his workload so couldn't push. To design a working board, he needs hours and hours of thinking time let alone manufacturing time. It seemed fast to all of us once it was done, but in fact, it took quite a while in the behind-the-scenes working out. I had to wait until he knew he had the time. I also knew for some time how much I detested our chairs. Well, maybe detest is a strong word. I disliked strongly. I had started looking on-line for my dream chairs. No joke, the ones I really wanted were $1200/chair! I had "settled" on $125/chair, but even that was way out of our league. So then I started looking for "vintage" chairs, but no one sold a set of ten. They were always sold in sets of two or four. And they weren't free either. I hadn't thought to look for "stacking"! That was the genius moment. And, I should add, when God stepped in and just blessed for the sake of blessing. We didn't deserve it, He just did it.
So, it's really great - the quizzers now have matching chairs. We now have matching chairs in the kitchen (for everyone!), complete with gum on the bottom. We tried to look them up to see if by chance we had purchased some well-known chair, like Herman Miller, but can't prove it. But, to us, they look like a Herman Miller chair which wouldn't surprise me at all if we found that out to be true.
We sat together at dinner, the younger four and me, and we just thanked God. Can you thank Him for chairs?! Yes. I'm also so thankful for a super genius husband who can pretty much do anything. He's amazing! I am in awe of his technical abilities. We were going to have to buy another quizzing console/set of quiz pads which was going to cost over $600. By having him develop it, we cut our costs down to nearly nothing.
We tried them out this past Monday and it was a big success. This Monday will be our first practice with the chairs. Very exciting stuff for a quizzing family! I suppose this makes no sense to people who don't quiz, but to us, it's huge! Anyway, just another great story for us and how contentment led to blessing.....
Monday, 5 November 2018
Mess Begets Mess
I have a new best friend. I don't know where she lives or even if she uses her real name, but I love her. She has changed my life. I met her on youtube. Melissa Maker is her name (fake? don't know, don't care). I heard about her, I think, on the radio and made a note on my phone to check her channel out later. Am I ever glad I did.
Her youtube channel is dedicated to teach others on how to clean their homes. She's written a book called Clean My Space and has probably millions of subscribers (I have no idea!). I have given seminars myself on how to manage your home and have even touched on how to clean your house, to some extent, but not because I'm an expert cleaner. It was more because I know how moms struggle to organize their kids and time to get it all done. I am, in fact, not an expert cleaner. I have always wanted a clean home and have always admired the clean homes I come across, but have never achieved the deep cleanliness I want. With the large family we have and with all that we do, it seemed virtually impossible to do. But no more!
I made a decision last week to re-instill the zone cleaning idea where each week of the month a zone of the house gets 100% attention and we deep clean, declutter, and then keep it clean FOREVER. I had let the house go over the summer because of the vines. It got messy. Really messy. I could barely get food in the fridge, let alone food on the table, or clothes in the dryer, or on the line, due to the crazy schedule we kept. But then Fall hit. The vines are sleeping now, whew, (like a newborn crying baby who finally is quiet!) and we don't even know what to do with ourselves! That's when I thought, "Now's a great time to get the house back in order!"
Back to Melissa, my new best friend. Zone 1 is the kitchen. I turned on her channel and searched for a kitchen video. There were many. The kids and I (I forced them initially - now they love them!) watched them all. "How to declutter a kitchen", "How to clean a kitchen", "Top 10 things to throw out", "Kitchen Routines"....it was hard to stop. She's addictive. I was so compelled to get my kids to watch them as I knew I wanted them to have clean homes and good routines in their own lives. I was amazed to see them riveted to the screen. They loved her! My daughter ran upstairs with a broom and started on her own room (she had also just watched the one on decluttering bedrooms!). The videos are all 1-10 minutes in length and she is fun and easy to watch with her upbeat attitude and voice.
So, we got to work. The kids were unbelievably excited. At least the younger 4. The older four were gone most of the weekend, but I had the younger 4 entirely on-board. I should have taken a before picture of the kitchen and then an after picture. My kitchen now looks amazing. We started by taking everything out of all the cupboards, one at a time, and decluttered by throwing out or giving away all the things that were broken, unused, etc. By the end of the day, I had an entire laundry basket full of give away items that I've had since my wedding that I have NEVER used. I couldn't bear to get rid of them because of sentimental reasons. But it made my kitchen so cluttered and I had no cupboard space for what I really used.
Then we made our own all-purpose spray, Melissa's recipe...awesome...which my kids loved, and each of us got a paper towel or cloth or sponge, and went to work, vacuuming out the drawers and cupboards, and then wiping them down or vacuuming them all. Transformation begin! This took us 3 days to do. There was a lot of decluttering and cleaning, more than I realized.
I even moved my oven and cleaned behind it as well as the sides that had so many awful drips down the side. I then watched her "How to clean the oven racks" video and voila! My oven racks and the inside of my oven now also look brand new and spotless! My husband actually said something about "relentlessly cleaning" this weekend. You have to love it when your husband thinks you're cleaning too much?!
Everyone was out last night. That was when I put on the finishing touches on the kitchen. When they all got home and walked in, mouths were on the floor. It looks clean, smells clean, feels clean. It looks awesome!!!!! My oldest is probably my most organized and loves a tidy space. I've always felt bad that I kind of stunk at it. It just does not come naturally to me. She was the happiest. "I love it, Mom!" That made me so happy.
We have a few drawers left today and then we move on to the next space - the mudroom/bathroom/hall for Zone 2. Then we will finish the whole house ultimately and, here is the key word.....MAINTAIN.....That is my new goal. I use her phrase all the time, which I've tried to explain to them before, but somehow, because it came from my new best friend, Melissa, they are listening to HER, "Mess begets Mess". Well, I won't be offended that they would rather hear it from her. At least they are finally on board!
On Friday we prayed for our kitchen! We actually asked God to help us be good stewards. Now that we see the results of our hard work, we actually feel like God really helped us. I told them the verse that says, "God is a God of order, not of disorder." It makes all of us feel better. My other son said, "Mom! I feel like we have a new house!" Yes! It does feel that way!
I was so charged up about cleaning, that I started on the bathroom, too. We watched a video on tubs and tiles and went at it. I also have a new bathtub, which I also love so much!! I've gone a little over the top, I admit it. I may have to see if Melissa will give me a small fee for my great ratings on her! I sound like I work for her!!!
Today, we'll have breakfast, we'll read the Bible together, and then, yes, oh yes, we'll watch another Melissa video to encourage us to clean another area well. I have always longed for cleaning ladies. I've always wished I could achieve the deeper clean and thought it was unachievable with a large family. I was ok with just tidy, and that was ok when the kids were younger, but now I want more and the kids are ready for it, too. I don't think I need cleaning ladies anymore. I have my own little crew and they actually like doing it.
So yes, I love Melissa and you should, too.
Her youtube channel is dedicated to teach others on how to clean their homes. She's written a book called Clean My Space and has probably millions of subscribers (I have no idea!). I have given seminars myself on how to manage your home and have even touched on how to clean your house, to some extent, but not because I'm an expert cleaner. It was more because I know how moms struggle to organize their kids and time to get it all done. I am, in fact, not an expert cleaner. I have always wanted a clean home and have always admired the clean homes I come across, but have never achieved the deep cleanliness I want. With the large family we have and with all that we do, it seemed virtually impossible to do. But no more!
I made a decision last week to re-instill the zone cleaning idea where each week of the month a zone of the house gets 100% attention and we deep clean, declutter, and then keep it clean FOREVER. I had let the house go over the summer because of the vines. It got messy. Really messy. I could barely get food in the fridge, let alone food on the table, or clothes in the dryer, or on the line, due to the crazy schedule we kept. But then Fall hit. The vines are sleeping now, whew, (like a newborn crying baby who finally is quiet!) and we don't even know what to do with ourselves! That's when I thought, "Now's a great time to get the house back in order!"
Back to Melissa, my new best friend. Zone 1 is the kitchen. I turned on her channel and searched for a kitchen video. There were many. The kids and I (I forced them initially - now they love them!) watched them all. "How to declutter a kitchen", "How to clean a kitchen", "Top 10 things to throw out", "Kitchen Routines"....it was hard to stop. She's addictive. I was so compelled to get my kids to watch them as I knew I wanted them to have clean homes and good routines in their own lives. I was amazed to see them riveted to the screen. They loved her! My daughter ran upstairs with a broom and started on her own room (she had also just watched the one on decluttering bedrooms!). The videos are all 1-10 minutes in length and she is fun and easy to watch with her upbeat attitude and voice.
So, we got to work. The kids were unbelievably excited. At least the younger 4. The older four were gone most of the weekend, but I had the younger 4 entirely on-board. I should have taken a before picture of the kitchen and then an after picture. My kitchen now looks amazing. We started by taking everything out of all the cupboards, one at a time, and decluttered by throwing out or giving away all the things that were broken, unused, etc. By the end of the day, I had an entire laundry basket full of give away items that I've had since my wedding that I have NEVER used. I couldn't bear to get rid of them because of sentimental reasons. But it made my kitchen so cluttered and I had no cupboard space for what I really used.
Then we made our own all-purpose spray, Melissa's recipe...awesome...which my kids loved, and each of us got a paper towel or cloth or sponge, and went to work, vacuuming out the drawers and cupboards, and then wiping them down or vacuuming them all. Transformation begin! This took us 3 days to do. There was a lot of decluttering and cleaning, more than I realized.
I even moved my oven and cleaned behind it as well as the sides that had so many awful drips down the side. I then watched her "How to clean the oven racks" video and voila! My oven racks and the inside of my oven now also look brand new and spotless! My husband actually said something about "relentlessly cleaning" this weekend. You have to love it when your husband thinks you're cleaning too much?!
Everyone was out last night. That was when I put on the finishing touches on the kitchen. When they all got home and walked in, mouths were on the floor. It looks clean, smells clean, feels clean. It looks awesome!!!!! My oldest is probably my most organized and loves a tidy space. I've always felt bad that I kind of stunk at it. It just does not come naturally to me. She was the happiest. "I love it, Mom!" That made me so happy.
