Pressing On

Ok, this has to be one of the top recycling projects ever. The good thing about having 4 children is that there is almost always one that loves you, no matter what you've said or done. It's not always the same one, but there is at *least* one.  This particular one is frequently effervescent with her expressions of love and it's a wonderful thing.  It's just the way God made her :) I've really been thinking about the special gifts we have each been given. They are easy to see when you live with a passel of children.  Some of us are sparkly and bubbly, some of us have a quiet, deep love. Some of us have a sense of humour or a logical mind and some are gifted with a drive to get things done.  We can't have it all, you can't be both quiet and bubbling over all at the same time and one is not better than the other, just different. One of the best things about being a parent is the privilege to encourage children to grow in their own way. It's endles...

So, people are generally quite curious about what life is like in the world of homeschooling. I was reminded of this today at my SECOND TO LAST CHEMO TREATMENT (!)  More than one person there identifies me as "the woman who homeschools her four children".  I totally get it, and I think it's great.  It's a hard lifestyle to fathom when you've never had any first hand experience with it. Actually I remember being completely mystified and fascinated and listening to anyone who would talk my ear off about it. I'm not quite so fascinated anymore; the "magic" is largely gone - kind of like with Christmas or New Year's resolutions. It's still a great privilege and I LOVE that I get to do this with my kids and I am impressed with how well it's worked out so far.  But, the magic left a while back when I woke up and realized: a) we were not travelling the world immersed in experiential, non-traditional, whole-family learning and b) there is no ...

Have you ever tried to do anything for 90 days? It's sort of an arbitrary number but I guess it's supposed to sound "doable", not too intimidating. There are all kinds of 90 day things like workouts, diets, affirmations and environmental pledges.  I used to be a fan of that stuff, but the pressure never really worked for me well, and if something needs to be done, I'm much more successful at biting off tiny bits over a loooong period of time.  Like reading the bible for example. Back when I first read the bible through I picked a manageable chapter-a-day approach and finished it in 3 1/2 years. I've more or less continued that approach, interspersed with many various studies for 20 years because it seems to work for me. But I felt like I needed a shake up to start the new year so picked up a 90 day reading plan at Haven Today .  Whoa.  That's a lot of fast reading through scripture.  I'm not used to skimming. I'm used to chewing and savouring. Th...

Know what this is?  This is my LAST chemo appointment card.  Today I went for my third to last chemo appointment.  Next time it will my second to last, and February 17, 2016 will be the last time I check into the chemo room, sit that big blue chair, get plugged into some sketchy dripping drug, and make small talk with the nurses.  I can't believe it, the end is in sight some 14 months after I first walked through those chemo doors! Lord willing. Of course "last" can be a relative sort of word.  I'm choosing to think of it as "LAST EVER", but only God knows if it's the last of 2016 or the first last of many or...   but anyway, this ''last" is clearly in sight for now! I've set my sights on 2020.  If I am healthily ringing in the New Year of 2020, I will have made it to that magic "five year" mark (which I realize is not a guarantee, just a milestone).  I will be considered a "survival event" ; )  I will be in ...

The phrase "Happy New Year" always plays in my head in the form of the old ABBA tune: "Happy New Year Happy New Year May we all have a vision now and then  of a world where every neighbour is a frieeeend..." The song was released in 1979:  "it's the end of a decade,  in another ten years' time, who can say what we'll find,  what lies waiting down the line,  in the end of '89" I remember listening to that song when 1989 seemed a loooong way off. Not to mention (party like it's) 1999. And 2009.  Weirdly, 2019 *doesn't* seem far away at all. That MUST be a sign of middle age. As much as I love ABBA (and I do!) I like this unknown author much better: Another year I enter Its history unknown; Oh, how my feet would tremble To tread its paths alone! But I have heard a whisper, I know I shall be blest; "My presence shall go with thee, And I will give thee rest." What will the New Year bring me? I may n...