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It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just two weeks away. I have been so busy on trying to stay focused on getting school work done, that the time has just whizzed by. I also realized yesterday, that we will be putting up our tree in two weeks also!!! (The day after Thanksgiving) Wow. I know last year, we did wonderful in our studies up til Thanksgiving, then we slacked off for this event, or this meeting, or this date, and we never got real back 'in the swing' of it again til about April. :( Well, we can't do that this year. I am thinking that once we break for Christmas, that will have to be it, because then our main concentration will have to be on packing this house up for our move in April. There is so much to do and I can't get it done if we are spending our mornings, (the most productive time of the day for me) in school. |
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Okay, here are a couple of things that I found interesting about our second week of homeschooling :) Day 2 We were reading Luke 2:21-39. Elizabeth asked, "What is circumcision?" So I had to explain the best way I knew how. Then, mainly to Anthony, I asked him if he had ever noticed that he and daddy were different, he said "yeah". So I explained, as best as I knew how, why he, (Anthony) looks different than his daddy. The choice that Mike and I made as parents of a son, is a different choice than what Grandma and Grandpa made when Mike was born.
Day 3 In English, Anthony had just learned about verb tenses. One of the rules is that if a verb ends in "y", change the "y" to "i" before adding "ed". He understood that part. Then he had spelling. One of his words today was "stayed". So how did he spell it? "staied". Of course I marked it wrong, and he said, "but it just told me in English, to change the "y" to and "i"!" So now how do I make him understand this? His is now totally confused!! |
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Well, we have just completed our first week of a new school year! We are using Sonlight Core 3 this year. (I have used a different curriculum every year lol) I am doing a 4 day sched.
Day 2 8-12-09 Anthony made the comment that it was really neat the way the Indians lived. He thought it was really cool that they used animal skins for so many things. He was reading the book, "North American Indians" pages 12-19. Day 3 8-13-09 We were reading in our One Year Bible for Kids. The story was about Noah and the Ark (flood). Elizabeth, (or maybe it was Anthony), made a comment to the effect of , "when God destroyed all the living things on earth with the flood, the fish weren't destroyed." I had never considered that before. We know that the flood waters killed all land living, air breathing creatures. But it makes sense that it would not hurt the fish. Does that make sense? It really makes you think doesn't it? Day 4 8-14-09 Elizabeth asked why if Noah was a God fearing man, (Christian, even though the term "Christian" didn't come into play until the time of Christ), and his family were also God fearing, how did "man" get to be so evil? I told her that eventually, through the generations of Noah, "man's" free will came into play and people started making decisions for themselves and not seeking the will of God in their lives. In one of the books we were reading, the term "lifeblood" was written. (MORE TO ADD TO THIS LATER,) Indians of the NorthWest coast built houses made of planks without using nails. Some of those houses are still standing today. Elizabeth wants to see these houses to see how they could stand without nails. (Can we say experiment???? lol) Anthony, while reading the last of North American Indians, was really getting into trying to imitate the sign language that he saw printed in the pictures on the pages. I really think I need to follow through on my plan to add sign language to my curriculum. :) |
Kids in love—it’s easy to see it as a simple, picture-perfect state. But there’s another angle we need to notice. Divorce, unwed mothers, abortion—all involve a form of romance gone awry. As Mike Farris shares today on Home School Heartbeat, many of these problems started back in childhood and early adolescence. Mike Farris: Recent studies have found that teenage pregnancy rates continue to rise in this country. Notably, the highest rates are in traditionally conservative, so-called red states, including the Bible belt. Secular commentators have had a field day discussing the fact that evangelical teens have sex at a younger age and with more partners than non-evangelicals. Researchers focus on sex, but nobody talks about the danger of children playing with romance. Pro-family conservatives have long preached that young people should practice physical abstinence before marriage. Liberals have labeled such advice as unrealistic. It is unrealistic to expect a teenager who’s been pursuing a romantic relationship since age 12 or so to have only a limited physical relationship for many, many years. Children in their early teens are simply too young to handle both the physical and the emotional side of a romantic relationship. I’m Mike Farris.
