Our cat that died last weekend got me thinking about something.  There are not a lot of things in life that we get to experience from beginning to end.  This cat was born to one of our other cats.  He is the first pet I have ever had that I was there when he was born all the way through when he died.  I shared his whole life with him.  This doesn't happen a lot in life.  Our parents have already lived a good part of their lives when we come along.  With our siblings this might come close to happening, but there is a good chance we will be young enough when they come along that we won't remember the early years.  Friends come and go through our lives.  Our spouses are grown when we meet them.  Even our kids we hope will outlive us.  So it's not every day we get to see the whole process of life from beginning to end.

This is true with most other things too, when we start a job, join a church, a homeschool group, etc.  it usually has a life before and after us. We are taking membership classes at church and this weekend was the one of the history of the church we are joining.  I really enjoyed finding out how this church came to be and how God has gotten it where it is.  But, I will never be a part of that early history.

Homeschooling on the other hand is something we can do from beginning to end!  I know it seems like the school years stretch on forever when we are in the midst of them.  But, the truth is we get a mere 13 years to educate our children from Kindergarten through High School.  I can tell you those years just FLY by!  The one interesting thing I have noticed in myself now that I have one in high school and 2 just starting out is that I realize now how fast it is all going to pass!  With my oldest when he was in preschool or second grade I never thought about how quickly the high school days would be upon is.  But, now with a high schooler in the house I realize every day that this journey is passing all too quickly!  I need to enjoy every minute of it and use the time wisely.

One of the neat things I have always loved about homeschooling is that my kids don't have to change teachers every year.  (Or ever!  LOL)  Imagine how much time is lost each year getting to know a new teacher.  If you have the same teacher all your school years then that teacher already knows your strengths, weaknesses and history!  The teacher can customize your education to your needs.  You also don't have some years that are better than others because of personality issues or teaching styles.  You can get use to each other right up front and then you know what you are dealing with for the rest of your school career.  I subscribed to Luke Holzmann's blog recently and have really been enjoying it. (Hi Luke!) Luke is the grown son of  John and Sarita Holzmann the founders of Sonlight curriculum.  One of the things I enjoy about his writing is how much he mentions the impact that his mom has had on his life.  It is very obvious that she is still "in his head" so to speak.  What a privilege it is to be a homeschool mom and have the time, not only daily but through the years to make this kind of impact from beginning to end!

So those are my thoughts today.  It's amazing how much thinking the loss of a pet can generate.  If you think about it everything in this life is temporary!  We never know how long we are going to have a job, a house, a friend, a pet, a spouse or even a child.  The one thing I am learning is that it all passes way too quickly!  So I will leave you with the words that keep coming through my mind...Celebrate the temporary!  For that is what this life is.  How privileged we are that we can use some of that time raising our kids and teaching them along the way.

Happy Homeschooling,

Jamin