Thursday, March 6, 2008

Coming back....

Finding God in the quiet. That's the challenge sometimes in this life. Finding God at all. Sometimes, however, He reaches out in the most surprising of ways to let us know that He's still there in the shadows, and we just need to hold on.

Things have been quiet on my blog, but they have not been quiet in my life. I have had "issues" to deal with; those things that sort of knock you for a loop and leave you a little bewildered. I've had schooling hurdles to overcome with the children; thankfully, we are back on a path that fosters the joy in learning. I've had some sleepless nights.

After one such night, where many tears were shed into my pillow and many calls went up to my Heavenly Father.....I began the day as I do many others. Bible reading, prayer, children gathered around for the daily schedule of lessons. We were nearly finished with our read-aloud, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. In fact, at the close of our last chapter we had mourned the death of Aslan. So on this particular morning, we picked right up reading the next chapter. The young girls, Lucy and Susan, are heart-broken over the death of the beloved Lion. They are experiencing such grief and anguish of spirit as only those who have ever "lost" can know. Their tears are unending, their sobs unabating. Then, Lewis does that thing he does. Stops his descriptive narrative to address you, the reader, directly. Here I am reading this book aloud to my children, and the author stops and directly asks me if I, too, perhaps had been up all night crying! How did he know that??? I was more than a little taken aback. My kids just thought I was taking the death of Aslan especially hard, though they themselves were sniffling a little. But back to Lewis. He went on to assure me that peace would be found. It would come in the quiet.

And as I related this experience back to Derek later in the day, my heart rejoiced and was comforted that in something so seemingly "random", God had reached out to me. I must be careful to cultivate the quiet...so that I can always hear Him when He speaks. The beautiful Lion of Judah.

Dear readers, thank you for your kind comments, emails, and understanding! Sometimes we must prioritize and give diligence to the things that are most important. I am looking forward to our interaction again, and will be visiting your blogs soon, as well. I alluded before about the restructuring of our home-school. This has proven to be one of the most beneficial actions we've taken in some time. We think it's important to keep a good log of the progress we're making, and have a forum to share with others, and learn from others as well. To that end, I have set up a new blog specifically for documenting our educational efforts. You are welcome to visit anytime, though it is still somewhat "under construction" right now as I get all the information sorted and posted.
http://www.classicallychallenged.blogspot.com/
Blessings on you all!

16 comments:

jenny said...

Welcome Back!!! I missed you.

What a beautiful reminder that the very powerful Lion King cares for us...nothing random in that.

I am excited to follow your new blog...I definitely need some inspiration in the field of home education.

lauralavon said...

Glad to have you join blogworld again, Tara! I enjoyed reading about your home school journey on your new blog as well. Knowing that background, I can imagine that the transition from Mommy reading aloud, interacting one-on- one, etc., to the video-based drills, memorization, "spoon-fed" traditional approach, could be a tough one. Sorry to hear that you've had a tough time with it, but sounds like you're at peace with the new direction; that's of utmost importance. One of the many wonderful aspects of home educating is that we have the freedom to work with the "trial and error" process. We aren't tied to one system for every child.
We've finished with Prima Latina, Latinia Christiana I, and Chelle's almost done with LC II. I plan to sell them on Ebay soon. Let me know if you're interested.
Best wishes!

Tara said...

Thanks, ladies! It is good to be back. And your comment reminds me, Laura, that perhaps I should clarify things regarding Abeka. I certainly don't want to sound as though I was "dissing" Abeka across the board. I believe they are a wonderful operation that has been used to enrich the lives of MANY families, both in tradiitional private school settings, and homeschool settings. You are SOOO right: it is a blessing to have the option as a homeschooling family to change when necessary. (BTW, heard the scary stuff happening in CA re: the legality of homeschooling?)
Jenny: if you've read my initial entry on the other blog, you may be amused to note that you played a part in my journey! :) Are you considering homeschooling for your family?

Tara said...

One more thing, Laura! Do you have the teacher manuals and CD's for Prima Latina? I may be interested in those!

julie f said...

I am so excited about your new blog and look forward to observing your journey! One thing I am quite sure of...you will do an incredible job as you are constantly seeking wisdom from the "Master Teacher." I am glad that your children are happy and your heart is at peace.

We (I should say "I") have wondered a bit, in all honesty, if I will be able to continue with K12 next year, as we will have 3 in school full time, 1 preschooler, and 2 babies. Yikes...that is scary to see in writing! Robb is quite committed to it, and has promised help in the form of a tutor. I do know that we have purposed to just take it a year at a time, and so far it was been the right thing for our family. I do not feel that it would be doable without our Thursday co-op, where the kids get 6 lessons each that I do not have to teach. That has been a lifesaver for us!!

Glad you are back!

Kimberly said...

And....she's back and with a 2nd!!! blog....you go girl!

Trusting that both the transition and your spirit is peaceful. Love you Much!

lauralavon said...

Tara,
Yes, I have heard the news, and it greatly concerns me! I pray we can overcome this intrusion and continue to be allowed to raise our children as we think best.

Yes, I do have the CD's and teacher's manual for Prima. I'll let you know before I put them on Ebay in case you decide you're interested.

Blessings!

Making Memories 1999 said...

I enjoyed your post!! Comforting thoughts!

I also enjoyed visiting your education blog, and plan to return often! You were a challenge to me, and I thank you for that. I, too, am thankful for this blessing we have of home educating our children. May God continue to bless you on your journey!

Julia said...

WOO HOO you're back! I missed you friend. I am so looking forward to seeing you at the Homeschool Convention in a few weeks. Speaking of which perhaps a membership to the HSLD would be in order after the CA ruling. Scary! I'm really looking forward to checking out your new education blog. It is so helpful to get ideas from other moms on the journey.

Thanks also for the beautiful thoughts on our dear ASLAN! A life changing book indeed.

Anonymous said...

A beautiful post, my friend. It truly blessed me. You can't go wrong with The Chronicles. :) So happy you're back!!

Charity said...

Yoohoo! We missed your brilliant commentaries on world events and just chit-chatting with your fun self. Welcome back. BTW, just to make you a little jealous, I have a hiatus coming up, too. Going to be in Hobe Sound for 4 days! Can you feel those breezes blowing? OK, I'll stop ;o)

NomadatHeart said...

Just wanted to join the chorus!! I'm glad you're back too!! Blessings in the schooling!

The Dickinsons said...

Enjoyed reading this post! Hoping to get to see you while we are in the GREAT USA...it won't be long. =D

Kim M. said...

I am so excited you are back!
I loved reading your new blog and have bookmarked it to check back.

Tara said...

You are all too kind to me. It feels good to be loved! :) And I love ya all right back.

jenny said...

Tara, I am GREATLY amused to think that I played a part in your journey....I'm assuming that came from my fascination with Susan Wise Bauer. I think she's incredible...but so far beyond me. I can't even classically educate myself...let alone my kids. But I assure you that you are an inspiration to me...I really thought about what I read on your other blog over the weekend. At the moment we are not pursuing home schooling but it has always been an option on the back burner. So, we shall see where God leads us.