Merry Christmas from our home to yours!  May God richly bless you this coming year with His endless grace and love!

A Thousand Simple Kindnesses article

Here's another article I wrote for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - my favorite homeschool magazine!  The article is about all the small kindnesses that you can show for families with special needs.  Doesn't have to be a huge, grand gesture; sometimes the simple things mean the most.  We are so grateful for the hundreds of times that someone took a few moments to encourage us along the way!

A Thousand Simple Kindnesses

Have we done enough?

As parents we ask ourselves this question all the time, "Have we done enough?"  When our children have special needs, and when we homeschool, thus taking full responsibility for their upbringing and education, this question seems to be a constant refrain.  Have I taught them enough?  Have I taught them the right skills?  Have they learned what they need to learn to succeed in life?  Have we helped form their character?  Have we dealt with medical issues in the best manner possible?  Have we done everything we can to give our kids the best start in life?  And, most importantly, have we helped them to love God with all of their hearts, and to become useful to their King?

I never, ever feel like I've done enough.  There are so many needs, in so many different areas, that I never get to the end of the day and sigh with gratitude that all needs are met.  Today is one of those days where I feel completely overwhelmed as my limits run smack dab into the mountain of needs.  So here's my pep talk to myself, which I hope will encourage you, as well!  God does not ask us for perfection as parents.  He does not ask us to do everything by ourselves.  He does not ask us to raise perfect kids.  And He certainly knows our limitations.  He only asks that we stay faithful.  That we walk one step at a time.  That we do everything in our power, and then ask for some of His power.  If Jesus promised, "that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6), surely that applies to homeschooling and raising children.  Surely Jesus is reassuring us that if we stay faithful and allow Him to work in us and through us, He will fill in the gaps left by our inadequacies.  Surely, God loves our precious children even more than we do, and has equipped us to provide what they need as long as we lean on Him for wisdom and strength.  Take that, pity party!

A Little Something Extra

Here's a new article I wrote for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - my favorite magazine!  It's the premiere homeschool magazine, full of encouragement and great advice - and totally free to read.  Hope you enjoy!

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine-digital.com/thehomeschoolmagazine/201302/#pg90

Connections

My husband and I just watched the first two episodes of a TV show, Touch.  Now we turned our satellite off years ago (which in our rural neck of the woods means no TV), so we didn't know this was a hit show sweeping the globe.  But a day late and a dollar short, we stumbled on this series on Netflix and thought it looked interesting.  The theme has me reflecting on a very important spiritual truth.  In Touch, Keifer Sutherland plays the dad of an autistic son who sees the interconnections of disparate people all around the globe.  The son, Jake, can see the past, present and future, and how everything ties together - through numbers and patterns.  Only problem is that he does not speak.  So his dad has to figure out the clues Jake leaves him through numbers, thus helping different people along the way.  It's a very clever theme, and extremely well done.

But think for a moment about how this theme ties in with God's interactions in our lives.  Granted I'm pretty sure He doesn't show the future to anyone, not even a very cute boy with autism.  But God certainly knows the past, present and future, and how they all tie together.  He sees the intricate connections between people, and often brings people into our paths at just the right moment to meet an immediate need.  I am so often humbled by seeing how a decision that someone made years ago, can impact a situation today.  So, while the show is very interesting and intellectually stimulating, I found the symbolism decidedly encouraging.  It reminded me of something that we all know, but too often forget; that God is intimately involved in our lives, moving things hither, dither and yon for our best good, and His glory!

Blessings out of Challenges

I was musing this morning that many of God's most wonderful blessings in our lives have come through the hardest challenges.  No sane person would choose a difficult path if a simpler one was available.  And God certainly does not ask us to do hard things just because they are hard.  But how often do we find the richness of Christ's grace and kindness and love through the challenges in life.  That is when we grab a hold of His hand and allow Him to lead us where He will.  Those are the times that we often experience Him the most profoundly and when we are the least demanding about having our own way.  Those are also the times when He produces the most fruit in our lives as we are more willing to let Him shape us into the people He knows we can be.  Today, let us remember the  words of James 1:2-3:  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.