"It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wrack & ruin without fail. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing & searching can be promoted by means of coercion & a sense of duty. To the contrary, I believe that it would be possible to rob even a healthy beast of prey of its voraciousness, if it were possible, with the aid of a whip, to force the beast to devour continuously, even when not hungry, especially if the food, handed out under such coercion, were to be selected accordingly."

Albert Einstein

It was a beautiful afternoon, the birds were softly singing, the ground was warm as she sat waiting for them to approach.

Without notice they appeared. She was awestruck by their beauty. They're movements were fluid and purposeful as they headed to the clover patch just beyond the garden stone. One of thes graceful creatures, She assumed was the Lead Buck sensed her presence. He thumped a warning with his powerful back legs and all that followed dropped to the earth. This majestic creature reared up on his powerful hind legs to gain a better look over the tall green grass. Then he spotted her, and with a warning thump, She quickly looked down and held very still. She had herd that these shy animals will scatter if eye contact or a sudden movement were made. She did not want to startle these wonderful animals as she hoped to be come a trusted member of the herd...

Rabbits, in the grass.

Maybe that is why some things feel unfinished. We are coming to an end of another homeschool year. Of course the door to summertime freedom is yearning to be swung wide open...but it just isn't quite the time, yet.

I know better when I sit and wonder whether there are other families out there feeling as if their goals weren't reached, if something went neglected. We all do that, I'm supposing. Our family trail is littered with good intentions and unreached goals. I wonder though, how many abandonded projects and assignments actually opened the door to a new experience or opportunity. 

I'll admit, I'm ready to retire. We've homeschooled 10 years and I want to be done. I want to throw our references to the wind and run unburdened by the responsiblity of educating our children. I want my children to see me as Mom, not Teacher Mom, just Mom. I want..........   and then, it hits, how can I send those precious Spirits off to a foriegn land? I remind myself that three of my children have already flown from our nest to build their own and two more remain. They are not young, they are teens that are already testing the winds of freedom. These last two are the ones that encourage me to keep going and I will, for a little longer. I'll run through the door of summer with my family. I'll remind myself to play and then as the summer fades to an end, the beginning will become more clear ...and I'll be ready.