Homeschooling in a Sea of Change

Posted by Peggy | 0 comments

I had ambitious plans to homeschool through the summer – truly I did. Though I can’t recall who exactly said it I believe it is true – ‘Man plans, God laughs’.

I don’t think it’s a rude sort of laugh. I think it’s the kind of laugh that we have when our children do something they insist will turn out ok – even though we know it won’t based on our past experience. I think God delights in His creation.

The past few months have been a swirling sea of change. We moved my mother, grandmother and brother who were three hours away to a place less than an hour away. I have had some health issues crop up. The local library is facing more budget cuts and we use it quite a bit. A dear family friend’s mother fell quite ill and we were afraid we’d have to say goodbye sooner than expected. Our beloved Pastor of thirteen years announced in January that he would be seeking an appointment in another church. Always ready to join Scarlett O’Hara in her ‘I won’t think about that right now, I’ll think about that tomorrow’ – I put off dealing with it until the last possible moment – planning and doing as if it really wasn’t happening.

To say we were all crushed is an understatement. This is the man who baptized me and the three boys, confirmed two of them, renewed mine and my husband’s vows and stood by our side through various joys and woes over the years. He taught the boys (and us) invaluable lessons in tolerance and inclusiveness. See, he understood being different as he had a stuttering problem as a child and is quite shy. He and his wife – who I want to be when I grow up – helped nurture an environment where everyone was loved and accepted regardless of ability.

I also found a reading tutor for my oldest and that is a weekly trip, we have an Occupational Therapist coming once a week to the house, the boys have regular outings with their workers, middle has golf camp next month and we love to take off and visit my mother – who now lives on an island less than an hour away which is full of wonderful things to learn and do.

So much for that trip to Ancient Egypt this summer – I took a trip down the Nile all right – Denial. I underestimated the toll the changes would take on my family and way over planned. But God has a way of gentle steering us and righting the vessel we so often tip over. The kids are learning – how to deal with letting go of part of our past and embracing the future, how to live in the moment and treasure times with people who may not be here much longer, how to take advantage of their surroundings to learn new and wonderful things about God’s creation in this classroom called Earth. So the learning is going on – just not in the way I thought it would. I think I’m ready to stop wandering around the dessert and listen to what God is trying to tell me.

And I am learning that it’s God’s plans for my boys that I need to pay attention to instead of my own.

Peggy Dalley has been married to her best friend and husband for 14 years. She uses the eclectic approach to homeschool their three sons, 12, 10 and 7. Her interests include writing unit studies, Bible study, history and she is working hard to become a Proverbs 31:10 woman instead of a Proverbs 21:9 woman.