It has been so long since I blogged so I wanted to "pop" in and write a bit of what is going on in our home my heart.
This past summer through me for a loop. I knew the day was coming that Bethany would be gone for 10 weeks to serve with Worldview Academy; but when Benjamin got accepted to UNC and announced he was going to be taking summer classes our household became a lot quieter. I love being a mom and have never looked forward to the day our children would be gone from our home, so I found myself quite sad over the summer - missing Ben and Bethany.
Fast forward to last Monday when I was sitting in the grocery store parking lot listening to Family Life Today. Barbara Rainey and Susan Yates were talking about what women feel and go through when their children start leaving the nest. They put into words in that short 30 minutes what I had been wrestling with since June. The Lord had heard my cries and was giving me wonderful direction and encouragement through these dear ladies.
Saturday morning I was doing some work for David on the computer and my cell phone beeped letting me know I had a text message. It was from Benjamin and said, "Mom, could you please have Dad put the garage door up?" I knew that could mean only one thing... Ben was home! He had come home for the week-end to surprise me. How wonderful it was to put my arms around him and see his face. We had such a good visit that I was still smiling yesterday from his sweet surprise and our time together.
Here is a pic of Ben hugging on our puppy, Millie (I am so ready for her to get out of the puppy stage!!!)
Bethany is gone for the week serving with Worldview Academy in Texas for their fall camp. They have 150 homeschoolers for this camp. She has ten 16 year old girls in her cabin. She will also be giving a lecture tonight on the subject of The Scopes Trials. Here is a recent picture of her when she was visiting her grandparents.
One of the highlights of our fall is watching Samuel play soccer. He is playing on a homeschool team that is part of the state homeschool league. Our team is doing so well this year. His classes are harder this year but we are having fun learning together and I am so thankful for our youngest son! He brightens our home on a daily basis. Here is a pic of him at yesterday's game.
"Tell your [marital] story. Tell it to your kids, your friends, your brothers and sisters, but especially to each other. The more your story is implanted in your brain, the more it serves as a hedge against the myriad forces that seek to destroy your marriage. Make your story so familiar that it becomes part of the fabric of your being. It should become a legend that is shared through the generations as you grow a family tree that defies all odds and boasts marriage after marriage of stability, strength and longevity." Jerry Bridges
I have so much to blog about and don't know where to begin! I guess I'll just begin with our three children and what is happening in their lives.
Ben's dream since he was a little boy has been to go to UNC like his dad. He found out in April that he was accepted and wasted no time in signing up for a summer journalism class. He loaded up his car on June 14th and headed out to live his dream. After unloading his car and moving in to the apartment he rented for six weeks he discovered that he had a roommate. Adam, his roommate, was also homeschooled, attended community college and transferred to UNC, and is the son of a pastor... truly a provision from the Lord. Ben attended the church his dad went to after becoming a Christian at UNC and three college aged guys welcomed him after the service. They also invited him to a Tuesday night Bible study. Ben has enjoyed his new friends, new church and new Bible study so much. David and I are so thankful for God's provision for our son. These things have made the separation from him so much easier. Ben found out today that he may be able to live in the same apartment in the fall. Five Christian roommates at UNC - how wonderful is that?!? Oh yeah - he is really enjoying his class too!
Bethany left June 1st to join the staff of Worldview Academy. I miss her terribly; but know she is having a wonderful time and seeing the country at that! Each week her team travels to a different state for a week of Worldview camp. The Lord is using her in the lives of young girls and she is learning new things about Him each week. She returns in August and I am counting down the days!
Samuel is home with us for the summer and for that I am so very thankful! He has taken driver's ed, is mowing lawns, helping clean up our church's new land, put a ramp in for a disabled person with a group of friends, will attend Worldview Academy, plays a lot of disc golf and is growing in his relationship with the Lord as he spends time in God's Word each day. He is an example to me as he is diligent and disciplined.
Yes, this summer is definitely different than past summers with two of our children out of the nest. I am in a new season of life and honestly some days have been easier than others. I will write more about that in days to come.
In 1997 we took a step of faith and began our homeschooling journey. At that time we said we were just taking it a year at a time. At the end of each school year we would evaluate how the year had gone and commit to another year of homeschooling. The Lord faithfully met us in our homeschool, providing for every need and filling in my gaps as our children's teacher. Whether it was a class on dvd, a co-op class offering advanced science classes or a class at the local community college -- the courses that were needed were available to us.
