Introducing ... "Wellspring Academy"!

For those who have noticed my new blog title (and even for those who haven't!) ... I wanted to share this exciting new chapter in our lives.

Last year, as most of you know, we home schooled H while J attended preschool at our church. This year we have decided to continue on our homeschooling journey and therefore decided that we should give our 'school' an official name.

I wracked my brain for weeks trying to come up with an appropriate name ... using our last name seemed too simple and creative names were just not coming to mind.

Right now I am reading through the book of Proverbs. One day while reading in chapter four I came across this verse ... "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

I knew immediately that our school name should be 'Wellspring Academy'!! The moment I read the verse I loved it and thought it very appropriate.

I do think it's extremely important in this world that we choose to 'guard our heart'. As a wife I need to guard my heart from temptation, as a Mom I need to guard my heart from allowing negative influences to enter our home life, and as a parent I need to be sure that I help protect my children's hearts.

I'm not saying that my kids will never face adversity, or that they will never have their hearts broken. To me it's more about guarding our heart from the evils of this world. From the peers who will seek to bring you down, from the TV or movies that compromise a child's innocence, from all the negativity that seems to swirl all around us.

As a parent I cannot shelter and protect my children forever. And they will learn some of the harsh realities of this world. But I can choose to protect them and teach them and train them in God's ways so that when they face difficulties or people who seek to bring them down they will have the strength they need to get through it or stand up against it. Strength from their heavenly Father and all they have learned.

Going back to the blog title ... I did not want to lose my original title because it was chosen in honor of my Dad. So in order to combine the two I've chosen Because He Lives at Wellspring Academy.

Hope you enjoy and hope you continue to follow along on our wonderful journey of family, friends, homeschooling and LIFE!

{I'm going to cut and paste what I originally wrote about "Because He Lives" right here ... so that I can just make a link to the whole story. Thanks for bearing with me!}

Because He lives was one of my Dad's favorite songs. When I first started thinking about a blog title I couldn't help but coming back to these words time and time again. The chorus of the song goes, "Because He (Christ) lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives."

When my Dad passed away in January of 2004 it was a very hard time for me. He died of leukemia and it all happened very fast. There was only a period of 3 months between the initial diagnosis and him going home to be with the Lord. It was barely enough time to adjust to him being sick. And yet I would never have wanted to drag out his suffering. I'm thankful that the Lord gave my Dad and I a couple visits during his sickness when we got the chance to talk. We got the chance to say I love you, which wasn't something we said to one another very often. We got a few last times together that I will cherish for the rest of my days.

At his memorial service a family friend sang Because He Lives. The words assured me that although we can't know the future, God does, and it's in His hands. And because of that, it makes life worth the living.

I still miss my Dad and still have moments where I long to see him again. I know that one day I will when I too am called home to heaven. But until then I've tried to live my life as if every day counts. To remember that life is worth the living. You can't go back, you can't undo the past or bring a loved one back, but you can live life and enjoy it and cherish every moment. Because He lives!