Taking A Break

Today I decided to take a break from facebook for a while. I have been wanting to for a while, but finally made the decision to break away today. My grandma always said, "You don't have to tell everybody you are going to do something. Just do it." I am obviously not taking that advice today. If you know me very well at all, you know I like to talk. Facebook provides a huge social outlet for me, of which I so desperately need sometimes, being a stay-at-home mom and all. There are so many things I want to do with my time; I have lots of interests. But recently, I just felt like I couldn't focus and couldn't get any of the things done I would like to do. Well, you have four children, you might say. Yes, my children are my priority, but a lot of my free moments were spent just reading the hundreds of posts on facebook. It can be so overwhelming, all that information coming at you at once. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that facebook is bad. I have reconnected with so many good friends and have made new friends, both of which I am very thankful. I just need a break and a chance to focus and re-focus on some other things at the moment, like my blog for example. So, now I have finally written, almost at the end of January, my first blog entry for 2011. What is something you need to focus on?

"When You Thought I Wasn't Looking"

(Beth's attempt at a Toy Story cake)

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk, to, and I learned to trust God.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal. And take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight and I felt loved and safe.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.”

*When I found this poem, there was no author. It simply says, “by a Child.”

Voices of the Faithful, Book 2

The stories of missionaries on the field have always been of great interest to me. Anytime a missionary ever came to a church I was attending, I was on the edge of my seat. Voice of the Faithful, Book 2, compiled by Kim P. Davis, and created by Beth Moore, is a devotional full of these stories.

Created to be a 365 day devotional, Voices of the Faithful, Book 2 contains stories and prayers from missionaries spanning the entire globe. This devotional is divided into sections, categorized by months, containing a new topic for each month. Topics include “Divine Appointments,” “Lessons for the Young,” and “Hope for the World.” The daily devotionals contain a scripture, story from a missionary, and a prayer by that missionary at the end that you can pray as well.

I especially enjoyed the introduction by Beth Moore. Her heartfelt passion for the missionaries is displayed in eloquence. In her usual teaching fashion, she explains the heart of God in the lives of the missionaries contained in these pages. As I read through the pages, I was touched by the courage and persistence of the missionaries as well as their ability to learn from mistakes as they continue in the work God has called them to.

If you would like to go to the mission field, but for whatever reason, are not on that path at the moment, I recommend this book. It will give you an opportunity to sow into the lives of other missionaries through the daily prayers you lift up to God on their behalf. This is not a Bible teaching devotional, so if that is what you are looking for, you might want to select another book to meet that need. As I was reading, in my desire to learn and experience the life of a missionary, I was a little disappointed with the lack of details about each individual life. There are details, but I am sure that for the safety of the missionaries and the people they are serving, information must be limited. Voices of the Faithful, Book 2 will be an asset to anyone who desires to serve God and His heart, “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

When People Don't Understand

"..'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord...."

-Jeremiah 29:11

What do you do when your family members and other people don't understand what you are doing? How do you handle all the questions? How do you handle the criticism?

I don't know if I have all the right answers to these questions. I know that in general it takes people a while to get accustomed to the idea of homeschooling, even those who want to do it. 

I will share what we have done. My husband and I have talked about homeschooling from the very beginning. We always wanted to do this, even before we had kids. Maybe God put this in our hearts long ago, because He knows everything, and He knows what is to come.

When our children started showing signs of developmental delay, we thought it would be better for them to be around other children; we thought that would help the speech improve, social skills advance, etc. But several incidents caused us to revisit homeschooling, and we decided this was the best thing. Thankfully we had people to encourage us in this endeavor. But that was not the case with everybody.

I encounter questions regularly, from grandparents, doctors, friends, you name it, especially because of the diagnosis of Pervasive Devolopmental Disorder. I explain myself a lot. I tell them things I know about school and how I think it will benefit my children to be homeschooled and how I feel it will not benefit them to be in a classroom setting. I have tried to arm myself with as much knowledge as possible.(My Bachelor's Degree is in Education, but to some people even that is not enough for me to do an adequate job homeschooling my children.)

As for the criticisms, I have tried to battle the same way, with knowledge. I have armed myself with research, and education, and information about how children learn. Do you know what I have learned? People have to come to their own realizations about this. People have been so conditioned to see public school as being the perfect setting for children. It may not be right,that perspective, but it is just so.

It all comes down to this. What is best for your child? What is God leading you to do for your family?

If you are struggling with this decision, let me arm you with a little knowledge. There are many successful people in history that were homeschooled and you just might recognize a few of their names:  Leonardo DaVinci, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Thomas Edison, Louisa May Alcott, Alexander Graham Bell, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Albert Einstein. Contemporary examples of homeschoolers include The Jonas Brothers and Venus and Serena Williams.

At some point, I am going to stop explaining and let people see the fruit. I have tried to be kind but after a while questions and criticism can wear on you. That is when I revisit why we are doing what we are doing. We have to do what is right in our own hearts for our own family, and what we believe is God's plan for our children.

What productive ways do you deal with encounters with people who don't understand?

~Beth


*This post originally appeared at Growing Your Homeschool.