Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it".

Company's coming! I got a surprise email today from a dear friend taking me up on an offer I made last summer. My friend and I have a lot in common. She has seven (soon to be eight) kids, I have six. In her culture her family is considered a bit "unusual", me too. Her faith is very important to her, so is mine. She loves her children passionately, wanting only the best for them in their education and personal lives. Ditto. She is not afraid to shower new friends with treasured gifts from her heart allowing them to peek into her soul. I so understand and value that attitude. Unfortunately, I have never met this wonderful lady face to face. How do I know her so well?

I spent three weeks with her eldest son last summer.  This fine young man from France lived with our family and blessed us with joy, insight, family love and friendship. His presence showed us that God is able to place together two very similiar families from different cultures, countries and time zones, yet enable them to feel as if they always were family knowing each other intimately. It was not just a wonderful educational experience last summer to host a foreign exchange student, but a life changing, spirit-filled experience for our family.

We have been fortunate enough to stay in contact with him and his family. My two eldest daughters will be living a dream this summer as they visit with his family in France. 

Today an email came shooting into my inbox as I was reviewing a word document. It blinked on my screen and I clicked immediately to it recognizing its address. It was from our French friend on behalf of his mother and father. Would we consider letting their second son come to visit this summer as we had offered? Yes! Our lives are about to be enriched again. Oh is it summer already?

We are ready for company! We are ready for France to visit again reminding us that God is in control of this world, the hearts of all of his people and most importantly has us in the palm of His hand providing loving care. We praise God for the joy in knowing that we are not alone in this world. We praise Him for friends from all nations!

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It is June. I love summer, love everything about it, but my favorite month is May. It is my birthday month, Mother's day month, my 3rd daughter's birthday month, flowers no more showers month. Now, it is over and the beautiful sunshine that came with it has seemed to disappear today.

I love rainy summer days, however. While the sun shines in the summer it seems to command, "come and enjoy"! If you stay in the house, reading a book or knitting you are commiting sunshine neglect, which in Ohio, equates with the highest of offenses. Outdoors you run, run, run and in the evening, back again, to garden, ride bikes, walk, visit with neighbors, swim, race, race, race.....

 But, on the rainy days, God gives our breath back. We sleep in, awake to gentle dripping on the windows, the birds are quiet, the crickets silent, the world is at peace. Books with their crisp pages call to our imaginations and we gather them into our arms and answer the call. Cozy, quiet dreams begin to emerge from my rested, quieted spirit and the summer rains restore me. 

So, today is a rainy almost summer day and I am happy. Off to church!

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Hello from Guilford!

We are a wonderful little homeschool that experiences the joys of learning from Pre-school to High School. Never is a there a dull moment or a quiet one. Sometimes we question the wisdom of all of our homeschooling choices, wondering if we can be stretched any further. It is times like these that I remember not many people have the joy of reviewing pre-Calculus with their teenager in the midst of a diaper change of the baby.

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