WayfaringStrangers

It is July and hot and the cicadas are singing their shrill tune. When I walk outside in the mornings to tend to the animals, the air feels like a warm bath. Any breeze is welcome. I pick an armful of black-eyed susans and hundreds of wild blackberries, and find bit of time in the day to make jam or freeze the bounty. We have been in a very difficult season in our home this year. 'Hardest we can think of,' we say. Looking back, there have been other trials, yes. Moves, exhaustion during new babies and toddler years, aching loneliness, extremely tight budgets. I always thought purchasing a home and moving while 9 months pregnant would take the cake. But this, this uncertainty, gnaws at us. Job loss has the underlying anxiety that makes us emotionally and physically exhausted. We know, we know , God loves us and is in control. And so what will be will be best, right? Even if... we have to move. Or sell the house. Or work 4 part-time crappy jobs to keep the house. What is He doing...

It is spring. Perfect, lovely, green spring. Today is especially glorious- rain followed by sun and everything is alive. Last night we celebrated the end of our Classical Conversations year. My boys still have a couple months of regular schoolwork to do, but it felt like an accomplishment wrapping up CC. Those 24 weeks were rich in fellowship and learning, and I'm already looking forward to next year. We made it through the winter- long, cold days where school felt like a drag and we were all trapped inside together. It was hard. I started researching local schools because...gosh, homeschooling is hard work! I've been worn thin. But we made it through the tunnel and slowly it seems like we know what this looks like for us now. The boys know what we need to do each day (not that they don't still complain sometimes) and in the past few weeks they've gone off to play together and I'm hearing much more, "let's pretend..." than I have before. They have ...

Of the many decisions we have to make as parents, I think education is absolutely one of the hardest. Once Graham was approaching Kindergarten age, I felt the anxiety creeping up. He had gone to a little church preschool for 2 years. I was overwhelmed, lonely, and probably somewhat depressed and this son and I tend to need some space from one another. So, we made the best decision at the time and Graham spent 2 years at our wonderful, little, local public school. His first grade teacher was especially amazing and G thrived on the structure in a classroom, learning and playing well. But high quality education is very important to Behn and I. We were both extremely blessed by Christian and private education in our childhoods. Public school can, of course, be high quality in many ways. They have resources and teachers with gifts that I do not have- true blessings and wonderful teachers! But let me provide what I mean by 'high quality.' Everyone has different priorities, but fo...