~ A thankful heart ~

First of all, I apologize for the big ol’ break I have taken from the Blog. Life has been interrupting. It has been a busy August and September, and who can believe that this week will be October? The college kids are way back in school, and we are on week number seven of our homeschooling year. Where does the time go?

This year my youngest, Lilie, is in second grade. She is seven, and this year something amazing has happened. All of a sudden, Lilie has decided that she can fill out her own planner, write out her work for the week, and do a lot of her work on her own. The seeds of self-learning have been sown not just by me, but also by her older siblings. She sees that not only is it possible to take responsibility for herself, but it is also preferable to always having to be told what to do. This natural transition is simply WONDERFUL to watch!!

What does she still need me to do? I am looking over her shoulder to ensure that we go over new concepts together. I am checking her work for her. I an praising her for excellent work. I listen to her read out loud. She does the rest…and cheerfully. Love this homeschool thing! Sad though that there are no more children to teach to read…

Yesterday we took a day off from the usual Monday school routine, and the kids and Dad went off to the library for a couple of hours. We visit a library that is about 45 minutes away, so it is a bit of a trip. I had a lot of loose ends to tie up with invoicing and shipping, so I stayed at home. It was a busy couple of hours, but I found that the quiet of the house was deafening. I missed everyone and didn’t very much enjoy being home alone. What is wrong with me?

Later on–about 4:00 in the afternoon, I was upstairs working in the packing area, and I realized just how cozy the house seemed with autumn scented candles burning, windows open wide to catch the chill in the air, and the smell of supper cooking on the stove. The kids were outside playing football or upstairs reading.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar yet obnoxious noise coming from outside. It was the roar of a very large school bus. Up it came to drop off the two teenage boys who live across the street. The very same bus had picked up these boys at 7:05 that same morning, meaning they spent eight of the best hours of the day away from their home and family. The weirdness of the System slapped me in the face like it hasn’t in a very long time.

Whatever would I do if all of my children were gone from seven in the morning until four o’clock in the afternoon? Five out of seven days a week?

It was one of those a-ha! moments when I realized that I could be missing out on the treasure of knowing and truly enjoying my children day after day. And I was so incredibly thankful for the freedom to homeschool.

Right this moment I am sitting in the parking lot of Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville, Tenneessee. Franklin is here for a hockey session for a couple hours today. We have a 75 minute drive one way, but I appreciate the time spent together in the car. My husband is at work, and our other children are at home doing their school work. Later this afternoon we will all probably head over to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather.

We’ll be back home before that big, sad school bus comes back up the hill, bearing its precious cargo of somebody’s children.

As for me and my house, we will enjoy glorious days sharing life together.