Seasons Change

For the first time, after a long hot summer, I woke up to a chill in the air.  I am a former northerner, living in the south, the start of fall is up for debate.  October is nearly over and I have rarely put on a jacket or even worn long sleeves.  The leaves seemed to have changed color over night.  They have gone from a vibrant green to sort of a dried up brownish, orange.

Needless to say when I awoke to a thermometer that read somewhere in the low 50's I was thrilled.  Then, I immediately said to my husband:  "I'm freezing, turn the heat on!"  Something tells me that my northern roots are becoming shorter and shorter as the years pass.  After I adjusted to initial chill, a familiar fall feeling came over me.  It could only mean one thing…..it's time to start baking.

My girls and I had a great school day.  I wish that we had taken advantage of the beautiful afternoon.  Fall also means holiday crafts but that's another blog for another day.  As the school day ended my husband asked what I had planned for dinner.  "Hmmm" was really all I could say.  To be honest I had not though about dinner, only baking.

So as walked the path from our little "homeschool/office" back to our house I decided what I would bake….muffins!  I had been craving pumpkin muffins all day.  It was settled, out came the muffin pans, flour, and spices.  In no time at all I had made a mess of my kitchen.  And then a voice from across the kitchen called out:  "Momma, can you make double chocolate chip muffins?"  "Why not", I thought to myself , the kitchen is already a mess.

So as I sit here and write the house smells wonderful.  The kitchen is cleaned and the muffins are calling out to me to be eaten.  If the the local weather man is correct we will have another cold morning tomorrow.  Anticipating the chill in the air, I have a batch of pumpkin spice, overnight, crock pot oatmeal cooking for the morning.  It's going to be good, I can't wait.

Nothing inspires me more to bake and cook than the chilly temperatures of the fall and winter.  There is something comforting about warm houses and chilly temperatures, as we prepare for the coming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  I enjoy having the opportunity to show my love for friends and family through hospitality.   At different points in Jesus' life, he encountered the kindness of strangers.  I hope that my passion for hospitality comes through in my baking and cooking.  My door is always open, I am always ready to set another plate at the table. 

How Far Wrong Can "We" Go?

As I watched the national news tonight I realized that each story was worse than the next.  Our government is failing us, its citizens, on multiple fronts.  There are children murdering children and teachers in the one place they should be safe, school.   Lastly, our highest level government officials have been busy alienating other political allies by playing “we spy”.

When the news ended I realized that I was happy that my girls were not there to see what I had just watched.  What examples could they glean from watching any of the stories I mentioned above.  Hmmm, let's see what I could say about the current presidential administration.  For one, is it OK to do a poor job?  Is it OK to take on a major task and fail on a grand scale. Is it OK to deceive trusted friends and hope it goes unnoticed?

I had to ask myself: “When did our children become so violent?”  As a homeschooling mother I can safely say, no pun intended, that I will never place my children in public school.  How have we failed our children, collectively, to a degree that they feel homicidal violence is the only answer?  On this point I feel I have some insight.  "We" as a people have lost our moral compass and compassion.  The words, Christ and Christian, are like nails on a chalk board, no one wants to hear them.  The world does not need religion, it needs faith.  We need to return the basic values set forth by Jesus Christ.

At what point in time do “we” say enough is enough?  When will the people of this country be shocked into change.  The farther we move away from the teachings of Christ the more we have to loose.  I remember a time when children went to school and did not worry about coming home.  I remember a time when politicians actually got things accomplished.  I remember a time when Christ was not being pushed out of our society.

For now I will let my girls watch the news.  My husband and I will do our best to explain why the government can make major mistakes and keep their jobs.  We will try to explain why children are killing other children or their teachers.  I am praying for the day that change will take hold.  Will you pray for that day too?

What Did You Just Say??!!

We live in a age where the internet and social media have given users a false sense superiority.  We now have access to a world of unfiltered and often unverified information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Social media has allowed users to take on new personas.  With each new persona users feel entitled to speak freely about any topic, often with out regard for others feelings.

