Other than a few birthday posts, I have not written anything in some time. There have been a few moments where I had the nudge of a thought, but it slipped away before I caught it in words. I know that part of this owes simply to a very busy life right now with sports and homeschool and six people living in a house together.

There are fewer moments to think. They have to be sought after, and I have not had the energy to seek them.

Life has been stressful. The husband just quit a job of eleven years and began a new employment today There was stress in making the decision, and now we face the exciting stress of selling our home and finding a new place to live.

Stress is tiring. 

It sneaks up on us a bit, and we don’t realize the impact. For me, today, sipping a very good latte while staring out the window at trees filled with color I realize I have not read anything of real worth in quite awhile. I’ve been numb. Stress has snuck in and zapped my mental energy.
The stress of this election. No matter which side you are on, no matter if you are in despair or great hope – this election has been wearing on our mental and emotional strength.

So, I turned to a faithful friend. Chesterton. I randomly opened On Lying In Bed and Other Essays and read ‘The Little Birds Who Won’t Sing’.  Just like that my mind was sparked and thoughts began flowing again….life was spoken and the stress and wear pushed back.  Chesterton wrote about the lack of songs and chants in modern enterprise, compared to the songs of sailors and others. He concluded the short essay with this:

And at the end of my reflections I had really got no further than the sub-conscious feeling of my friend the bank-clerk – that there is something spiritually suffocating about our life; not about our laws merely, but about our life. Bank-clerks are without songs not because they are poor, but because they are sad. Sailors are much poorer. As I passed homewards I passed a little tin building of some religious sort, which was shaken with shouting as a trumpet is torn with its own tongue. They were singing anyhow; and I had for an instant a fancy I had often before: that with us the super-human is the only place where you can find the human. Human nature is hunted, and has fled into sanctuary.

That last line settled in my mind. Human nature is hunted, and has fled into sanctuary.

We need, so deeply, to protect that delicate and yet ferociously tenacious human nature, when it flees to sanctuary near us.

I was driving yesterday on a back country road and as a truck came toward me, the driver waved. I was so impacted by that simple gesture. Of course it helped that I was listening to Randall Goodgame and friends singing “Love One Another”. In that moment, I was overwhelmed by this sense that we are in this together. That simple greeting made me feel not alone in that moment.

I know, that sounds terribly dramatic. But I think many of us are feeling that swell of emotion just below the surface. A harsh word can spark a meltdown and rant. A simple wave and greeting can remind us to love one another. We are all bearing stress. We are all weary in certain areas.

We all find it difficult to sing sometimes. Not just in our occupations, but in our spiritual state.

There is relief, though. There is grace. There are songs…sometimes it takes a latte and fall colors to release them.

Sometimes we have to set aside what is weighing on us, seek sanctuary, and be reminded we are created in the image of a great Creator. We have to remember to sing. 

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.

O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!  – Psalm 30:1-5, 11-12

Tomorrow will be a stressful day. Regardless of who you are hoping will win. Wave to someone. Greet someone with kindness.

Love one another.

Raise up your heads, look and find the wonder around you, and remember that our salvation is not in politics. Make sanctuary for the humanity around you as you go vote, or interact with those you encounter in your day.

And sing.

And read something that sparks life to your mind and your spirit.

And love one another.

How is it possible we have another teenager in the house? How is it possible that Nate is only 13 and not turning 17? Not that I want to age him ahead of his time, but this is our boy who is filled with confidence, filled with independence, and so eager to be an adult.

 

He fries his own eggs, does his own laundry and designed his room. He has very specific tastes, and he is clear about what he likes and what he doesn’t.

 

I have written before about how unique he is in our family. He is often the one laughing most heartily, or the one most somber.

He makes those around him happy, makes us laugh and see things in a fresh way.

Nate is filled with emotion, and it brims over often. He is so much more confident and aware than I was at his age, and so much more compassionate. We laughingly refer to him as our conscience of the house…but it is true. He often calls us out when we say or do something that is not in line with how we believe. And that is a good. He has a deep sense of right and wrong.