We have a few drawers left today and then we move on to the next space - the mudroom/bathroom/hall for Zone 2. Then we will finish the whole house ultimately and, here is the key word.....MAINTAIN.....That is my new goal. I use her phrase all the time, which I've tried to explain to them before, but somehow, because it came from my new best friend, Melissa, they are listening to HER, "Mess begets Mess". Well, I won't be offended that they would rather hear it from her. At least they are finally on board!
On Friday we prayed for our kitchen! We actually asked God to help us be good stewards. Now that we see the results of our hard work, we actually feel like God really helped us. I told them the verse that says, "God is a God of order, not of disorder." It makes all of us feel better. My other son said, "Mom! I feel like we have a new house!" Yes! It does feel that way!
I was so charged up about cleaning, that I started on the bathroom, too. We watched a video on tubs and tiles and went at it. I also have a new bathtub, which I also love so much!! I've gone a little over the top, I admit it. I may have to see if Melissa will give me a small fee for my great ratings on her! I sound like I work for her!!!
Today, we'll have breakfast, we'll read the Bible together, and then, yes, oh yes, we'll watch another Melissa video to encourage us to clean another area well. I have always longed for cleaning ladies. I've always wished I could achieve the deeper clean and thought it was unachievable with a large family. I was ok with just tidy, and that was ok when the kids were younger, but now I want more and the kids are ready for it, too. I don't think I need cleaning ladies anymore. I have my own little crew and they actually like doing it.
So yes, I love Melissa and you should, too.
Thursday, 1 November 2018
A Great Day
Yesterday was full of ups and downs, but I had determined to be more on top of my emotions, and by the end of the day experienced such victory that I wanted to write about it.
The night before I had watched a talk given by Nancy Campbell. She is the editor/creator of "Above Rubies", a magazine written by women, for women and mothers around the world. It is always such an encouragement. Someone had given me a link to listen to her for free at some seminar and I don't usually have time to sit for an hour, but I watched it late at night in the comfort of my bed while my husband was still away teaching. Am I ever glad I did!
She was asked to speak about the spiritual disciplines that a mother should strive for as well as how to go about doing this. I should have written everything down. But what struck me was how she spoke about the need to not be run by our feelings. Our feelings will try to boss us around, but they can't. She was adamant about that. Her main point was that we have Jesus Himself living in us. And not just a little "bit" of Jesus, but ALL of Jesus. Everything He is! Love, joy, peace, patience......all the GOOD character traits that we want! Not the ones that try to rule our spirits normally. We just need to access the power that lives in us every moment, she said, every second, every hour. I know this. I know this! But it was good to hear.
Then she was asked how she would recommend spending time in God's Word when it is so busy during the day. She said she used to take her Bible with her wherever she went...laundry, dishes, nursing a baby...it was the only way.
What about patience? How do we get patience!? She answered that we can say out loud, "I am the most patient mother in the world!" And it can be true! Because Jesus, the most patient God in the universe, lives in us! She said it is impossible to angry and patient at the same time - true! You can't yell at your kids and be loving at the same time. So choose love! Seems easy enough!
What about being overwhelmed by life, kids, everything? She said, "Don't be!" God is bigger than all our problems. God is bigger than everything that we are going through. We have to remember this all day long.
Well, I felt great. I was inspired, ready to take on a new day. I was going to try to keep my emotions in check, be the most patient mother in the world, just be a good and godly mom, all day long.
It wasn't long before I came across a trial. I had to deal with a very sticky situation with a group of people that required taking a firm stand. I was going to look like the bad guy, but what I had to say had to be said. I hated every minute of it and it wasn't long before my stomach turned to knots. I didn't feel like eating, was on pins and needles, and the anxiety was starting....but then I drew on my awesome Nancy talk and sat with the kids.
I explained the situation to them. I asked them to pray specifically and I told them, "God is bigger than our problems. I am NOT going to fear today."
Then I called for back up and had a couple of awesome prayer warriors praying about the situation as well. They were GREAT!!!!
Then, as the day went on and a couple of somewhat stressful emails went back and forth, I took out my Bible and stood in front of the 4 ft laundry pile and started to read Proverbs. I was amazed at the verses that I read. I had never seen them that way in light of my situation that day. They gave me such a peace. I would read a verse, fold a towel, read a verse, start a load. It was amazing. Why had I never done that before? Such a good use of that time. I've used the laundry room for prayer, but had never brought my Bible.
I kept saying to God, "You are bigger than this. You've got this. I'm trusting you. I'm not going to fear."
No surprise. By the middle of the day, the emails started to take a turn. The stress was leaving them. The final email of the afternoon showed resolve. The situation had completely turned from awful to amazing and, in fact, ideal. I couldn't believe it. I was so grateful. God had done it, by me simply praying, trusting, and refusing to fall for my typical fearful ways. The kids and I stopped at every meal to pray and I would give them updates throughout the day. Turns out they were praying even on their own, too. Then when the final email came in showing the resolve, we stopped and prayed again, thanking God for His answers to prayer. So good for them to see His faithfulness to them, too.
Sanctification. Working out your salvation. It isn't called "work" for nothing. It took everything in me yesterday. My spiritual muscles definitely grew. Nancy had said as well that God's Word promises to change us and every flaw we have. I committed my anxiety to Him and asked Him to take it. I read so many verses on peace, instead of trying to manufacture it on my own. That was the difference. Any victory I achieved is all because of His Word, His promises. It was a great day.
On a funny different note, I ended up having a great day with the kids, too. Normally we have a party on the 31st, but the people we typically connect with were all sick and RM was away at work. I wanted to make a delicious snack, but I've been trying to cut out sugar (except for my coffee!) so I was going to make apples and caramel sauce, but that is all sugar. But then, the internet! So I googled a healthy caramel sauce and to my amazement I found a sugar-free one. I thought, "This will NEVER taste good!" But made it anyway. It used truvia instead of sugar which is a plant-based sweetener made from the stevia plant, calorie-free! I melted the butter, added the truvia and cream and boiled it for a looooong time until it turned into a thick sauce. Then added vanilla. It didn't look caramelly, but it tasted great! The kids didn't even notice the difference! I couldn't believe it! I was also able to eat it and felt guilt-free. Love the internet sometimes......
The night before I had watched a talk given by Nancy Campbell. She is the editor/creator of "Above Rubies", a magazine written by women, for women and mothers around the world. It is always such an encouragement. Someone had given me a link to listen to her for free at some seminar and I don't usually have time to sit for an hour, but I watched it late at night in the comfort of my bed while my husband was still away teaching. Am I ever glad I did!
She was asked to speak about the spiritual disciplines that a mother should strive for as well as how to go about doing this. I should have written everything down. But what struck me was how she spoke about the need to not be run by our feelings. Our feelings will try to boss us around, but they can't. She was adamant about that. Her main point was that we have Jesus Himself living in us. And not just a little "bit" of Jesus, but ALL of Jesus. Everything He is! Love, joy, peace, patience......all the GOOD character traits that we want! Not the ones that try to rule our spirits normally. We just need to access the power that lives in us every moment, she said, every second, every hour. I know this. I know this! But it was good to hear.
Then she was asked how she would recommend spending time in God's Word when it is so busy during the day. She said she used to take her Bible with her wherever she went...laundry, dishes, nursing a baby...it was the only way.
What about patience? How do we get patience!? She answered that we can say out loud, "I am the most patient mother in the world!" And it can be true! Because Jesus, the most patient God in the universe, lives in us! She said it is impossible to angry and patient at the same time - true! You can't yell at your kids and be loving at the same time. So choose love! Seems easy enough!
What about being overwhelmed by life, kids, everything? She said, "Don't be!" God is bigger than all our problems. God is bigger than everything that we are going through. We have to remember this all day long.
Well, I felt great. I was inspired, ready to take on a new day. I was going to try to keep my emotions in check, be the most patient mother in the world, just be a good and godly mom, all day long.
It wasn't long before I came across a trial. I had to deal with a very sticky situation with a group of people that required taking a firm stand. I was going to look like the bad guy, but what I had to say had to be said. I hated every minute of it and it wasn't long before my stomach turned to knots. I didn't feel like eating, was on pins and needles, and the anxiety was starting....but then I drew on my awesome Nancy talk and sat with the kids.
I explained the situation to them. I asked them to pray specifically and I told them, "God is bigger than our problems. I am NOT going to fear today."
Then I called for back up and had a couple of awesome prayer warriors praying about the situation as well. They were GREAT!!!!
Then, as the day went on and a couple of somewhat stressful emails went back and forth, I took out my Bible and stood in front of the 4 ft laundry pile and started to read Proverbs. I was amazed at the verses that I read. I had never seen them that way in light of my situation that day. They gave me such a peace. I would read a verse, fold a towel, read a verse, start a load. It was amazing. Why had I never done that before? Such a good use of that time. I've used the laundry room for prayer, but had never brought my Bible.
I kept saying to God, "You are bigger than this. You've got this. I'm trusting you. I'm not going to fear."
No surprise. By the middle of the day, the emails started to take a turn. The stress was leaving them. The final email of the afternoon showed resolve. The situation had completely turned from awful to amazing and, in fact, ideal. I couldn't believe it. I was so grateful. God had done it, by me simply praying, trusting, and refusing to fall for my typical fearful ways. The kids and I stopped at every meal to pray and I would give them updates throughout the day. Turns out they were praying even on their own, too. Then when the final email came in showing the resolve, we stopped and prayed again, thanking God for His answers to prayer. So good for them to see His faithfulness to them, too.
Sanctification. Working out your salvation. It isn't called "work" for nothing. It took everything in me yesterday. My spiritual muscles definitely grew. Nancy had said as well that God's Word promises to change us and every flaw we have. I committed my anxiety to Him and asked Him to take it. I read so many verses on peace, instead of trying to manufacture it on my own. That was the difference. Any victory I achieved is all because of His Word, His promises. It was a great day.