I have found this issue to happen consistently when the topic of ADHD comes up.  My youngest daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD, among other serious diagnoses.  ADHD is a very real disorder.  There are those people, who do not have children with the condition, who feel compelled to speak about the topic.  I happen to encounter a gentleman who felt the need expound upon the disorder, today while reading an online article.

This particular gentleman and I had read the same article on ADHD, which had been posted on a social media site.  "Mr. Doe" feels that ADHD is a bunk condition that does not exist,.....ADHD in fact must be a product of the pharmaceutical industry.  I live with a child who who has struggled with the disorder everyday for the past 4 years. I felt qualified to comment on his thoughts.  I pointed out that ADHD is a very real condition, some children have no option but treatment with medication.

I am a Christian.  One of the tenants of the Christian faith is, “Judge not lest ye be judged.”  Since our daughter came into our lives I have spent a great deal of time defending the choices we have made in raising our daughter.  Many people do not understand that ADHD is not a result of bad parenting.  In my daughter's case, it was a result of severe abuse and neglect during infancy.  The trauma and abuse she suffered before she was placed in our home, changed her life forever.  Mr. Doe's suggestion of treatment by martial arts will not change her behaviors, I truly wish it would.

There was one last thing Mr. Doe suggested, that even as a Christian, I still disagree with.  Mr. Doe suggested that my daughter was possessed by evil.  He suggested that I read a particular book and all would be ok.  I can say with certainty that my daughter is not possessed by evil.  Evil does make her the child that she is.  My little girl is one of God's children.  1 John 4:4: Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

The evil that exists in this world does not come from or through my daughter.  Evil was thrust upon my daughter by the people who brought her into this world, and did not protect her.  Evil was the abuse that was allowed to go on for the first 14 months of her life.  I have seen the faces of evil and it is not in my sweet, little girls eyes.  When I look at my little girl I see a blessing from God.

So, what lesson have I learned from today.  I have to stop listening to the so called "experts" on the web.  As much as I would like to “right” the wrong when I see inaccuracies on the web,  it isn't worth engaging people who just don't know what they are talking about.  Lastly, no matter how reasonable I am there are some people who can not be reasoned with.   I can deal with my family, I will let God deal with everyone else.  

Counting My Blessings

The past month and half have been challenging for myself and my family.  I have been quite sick, and I have required hospitalization.  A week prior to my hospitalization I contracted food poisoning, and a week prior to that I had another unexpected over-night stay in the hospital.  Needless to say, September was a stressful month.

As you might expect my my recuperation carried over into October.  Much of my household duties fell unto my husband’s shoulders.  I am the luckiest wife in the world.  My husband, Claus, took charge of the house, dinners, kids, pets and everything ran smoothly.  Without the strength and love of my husband things would have been quite different.

Over the past two weeks I have thought a lot about what seemed missing from our lives.  I was focused on the what and the who I thought we needed in our lives to be happy here in our adopted home.  What I failed to realize is that my focus was in the wrong place.  I had taken my focus off of God and placed on the shoulders of "man".  With the exception of my husband and my girls, God is the Only one who can change our circumstance.

Once I placed my focus back on God things started to change, and I mean FAST.  The issues that I had been struggling with seemed to vanish over-night.  Prayer is a powerful tool, most people do not realize how powerful prayer is and how powerful God is.  Not only did God answer my prayers, He touched the hearts of other women who reached out to me.  The women who reached out to me had no way of knowing what I was longing for, or what I needed on that day in my life.  Only God can move the hearts of man.

My wish is that everyone could know God's mercy and love the way I do.  So many people look at Christians as wacky bible thumpers.  That stereo type could not be farther from the truth.  I serve a merciful God, who loves all people.  God only desires our love and obedience.  When we serve Him, He will reward us.  My life is living proof of God's mercy and grace.  Who else is capable of changing one's life, literally, over night?