 

Nate is filled with imagination and with creativity. All. the. time.  He constantly is coming up with new ideas of something to do for Maddie, or some new concept to try in one of his online ventures. He writes out scripts for a series he is filming with his cousin every summer.

It is more than just a little project; it is something that brings the whole family in. We help film, act, take pictures and finally watch the premieres.

A few years ago Nate wanted to try to go to a Taylor Swift concert. There was a contest which included a scavenger hunt. The concert was the weekend of his birthday. We didn’t win the contest, but I learned some lessons.

Our life is infinitely better with Nate part of our family. He is the constant source of games and contests and stories, and laughter. Our world is marked by so much heavy news, so much we have to grapple with and pray through. I have no idea what things will look like for his 14th birthday, but I know that he will bring light in the coming year to all who know him. I know he will care deeply about his friends and family, and I know that he will be thinking about who he is and who he is called to be in this life.

 

I know that we will have more glimpses of the man he is becoming, and we will be continue to be so thankful we get to do this life with him.

Indulge me as I go a little crazy in the picture posting. Thirteen is a significant birthday. I think it allows for a few extra photographs.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Nate. Welcome to being a teenager. You are changing into a man before our eyes, and we love you. Use that imagination of yours, and keep us laughing and thinking.

 

I have so many passionate friends. It is a wonderful mix to my life. Friends who are involved in so many diverse things. Friends who disagree.

 

I have watched a lot of passion play out in FaceBook conversations over the last few months. My friends think about issues, articulate their viewpoints, and are passionate about issues.

 

I simply don’t talk about politics on FaceBook. I have a hard enough time thinking through the issues, and the passion of FaceBook gets away from me. It becomes too much too quickly…and the articulate discussions seem to become too emotional before we know it.

 

I am finding more and more that i simply have to quiet the media. There are so many things happening which can simply completely overwhelm. The latest, with the killing of the priest in his church…what do we even say to that evil?

 

It is so easy to be completely overwhelmed. When we are overwhelmed our emotions spill over, and our desire for hope…for something to lock on to that will bring an end to the suffering and the craziness…is at a peak. We are so eager for leaders who will bring real solutions.

 

Sometimes we think we have found those leaders, and sometimes within my group of friends there is strong disagreement about which leaders will bring chaos and which will bring peace. We look for something, and we see different things.

 

I think we have to have grace for one another in this season. We have to give some space to work through what it is we want in leaders, and what is the truth about those who offer their leadership. We have to be able to dialog, but to do so with some measure of compassion and understanding. That is not always something we can do online in quips on FaceBook and Twitter.

 

So what can we an do online? Share some hope and some stories of people who acted with integrity and with courage and with strength. Sometimes when the passion is a little too loud for me, I turn to these stories, and although they are all familiar, I thought they might bring some peace to you as well…

 

Irena Sendler was a young Jewish woman who rescued 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust. She eventually was arrested, and yet did not give up the names of any who had assisted her, or of the children. Even though they broke her feet and her legs.

 

Dobri Dobrev, the now 101 year old man in Bulgaria. He used to walk 15 miles a day to beg for money, although now he rides the bus. He lives on a minimal amount and gives away the rest to orphanages to help pay their bills.

 

 

Delaney Brown, a little 8 year old girl with Leukmia. She wished to hear carolers on Christmas, and with some help from Make-A-Wish, people rose to the occasion. They made her wish come true, just a few days before Delaney passed away.

 

Sergeant Gebhart. This Sergeant’s picture went viral a few years ago. He was serving in Iraq and would go in the hospital to see how he could help. This little girl’s family was killed by insurgents, who thought they had killed her as well. When she was restless, Gebhart would go in and hold her and she would calm down. He would continue to hold her as she slept.

 

How about this. In the midst of all the turmoil in Syria, there is a group rescuing books.

In a sense the library gave me back my life… just like the body needs food, the soul needs books

Go read this article.

 

 

How about some amazement from Creation?

 

Thor’s Well

 

Emerald Lakes, New Zealand

 

Hot air balloons in Cappadocia, Turkey…

 

The Danxia Landform in China:

 

How about this one to end with….the story of the lighthouse keeper. Have you seen this picture before?