On a funny different note, I ended up having a great day with the kids, too. Normally we have a party on the 31st, but the people we typically connect with were all sick and RM was away at work. I wanted to make a delicious snack, but I've been trying to cut out sugar (except for my coffee!) so I was going to make apples and caramel sauce, but that is all sugar. But then, the internet! So I googled a healthy caramel sauce and to my amazement I found a sugar-free one. I thought, "This will NEVER taste good!" But made it anyway. It used truvia instead of sugar which is a plant-based sweetener made from the stevia plant, calorie-free! I melted the butter, added the truvia and cream and boiled it for a looooong time until it turned into a thick sauce. Then added vanilla. It didn't look caramelly, but it tasted great! The kids didn't even notice the difference! I couldn't believe it! I was also able to eat it and felt guilt-free. Love the internet sometimes......
Wednesday, 31 October 2018
History Lesson of the Day
Today the world will celebrate Halloween, but 501 years ago, on Oct. 31, a huge victory was won against the kingdom of darkness and no one seems to know about it or even talk about it in Christian circles. Martin Luther wrote and nailed the theses against the corrupt church on the very same day that the world celebrates Halloween. I find it an amazing coincidence.
A few moms and I were together yesterday and we were talking about how we would "celebrate" today. It was amazing to hear the different ways each family would spend the evening. One was going to go on an outreach with her family and hand out tracts to people in the neighbourhood. That is not typical! Another mom was going to do a Reformation Day Party! How fun! They were going to play the cutest games, "Pin the 95 Theses on the Door"! They were going to use fake gold for "indulgences" and then watch a cute video on Martin Luther. I ended up looking for the video myself and found all sorts of amazing videos that people have made to explain the Reformation to children. By the end of the short videos, my children were all able to explain who Martin Luther was, what the 95 theses were, where he nailed them, why he did it, the Diet of Worms (the trial location), what a Protestant is, what a Catholic is.....I was amazed and so impressed with their quick retention!
We live too far away to get trick or treaters anyway and in the past we've hosted a soup night with our friends, but this year my husband is working so we'll just be home on our own I think. The kids don't seem to know what everyone else is doing in town. Just as well, we have enough cavities!
When I looked up the roots of Halloween, it was pretty dark. People dressed up as dark spirits in order to disguise themselves from the the lord of death. When kids dress up today as princesses and knights, they don't know why they are doing it, and probably the parents are unaware as well. But some are very aware as you see so many houses decorated in the macabre - black bats, zombies, skeletons, bloody cemetery scenes. That's what ultimately made us change our minds years ago. We had been doing the whole Halloween thing for years and I had no problem with it. But for every cute princess that came along, there were half a dozen creepy costumes and houses that we didn't dare take our kids to or open our doors. We took a look at the whole process and as much as our kids loved the candy, we just couldn't get our heads around the darkness of the event. I wish I'd been bolder at the time and started witnessing to my neighbours about Christ at every door and every opportunity, but instead we just chose not to participate and instead we turned it into a chance to connect with fellow believers. I think now as our kids are getting older we could consider the outreach aspect. I love that our church pursues that as an alternative.
There's my history lesson for the day!
A few moms and I were together yesterday and we were talking about how we would "celebrate" today. It was amazing to hear the different ways each family would spend the evening. One was going to go on an outreach with her family and hand out tracts to people in the neighbourhood. That is not typical! Another mom was going to do a Reformation Day Party! How fun! They were going to play the cutest games, "Pin the 95 Theses on the Door"! They were going to use fake gold for "indulgences" and then watch a cute video on Martin Luther. I ended up looking for the video myself and found all sorts of amazing videos that people have made to explain the Reformation to children. By the end of the short videos, my children were all able to explain who Martin Luther was, what the 95 theses were, where he nailed them, why he did it, the Diet of Worms (the trial location), what a Protestant is, what a Catholic is.....I was amazed and so impressed with their quick retention!
We live too far away to get trick or treaters anyway and in the past we've hosted a soup night with our friends, but this year my husband is working so we'll just be home on our own I think. The kids don't seem to know what everyone else is doing in town. Just as well, we have enough cavities!
When I looked up the roots of Halloween, it was pretty dark. People dressed up as dark spirits in order to disguise themselves from the the lord of death. When kids dress up today as princesses and knights, they don't know why they are doing it, and probably the parents are unaware as well. But some are very aware as you see so many houses decorated in the macabre - black bats, zombies, skeletons, bloody cemetery scenes. That's what ultimately made us change our minds years ago. We had been doing the whole Halloween thing for years and I had no problem with it. But for every cute princess that came along, there were half a dozen creepy costumes and houses that we didn't dare take our kids to or open our doors. We took a look at the whole process and as much as our kids loved the candy, we just couldn't get our heads around the darkness of the event. I wish I'd been bolder at the time and started witnessing to my neighbours about Christ at every door and every opportunity, but instead we just chose not to participate and instead we turned it into a chance to connect with fellow believers. I think now as our kids are getting older we could consider the outreach aspect. I love that our church pursues that as an alternative.
There's my history lesson for the day!
Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Mayor of my Home
This week I was reminded how different my life is compared to some and how different it could have been had I made different choices.
There were mayoral elections all over Ontario this week including my little town and also in the big city of Toronto. I was watching very closely to the Toronto elections as I had gone to university with the female candidate, JM. She and I knew one another and I would see her almost on a weekly basis at the Christian meeting on campus so many years ago. She was quite the shaker and the mover then. It is no surprise to me that she took on the top job for Toronto.
But I found myself comparing myself to her throughout the campaign. There were times I would just walk through what a day must be like for her and then I would compare what my day is like. I would almost laugh out loud. She rides a bike to work. I walk downstairs. She has two kids that go off to school. I have 8 that seem to be surrounding me all day long! Her husband works from home and does all the cooking and child care management. My husband is currently rarely home and I am certainly the main child care person! She works in a nice clean office. I have dirt under my nails from all the work I did in the vines still, not to mention the multiple injuries I've sustained recently from being on a farm. That is another story.
I could go on and on. It is potentially a slippery slope and even a dangerous and unhealthy one. I could start to hear the lies. "You're just a homeschooling mom. Look how successful she is. You aren't as important." I had to really stop the thought process in its tracks. It is true. I am certainly not well-known compared to her, that is for sure. But with fame and being so well-known comes a high degree of stress. I don't think I would handle that very well. My life is pretty full of it as it is! Her life requires her being home very rarely to see her kids and have dinner with them. I, on the other hand, as much as it is sometimes, am able to be around my kids all day, every day, every meal, every snack. I may not be known much to the outside world, or even to those down my street, but I'm known by my kids, super well. They imitate me all the time and laugh at my weird "mom idiosyncrasies" because I have a lot of them! I don't have a tidy office that, no doubt, has a janitorial staff, but I do have a great farm house, full of dirty floors and laundry, on a wonderful property. No views of a city scape, but amazing views of rolling hills and now vines. Hard to compare the two. I may not be as quick on my feet and articulate in front of cameras, but this year I'll have several opportunities to speak to other homeschooling parents at conferences and homeschool support meetings where I will get to share some things I've learned on the journey. I'm way more comfortable in a group like that anyway.
So, though the attack did try to start, I was pretty quickly able to shut down the thoughts as I worked through my lame insecurities. I am exactly where I need and want to be. She must be, too. I'm fairly certain she has a faith, at least she did at one point. I am doing exactly what God has created me to do. There is such utter indescribable satisfaction in my life's work, raising this crew of children. If I were offered to change places with her for a day, I would turn it down in a heartbeat. I would be so lost anyway. Would I like a janitorial staff? Yes, yes, I would, but I did get a new vacuum cleaner this week and I can't tell you how many times I've vacuumed with such incredible joy that it feels like I have a new janitorial staff working for me full time, that's how badly I needed a new vacuum cleaner. Did I mention we only use shop vacs as that is the only type of vacuum cleaner our house can handle!? We're hard core dirty. I should be an ad for their company. Would I like a new wardrobe of the latest clothes? Sort of, but I would just get those dirty, too. Here's a great example. I was out in the field trying to get a rogue horse back in the fence and as we brought him over, his leg lifted up the fencing wire tripping me and making me go flying! Not only did I have a major bruise from the fall for days, but I had some pretty sweet grass stains that may never come out. I'm sure she could never relate to that kind of a day! Would I like someone else to take over all the childcare, cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping? Some days, ok, quite often, but then I'd miss all the hugs, smiles, thank yous, laughs, all for what? To be with some stuffy grownups? No thank you. Would I like the big salary that comes from being very important? Money is great, but being frugal is kind of fun. Yesterday I took the kids to the local thrift shop. I was praying for a coat for one of my kids. There it was, his size, only one. It wasn't in the brand-new, best-shape department, but, to my great appreciation, he said, "It's perfect!" $3 later I had a "new" coat and he is so happy. I'm so happy that he doesn't even know to ask for a "real" new one, that going to the thrift store is normal. I find true joy in that.
Stay-at-home moms will probably always have this battle, wondering how important we are. Fortunately I have a very supportive husband and appreciative kids who are pretty great on giving me positive reinforcement when I need it. And, here's a funny thought - I really am mayor, of my home! I run a pretty interesting town, Crazy Town. Population 10 (not including animals - in that case the population went up by 5 kittens the other night). I oversee budgets, building plans and renovations, future developments and industry, food management, janitorial crews. I sit on the education board. I run a pretty tight ship, though, on some days, I would fire myself and I would let another mayor step in. But all in all, being mayor is a pretty fun job. I'll keep it.
Really, the comparison game is never good. I was told once at a retreat, way back when I was at university, by the main speaker, "If you never remember anything else I say, remember these 3 things: You are unique. Refuse to compare. You have nothing to prove.'" Amazingly I have remembered them! Ultimately, my greatest feedback is from the Lord Himself who reminds me daily that He is with me, He has created me, He loves me. That's better than any fame or feedback that the world can offer.
There were mayoral elections all over Ontario this week including my little town and also in the big city of Toronto. I was watching very closely to the Toronto elections as I had gone to university with the female candidate, JM. She and I knew one another and I would see her almost on a weekly basis at the Christian meeting on campus so many years ago. She was quite the shaker and the mover then. It is no surprise to me that she took on the top job for Toronto.