Yesterday on Home School Heartbeat, host Mike Farris highlighted the dangers of premature romance. Today, he talks about how parents can protect their children from the emotional dangers of engaging in romantic relationships too soon. Mike Farris: In order to successfully follow the courtship model, parents need to begin talking to their kids at an early age about the principles involved in courtship. We began talking to our oldest daughters about the subject of marriage when they were very young girls—7, 8, 9 years old. All along, I let them know that their mom and dad would be highly involved in their choice of a mate. And as my daughters grew older, I talked to them about romantic relationships and the principles I expected them to follow in more detail. My daughters understood these principles before they were teenagers and far before they were seriously interested in relationships. They never expected to casually date. If your children are older, it’s not too late to begin following the principles of courtship. However, just as a young child can learn a language more easily than an adult, a young child can also learn a pattern of behavior more easily than a teenager. An early education in courtship principles will help protect your children from the myriad of problems that accompanies premature romance. I’m Mike Farris.
Courtship—as old-fashioned as the term may sound, many homeschool parents have recognized the practical benefits of guiding their children in the pursuit of healthy and godly relationships. Today on Home School Heartbeat, host Mike Farris talks about the first principle of courtship. Mike Farris: The first principle of courtship is this: all romantic relationships are reserved until the season of life when a person’s ready to be married. In order for a young man to be ready for marriage in a practical sense, he must be able and willing to support a family. And that normally requires him to delay any kind of romantic pairing off until he’s at least in his early 20s—late teens for young women. When young men and young women reach this age, they’re far more likely to be emotionally and practically prepared for a romantic relationship. By avoiding dating through most of the teenage years and waiting until the season of life when they’re married, young people are free to be friends with members of the opposite sex, without worrying about the pressures of romantic entanglements. Courtship frees young teens to see each other as potential friends, rather than potential dates. I’m Mike Farris. Casual Dating is Out, Friendship is In Many homeschooling families have adopted courtship for their children, rather than the practice of dating. Host Mike Farris talks about the second principle of courtship, today on Home School Heartbeat. Mike Farris: The second major operating principle of courtship is that there’s no such thing as casual dating. Any date is undertaken with the mutual understanding between both the young people and both sets of parents that these young people are engaged in checking each other out with a serious belief that their relationship may lead to marriage. Four of my grown daughters have gotten married to the only boyfriends they’ve ever had. They have known dozens of guys, because we encourage all kinds of group activities where there is a mixture of both sexes. But those committed to courtship have been the dominant force in their group activities, and so pairing off has been off limits unless the couple is prepared to declare themselves publicly ready for marriage and headed on that path with each other. Every bride and groom say to each other, at least implicitly, that they love each other with all their heart. Little pieces of one’s heart are given away each time a romance of any magnitude has blossomed. When each of my daughters walked the aisle, her promise to love her husband with all her heart was literally true. I’m Mike Farris Courtship and Parental Involvement This week on Home School Heartbeat, we’ve been talking about courtship. Host Mike Farris has already explained the first two principles of courtship. Today, he shares the third and final principle. Mike Farris: This aspect of courtship is directly related with one of the main reasons families choose to educate their children at home. Both homeschooling and the courtship model allow parents to responsibly direct the lives of their children. The benefits of parental involvement in homeschooling are well-documented. I believe that there are similar benefits for children whose parents are involved in their choice of a mate. First, young adults benefit from the experience their parents possess about marriage and relationships. Second, young adults benefit from having a close relationship between their parents and their future mate. If parents have been approving the relationship all along, the chances for family conflict between in-laws are greatly reduced. Third, God promises to bless children who honor their father and mother. Parental involvement in courtship allows young people to honor their parents and to reap the benefits that this promise brings. I’m Mike Farris. | ||||||
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It seems I can't figure out how to log into my account at the old schoolhouse store UGH!!! I can log in here to my blog easily enough, (praise the Lord) but I can't access my account outside of my blog. So wierd. Anyway, the thing that I was speaking on in my post last time that said that we would have to wait and see, fell through. Dh said that it was God's will. That is so true, but it still made me a bit sad when I received word that it wasn't going to happen. :( But God has shown Himself to me in so many other ways recently, that I have no cause to complain. Homeschooling has been dragging, I have so dropped the ball on that. :( I have no one to blame but myself!!! I haven't been able to get motivated since Thanksgiving really. I need to spend time in prayer about all of this. We are taking a trip in May WOOHOO!! We are going to MAINE!! Oh I can't even begin to explain how so very excited I am about this!!!!! It is my lifelong dream to go to Maine and God has provided a way for us to do it!!! praise!!! We will see my brother and his family!!! I haven't seen him in 10 years!!! He has children that I have never met, and he has never met my son so it will be a wonderful reunion to say the least!! Oh and dh is happy because we are going to go Lobstering, and then eat some!!! He is of course on cloud 9 for this reason.!! The church is going to renovate the old schoolhouse!!! Oh I am so excited about this too. We will have a library and as far as I can see, I will get to head that up!!! Thank you Lord for Your many many blessings!!! In Jesus Name Amen!!
