Decisions, Homeschooling

Homeschooling This Year?

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God. not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Homeschooling did many things for our family. My children could learn at their own pace. We weren’t confined to grade levels when choosing curricula. We had flexibility if I didn’t let others claim it. (See here.) We shared experiences. We traveled outside of the summer season.

Most importantly, homeschooling allowed my husband and me to share and reinforce our Christian beliefs. However, one thing homeschooling could not do is impart saving faith to my sons.

The fact that only Jesus saves should be obvious—like the fact that homeschooling works best if you want to homeschool (See here). However, my friends and I occasionally crossed into dangerous territory by believing that our “works”—such as homeschooling—mattered as much or perhaps even more than Jesus.

As my family and others look back over our homeschool efforts, some of our children chose our faith and some didn’t. Discouraging? Not necessarily. Their stories aren’t finished.

Setting any goals beyond your control this year?

Christmas

Christmas Leftovers: Cards

Although Christmas food only lasts a day or so in my home, evergreen needles linger from one Christmas to the next. No matter how much I vacuum and sweep and vacuum again, those needles are a consistent reminder of a tree long discarded. (Thankfully, my friend Barb has the same problem, so we commiserate.)

Unlike needles, Christmas cards are welcome leftovers. Like letters, I save and reread them. Rereading cards is not only encouraging but also helpful. A 2020 Christmas card from my college roommate guided me to changing ophthalmologists in 2022.

I also repurpose our cards. Sometime in the 1990s, a friend saw Christmas card placemats at a craft show. She brought the idea to our church, and the children made them for family Christmas presents.

I embraced the idea so much that over twenty years later, I not only hoard my cards, but I also collect the fronts of friends’ discarded cards. I sort the oldest ones by theme or color and store them near my ornaments.

My oldest son and I made these theme placemats December 2017.

Are you wishing Christmas would linger? Or looking for a winter project?

Christmas, Memories

The Best Ornaments

When I place our Christmas ornaments on our window seat—where they lie until boxed—or when I box them if another removed the ornament from the tree, I will remember their stories. It doesn’t matter that I reminisced a few weeks earlier.

Why? Because I love the people they represent: the staff at our favorite library; a kind boss; my middle son’s favorite nursey teacher; a family we knew briefly in Texas; the wife of the pastor who officiated at our wedding; family members who have gone ahead of us; and many more thoughtful givers. Some of these people would be long forgotten or rarely remembered if not for their gifts.

Approximately 50 years ago, my grandmother gave me this wool ornament

Although the ornaments I purchased bring happy memories of family times or adventures on my own as a young single, along the way, I learned the value of giving and receiving Christmas ornaments. I now give them as wedding or baby or graduation presents—when available or if I plan ahead.

Have you told the stories behind your ornaments? I should.

Basics, Decisions

Learning New Limitations

My scheduled Sunday post did not appear this week. You may not have noticed, and at times, I didn’t either. What happened?

Although this week’s blog was written months ago, I was too tired to edit it last week. And I am still too tired to edit it, so those words have been rescheduled for December 2023. Stay tuned.

When money used to be our family’s major limitation, my husband and I saved and budgeted so that we not only covered all our needs but also any emergency. As we age, time and energy are our new limitations. I can be more careful of how I spend both, but unlike money, neither can be put in a bank for future withdrawals. And I am constantly learning the extent of these new limitations. They seem to be increasing faster than I can adjust.

So today, I acknowledged that I cannot rebound quickly from overscheduling and a recent emergency. Not only will the blog be postponed but also certain decorations will remain in their boxes and Christmas cards sent after the holidays. And it will be fine.

Did you acknowledge something recently?

God's Faithfulness, Stories I Share, Winter

The Stories I Share: Our Goldilocks Trucker

Years ago, after a Christmassy North Carolina weekend, we started home in the rain. Within miles, the rain turned to snow, and as the snow thickened, I urged my husband to turn back. He refused. A work crisis demanded he be present Monday morning.

My anxiety increased each time we passed sideways cars in the median. Truckers either slung blinding snow across our windshield or struggled up hills causing surrounding cars to respond haphazardly.

However, one trucker forged a reliable path. After observing his steadiness, my husband decided to follow his tracks. We passed when the trucker passed. We didn’t when he didn’t. When I asked if we were going to take an exit, my husband said, “It depends on what the trucker does.”   

Our Goldilocks trucker. Not too slow. Not too fast.

We lost view of the truck due to merging traffic near Richmond, Virginia. “Maybe the driver noticed a green Subaru following him and will hang back,” I suggested. My husband didn’t think so. I won.

Eventually, we exited and left our guide of over 100 miles. The next morning, I called Armellini and expressed our gratitude for the driver of truck 5716.

Have you received unexpected guidance?