But I found myself comparing myself to her throughout the campaign. There were times I would just walk through what a day must be like for her and then I would compare what my day is like. I would almost laugh out loud. She rides a bike to work. I walk downstairs. She has two kids that go off to school. I have 8 that seem to be surrounding me all day long! Her husband works from home and does all the cooking and child care management. My husband is currently rarely home and I am certainly the main child care person! She works in a nice clean office. I have dirt under my nails from all the work I did in the vines still, not to mention the multiple injuries I've sustained recently from being on a farm. That is another story.
I could go on and on. It is potentially a slippery slope and even a dangerous and unhealthy one. I could start to hear the lies. "You're just a homeschooling mom. Look how successful she is. You aren't as important." I had to really stop the thought process in its tracks. It is true. I am certainly not well-known compared to her, that is for sure. But with fame and being so well-known comes a high degree of stress. I don't think I would handle that very well. My life is pretty full of it as it is! Her life requires her being home very rarely to see her kids and have dinner with them. I, on the other hand, as much as it is sometimes, am able to be around my kids all day, every day, every meal, every snack. I may not be known much to the outside world, or even to those down my street, but I'm known by my kids, super well. They imitate me all the time and laugh at my weird "mom idiosyncrasies" because I have a lot of them! I don't have a tidy office that, no doubt, has a janitorial staff, but I do have a great farm house, full of dirty floors and laundry, on a wonderful property. No views of a city scape, but amazing views of rolling hills and now vines. Hard to compare the two. I may not be as quick on my feet and articulate in front of cameras, but this year I'll have several opportunities to speak to other homeschooling parents at conferences and homeschool support meetings where I will get to share some things I've learned on the journey. I'm way more comfortable in a group like that anyway.
So, though the attack did try to start, I was pretty quickly able to shut down the thoughts as I worked through my lame insecurities. I am exactly where I need and want to be. She must be, too. I'm fairly certain she has a faith, at least she did at one point. I am doing exactly what God has created me to do. There is such utter indescribable satisfaction in my life's work, raising this crew of children. If I were offered to change places with her for a day, I would turn it down in a heartbeat. I would be so lost anyway. Would I like a janitorial staff? Yes, yes, I would, but I did get a new vacuum cleaner this week and I can't tell you how many times I've vacuumed with such incredible joy that it feels like I have a new janitorial staff working for me full time, that's how badly I needed a new vacuum cleaner. Did I mention we only use shop vacs as that is the only type of vacuum cleaner our house can handle!? We're hard core dirty. I should be an ad for their company. Would I like a new wardrobe of the latest clothes? Sort of, but I would just get those dirty, too. Here's a great example. I was out in the field trying to get a rogue horse back in the fence and as we brought him over, his leg lifted up the fencing wire tripping me and making me go flying! Not only did I have a major bruise from the fall for days, but I had some pretty sweet grass stains that may never come out. I'm sure she could never relate to that kind of a day! Would I like someone else to take over all the childcare, cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping? Some days, ok, quite often, but then I'd miss all the hugs, smiles, thank yous, laughs, all for what? To be with some stuffy grownups? No thank you. Would I like the big salary that comes from being very important? Money is great, but being frugal is kind of fun. Yesterday I took the kids to the local thrift shop. I was praying for a coat for one of my kids. There it was, his size, only one. It wasn't in the brand-new, best-shape department, but, to my great appreciation, he said, "It's perfect!" $3 later I had a "new" coat and he is so happy. I'm so happy that he doesn't even know to ask for a "real" new one, that going to the thrift store is normal. I find true joy in that.
Stay-at-home moms will probably always have this battle, wondering how important we are. Fortunately I have a very supportive husband and appreciative kids who are pretty great on giving me positive reinforcement when I need it. And, here's a funny thought - I really am mayor, of my home! I run a pretty interesting town, Crazy Town. Population 10 (not including animals - in that case the population went up by 5 kittens the other night). I oversee budgets, building plans and renovations, future developments and industry, food management, janitorial crews. I sit on the education board. I run a pretty tight ship, though, on some days, I would fire myself and I would let another mayor step in. But all in all, being mayor is a pretty fun job. I'll keep it.
Really, the comparison game is never good. I was told once at a retreat, way back when I was at university, by the main speaker, "If you never remember anything else I say, remember these 3 things: You are unique. Refuse to compare. You have nothing to prove.'" Amazingly I have remembered them! Ultimately, my greatest feedback is from the Lord Himself who reminds me daily that He is with me, He has created me, He loves me. That's better than any fame or feedback that the world can offer.
Thursday, 11 October 2018
Lessons from the Vines
Two days ago we finished all the staking and taping of the vines. That was no small feat. Not that anyone cares, but I am sure I have the most muscular back now. We should be cultivating between the rows, but it is so wet out there from days of rain earlier that we our tractor got stuck and has made some unsightly new trenches where no trenches are supposed to be. So the weeds between the rows will grow some more I guess.
Now that the vineyard looks more like a vineyard we will often hear from our kids, "Oh! So that's what it's supposed to look like!" Our kids are learning faith through this vineyard. Not just faith in God, but faith in their parents. They have truly had to trust us all along that we aren't crazy, though we may appear that way sometimes.
Even I have had to have a certain amount of faith, not just in God, but in my husband. I'm sure, to the world around us we may have looked a little crazy as we started out this latest venture. I found out when I delivered grapes to every neighbour on the street that they've all been watching. Every single neighbour commented on what they'd seen us start on. We are 100% being watched.
I have had to trust that my husband knows what he's doing and believe in him and his unique vision for our family and our future. I read a letter from a woman in a homeschooling magazine recently who sounded like she is married to a husband similar to mine. She wasn't complaining, but she was wondering how to support a husband who has lots of dreams, ideas, and plans and wasn't sure what to do when they didn't always work out like she had hoped. The letter she received in response was just great because it was written by a man who was also like my husband and her's. He said, "Have faith in your husband. Think of him as an inventor, failing 999 times in preparation for the great success he will eventually achieve." He then went on about all the crazy things he has done in his own life. He wrote, "I have tried many endeavors which proved to be great only in my imagination. We have been poor to the bone and down to our last potato many times because I was devoting our money and all my energies and time to a new idea that was 'wonderful'." But then he adds, "I had fun every step of the way. Failure didn't discourage me. Like Thomas Edison, I knew I had just discovered one more way that did not work. I had grown."
Fortunately he adds, "Eventually I had great successes..." There's hope! He said, "My wife had to endure criticism from family and well-meaning friends, but it just brought us closer together....We became a team, experiencing life together, having more fun than a whole playground full of kids!"
He quoted a verse from Eccesliastes 11:1 that says, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." It seems to be speaking about what we do now will have a reward later...if we stick with it. This can be a spiritual principle as well as even a financial one, I think. This can apply to our work in training our children now as well as the work we're doing in the vineyard. And, of course, back to believing in my husband's vision - what seems a little nuts now, will eventually pay off.....if I stick with it and stick with him. The thing about his vision is that it wasn't a flippant decision. He had done years of research on vines and growing grapes. I had listened to him all those years never really thinking it would happen! But then it did! Here we are with 5 acres of grapes, planted, staked and taped, ready for the next step of trellising.
The irony is of all the weeks to be reading John 15, it was this week - when I had just finished the taping the last vine to the stake. "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart form me you can do nothing."
Couldn't believe it. Verses like this now jump off the page as I regularly hold vines in my hand all the time. I can't look at them the same way anymore. We regularly take off branches and even some grapes to prep the vines for more fruit later. We actually make life harder on the vines to get the roots to grow deeper into the ground. How it parallels my life is incredible. Truly, apart from Christ I can do nothing. I long to bear much fruit, but cannot do it on my own.
But again, back to being a supportive wife - there is a chance we could lose this crop to some disease or bad weather or something unforeseen (hopefully not!). Will that mean it was all a waste? No, it has actually been the most amazing thing for my husband and me. We have been in the vineyard so much together, always working together, talking together, weeding together, staking or taping together....in addition to being alongside our kids, it has been the most amazing, dare I say, fun, thing we've done lately. Was it more fun than a whole playground full of kids? I'm not sure about that, but it was certainly so rewarding as we always compared our blisters on our hands, or we argued about who had sorer muscles or more dirt under their nails. It has been an adventure that we've shared together. I think our kids have noticed and observed and will one day reflect on how they saw us work as a team on this latest crazy thing we've done. I can agree with the letter the author wrote back when he said of his wife, "Now my wife shares my hair-brained ideas and we are a finely tuned team..." That would be me! I'm starting to share his "hair-brained ideas", too! I think I'm becoming as crazy as him! Ha!
In the end, of course I am hoping for the best. I truly hope my husband gets rewarded somehow for all that he has done and that by God's grace he will get back "his bread" that he "cast on the waters". It was a lot of emotional, physical and financial effort he has put into this vineyard. But, even in the event things go south and we end up "potato broke" as the author put it, it has been fun!
Now that the vineyard looks more like a vineyard we will often hear from our kids, "Oh! So that's what it's supposed to look like!" Our kids are learning faith through this vineyard. Not just faith in God, but faith in their parents. They have truly had to trust us all along that we aren't crazy, though we may appear that way sometimes.
Even I have had to have a certain amount of faith, not just in God, but in my husband. I'm sure, to the world around us we may have looked a little crazy as we started out this latest venture. I found out when I delivered grapes to every neighbour on the street that they've all been watching. Every single neighbour commented on what they'd seen us start on. We are 100% being watched.
I have had to trust that my husband knows what he's doing and believe in him and his unique vision for our family and our future. I read a letter from a woman in a homeschooling magazine recently who sounded like she is married to a husband similar to mine. She wasn't complaining, but she was wondering how to support a husband who has lots of dreams, ideas, and plans and wasn't sure what to do when they didn't always work out like she had hoped. The letter she received in response was just great because it was written by a man who was also like my husband and her's. He said, "Have faith in your husband. Think of him as an inventor, failing 999 times in preparation for the great success he will eventually achieve." He then went on about all the crazy things he has done in his own life. He wrote, "I have tried many endeavors which proved to be great only in my imagination. We have been poor to the bone and down to our last potato many times because I was devoting our money and all my energies and time to a new idea that was 'wonderful'." But then he adds, "I had fun every step of the way. Failure didn't discourage me. Like Thomas Edison, I knew I had just discovered one more way that did not work. I had grown."