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Wow, it has been a while since I have been here and updated. :( I am so sorry. I have so much to say. Well, as you know, I was doing the bulk of the homeschooling since my job played out last summer. But since then I have become a full time student at the community college and with my dh doing some time helpling a neighbor a few days a week, the poor children just aren't getting a well balanced study schedule. Prayerfully, that will all change and we can give our two young ones the education that they need to have here at home. We are still working out the kinks in that area. I did however apply for a job with the city. I don't know what the outcome will be since there is such a high unemployment rate here. (not sure of the numbers) We did have two major plants close last year, I am sure that there were several applicants to put in for that job. It is all in the Lord's will I know. So either way. I will accept my lot that I have been given. We are still waiting patiently on the outcome of dh's disability, or rather, his SS. That is a very very slow progress. The last phyc. we saw, said that he was a very good candidate and it might take a few months, but he didn't see any reason that dh couldn't get it. So here we are waiting once again. There is one other thing that we are waiting on, but it too, requires a wating period. So if anyone reads this, please be in prayer for us with this. I don't want to go into detail, but the Lord knows what it is. We have already said that this was an unexpected thing, and we want the Lord's will to be done in it. So we won't be disappointed if the Lord tells us no. It would be nice to be a yes, but it is totally up to the Lord. I will close now. I pray that everyone had a beautiful Valentine's Day!!! God Bless each and everyone of you. |
Posted in November 2008
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Here it is the last day of November. The kids are so ready for Christmas it isn't even funny! (Or maybe it's me that is ready I would like to finish the story of George Muller with them for sure. I would also like to finish their "First Thanksgiving" lapbooks. (our first one ever) A full week? I don't see it happening. We will do our best. :) I plan on starting an Advent Study with them this afternoon when we return from church today. This will be new to dh and I both. I know that E and A will look at me funny and probably think, "school on Sunday?" But it isn't school work. It is Christ work!! Any day is good for learning about Christ!!! So now I am off to print off the pages that I need for todays advent study. God Bless everyone!!! |
Anyway, we didn't do any school last week due to it being the week of Thanksgiving. My plan is to work extra hard this coming week, but there are already so many things filling up the December calendar, with me trying to get some courses lined up to take online, to dh and AuntGranny having doctor's appointments. I just don't know what God has in store for us in December, but I will do my best to get some schooling done. Posted in November 2008
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We are taking next week off of schooling. We will start fresh the week after Thanksgiving. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with the church this year. Each member of the congregation volunteered to bring one or more food items. So we said that we would bring the green bean casserole that Elizabeth will do. Mike is going to make his mouthwatering chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookies. And I will supervise Anthony in the making of a red velvet cake. And me? I am bringing the cranberries We put up the tree this morning. We bought a new artificial one that already has lights on it. Talk about a time saver!!! It isn't the prettiest tree but it is all our budget could afford this year, and it works just fine for the limited amount of space that we have in our living room. I will probably let the children put on the ornaments tomorrow after church. (Then I will wait til after they go to bed and rearange them. So I would like to wish any and all that may run across this blog, a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!! May you all be richly blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ!!!! |
Posted in October 2008
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http://www.homeschoolingonashoestring.com/ http://www.booksamaritan.com/ (I have gotten alot of books from them) http://www.theteacherscafe.com/Teacher-Directory/Free_Homeschool_Resources.php http://www.amblesideonline.org/ http://www.oldfashionededucation.com/ http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/materials/Free.htm www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com (this is one of my all time favorites. I have gotten lots of e-books here) Here is just a few to start with. This is the third time I have posted this list this morning. I keep hitting a wrong key on my keyboard, or clicking on something wrong, and I have lost my list twice. So now I will post this and if I find, which I am sure that I will, some more links, I will come back here and add them. But for now, this is my start.
