Blessed

Aww ... ya'll really do love me! Thanks so much for all the sweet comments after my desperate plea went out to all the lurkers on this blog! I'm so thankful for so many awesome friends and family who take real interest in our lives. {And I promise I will remember that I too need to stop lurking and start showing ya'll some blog love too!}

Anyway, I just wanted to share a couple little stories that have really helped me remember how truly blessed I am. For those that know me well, you know that I have the tendency to over think things (Lynn, stop laughing!) ... and that I always over analyze and often times even question my own decisions.

So homeschooling has been no exception. I've often thought that I'm not equipped to do this, or that the Lord made a mistake by calling me to this, or what if we made the wrong choice ...

But two little things that happened recently have helped encourage me on this journey.

First, as I've mentioned before I try to go outside on the deck each morning before the girls awake to have some quiet time with the Lord ... read my Bible, spend time praying, etc ...
Some days the girls will show up out there with me. It depends how early they wake up.
So one morning H came out. Then after saying good morning she said she'd be right back and came back out holding a book and her little devotional Bible. She then sat down and said that she too was going to read her Bible with me. WOW, I was so encouraged!
I thought back to past years when I've rushed through our morning, trying to get out the door on time and I've never given any time to the Lord. I thought about the fact that because we are homeschooling, and have more time in the morning to ease into our day, it gives us time to really make our quiet time a priority. And it really encouraged my heart to see H doing the same thing and learning through my example! Thank you Lord!

The next thing that happened was on Monday. Mondays are one of Bob's days off so we have decided that Mondays will be our family field trip day. Now since it's still been pretty warm here we decided to go to the beach this Monday. The weather was beautiful and there was hardly anyone there (mostly older people who stared at us like 'why aren't those kids in school?!').
Even the water and the waves were perfect. For a long time the girls played together in the water. For once they were really getting along well and were just laughing and splashing and having a wonderful time. I sat in my chair thinking that I really didn't want to go in the water. I didn't want to get my hair wet or get cold or do anything but sit and relax. But the more I watched the fun the girls were having the more I had the desire to join them.

Finally I got up and ventured into the water. Like I said, it was beautiful, clear, no seaweed, and no jellyfish -- it hadn't been that nice all summer! Needless to say I ended up spending the next hour playing and splashing with the girls in the water. We rode the waves, we swam, we got our swimsuits all full of sand ... it was the most fun I've had in awhile. I felt like a kid again! It was amazing. And to think ... if they had been in school all day I probably would have cleaned my house that day! Another memory made, another chance to thank the Lord for the relationship He is building between us and our children. Thank You Lord!

Now I know these two things are not major events in the grand scheme of life. I simply wanted to share the fact that we can and should take every chance we can to create memories with our kids. They are growing up at an alarming rate and all too soon they will no longer choose to sit in our laps or hold our hands to cross the street.

I'm choosing to be thankful for every day and to use the moments I'm given to enjoy my children. And I'm so thankful that the Lord chose me to be my children's 'teacher' ... I may not be perfect or always do it right, but I can ride the waves and read my Bible and try to teach them about life along the way.