Fortunately he adds, "Eventually I had great successes..." There's hope! He said, "My wife had to endure criticism from family and well-meaning friends, but it just brought us closer together....We became a team, experiencing life together, having more fun than a whole playground full of kids!"
He quoted a verse from Eccesliastes 11:1 that says, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." It seems to be speaking about what we do now will have a reward later...if we stick with it. This can be a spiritual principle as well as even a financial one, I think. This can apply to our work in training our children now as well as the work we're doing in the vineyard. And, of course, back to believing in my husband's vision - what seems a little nuts now, will eventually pay off.....if I stick with it and stick with him. The thing about his vision is that it wasn't a flippant decision. He had done years of research on vines and growing grapes. I had listened to him all those years never really thinking it would happen! But then it did! Here we are with 5 acres of grapes, planted, staked and taped, ready for the next step of trellising.
The irony is of all the weeks to be reading John 15, it was this week - when I had just finished the taping the last vine to the stake. "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart form me you can do nothing."
Couldn't believe it. Verses like this now jump off the page as I regularly hold vines in my hand all the time. I can't look at them the same way anymore. We regularly take off branches and even some grapes to prep the vines for more fruit later. We actually make life harder on the vines to get the roots to grow deeper into the ground. How it parallels my life is incredible. Truly, apart from Christ I can do nothing. I long to bear much fruit, but cannot do it on my own.
But again, back to being a supportive wife - there is a chance we could lose this crop to some disease or bad weather or something unforeseen (hopefully not!). Will that mean it was all a waste? No, it has actually been the most amazing thing for my husband and me. We have been in the vineyard so much together, always working together, talking together, weeding together, staking or taping together....in addition to being alongside our kids, it has been the most amazing, dare I say, fun, thing we've done lately. Was it more fun than a whole playground full of kids? I'm not sure about that, but it was certainly so rewarding as we always compared our blisters on our hands, or we argued about who had sorer muscles or more dirt under their nails. It has been an adventure that we've shared together. I think our kids have noticed and observed and will one day reflect on how they saw us work as a team on this latest crazy thing we've done. I can agree with the letter the author wrote back when he said of his wife, "Now my wife shares my hair-brained ideas and we are a finely tuned team..." That would be me! I'm starting to share his "hair-brained ideas", too! I think I'm becoming as crazy as him! Ha!
In the end, of course I am hoping for the best. I truly hope my husband gets rewarded somehow for all that he has done and that by God's grace he will get back "his bread" that he "cast on the waters". It was a lot of emotional, physical and financial effort he has put into this vineyard. But, even in the event things go south and we end up "potato broke" as the author put it, it has been fun!
Monday, 1 October 2018
"The Best Week Ever!" says me.
I was just reminded of how important reflection is. The Israelites constantly looked back and reflected on all that God did for them. Ann Voskamp puts it this way, "Remembering is an act of thanksgiving, a way of thanksgiving, this turn of the heart over time's shoulder to see all the long way His arms have carried....If I can thank God for the good of the past, I can trust Him for the good of the future, no matter what lies down that road. I can walk the planks - from known to unknown - and know He holds."
So I am reflecting on an awesome week. RM took the week off last week. We had so much we had to get done and really lofty goals. Here's just a few:
-weed, stake, tape, cultivate the entire vineyard (almost done)
-buy, set up, new bunk bed for boys (they've been bedless for a few months, sleeping on couches like homeless people) (done)
-pick concord grapes from the other vineyard and make juice (done and still doing)
-sell concord grapes on the side of the road (made good money from total strangers!)
-bring in all the hay from the last field (done in record time!)
-have all the homeschoolers over from our church (check, and so fun!)
-deliver grapes to all the neighbours (check!)
-have friends over to pick grapes for themselves (at least 7 different families!)
-host quiz practice (fit it in somehow!)
-ride horses with niece (she came and only one kid fell off!)
To my shock and awe, we were able to accomplish almost all of those goals - not your average vacation again. I don't even know how it all got done, but the weather cooperated, for the most part, and we didn't sit down for more than a few minutes at a time. My husband and I should be unable to walk for all the hours we were bent over. The vineyard didn't get entirely done, but we got a lot done. We hope to finish the rest by the end of next weekend. It is actually starting to look like a real vineyard! My kids admitted to us this week that they really didn't know what was going on or why we were doing it or if whatever we were doing would ever work, but now that the plants are quite high, staked and weeded, it looks amazing and they are starting to catch on to the crazy vision!
RM said to me, "This must have been your best week ever." It was. The reason he said that was because we had so many people over and I was constantly socializing. The side benefit of having people come pick grapes was always having people to talk to! I loved that!
The funny part about the selling grapes was that in all the advertising we did, no one came. The people who ended up coming were people out of the blue just driving around. The first time they came they told me that they were going to send others. They did send others and they also returned themselves. We sold them so many bushels of grapes that it paid for the juicer we had just invested in! I was so happy! They were such nice people and we got along so well that by the time they left we were hugging each other saying, "See you next year!" I laughed! Who hugs people that sell you grapes?! Who hugs people that buy your grapes!? I wondered if we were entertaining angels. I seriously started to wonder about that when my son took a gator ride with one of the grape pickers. She for some reason asked him what he wanted to do in his future. He mentioned aviation to her (we are praying about this all the time, for direction, for wisdom, for what school to apply to, etc.). She immediately said that she was a nurse who worked in the north and told him he needed to be a pilot of up there, which we've heard before. But it was a neat confirmation to him that he wasn't expecting. An angelic encounter? We wondered.
Not only did we make goals for the week, but additional bonuses happened along the way, such as hosting both sets of grandparents, picking grapes in the vines with both of them, showing them around the vineyard, spending time catching up. We picked so many grapes with my parents yesterday that we are now rather overrun with grapes. After they left last night, RM and I went back and pounded a few more stakes in or taped a few more vines. The whole time I was thinking to myself, "There's no way he'll want to make juice when we get inside. He'll be too tired. But if we don't then we'll be letting the grapes go bad and the fruit flies will be out of control....." iIt was the last thing on my list of "to dos" for the week. So I just resolved to let it go as I knew he was going to be in a lot of pain. But, to my surprise, he walked in just as it was getting dark and looked at the grapes and said, "Well, we've got a lot of work to do yet!" We were up until 11 pm making grape juice together. Such a fun activity to do as a couple! My son saw us and said, "I love it when you guys are so industrious!" That made me happy. You never really know what your kids are seeing or observing. But, I'm telling you, we felt industrious. We have over 5 gallons or 20 L, of juice made and we're not even half way through what we picked. And, there are lot of grapes left to pick.
I felt like God planned each day and packed each day with so many blessings, we truly lost count. If I had somehow tried to micromanage the week and coordinate each visit, or each hour, I don't think the best scheduler could have done it. Allowing God to work each day out and let Him be the head of my week made all the difference. I tried to have low expectations. I tried to not feel disappointed if we didn't get everything done. When the week was over and we not only got nearly everything done, but a few bonuses on the side, I was amazed. I remember reading a verse when I first was reawakened spiritually that spoke about the "abundant life" that Christ offered. "I came that they might have life, life to the full." I was told it wouldn't mean a perfect life, but an abundant one. Our week wasn't perfect, or stress-free. There was conflict with the kids here and there, bad attitudes from one day to the next (no one loves work), but it was abundant. It was truly life "to the full". Even the conflict makes it life to the full as you run around chasing kids, trying to get them to work outside or inside....it all makes life feel abundant. All the work, all the challenges, all the successes, all the not-so-successful moments, all the visits, all the conversations, all the grape stains....made for truly "the best week ever!"
Now, I'm overrun not just with grapes, fruit flies, stains (remember, white kitchen? not so white anymore), but laundry that piled up over the weekend. I had to let something go in order to be outside. But, it is raining today, so I have a chance to catch up. Oh, and that school thing. Have to do that, too, somehow.
Reflecting on this past week will help me with my future weeks. I can't believe it is October 1. Time is flying. The known is now behind me. The unknown is ahead. I can be like Ann and say, I "thank God for the good of the past. I can trust Him for the good of the future."
So I am reflecting on an awesome week. RM took the week off last week. We had so much we had to get done and really lofty goals. Here's just a few:
-weed, stake, tape, cultivate the entire vineyard (almost done)
-buy, set up, new bunk bed for boys (they've been bedless for a few months, sleeping on couches like homeless people) (done)
-pick concord grapes from the other vineyard and make juice (done and still doing)
-sell concord grapes on the side of the road (made good money from total strangers!)
-bring in all the hay from the last field (done in record time!)
-have all the homeschoolers over from our church (check, and so fun!)
-deliver grapes to all the neighbours (check!)
-have friends over to pick grapes for themselves (at least 7 different families!)
-host quiz practice (fit it in somehow!)
-ride horses with niece (she came and only one kid fell off!)
To my shock and awe, we were able to accomplish almost all of those goals - not your average vacation again. I don't even know how it all got done, but the weather cooperated, for the most part, and we didn't sit down for more than a few minutes at a time. My husband and I should be unable to walk for all the hours we were bent over. The vineyard didn't get entirely done, but we got a lot done. We hope to finish the rest by the end of next weekend. It is actually starting to look like a real vineyard! My kids admitted to us this week that they really didn't know what was going on or why we were doing it or if whatever we were doing would ever work, but now that the plants are quite high, staked and weeded, it looks amazing and they are starting to catch on to the crazy vision!
RM said to me, "This must have been your best week ever." It was. The reason he said that was because we had so many people over and I was constantly socializing. The side benefit of having people come pick grapes was always having people to talk to! I loved that!