So, if you are looking for a change in your life why not try God?  You have nothing to loose and everything to gain.

You've Got A Friend??? Maybe??

I have not been to church for several weeks because of a recent serious illness, which required hospitalization.  Our faith is an essential part of our lives so not going to church eventually takes its toll on my spiritual health.  God is good and His timing is impeccable!  Today, our pastor gave a sermon on loneliness, an emotion I have been dealing with since being hospitalized.

Getting sick, and being hospitalized was an eye opening experience.  I could no longer take care of myself or my household.  ALL of my responsibilities fell unto my husband's already busy shoulder's.  We were fortunate that I did not become ill on a week he was traveling.  Without  having family, in the state where we live,  is extremely difficult.  It is a parent’s worst nightmare.  Only the LORD knows how we would have managed logistically.

Being as sick as I was, was awful.  Long days, and longer nights gave me hours to think and pray.  It was in those days that I realized that we had not yet put down roots in the community in which we live.  There is almost no one here to pick up the phone and say:  "I really need you", "Can you come down?".  I had managed to make it on to the prayer list for our church so I did receive a visit from our Pastor, and a married couple from the ministry team.  I am extremely grateful for their prayers.

Once I realized that there was no one else to visit or to check in I wondered what is wrong with me?  What have I done or not done that I have not formed bonds in this community?  There are more questions than I have answers.  The only thing I know how to do in this situation is pray.  And that is exactly what I began to do, pray.

Today is Sunday and I was well enough to get up and go to church with the family.  As I looked over the sermon note sheet I saw that our Pastor was going to be preaching on loneliness.  I was grateful that God was opening a door.  I knew that I could take Preacher's words and express my feelings in our Sunday school class.  

As I expressed in my opening, "God Is God!"  Only God would know that I would share my feelings on loneliness in a class with other women who were feeling the same emotions.  God was instrumental in bringing together people who needed to meet one another.

It is often very easy to be dismayed by the actions or non-actions of other people.  I, we, may feel alone in our adopted home but God may have grander things in store for us.  The one thing I often forget is that I am NEVER alone.  God is always with me.  I have never been alone, I will never be alone.  He is  always with us, no matter what!

What's Wrong With Higher Expectations?

As a homeschooling mom I do not understand all of the fuss over Common Core?  One of the major factors in deciding to homeschool my daughters was the "No Child Left Behind" initiative.  A standard, intended to level the educational playing field, failed miserably on a national scale.  The basic principles of education have been replaced by standardized testing and political correctness.  Educational standards have been dumbed down to a  degree that parents should be legitimately concerned for their children's academic future.

I am shocked at the negative reaction of both school systems and parents regarding the implementation of Common Core standards.  Lately, I have seen an increase in TV commercials promoting the positive aspects of Common Core. On the other hand however, I have seen more negative press, bashing every aspect of Common Core.  My question is: "Why"!  What is wrong with implementing higher standards for our schools and our children?  

When my oldest daughter was in public school she had gym class twice as much as she had computer science. Children were reading biographies about New York Yankee players or Hollywood actors and calling is language arts.  In the state that I now live there is debate on wether or not "times tables" should be part of a child's basic education.  How far have we fallen in a generation of educational expectations?  When did we decide that “fair” is good enough for our children?  I know that “fair” was not good enough for my children.  No Child Left Behind is I why homeschool.

I am not so naive to assume that everyone can homeschool.  Some women absolutely can not homeschool, some families do not want to educate their children at home.  US families now have a chance to give their children a better education.  Common Core may not be perfect but it is a step up from the system that is now in place.  Expecting more out of our children is not a punishment, it is a duty as parents.  

As parents, we have an obligation to improve our children's future.  Challenge and hard work instills values and a sense of self-worth.  Both are qualities missing from today's Generation Y.  If we want to better the future of this country, the lives of our children and grandchildren, parents need not be afraid of the extra effort needed to make positive change in our children's lives.