It’s so easy to focus our efforts on the things that give us quick results. It makes us feel like we’ve accomplished something. As if our work was not in vain. Clean dishes. Beautiful hair. A child reciting their math facts. A well-behaved kid. High SAT scores. A good job.
But think about it.
Do we want quick results or lasting results?
Lately, I’ve been encountering this idea of the perfect mom. We all seem to be striving for it, and falling miserably short. Yet, we look at other moms and think, “Wow, she’s such a good mom.” Of course, she seems perfect.
I think in this modern culture where we’re able to connect with so many people from around the world, and yet not really know them, it’s so easy to perpetuate the myth of the perfect mom. We read a blog or facebook post about something one mom is doing something with their kids that we greatly admire, and we think, “perfect mom”. I’m not doing that. I’m not perfect. As a result, we feel guilty, inadequate, and maybe even resentful.Continue Reading
Our homeschooling journey has been filled with many amazing experiences and we’ve had the opportunity to meet some great friends and wonderful people along the way. One of the turning points in our homeschooling journey began when we joined Classical Conversations. We had just moved into a new home and I was finally recovering from two years of being ill.
I responded to an announcement posted about Classical Conversations on a yahoo group that I’m a part of. After responding to the post, I began dialoguing with the state manager about becoming a tutor for the program. She mentioned to me the possibility of directing. It sounded interesting to me.
I had been following the classical model of educating for some time and Classical Conversations put together the program that I was trying to implement for my children. I was excited to have a system already in place that I could implement for my children, while also gathering weekly with other families for support and friendship.Continue Reading
A few weeks ago, my daughter and I returned from a trip to Burundi, Africa. It was eye-opening, beautiful and deeply moving. Though the trip was wonderful, the process of getting there was equally as important. There were months of fundraising, which means sharing the vision of our trip over and over again. It meant making our needs known as well as the needs of the women we were going to serve. It mean planning and organizing. And sometimes it was agonizing because the time kept ticking, and the money wasn’t coming in as quickly as we would have liked. As we prayed, and shared with people, I was continually reminded that…
we could not do this alone.
In fact we had over 60 people supporting us through prayer, through financial donations and a myriad of other ways. Their help and support made a tremendous difference! It was a team effort. Yes, it took a village.