The funny part about the selling grapes was that in all the advertising we did, no one came. The people who ended up coming were people out of the blue just driving around. The first time they came they told me that they were going to send others. They did send others and they also returned themselves. We sold them so many bushels of grapes that it paid for the juicer we had just invested in! I was so happy! They were such nice people and we got along so well that by the time they left we were hugging each other saying, "See you next year!" I laughed! Who hugs people that sell you grapes?! Who hugs people that buy your grapes!? I wondered if we were entertaining angels. I seriously started to wonder about that when my son took a gator ride with one of the grape pickers. She for some reason asked him what he wanted to do in his future. He mentioned aviation to her (we are praying about this all the time, for direction, for wisdom, for what school to apply to, etc.). She immediately said that she was a nurse who worked in the north and told him he needed to be a pilot of up there, which we've heard before. But it was a neat confirmation to him that he wasn't expecting. An angelic encounter? We wondered.
Not only did we make goals for the week, but additional bonuses happened along the way, such as hosting both sets of grandparents, picking grapes in the vines with both of them, showing them around the vineyard, spending time catching up. We picked so many grapes with my parents yesterday that we are now rather overrun with grapes. After they left last night, RM and I went back and pounded a few more stakes in or taped a few more vines. The whole time I was thinking to myself, "There's no way he'll want to make juice when we get inside. He'll be too tired. But if we don't then we'll be letting the grapes go bad and the fruit flies will be out of control....." iIt was the last thing on my list of "to dos" for the week. So I just resolved to let it go as I knew he was going to be in a lot of pain. But, to my surprise, he walked in just as it was getting dark and looked at the grapes and said, "Well, we've got a lot of work to do yet!" We were up until 11 pm making grape juice together. Such a fun activity to do as a couple! My son saw us and said, "I love it when you guys are so industrious!" That made me happy. You never really know what your kids are seeing or observing. But, I'm telling you, we felt industrious. We have over 5 gallons or 20 L, of juice made and we're not even half way through what we picked. And, there are lot of grapes left to pick.
I felt like God planned each day and packed each day with so many blessings, we truly lost count. If I had somehow tried to micromanage the week and coordinate each visit, or each hour, I don't think the best scheduler could have done it. Allowing God to work each day out and let Him be the head of my week made all the difference. I tried to have low expectations. I tried to not feel disappointed if we didn't get everything done. When the week was over and we not only got nearly everything done, but a few bonuses on the side, I was amazed. I remember reading a verse when I first was reawakened spiritually that spoke about the "abundant life" that Christ offered. "I came that they might have life, life to the full." I was told it wouldn't mean a perfect life, but an abundant one. Our week wasn't perfect, or stress-free. There was conflict with the kids here and there, bad attitudes from one day to the next (no one loves work), but it was abundant. It was truly life "to the full". Even the conflict makes it life to the full as you run around chasing kids, trying to get them to work outside or inside....it all makes life feel abundant. All the work, all the challenges, all the successes, all the not-so-successful moments, all the visits, all the conversations, all the grape stains....made for truly "the best week ever!"
Now, I'm overrun not just with grapes, fruit flies, stains (remember, white kitchen? not so white anymore), but laundry that piled up over the weekend. I had to let something go in order to be outside. But, it is raining today, so I have a chance to catch up. Oh, and that school thing. Have to do that, too, somehow.
Reflecting on this past week will help me with my future weeks. I can't believe it is October 1. Time is flying. The known is now behind me. The unknown is ahead. I can be like Ann and say, I "thank God for the good of the past. I can trust Him for the good of the future."
Friday, 28 September 2018
Why I Love Grapes....
Not sitting at the computer much. It seems the blog has its seasons. Not that I don't have anything to write. I write in my head all day long!
We are on our own a lot more now that my husband is gone several nights a week with school. I'm trying to fill the kids' evenings with meaningful activities. We've recently finished the book The Magician's Nephew, by C.S. Lewis, because we're going to go see the play next month, Lord willing. We've also been out working in the vines like crazy, evening in the evenings, because we really have to get them staked before they grow crooked.
At the same time, we have 3 acres of concord grapes that we decided not to pay to get harvested as it was going to cost too much, more than we would have made. So we decided to give the grapes away to friends and family and have a u-pick for anyone else. Once in awhile I get these crazy ideas in the middle of the night or in the middle of a church service! Maybe it's the only time I'm quiet enough for the Lord to talk. I felt prompted to pick 10 baskets of grapes and then hand-deliver them to our closest neighbours.
All week long I had planned on doing this, but couldn't find time. We were in the vines so much and I just kept forgetting, but then when my husband left for work that night, I thought, "Now is the time." So I grabbed the kids, I told them what I had been feeling prompted to do. I reminded them that maybe, just maybe, God had moved us here to be a witness to these neighbours and that as we went around from house to house giving away grapes, it might just be a way to continue to make connections that could ultimately lead to divine appointments. Who knows?!
They seemed excited and even picked all the grapes for me. I took the younger four kids and we went in the car and started driving. Each visit led to really neat conversations. Each house had someone come out that was shocked to see us. Each house my kids acted a little kooky, so I'm not sure how great a witness we were, but nevertheless, it led to some funny conversations. I may actually have a few of them come by and pick again which could lead to more conversations, you never know! One visit even led to a nice cup of tea with a neighbour who is also a believer. Such an encouraging time! Makes me wonder why I don't do these kinds of things more often!
The grapes have also been a way to have other homeschooling moms come over who want to make jelly or pies with their kids. Yesterday three more moms came by with their kids and picked what they wanted. It naturally led to great conversations with each mom and even a time of prayer together at the end. Such a great time!
We even had three ladies show up at our house this week that drove 2 hours looking for grapes. Someone directed them to our house and they ended up picking 6 bushels and gave me $120!
I never knew how these grapes could be such a wonderful blessing for so many reasons. They've provided a small little income for me. They've been an evangelism tool in my neighbourhood. They've been a source of encouragement for me and for others as well as provided an opportunity to disciple young moms new to the homeschooling journey. They've been a way to offer my kids new friendships as our farm is hopping with people now all the time, which is also super fun for me as I also love meeting new people and I can honestly never have enough people in my life. They've also kept my kids busy by running down to the grapes every day for a snack! These are the most delicious things to eat! We didn't spray them either so they are so healthy for my kids. I love that, too. They've also forced me to really think about how I can use them to make other healthy things. So, this weekend we are planning on picking and picking and making juice out of them. It is the most amazing tasting juice. I can't wait.
All this to say, I love grapes! I love how in a million years I would have never guessed I'd be living on a farm that provides such a great source of abundance that can not only bless me, but so many around us. More families will be coming today! It is so great. If my dad were writing this he would have said, so "grape", couldn't resist.....
We are on our own a lot more now that my husband is gone several nights a week with school. I'm trying to fill the kids' evenings with meaningful activities. We've recently finished the book The Magician's Nephew, by C.S. Lewis, because we're going to go see the play next month, Lord willing. We've also been out working in the vines like crazy, evening in the evenings, because we really have to get them staked before they grow crooked.
At the same time, we have 3 acres of concord grapes that we decided not to pay to get harvested as it was going to cost too much, more than we would have made. So we decided to give the grapes away to friends and family and have a u-pick for anyone else. Once in awhile I get these crazy ideas in the middle of the night or in the middle of a church service! Maybe it's the only time I'm quiet enough for the Lord to talk. I felt prompted to pick 10 baskets of grapes and then hand-deliver them to our closest neighbours.
All week long I had planned on doing this, but couldn't find time. We were in the vines so much and I just kept forgetting, but then when my husband left for work that night, I thought, "Now is the time." So I grabbed the kids, I told them what I had been feeling prompted to do. I reminded them that maybe, just maybe, God had moved us here to be a witness to these neighbours and that as we went around from house to house giving away grapes, it might just be a way to continue to make connections that could ultimately lead to divine appointments. Who knows?!
They seemed excited and even picked all the grapes for me. I took the younger four kids and we went in the car and started driving. Each visit led to really neat conversations. Each house had someone come out that was shocked to see us. Each house my kids acted a little kooky, so I'm not sure how great a witness we were, but nevertheless, it led to some funny conversations. I may actually have a few of them come by and pick again which could lead to more conversations, you never know! One visit even led to a nice cup of tea with a neighbour who is also a believer. Such an encouraging time! Makes me wonder why I don't do these kinds of things more often!
The grapes have also been a way to have other homeschooling moms come over who want to make jelly or pies with their kids. Yesterday three more moms came by with their kids and picked what they wanted. It naturally led to great conversations with each mom and even a time of prayer together at the end. Such a great time!
We even had three ladies show up at our house this week that drove 2 hours looking for grapes. Someone directed them to our house and they ended up picking 6 bushels and gave me $120!
I never knew how these grapes could be such a wonderful blessing for so many reasons. They've provided a small little income for me. They've been an evangelism tool in my neighbourhood. They've been a source of encouragement for me and for others as well as provided an opportunity to disciple young moms new to the homeschooling journey. They've been a way to offer my kids new friendships as our farm is hopping with people now all the time, which is also super fun for me as I also love meeting new people and I can honestly never have enough people in my life. They've also kept my kids busy by running down to the grapes every day for a snack! These are the most delicious things to eat! We didn't spray them either so they are so healthy for my kids. I love that, too. They've also forced me to really think about how I can use them to make other healthy things. So, this weekend we are planning on picking and picking and making juice out of them. It is the most amazing tasting juice. I can't wait.
All this to say, I love grapes! I love how in a million years I would have never guessed I'd be living on a farm that provides such a great source of abundance that can not only bless me, but so many around us. More families will be coming today! It is so great. If my dad were writing this he would have said, so "grape", couldn't resist.....
Wednesday, 19 September 2018
Still Alive!
"Still Alive!" That's a quote from one of our kids' funny movie favs. We say it all the time when we come out of a stressful situation or even a funny situation or, in my case, a minor procedure, where we half-think "we could have died!" But, I didn't die. In fact, I was back on my feet the next day at soccer games with my kids.
The most time for any kind of fear or anxiety came in the 3 hours I was waiting in the waiting room. Ah, the waiting room. That sounds like a great name for a book. The waiting room of life is where all the life lessons happen. In that first waiting room and then in the next waiting room where I was prepped for surgery and then in the waiting hall and then in the waiting Operating Room was where I learned all my lessons.