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Posted in September 2008
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I had something all typed out here and I was in the middle of previewing it, and bam!! It dissapeared. Oh gosh. I don't know if I will ever get the hang of this blog site. :(
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Posted in September 2008
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Well, Hurricane Gustav came ashore Monday and thank the Lord, it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be. We got mostly winds on Monday and then as the sun set, the rains set in. It rained all night and all day Tuesday. Here it is Wednesday, and we are still seeing some showers from it. We were very blessed that the Lord didn't have it do as much damage as it could have. We tried something abit different today with our schooling. I turned our schedules around so that we would be starting (after Bible Study that is, that is always going to be the first subject of the day) our last classes first and ending with our first classes. It actually worked out better and we were able to get done sooner. I made a homemade peach cobbler for desert today. My first ever!! I made it because it is Mike's favorite and I had been wanting to make him one for a long time, but my fear of messing it up kept me from attempting it sooner. So we shall see. It looks real pretty in the pan right now. Oh and I just discovered something., : ( I forgot to spray the baking dish before I poured the batter in. Bottom's UP Peach Cobbler 1 cup of flour 2 teaspoons of baking powder A pinch of salt 1 cup of milk (I used powdered milk) 3 or 4 cups of cooked, sliced peaches, drained 1 cup of sugar sift together the flour, salt and the baking powder and mix in the sugar and milk. Pour the batter into a large, glass baking dish and spread the peaches on top. Bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees. The dough will come to the top while baking.
We shall see how this turns out. Pray that it is okay.
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See, I knew I was going to do something wrong. grrr. Here is the recipe that I used:Posted in August 2008
We are heavily studying Geography with our curriculum. One of our activties last week was to make a Globe cake. We were supposed to make a regular cake and shape it into a globe  So I looked on the curriculum website for ideas in the fourms. We did it by baking two 9 inch cakes and instead of putting the two layers together, we just let each child decorate each half as"The Western Hemisphere" and "The Eastern Hemisphere." I know, I know, I need pics. Well, ya know what? I have them. I just have to play around and get them in here lol. |
Posted in August 2008
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My Review of Two wonderful products!!!! Product #1 Have you ever wondered where you could find just the right planner? Not just for your daily lesson plans, but also for things like, weekly planning too? What about things like a planning sheet to help keep track of daily grading and progress reports? Would you also like to know where to find a list to keep up with what books your child reads throughout the year? What if I could also tell you where you could find a place to keep track of the bible verses that your student memorizes? Would you be interested??? What if I told you that there is one place that has these all rolled neatly together? It is called The Schoolhouse Planner! It is all that I mentioned and SO MUCH MORE! There are lists to help you keep track of your shopping needs, there are menu planners, there are forms to help you log your Audio/Video library. Here are some more things you will find in this planner: Support Group Information Nature Journals Twelve Year Planning Pages Curriculum Planning Sheets There are Household Forms too!!! Information of your babysitter Family health information Weekly and Monthly Housekeeping Schedules Chore Lists Bible Reading Plan Address Book Calendars And still so much more! Anything you could ever need to organize your school and home is here, conveniently put together in on amazing download-able e-book. and you can find it at http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com I have this planner and let me tell you what!! This e-book has saved me countless hours of searching and looking over hundreds of web pages. It is a time saver for sure. I am in love with my Home school Planner!!! I will wear my computer out before wear out my planner!!! ************************************************************************************************* Product #2