 

Here’s the story..

 

So, there ya go. My solution to the days passionate political discussions. It is not that I want to ignore the discussions; I am listening to them and I pay attention especially to those friends I respect. The difficulty comes when friends I respect deeply are passionately on opposite sides of issues. That is the challenge. That is where we have to have grace.

 

Sometimes a pause is necessary, and hopefully some of these stories helped recenter you, as they did me. Sometimes we need to remember the remarkable people around us, and in our history. Sometimes we need to step back and look at the wonder around us. Then we are poised to re-engage with life and all its passions.

Even though it is stinky hot here in Tennessee today, my mind is all about starting school. Our summer has been full with camps and mission trips, road trips and my trip to Vancouver. Somehow August has snuck up and is knocking on the door.

 

We are about to begin our fifth year of homeschool. Every year I feel like a rookie. I look over my curriculum for each child, it is easy to become overwhelmed. It is easy to feel like there are so many choices…and yet I find myself simplifying a little more each year. Especially for the younger kids.

 

We have been involved in a couple tutorials here in Nashville from the first year. My younger two, grades Kindergarten and 5th Grade, go to one while the older boys attend a more academically challenging tutorial beginning in 7th grade. This has been such a blessing; it gives them the opportunity one day a week to attend classes, interact with classmates and receive some wonderful teaching. They are able to participate in Labs at the a local college’s science department. They are able to participate in drama and musicals, they have dances and band performances…all the things you might think a homeschool kid would miss out on.

 

There are such vibrant homeschool communities now, there are a multitude of options for how to structure your approach!

 

I have in the past offered some suggestions here for websites that are helpful. A caution, though, if you are just beginning the homeschool adventure: It is easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of material out there. Find something you connect with and dig deep there, and find some folks you can connect with to dialog and share the journey with. You don’t have to examine every curriculum available…sometimes you just have to pick one and go for it. You may change after a year or two as you begin to find your rhythm, but your kids will be learning. Give yourself the room to experiment some.

 

With that said, here are some of the past articles:

Last year

Three years ago, when we were really rookies!

 

So, a new year and some new inspiration!!

 

Links:

This site can be a bit overwhelming, as there is just so much information, but www.homeschool.com  is a great place to start. Use the tabs and find a spot to start, then grab a coffee and spend some time clicking around!

 

Creekside Learning is another one that can be a little overwhelming, but it offers so much. Again, grab a cup of coffee and explore.

 

You are probably familiar with The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. Did you know she homeschooled? She hasn’t updated the homeschool part of her blog in a year, but if you are new to homeschool, or if you have never read her blog, it is worth reading. Some great encouragement there.

 

The Growing Home blog is written by someone who was home schooled and now homeschools her kids. She approaches structure in a more relaxed way, not quite unschooling, but “eclectic.” The blog is well organized and you can find a section for Dads as well!

 

The Story Warren is not a homeschool site…but it is such a rich site for inspiration and imagination. This is a definite site to visit when you are feeling in need of some well written thoughts on childhood, creativity, imagination…and a great spot to discover some new favorite books.

 

Sarah Janisse Brown was homeschooled and now not only homeschools her family, but has developed a fantastic line of books. She refers to her approach as funschooling or momschooling. Sarah has a blog worth following, and check out the books. Some great journals for kids, and a line of books for dyslexic needs.

 

 

I find myself needing to take a deep breath,  grab a cup of coffee and spend some time just reading through some of these sites. Taking in the ideas, and thinking of ways to refine what we have done in the past year. The kids are getting old enough to voice their opinions on our structure or lack of structure, and have begun directing their own time in accomplishing tasks.

 

Every year is a learning process. Every year is filled with that excitement of the beginning of the year, and with the moments of lag where it is difficult to stir the imagination and inspiration. We need to have these sites marked which encourage us and which give us focus and the creativity we need to continue on the homeschool adventure.

 

So, this a post that is just calling out for comments. List some of the sites you go to often for inspiration. Feel free to list sites about curriculum and what has worked for you. I’m always on the lookout for some new insights!