I learned that I am one of the few people in this world who has rarely been in a hospital....except for giving birth, and even then I was out of there so fast they barely saw me. I've never had broken bones, diseases, stitches......nothing. The anesthesiologist was quite happy with me and said, "You're in great health!" Yes, I am. Why am I not more grateful for that every day? So, I laid there, covered in a sheet just thanking God for my health because I really hated being there. Meanwhile, other people, other kids, even babies, spend half their life in a hospital.
I was also grateful that my kids have been healthy. We have gone for the odd stitch, the odd virus, even had an overnight stay when one of my kids got viral meningitis, but he recovered! Other people go to the hospital with a child and don't come back with their child. I found myself counting my blessings for all my healthy children, all my healthy nieces and nephews, and for all my parents and in-laws. Amazing.
And though I was absolutely hating the whole waiting process, hating the unknown, I was also doing research, half-enjoying the process of having nurses poke me with needles, cover me with warm blankets, wheel me down hallways. I was getting an education on what it is like to be in a hospital. I was observing all the jobs that different people have, like the nurses, doctors, janitors. I was thinking to myself the whole time, "Could my child do this? or that?" I was ready to interview all the people working on me! How can so many thoughts go on in one person's head in such a short time - on the one hand, I'm freaking out inside, but at the same time I'm ready to interview people about their jobs!? So funny. I think I'm a very funny person.
God even sent me someone to the first waiting room that I could chat with. In came a man and his wife who, I assume, was having a day surgery like me. I recognized him immediately as being a farmer who had baled our hay several years. We got to talking and they now had 8 kids just like us. We talked about funny 8 kid things, like "where do you fit all your kids in beds?" It was just "what the doctor ordered", someone to get my thoughts off myself for a few minutes and just talk about nonsense.
I was having to keep my nervous thoughts in check. Having never ever undergone a surgical procedure of any kind, I was constantly fighting the anxiety, but I was able to have my phone up until the last minute before they took me in and from the day before until the morning of, I got countless texts from friends and family, that would just be one-liners saying how I was being thought of or prayed for. Thank you, God, for phones?! Never would anyone a few years ago been able to get those tangible messages of comfort, which I certainly needed in those hours before. I chose to breathe deeply and rest in the fact I knew people were praying for me.
And then, the rest, the forced rest. I loved being taken care of! Even though the nurse told me, "So you're going in for a hysterectomy?" UH, NO!!!! She read the surgery words wrong! And even though one of the other nurses said, "So is it THAT one?" pointing to me. I was a "that" in her mind. Not a "her", a "that". She clearly has had enough of her job and looks at people as just another object to get done. And even though my legs were used as a table and I was not spoken to once about how I was feeling, I still felt oddly taken care of. I felt confident in their abilities and was, again, so grateful for Canada (even though I did hang out in the hallway on a gurney for awhile like I was in a third world) and for our health care.
They took a pregnancy test the morning of the procedure just so an unfortunate accident wouldn't occur.
The nurse asked, "You weren't trying to get pregnant were you?"
"Well, no, but you just never know, right? I wouldn't be upset at all if I found out I was pregnant."
"What?! How many kids do you have?"
"8."
She looked at me with eyes wide open and jaw down. By this point I was seconds away from oxygen and being put under, yet the conversation continued.
"That must be so expensive! All I think about is them all going to university!" Now the oxygen mask is near my head. I started to explain how my son raised puppies to pay for it all.
"What kind of puppies?"
The next thing I know the oxygen is on and I still hear her asking me questions, but I was out. I woke up with a feeling like I had bit my tongue. It hurt for days! I was probably still answering questions about my strange large expensive family while I was going under and bit my tongue in the process! Ouch!
Once it was all said and done, it was no big deal. I woke up in no pain and went home a couple hours later to a couple of wonderful meals made by family.
So the whole experience has been an odd blessing to teach me how blessed we are, to remind me I don't want to be there again, but if I do go, to be even thankful that a place like that exists. I'm grateful for nurses and doctors, even mean ones. I'm grateful for the proximity of the hospital, minutes from my home. I'm grateful for teaching colleges and universities that exist to teach these careers! I was grateful for even the job opportunities it opened up to me that my kids could maybe do! I am just plain grateful. I sit here as if nothing happened which means they must have done a good job! Pathology is coming. I'm not too worried. I suppose there is a small chance (the doctor said a very small chance) that it could come with bad news which I assume would mean more surgery, but at least now I know what would be in store for me. No more surprises.
Back to "regular" life and all that comes with that. But I am grateful for that, too, because my regular life doesn't normally involve hospitals whereas for some it does. I tried to communicate all this to my kids, but even just writing about it again reminds me I should do this every day, reminding them to be grateful every single day, for everything.
The most time for any kind of fear or anxiety came in the 3 hours I was waiting in the waiting room. Ah, the waiting room. That sounds like a great name for a book. The waiting room of life is where all the life lessons happen. In that first waiting room and then in the next waiting room where I was prepped for surgery and then in the waiting hall and then in the waiting Operating Room was where I learned all my lessons.
I learned that I am one of the few people in this world who has rarely been in a hospital....except for giving birth, and even then I was out of there so fast they barely saw me. I've never had broken bones, diseases, stitches......nothing. The anesthesiologist was quite happy with me and said, "You're in great health!" Yes, I am. Why am I not more grateful for that every day? So, I laid there, covered in a sheet just thanking God for my health because I really hated being there. Meanwhile, other people, other kids, even babies, spend half their life in a hospital.
I was also grateful that my kids have been healthy. We have gone for the odd stitch, the odd virus, even had an overnight stay when one of my kids got viral meningitis, but he recovered! Other people go to the hospital with a child and don't come back with their child. I found myself counting my blessings for all my healthy children, all my healthy nieces and nephews, and for all my parents and in-laws. Amazing.
And though I was absolutely hating the whole waiting process, hating the unknown, I was also doing research, half-enjoying the process of having nurses poke me with needles, cover me with warm blankets, wheel me down hallways. I was getting an education on what it is like to be in a hospital. I was observing all the jobs that different people have, like the nurses, doctors, janitors. I was thinking to myself the whole time, "Could my child do this? or that?" I was ready to interview all the people working on me! How can so many thoughts go on in one person's head in such a short time - on the one hand, I'm freaking out inside, but at the same time I'm ready to interview people about their jobs!? So funny. I think I'm a very funny person.
God even sent me someone to the first waiting room that I could chat with. In came a man and his wife who, I assume, was having a day surgery like me. I recognized him immediately as being a farmer who had baled our hay several years. We got to talking and they now had 8 kids just like us. We talked about funny 8 kid things, like "where do you fit all your kids in beds?" It was just "what the doctor ordered", someone to get my thoughts off myself for a few minutes and just talk about nonsense.
I was having to keep my nervous thoughts in check. Having never ever undergone a surgical procedure of any kind, I was constantly fighting the anxiety, but I was able to have my phone up until the last minute before they took me in and from the day before until the morning of, I got countless texts from friends and family, that would just be one-liners saying how I was being thought of or prayed for. Thank you, God, for phones?! Never would anyone a few years ago been able to get those tangible messages of comfort, which I certainly needed in those hours before. I chose to breathe deeply and rest in the fact I knew people were praying for me.
And then, the rest, the forced rest. I loved being taken care of! Even though the nurse told me, "So you're going in for a hysterectomy?" UH, NO!!!! She read the surgery words wrong! And even though one of the other nurses said, "So is it THAT one?" pointing to me. I was a "that" in her mind. Not a "her", a "that". She clearly has had enough of her job and looks at people as just another object to get done. And even though my legs were used as a table and I was not spoken to once about how I was feeling, I still felt oddly taken care of. I felt confident in their abilities and was, again, so grateful for Canada (even though I did hang out in the hallway on a gurney for awhile like I was in a third world) and for our health care.
They took a pregnancy test the morning of the procedure just so an unfortunate accident wouldn't occur.
The nurse asked, "You weren't trying to get pregnant were you?"
"Well, no, but you just never know, right? I wouldn't be upset at all if I found out I was pregnant."
"What?! How many kids do you have?"
"8."
She looked at me with eyes wide open and jaw down. By this point I was seconds away from oxygen and being put under, yet the conversation continued.
"That must be so expensive! All I think about is them all going to university!" Now the oxygen mask is near my head. I started to explain how my son raised puppies to pay for it all.
"What kind of puppies?"
The next thing I know the oxygen is on and I still hear her asking me questions, but I was out. I woke up with a feeling like I had bit my tongue. It hurt for days! I was probably still answering questions about my strange large expensive family while I was going under and bit my tongue in the process! Ouch!
Once it was all said and done, it was no big deal. I woke up in no pain and went home a couple hours later to a couple of wonderful meals made by family.
So the whole experience has been an odd blessing to teach me how blessed we are, to remind me I don't want to be there again, but if I do go, to be even thankful that a place like that exists. I'm grateful for nurses and doctors, even mean ones. I'm grateful for the proximity of the hospital, minutes from my home. I'm grateful for teaching colleges and universities that exist to teach these careers! I was grateful for even the job opportunities it opened up to me that my kids could maybe do! I am just plain grateful. I sit here as if nothing happened which means they must have done a good job! Pathology is coming. I'm not too worried. I suppose there is a small chance (the doctor said a very small chance) that it could come with bad news which I assume would mean more surgery, but at least now I know what would be in store for me. No more surprises.
Back to "regular" life and all that comes with that. But I am grateful for that, too, because my regular life doesn't normally involve hospitals whereas for some it does. I tried to communicate all this to my kids, but even just writing about it again reminds me I should do this every day, reminding them to be grateful every single day, for everything.
Tuesday, 11 September 2018
A Spirit of Power
I'm so hungry and all I want is a coffee, but I can't cause today is the day. In a couple hours I'll be at the hospital for what should be a regular procedure and then back home in a few hours. I'm not super happy about it. Apparently my blood pressure even says so.
When I went in for the pre-op the nurse took my blood pressure and told me it was "dangerously high". I wasn't the slightest bit surprised. I had driven into the hospital parking lot angry, walked into the hospital entrance doors angry, literally muttering under my breath, "I don't want to be here. I shouldn't have to be here." So, no doubt, my blood pressure was high! My body was just listening to what I was telling it! BE ANGRY! I told the nurse just that, "I've had 8 pregnancies and never once did I have high blood pressure. I'm just mad and my body knows it." So there! She laughed and took the next half hour to calm me down. Sure enough, the next reading was better.
