Oh Darlin' Don't You Ever Grow Up

It seems like last week that we started this homeschool journey. I was convinced I was going to ruin my Emily. I remember so clearly the day Doug brought her home from Kindergarten, she was crying again.  He matter-of-factly told me, "I unenrolled her from school.  We are going to homeschool." Now, we had talked about homeschooling someday, when life was normal. (At that point I still expected life to get "normal")  Panicked, I stammered, but, but, but... I'm pregnant, we are living with your parents, I, I, I can't do this now. Doug looked at me, smiled and said, "Stacy, it's Kindergarten, shapes, numbers, letters, colors.  I'm pretty sure you know the material." And so began our homeschool journey.

Now here she is all grown up, mostly. 

I'm happy to say she knows all her shapes and colors, letters and numbers.  

She graduated.  SHE DID IT!

 

This whole homeschool Mom package comes with all sorts of crazy emotions on Graduation Day.  Not only am I incredibly proud of my daughter, I'm also incredibly proud of me. 

I DID IT!

 

I successfully homeschooled a child for her entire school career. She has written a novel and continues to love and pursue writing.  She has accumulated dozens of college credits while finishing high school. She reads everything and thinks deeply. 

And then there's the part of me that is far less confident.  Did I do enough? Did I teach her all she needs to know? What did I miss? And why couldn't I help her not struggle with math?

I am so thankful for GRACE! And for a God who fills in the gaps.  And the sweet fruit that has grown from the seeds of perseverance, peace, hope, and love.

Most importantly, she loves.  She loves Jesus.  She loves her parents. She loves her siblings.  She loves others.  Seeing her grow in her relationships is the most important and rewarding part of this journey.  When I see those relationships growing I am exceedingly thankful and proud. 

Emily has so many gifts and talents I cannot wait to see how God uses them.  She is a gift and a blessing to us. I love our chats, our coffee dates, our shopping sprees, and the time we have to spend together. 

Spread your wings and fly, Girlie.  Good things are in store!

My words from the Memorial for my Mom

Mom was always quoting scripture, these were two of her favorites that came to mind this morning. 

This is the day that The Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. 

They that wait upon The Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. 

Today we bury my mom.  She loved Jesus with all of her heart. She prayed for everyone she knew.  She believed that nothing was impossible with God.  She saw friends healed of tumors, she saw headaches and backaches disappear.  And now she has seen her own healing completed.  

Over and over growing up we would have a need and mom would pray and the need would be met. There were times we would come home to groceries on our porch, money in the mailbox, or the very item we had been praying about just sitting there.  I remember one time my mom wanted a new bible and for weeks she waited to see how God would provide it.  I don't remember how she got it now, but the point is that I watched her wait expectantly.

Shortly after she was saved at a Billy Graham crusade she believed The Lord was telling her to go to Alaska.  She packed her bags and went to Seatac.  She walked up to the counter and asked if anyone had paid for a ticket for her. Praying, she waited all day.  Later that evening she came home thinking perhaps her timing was off, but she never disbelieved God.

In 1984 God called her to go to YWAM for a Crossroads Discipleship Training school in Hawaii so we packed up and went! The trip was life changing for my brother and me. In the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, and Korea we saw raw poverty, orphans, Christians pulling together to serve and to pray. It was in the Philippines where I held a two year old baby the size of an infant that my heart for orphan care was born.  But we learned through that trip that nothing was impossible. We saw God provide financially over and over during that period of months in such a sweet way that built our faith in Christ. 

To say Mom was special would be a gross understatement.  When Mom read Gods word she believed it.  It wasn't a theological study for her or an academic practice, it was truth. Face value. She has a gift of faith and of everything Mom had, that's what I want, her faith, her childlike belief that God will do what His word says.  And a double portion please, God, give me her faith. 

 

Of Memories and Mukilteo Beach

Many of you know that although I claim Texas as home now, I didn't grow up there. I grew up in Everett, Washington where I went to Mukilteo Beach frequently.  The water was cold, the air was salty, and the rocky beach was my playground.  As I got older, sunbathing was preferable to swimming, but only a few days were warm and sunny enough for that.  When Doug and I were first married and lived in Washington, going to Mukilteo beach for a rare sunny afternoon picnic or an evening stroll during sunset was a cheap and most enjoyable date.  Sharing this special place with our kids is something I eagerly anticipated. 

Forewarning my children that this was not like other beaches we have experienced, we would not be swimming, and it was rocky rather than sandy, I encouraged them to consider this outing as a rocky hike beside the water. 

I was afraid they were going to be disappointed because to them, the point of going to the beach is to swim. However, they did a great job of adjusting their expectations and what a spectacular time we enjoyed. 

As I watched my kids marvel at clams spitting, salmon jumping, seals swimming, feathers falling, gulls flying, ferries sailing, and crabs scurrying I felt so full in my heart.  Not to mention I overflowed with gratefulness for the amazing Marine Biology exhibition we experienced!  This is what learning should be!  

My Hannah embraced the opportunity to show the beach to her baby brother carrying and bouncing him along the rocky shore.

Since we were there at low tide, the water was out exposing all kinds of marine life.  Travis loved the tide pools and the marine life we observed, showing his findings to his little sisters with delight. 

While Travis attempted to rescue a starfish, 

Caleb rescued a ROCK!

Some us thought the beach was cold...

And smelly!

But they did enjoy jumping from log to log just like me so many years ago. We would try to walk as far down the beach as we could on the logs and drift wood without stepping on the ground.

I so enjoyed showing the kids The Lighthouse which was built in 1905 and used an oil lamp until the 1930s when it was converted to electricity. The flashing pattern three seconds off, two seconds on is unique, like a fingerprint, for the Mukilteo lighthouse.  

A kind woman offered to take our group picture, you'll notice Doug and Emily are missing.  They were working yesterday. 

So we made a special trip down to the beach this morning just the three of us , after a stop at Big Foot Java for lattes. 

I just love the fact that I was able to share this place with my kids so many years later.  It will be one of the fondest memories of this Great Adventure, I'm sure.