This past Saturday, Bethany Louise graduated from high school after being homeschooled for 12 years. She was one of 182 graduates who took part in the graduation ceremonies at the NCHE conference. What a privilege to have John Stonestreet give the commencement address. At a time when the main question our graduates are hearing is, "What will you do next year?" He challenged them with the question, "Who will you be?" It is our prayer that Bethany will shine for Christ in whatever she does.
Here are a few pictures from Graduation Day!
David and I presented Bethany with her high school diploma.
She gave me a rose.
One Happy Girl!!!
Bethany and two of her dearest friends, Flora and Mary Kathryn.
I have so much to blog about but it's just a very busy time in our home. This week I am preparing for an open house to celebrate Bethany's upcoming graduation after being homeschooled for 12 years. Through the years I have watched my mother-in-law bake ahead for events and then freeze cakes, cookies, etc. On Sunday she shared her secrets with me so I've been busy baking ahead and freezing.
This year Bethany has loved being a part of Lenoir Rhyne's Professional Youth Choir. The spring concert was this past Sunday. Three of their videos are on YouTube. I thought I would share one here. Enjoy!
My guess is that my sweet friend, Mary, woke up with a smile today. It is her 60th birthday and her family and dear friends gave her a wonderful surprise party on Saturday. I don't think I've been to a party with more creative touches; so I thought I would share them with you.
When we walked in the door we were handed two things: The first were little tags, that we were to wear, with the number 60 and each had a picture of Mary in the 0.
The second were paddles with pictures of Mary, in different stages of life, that we were asked to put in front of our faces when she walked in the door as part of the surprise!!!
The tables each had a theme of Mary's favorite things or hobbies. A few examples were her grandchildren, gardening, family, reading, and baking. There were framed pictures of her at each table too. The entire room was a tribute to her.
Her son, Sam, put together a beautiful hard covered book for Mary at www.blurb.com. It sat on a pedestal the entire party so that we could look at it and sign it -- similar to a yearbook. Mary cried when she opened it -- a few of us cried with her.
I just loved the cake. It was one of the prettiest cakes I had ever seen. The baker calls it a Quilt of Life Cake. Can you see why?
When we left we had our choice from an assortment of seed packets (flowers and vegetables). They were in a small bucket with a sign that read, "Grow Old With Mary." I chose Morning Glories.
Happy Birthday Mary! I am thankful for our friendship and appreciate the godly example you are to all of us!
Over the week-end David's dear uncle passed away. I met Uncle Dennis when David and I began dating and I was a part of Thanksgiving and Christmas family meals. He always engaged me in conversation and made me feel very welcomed. Over the past 23 years he took an interest in our ministry and family. He touched many lives -- more than his family even knew and discovered during these past few days with the visitation and funeral. Over and over people shared how Uncle Dennis had ministered to them. What a wonderful encouragement for his two grown children and grandchildren to hear these stories.
Yesterday, before the funeral, Uncle Dennis's church had a luncheon for his family members. David and I enjoyed seeing family that we hadn't seen in a long time. The fellowship hall had round tables of eight with table clothes, clothe napkins and centerpieces of lovely greenery. It was clear that they had gone the extra mile to make this luncheon special. When we got to the buffet I was so surprised! They had 2 tall stacks of fine china plates. They truly had gone the extra mile!!! The food was delicious with platters of homemade fried chicken, ham, potato salad, green beans, macaroni and cheese and more! The iced tea was served in fine crystal. We were all in awe of all that these dear ladies had done for our family. When we thanked one of the ladies she said, "The way I see it is this is one last way I can show Christ's love to this person (the deceased)." We left that luncheon with full stomachs and very full hearts.
As we drove to the funeral, and then the cemetery, cars stopped in their tracks as the funeral procession went by to show respect. I thought of Uncle Dennis and what a fine man he was. He loved the Lord and loved all he came into contact with. I thank the Lord for his life -- a life well lived.
I mentioned in a previous post how there were two little Pine Siskens at our feeder (back deck railing) that just let me scoop them up and hold them in my hands. They seemed to almost be tamed. So around here my new nickname is Snow White.
It turns out that these birds, along with many more throughout North Carolina and Tennessee have a form of Salmonella and are dying. There was an article on our front page this morning. I found this one through google.
The two birds at my feeder had all of the symptoms that the article in our paper mentioned: Affected birds sit on feeders and are not scared when people approach. Birds may have difficulty swallowing, congregate around a water source , display ruffled feathers and have a general "sick" appearance. The article also mentioned that this is a natural occurrence among the finches.
So, it looks like I will be cleaning our decks today and getting rid of old sunflower seed shells. I'll also be praying that I don't see any more sick birds.
