Stories of Strength and Creativity

Flashback 9 months ago...my car was a workhorse and my primary role was a chauffeur.  I was working two jobs and constantly going somewhere or doing something.  Rest - what is that?  "I'll rest when I'm dead" was my philosophy. All of that came to a halt on March 12th.   And I remember some of my first feelings where I didn't have to go anywhere or do anything.  Everything was quiet, still, and peaceful! I was still working from home, but it was different because everyone was navigating the new world of being virtual, and the work I did made a difference.   In that time I paid attention to what mattered - my faith, family, and my own self care.  It was that simple.  No where to run, nothing I had to do, but be present in prayer, be present with my family, and be present in fulfilling my own needs (working hard and especially eating right and exercising daily for my health). As a family, we had joy. Now, fast forward to the present. ...

This was the main thing we did in the spring 2020 that helped us as a family find success! Last spring, the first night we knew we would be home for 2 weeks we had a "family meeting" where we decided how we were going to make this work.  From the conversation we set up norms.  These norms helped us function in the shared space so we all could work and succeed. Through this week as we prepare for the fall, we all have been thinking about what we need and possible solutions knowing each other.  Today we are having a family meeting where I share explicitly the school expectations.  Through our meeting we will be creating norms again based on what worked and what needs to be adjusted based on the spring as well as the new expectations.   After creating the norms, I had to be okay for each of us to hold each other accountable.  Yes, that means the children can even give a friendly reminder to the parent.  Because these are norms created together and th...

This last spring I watched as many families struggled with virtual learning and working.  I want to begin this post by sharing I have two boys.  In the spring, they were both in middle school.  Now one is in middle school and one is in high school.  I am a single mom working from home.  I have had people ask what I would do if they were younger.  I can not answer that because my children are older.  But being older doesn't mean I don't have to support them. They both need me, but in different ways from when they were younger. Having a dedicated space for "school" or "work" is important in the virtual environment.  Physically going to that space changes the mindset from one of relaxing at home to one of working.   We originally prepared our space in the dining room last spring.  And then when we had the idea to paint the dining room over Spring Break, we moved our work space to our Guest Room.  Our learning environment worked fo...

There are a few conversations in a child's life you know will happen.  Going into this pandemic, I knew eventually I would need to talk with my children about the death of a loved one.  It's a topic we don't want to think about, but we know we will have to face with our children at some point.  How can we talk about something we have trouble facing our self? Well, this week came that discussion.  As a parent I took time to remember and prepare myself that everyone handles grief differently .  One child wanted to avoid any and all mention of it.  My other child said simply, "Everyone dies.  We'll see him in heaven." Kids also have a way of being blunt about things!  I myself thought about what it was I treasured in that person, prayed for them, and wanted closure by attending the funeral.  Allow the sadness.  After all, how else will they know true joy, if they have not experiences sadness and loss? No way is the right way.  We are a...

I often reflect in awe at the awesome responsibility God entrusted me in being the mom of two boys.  I never imagined the decisions I would have to make in their health, upbringing, care, and safety.  I remember laboring over my "birth plan."  I am a planner by nature and so having that plan gave me security.  Everything would go perfectly as planned.  I don't remember at what point in the labor that plan went out the window, but I know what was on paper and what happened were two different things. Through the course of their childhood, I have had to make a ton of decisions - some big and some small.  But every decision was important because it was for my child to whom I was entrusted with the responsibility of raising.  As my children grew I realized more and more that my children belong to God and therefore the best way I could serve as the vessel of their mother was to pray to God for the wisdom to make the decision best for them. I'm not perfec...