If you could choose just one home schooling magazine that comes complete with wonderful stories and article that you could receive either in a hard-copy that you can hold in your hand or that you can easily access right from your computer via the Internet. Wouldn't you be interested? I have a subscription to the digital version and I absolutely LOVE it!!! I have found it to be the ultimate magazine for inspiration for me and helpful curriculum ideas too. This is the first digital subscription that I have ever gotten. It fits very well into my busy lifestyle!!! I am very happy with my magazine. You can get your subscription too at http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com Jesus Loves You Sarah |
Posted in August 2008
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Well, we are in week 2 of school. My son is a good student, but his learning style (more of a hands on type) is causing him to stall on every subject throughout the day. My daughter is already two days ahead of him. We are going to do an apple experiment today. Elizabeth is eating a red apple and Anthony is eating a green apple. We will soak the seeds in water overnight, then plant them 1/4 deep in potting soil. We will make a graph of the growth of the trees to watch their progress as they grow. Should be fun. Then we will read about Johnny Appleseed. He was a real person. I didn't realize that. Yesterday, I learned something new! (I know, I am supposed to be the teacher and they should be learning, and they are, but so am I (giggle)) I learned that the letter "W" is a sometimes vowel!!!! Huh? Am I the only one that has been living under a rock these past few years? What will they come up with next?
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Posted in August 2008
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We are learning about Continents with this curriculum. This is day 4 and my children already have the song down that helps them learn the continents. It is sung by the tune of Yankee Doodle. North America South America Europe Africa Asia Kangaroos hop in Austrailia Penguins waddle in Antarctica. It is really a catchy little diddy. |
Posted in August 2008
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Currently I am reading out of Isaiah. But the verse that really hit me yestereday, was, Isaiah 1:7 Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers. This is how I see our country now. This is in the here and now. It isn't going to get any better. One day, it will, When we leave this world and go to our eternal home that is being prepared for us praise the Lord!!!! But I just shake my head at the fact that there are so many people that don't see biblical prophecy coming true right before their eyes!!! Am I crazy? No, I am saved.
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Posted in August 2008
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Today marks day 2 of homeschooling. So far so good. It looks like My Father's World is going to be a real blessing for us. I am not too sure about the math and the english that I supplimented, but it is doing alright for now. Dad will be home with us tomorrow. I really like it alot better when we can all be home together during the day. My attempt at quiting smoking didn't go over so well. I had better sign off for now, before I burn dinner. Jesus Loves You |
Posted in July 2008
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We went to town to get some basic essentials. We stopped at the local thrift store. I was hoping to find some great books to add to the "book basket" for this years schooling. I found a couple good cookbooks to help us when we make a meal from other cultures. also found some really cool Charlie Chaplin movies. Oh I can't wait to bless my children with those treasures!!! I picked up some contact paper and some construction paper and a couple 4X6 index card boxes for our Geography Vocabulary. We got some colored pencils too. I am just about finished with school shopping. I am more nervous than they are. I have never been a teacher before. I am so excited. I got confirmationin an email today that someone that I worked with is going to be homeshooling for the first time this year!!! He and his wife were looking for curriculum. They are going to be in our homeschool group YAY!!! I have had one cigarette today. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. I want another one, but I am trying to keep my mind off of it. I am eating popcorn right now. to try to keep my hands and mouth occupied lol Friday, we are going to the Beth Moore Simulcast!!! My daughter and I are going to attend. I am so excited!!! It'll be very encouraging!! I just love Beth Moore!!!