I don't necessarily need to be so angry. I guess I feel like it is an unnecessary procedure. I'm almost afraid this will taint my perfect record of never having any surgery, but they say the doctors don't make this decision lightly (I half-believe them). Is it because deep down I'm perhaps a little afraid? Maybe. But in my life, this is just a real inconvenience. My husband has to take a day off work. My kids "miss school" which actually does matter to a homeschool mom who tries to keep her kids on track to some degree. I just don't have time to be down and out. What about the laundry? One day of laundry gone is a pretty big deal in my house. Ah, so what. It'll be over soon. This too shall pass they say. It's all about perspective, isn't it?
Any way I look at it, it's a call to trust. And of course, a good pastor can see into the future (I jest!) and he spoke on not having a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a self-control, which in other versions says, "a strong mind" (2 Tim.1:7). I kind of like that wording better because it was my mind that made my heart race the other day and it was my mind that calmed it down.
So I have a choice today to have a spirit of fear or spirit of power. Not much of a choice really. Of course I will choose the latter. My nurse will be mad at me if I don't and then she'll get high blood pressure!
When I went in for the pre-op the nurse took my blood pressure and told me it was "dangerously high". I wasn't the slightest bit surprised. I had driven into the hospital parking lot angry, walked into the hospital entrance doors angry, literally muttering under my breath, "I don't want to be here. I shouldn't have to be here." So, no doubt, my blood pressure was high! My body was just listening to what I was telling it! BE ANGRY! I told the nurse just that, "I've had 8 pregnancies and never once did I have high blood pressure. I'm just mad and my body knows it." So there! She laughed and took the next half hour to calm me down. Sure enough, the next reading was better.
I don't necessarily need to be so angry. I guess I feel like it is an unnecessary procedure. I'm almost afraid this will taint my perfect record of never having any surgery, but they say the doctors don't make this decision lightly (I half-believe them). Is it because deep down I'm perhaps a little afraid? Maybe. But in my life, this is just a real inconvenience. My husband has to take a day off work. My kids "miss school" which actually does matter to a homeschool mom who tries to keep her kids on track to some degree. I just don't have time to be down and out. What about the laundry? One day of laundry gone is a pretty big deal in my house. Ah, so what. It'll be over soon. This too shall pass they say. It's all about perspective, isn't it?
Any way I look at it, it's a call to trust. And of course, a good pastor can see into the future (I jest!) and he spoke on not having a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a self-control, which in other versions says, "a strong mind" (2 Tim.1:7). I kind of like that wording better because it was my mind that made my heart race the other day and it was my mind that calmed it down.
So I have a choice today to have a spirit of fear or spirit of power. Not much of a choice really. Of course I will choose the latter. My nurse will be mad at me if I don't and then she'll get high blood pressure!
Friday, 7 September 2018
Hope in the Homeschool
You would think I would have an idea how to homeschool after nearly 15 years of doing this, but no. Each child brings a new set of challenges that I have never faced before, so it is like starting over each year, like a newbie.
This year it is my youngest 2 boys. Doing school is the equivalent of prison to them. The only thing that keeps me from pulling my hair out is that the next two kids up, the 10 and 11 year old, are now so wonderfully independent that I hardly have to spend time with them. This gives me hope that I'm just in a tough stage with the youngest and that for some reason, (perhaps too much summer?) they need me to be more patient and give them more help and just keep praying that they'll eventually fall into line.
My 5th child (3rd boy) will be 12 in a few days. He was a super tough baby, one of my hardest. He was a super tough toddler, too, always running, never walking and it felt like he was always injury-ridden from bumping into all the corners in the house. He was the one who made me really start working on controlling my anger levels because he was super naughty! I would repeat, "I will be a joyful mother of children...." over and over again just to convince myself I could be.
Last year in school had to be one of the hardest with him. Looking back, I think it was just because he was really trying to learn, but if he didn't get math right away, or whatever subject it was, he would be frustrated and he would appear like he was being a "smart alec" when in fact it was his way of coping and not appearing like he didn't get it.
All this to say, something has happened to him recently. I can't explain what it is. Perhaps he has matured or taken some magic pill, but he is not the same at all. He has become one of my most diligent children. Sometimes I'm not grateful for the negative influences older children can bring in, such as music, media and other things, but in some cases I'm soooo grateful for the older children because they are influencing the younger ones in really wonderful ways. My two oldest boys are so diligent and respectful (most of the time) and rarely give me flack and I think the younger ones notice this. Last year, my then 10 year old boy, said, "I want to be just like J (my oldest son)." That was the ultimate compliment to him.
I think he noticed he hadn't been the most respectful son and hadn't been very diligent and I don't know if a switch went off in his head or God was simply answering my prayers for him, but this last year has seen such a remarkable change I had to write about it.
The best example recently was in the listing of the kittens on-line to give away just last week. I had asked my older kids to do this last year and they nearly lost their minds. All the phone calls that came in, all the emails, the juggling of the different times, the different sexes of the kittens, keeping it all straight. It was nuts. My daughter told me, "I'm never doing that again." But I wasn't going to do it either, so who would? I thought my 11 year old was a little too young, but I asked him anyway. He figured it was too hard, too and that he didn't know what to do, but then one day last week he said, "I'll try." Yay!
He somehow figured out how to get an ad up on-line and then how to post pictures with the ad. He wrote a quick little description and that was it. Problem was, I would be away for a couple of days. I wasn't interested in dealing with phone call about kittens while I was supposed to be enjoying my anniversary. So I made a big decision and gave him my phone on the condition he would only use it for kitten administration.
By the time we came home a couple days later, he had "sold" all the kittens and handled every email, phone call and adult interaction entirely himself not once getting frazzled or confused. I was so impressed! I don't think I could have done that at that age. He's hired! We have 4 more kittens to go from a younger litter and I will certainly be giving him the job again.
I wonder if God allows those moments as sheer encouragement to the parents to press on, it'll all work out, eventually they do mature, they do come around, they don't stay little. Never did I ever think I'd see the day when he would be able to handle such a big responsibility. This was the one who had me calling RM last year, often near tears, wanting to give up, wishing I had an "out". The change has been so fast and so recent I would almost call it a miracle. I'm so grateful that the Lord hears our prayers for our children and gives us this kind of encouragement at just the right time. I sure needed to experience this kind of answer to prayer right now because my two young boys have me believing that this could be the toughest homeschool year yet.....a great reminder that God hears my prayers, my crying out. There is hope for these two as well!
This year it is my youngest 2 boys. Doing school is the equivalent of prison to them. The only thing that keeps me from pulling my hair out is that the next two kids up, the 10 and 11 year old, are now so wonderfully independent that I hardly have to spend time with them. This gives me hope that I'm just in a tough stage with the youngest and that for some reason, (perhaps too much summer?) they need me to be more patient and give them more help and just keep praying that they'll eventually fall into line.
My 5th child (3rd boy) will be 12 in a few days. He was a super tough baby, one of my hardest. He was a super tough toddler, too, always running, never walking and it felt like he was always injury-ridden from bumping into all the corners in the house. He was the one who made me really start working on controlling my anger levels because he was super naughty! I would repeat, "I will be a joyful mother of children...." over and over again just to convince myself I could be.
Last year in school had to be one of the hardest with him. Looking back, I think it was just because he was really trying to learn, but if he didn't get math right away, or whatever subject it was, he would be frustrated and he would appear like he was being a "smart alec" when in fact it was his way of coping and not appearing like he didn't get it.
All this to say, something has happened to him recently. I can't explain what it is. Perhaps he has matured or taken some magic pill, but he is not the same at all. He has become one of my most diligent children. Sometimes I'm not grateful for the negative influences older children can bring in, such as music, media and other things, but in some cases I'm soooo grateful for the older children because they are influencing the younger ones in really wonderful ways. My two oldest boys are so diligent and respectful (most of the time) and rarely give me flack and I think the younger ones notice this. Last year, my then 10 year old boy, said, "I want to be just like J (my oldest son)." That was the ultimate compliment to him.
I think he noticed he hadn't been the most respectful son and hadn't been very diligent and I don't know if a switch went off in his head or God was simply answering my prayers for him, but this last year has seen such a remarkable change I had to write about it.
The best example recently was in the listing of the kittens on-line to give away just last week. I had asked my older kids to do this last year and they nearly lost their minds. All the phone calls that came in, all the emails, the juggling of the different times, the different sexes of the kittens, keeping it all straight. It was nuts. My daughter told me, "I'm never doing that again." But I wasn't going to do it either, so who would? I thought my 11 year old was a little too young, but I asked him anyway. He figured it was too hard, too and that he didn't know what to do, but then one day last week he said, "I'll try." Yay!
He somehow figured out how to get an ad up on-line and then how to post pictures with the ad. He wrote a quick little description and that was it. Problem was, I would be away for a couple of days. I wasn't interested in dealing with phone call about kittens while I was supposed to be enjoying my anniversary. So I made a big decision and gave him my phone on the condition he would only use it for kitten administration.
By the time we came home a couple days later, he had "sold" all the kittens and handled every email, phone call and adult interaction entirely himself not once getting frazzled or confused. I was so impressed! I don't think I could have done that at that age. He's hired! We have 4 more kittens to go from a younger litter and I will certainly be giving him the job again.
I wonder if God allows those moments as sheer encouragement to the parents to press on, it'll all work out, eventually they do mature, they do come around, they don't stay little. Never did I ever think I'd see the day when he would be able to handle such a big responsibility. This was the one who had me calling RM last year, often near tears, wanting to give up, wishing I had an "out". The change has been so fast and so recent I would almost call it a miracle. I'm so grateful that the Lord hears our prayers for our children and gives us this kind of encouragement at just the right time. I sure needed to experience this kind of answer to prayer right now because my two young boys have me believing that this could be the toughest homeschool year yet.....a great reminder that God hears my prayers, my crying out. There is hope for these two as well!
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