First I want to wish ...

Now I have... 

Having A Heart To Finish The Journey

I have been reading Sally and Clay Clarkson's books for years.  I have grown in such adoration for them.  When I had no mentor for our hs journey and or fellowship with other like minded couples in the journey of  homeschooling.  I had held onto reading and rereading their books.   With me being a mom who for the first time is moving into the world of teens young adults I am in a new arena of learning about relationships. 

I want to stress if you have young adults in your family please, please, please read this article by Sally Clarkson from Wholehearted Ministries

Go HERE

It is soooooo easy to feel tired, weary, you feel your job is done and you want to let someone else finish the job of educating your child.  If you feel that way when your child is between ages 5 to 18 then please go and read this.  You will feel rejuvinated and you can keep going on the road that the Lord called you on.  I was hitting burnout the last year or two. ( I never wanted to throw in the towel but felt dry)   But I remember crying out to the Lord I needed Him to fill my cup and over flow it.  Here I thought He would give me a small and steady trickle but NO he gave me a river !  I have to remember we have a BIG God and we have to expect that He will do BIG things in our lives. 

I am still being rejuvinated but I know that He is leading me now in the way I need to go with my homeschooling.  I am starting to reap the seeds I have sown so long ago. ( 15 years almost 16 years now)  I am getting a chance to enjoy my oldest like I always hoped.  PTL!  Our family still has some more growning pains to go through but if we look to the mountains and KNOW where our strength comes from. ( The Lord)   We will be victors because of Christ and not us. 

Its that time again...

I would like to share what we are doing in Nature Study.  We have a "snail observatory" for a short time.  My 2ds made our tank all nice and comfy for our visitors and we are going to be doing some nice experiments.  We will set up different observation situations and watch them.  I will take pics and update what we learn this coming week.  I will also have the boys draw a pic and label the parts of a snail.  I love this kind of science.  There is soooooooooo much to learn just by taking the time to look and observe what the Lord has made.  What a awesome creation our Lord has made for us to enjoy and learn from.  There is just sooo much detail in His creation.

Here is the tank in our learning room.

Here is a up close pic of one of the snails.

 Here they are in their lovely home away from home.

There is more to come on our science adventure. Till then...

*** Remeber in Show and Tell Friday ...the best way to get a comment is to give a comment. ***

Wow, what a week I had.  How do I even start ???  I was at a Cris*s Pr*gnancy C*nter confrence. 

I woke up the first morning with song " Be Thou My Vision" .  You wouldn't believe how that  was to be a theme to take back for our CPC center.  We made TONS of contacts and also got TONS of ideas for the future.  We were were constantly told to dream BIG.  We have a BIG God and we need let let Him lead us in His Vision.  PTL !

 This last week my friend and  I took a P*st Ab*orti*n support group training class.  I went with the frame of mind that God was leading me to work along side my friend to support women who have gone through ab*rtion and help them work through the griefe.( this still is to be [0=)

  Well..... God also had "HIS" plan for me too.  He wanted me to work through my own griefe of my dad's death.  I have felt guilt ( self subcontiously inflicted)  from my dad's death.  He was very sick towards the end.   My parents always called before they would come visit and we gave them the go ahead to come and then one of my kids came down with a cold.  So, by the time they showed up my kids were sneezing.  My dad ended up going home after the visit and came down with pnemonia.  He had complications and passed away.  I  felt so horrible ( this is a understated word ) about it.   I then found  myself coming down with broccitus ( this was a sub contious link to his pnemonia )  each time my mom and brother would come to visit me after my dad's death.   I guess I supressed my feelings and right from the pit ( unrational) quilt.  I couldn't remember how many years it had been sense my dad's death.( between 3 to 5 years  was all I could remember )    I also could  not remember which day he passed away either.  

Soooo through learning the steps of griefe this last week it had showed me where I was in the grieving process. 

 I was sharing about my dad's death on the way from the airport to the hotel (before the confrence)  and didn't know what was to happen for me at that week at the confrence.  Boy, did I NOT know.  I kept crying ( with no noise) while a speaker was talking about his dad and his death.  After the speaker God lead me to ask my friend to pray with me to let go of the of this unreasonable guilt.  I felt so much healing it was unbeliveable.  At the end of the P*st Ab*rtion Support Training workshop there was  a memorial for the women in the training  who had ab*rted their babies in their past or for those who knew family or friends who did.  It was also opened to those who lost thier babies to miscarrage too.   The women were able to light a candle for each child lost.  After the memorial there was some candles that didn't get lit.  After the memorial I had said something to one of the leaders that was helping me understand the grieving process and walked me up to the candles and let me light a candle for my dad.  That was a huge blessing b/c there wasn't a memorial held for my dad. ( by his wishes)   It helped me grieve and have some closure that I had not been able to have before.  What a blessing. 

I know this is not what you expected  me to share but I am thankful God led me to do so.  I will be visiting my fathers veteran's wall in June.  I will be a lot more ready this time.  I have been avoiding this too for 5 years but now is the time.  I am ready now to visit the wall in June. ( thank you God for healing me enough to do this )

I have gone on a trip to the coast of Britsh Columbia, Canada.  I will be back on Sunday.  Blessings and ((HUGS)) till then.

In Him<><

-Mary

Where did spring go ???