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Posted in July 2008
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Now that school is about to start, I am remembering the summer months. Remembering Summer? It is supposed to be over 100 degrees today, I think it still is summer lol. I think this is the best summer that we have had yet do date! We finally went on a real vacation! Oh what a blast we had. It just wasn't long enough. We rented a car and traveled to Gatlinburg Tennessee! We met Michelle, Daisy, Lisa, and Lisa. That meeting of course was the best part of the whole trip. We rented a very nice cabin (all of us) and we, (dh, dd, ds and I) were on the bottom floor, Lisa, and Lisa were on the main floor, and Daisy was on the top floor. Michelle and her family stayed with her sister in a nearby town!! We went to Dolly wood. Oh I could spend more time there. There were a couple of rides that I wouldn't have minded going on, but my children just wouldn't have it. I did talk everyone in to going on the new Mine ride. Oh it was scary. Then I got ds to go with me on one of the wooden roller coasters. While we were on the ride, I would glance at him and the look on his face told me that maybe I shouldn't have brought him on this ride, but it was too late. We were going up, and down and over and twisting all very very fast!!! I thought to myself, "if I ever get him off of this thing, (I thought it was a blast) I will forever beg for his forgiveness and sware to him that mommy will never make him ride on anything like that again". So we get off of it, and as we are starting to walk on fhe walkway down and away from the rollercoaster, I asked him, "Are you okay?' He was still looking a bit wobbley and he looked at me and said, "That was fun mom!". Huh? Wow, I never thought he would have enjoyed it by the look on his face earlier!!! But he told me, "I don't think that (dd) would like it.." He had a point there. lol Back home again, we were in the middle of softball/baseball. Dd's team won first place in her division this year!! Yay! Ds's came in second I think. But it is okay, Because ds's team last year came in first, so now both children have a first place team memory!!! Those are just a couple highlights of our summer. |
Posted in July 2008
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The title of this Blog Challenge, is "God Whispers" Often God will speak so profoundly to us through circumstances, and even just out of the blue ~ like in the shower. Share one of those "God Whispers" with us! (I hope you don't mind Sheila, that I copied this from the cafe Okay, one God Whisper. Not going into specifics here, but one time, a few years ago. I had a very bad nightmare. Now mind you, this was when my husband was not walking with the Lord and was involved in some selfish, self destructive behaviour. In my night mare, the four of us were in the car, going down the road. I don't remember our original destination, that is not important. The issue was that Mike was driving, and he had been drinking. There was a curve coming up and Mike didn't make the curve. We went sailing off the edge of the road and we were falling, down to the bottom. Absolute fear!!! There was no way that we were going to survive that fall. I don't remember which child it was, but in the dream, in the car, as it sailed downward, one of them peered at me from between the front seats, and looked at me with this fear and total disbelief. Nothing but pure innocence shown on that child's face. My thoughts were, "my children, my complete innocent children, are going to suffer this total unnecessary event because of a stupid choice their daddy made." I hurt for my children. I hurt for the destruction of my family that was inevitable. I was an emotional mess. We never hit bottom. I woke up, or I should say, I jolted awake and sprang instantly to a seated position in the bed. I was crying uncontrollably. Mike came and held me as he always did whenever I awoke from a nightmare, (which was quite often in those days). I could smell the beer on him. I was cussing him in my head. I could not stop crying. After 45 minutes or so, I was finally able to tell him about my dream. I also told him what God told me it was in reference to. God told me, that if Mike didn't stop his drinking. Our family as we knew it, was going to come to an end. I knew that was the reason for such a traumatic dream. I don't know if the end of our marriage/family would have been as drastic as depicted in my dream, but it was going to be over and final. Within the year, Mike stopped drinking. He hasn't touched a drop since in 3 1/2 years. I know that is very dramatic, but I know that was my God Whisper, the meaning of my dream. This challenge helped me to get it out. I have never shared this dream with anyone except my husband. I pray that by revealing it here, it won't hurt so much each time I recall it. Thank you for letting me share. (((HUGS))) |