Thanksgiving Came Early This Year

I never saw myself "qualified" to home school.  I just didn't see myself as a great teacher.  I also didn't see myself as full of knowledge when it comes to household responsibilities.  Yes, I love my husband and my kids and feel adequate enough to take care of them.  Yes, I am thrilled when my house is clean, and do what I can to keep it that way.  Yes, I am capable to drive my kids to and fro, and even can manage all five of our schedules.  Yes, I can cook and am even able to keep our books.  But I still wouldn't look at myself and see that I'm one of those home school moms and be able to teach my child all about keeping a home. 

Perhaps I sell myself short...but I find every day I have so much more to learn.  Perhaps, that is where one needs to be so God could begin to start.

One of the adventures of living in Colorado is how we truly have four seasons.  However, fall seems to be short as winter is knocking at the back door.  We enjoy the colors of fall.  Last week we had warnings that our first frost was coming.  And with that ... we looked at our garden and saw there were still vegetables and work to be done!  God has given us so much and we couldn't let it go to waste.

Courtney and I worked hard last Wednesday.  She picked and I prepared for either refrigerating or freezing.  We worked hard.  And enjoyed it.  This was the first year I truly had a heart of celebration and thanksgiving as I saw everything God had done.

And then we remembered.

We remembered the Puritans that we were just studying about.  How more than half of them died in their first winter.  We were exhausted with the little garden we had, and thought of the countless acreage they had to plant in order to prepare for their winters.  We talked and imagined.  Great conversations came from our work.  We remembered how the Puritans left the land they new to be able to come and worship freely.  They were called by God, and they went. 

And then we wondered.

Where would we be today if they allowed fear to stop them?

Do you remember what was happening last Wednesday?

God freed 33 miners from the depth of the earth!  We took the time and watched history.  I wept through each celebration of freedom.  We both thanked God.  Courtney wrote a paper, imagining how she would see the world after being pronounced dead and then being trapped in what could be a grave for months.  She saw how we should live each day as if its our last.

I was reminded of something else the Holy Spirit laid on my heart. 

Proverbs 31.  Courtney was learning how to be a woman of God. 

And then I realized that last Wednesday we celebrated the bounty of what God has provided.  We celebrated the gift of life and freedom of 33 miners.  And we were reminded of our call as women in Christ. 

We celebrated last Wednesday.  We gave thanks.  And we spent the day with God.

We learned more than what we could get out of a text book.  And boy did we learn!

So whether I feel adequate or not, God called me and I will answer.  And I trust He will lay our paths straight...we'll just follow His leading!  And that is the beauty of home schooling!!!