Being Pro-Life

I'm linking to another blog because the thing I often talk about (someone said "preach" about) she expressed so well, so beautifully, from her own life experiences. Loving all ages and stages. It's not always easy, but it is RIGHT!

Click the link below. Enjoy!

Being Made Beautiful: Being Pro-Life is Hard

Reminder: Why we homeschool?

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 

You shall love the Lord your God 

with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 

You shall teach them diligently to your children, 

and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, 

and when you walk by the way, 

and when you lie down, 

and when you rise. 

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, 

and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 the Shema

I got the following message on Facebook this morning from a dear sweet cousin: "Ok so remind me the pros and cons of homeschooling please mam!! Really questioning if this is for us."

So I'm putting the answer here. Partly because I can make paragraphs on here and can't in that instant messenger thing and partly because I need this reminder myself sometimes. So, I've replaced where I'd put her name with (Your name) and her child's name with (Your Child) then this works for me or anybody.

Here we go:

Well, you get to know your child and what all information is going in. When they hear a new word you are there to explain it instead of some little brat or liberal teacher. 
You aren't handing your kid over to strangers to raise. 
You are following biblical mandates to TRAIN UP YOUR CHILD - this is a serious responsibility and not something we willy nilly pass on to people we know very little or nothing about (although getting a little help from time to time - like with Spanish or Agriculture or baseball or some other thing the kid might be interested in and which we are present for or welcomed at can be really helpful and a great relief). 

God never said it would be easy. He encourages, nay COMMANDS FATHERS to be involved in this - we respectful, submissive wives are to be the helpmeets (though a great deal of early training does fall to us, we should be under our husbands authority - and gently encourage him in his leadership in our home). 

The Bible also encourages us to not spare the rod - he will not die. (Your Child) is such a sweetie I can't believe you'd ever have to use strong punishment (giggle) but kids act like kids - when they are older they should put away childish things, it's our job to help them get there. To be responsible, productive, God fearing adults. 

Sweet (Your name), it's not easy. It's a HUGE job. We know we should be the happy mother of children, submissive wives, obedient children of our Loving Father. BUT sometimes we just want to stomp our foot and roll our eyes and cross our arms over our chest and run away or go back to bed or just hide under a rock somewhere or yell and scream and pitch a fit and knock out anybody who dares stand in our way. Then, I would encourage you to remember your First Love. It's okay to run away, find a quiet place, have a good cry (or laugh at yourself), and have a little meal of the Bread of Life. Run away like Elijah did and let God feed you. Sit, hide, rest. And begin again refreshed. 

Dear one you are doing a great and powerful work. And you are doing great!
Don't be discouraged and don't give up. 

"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. "

1 Thessalonians 5:24

We are the vessel, willing to be used by the Creator to reach a lost and dying world. That, for us, begins in our homes. Sharpening up these arrows in our quiver to be mighty ballistic missiles that we fire off into the world. 

  "And I am sure of this, 

that he who began a good work in you 

will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." 

Phillippians 1:6

You want pros and cons - I think the list is too long.

Most of my cons have to do with selfish things. Like all the other things I could be doing if all these loud people were somewhere else all day. Like how nice my naps would be if all these loud people were somewhere else even part of the day. Like how, if Gene took a day off from work (like he has this week), I'd have him all to myself.

But man, I sure would miss these loud people. 

I wouldn't have the relationship that I do with my teen daughters - I might not even like them and who they were becoming. 

Those big boys who seem to always find a way to be in trouble at home would be little punks. I might not like them very much either. 

My innocent little ones wouldn't be who they are. 

Not that I always like them anyway. I always love them. I just don't always like them. That's usually because I'm tired, or they're tired, or they are especially difficult that day, or I'm hormonal, or I see something in them that reminds me of ME and I don't like it. Looking in that mirror isn't always nice.

Most of the time, I really like them. 

I LOVE that I can use the Bible as our basis for all we do. School curriculum, home management (I'm working on that one), character training, discipline, encouragement, daily living... 

They still hear "words" (homosexual, abortion, rape, murder, monsters, ghost, racist, sorcery/witchcraft...) but we are right here to explain. To help know what is real and what is not. To help them know what is sin and what is not. 

It's not always fun. We often take a break from school - we took off all last week just to get some work done in the house and regroup. We have "snow days" when it's too pretty to stay inside and we HAVE to go to the lake and swim or play on a play ground or go visit somebody (like Grandmother). 

But tomorrow is another day. We begin again.

We fail and try again.

We might do things differently (I'm looking at using completely different curriculum for a few subjects next year - I'm changing our routine - I want to be home even more - I want simple).

Try, Try again.

You'll get discouraged. You'll envy that yellow bus. But keep plodding along.

I love you!

You can always come play over here - call first and we'll clear a path for ya to get in the door!

"The Homework" by Simon Gluckich

Georgia March for Life 2014

This year is the 41st anniversary of the legalization of abortion. Today we gathered with many others at the state capitol to mourn the 55+ million lives lost through abortion. We also are encouraged to keep fighting the good fight for the safety of the unborn as well as all those whose lives are in jeopardy, the young, the old, the infirm, the fragile, the needy . . . all life. At all stages. From conception* till natural death.**
I pray next year we will have no need to gather, to mourn, to continue to encourage those who fight, who speak, who stand, who march for Life. But as long as we see the need to defend the helpless and those who cannot speak for themselves, we will.

Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

    hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. 

Proverbs 24:11

Open your mouth for the mute,

    for the rights of all who are destitute.[c]

9 

Open your mouth, judge righteously,

    defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:8-9

Here's the rundown:
We arrived early.

The gang from Franklin County - Us with Mr. Phil Lee and Judy Brunson

 We had to wait a little while.

The Little Littles - they look happy here. Not so much later.
cold children = annoying tears (bless their hearts)

Still waiting

While we waited we got to see camera men from the CBS, ABC and NBC television stations set up. As well as a Radio reporter. Victory 91.5 FM broadcast the whole event live.

CBS, ABC, NBC cameras - right in front of us -
click on the underlined letters to see their coverage of the event.
CBS has a great video about us "Abortion Foes",
NBC has lots of nice pictures.
Couldn't find anything on ABC - BUT -
Fox 29 has a good video - and part of our crew is in it 
(Judy, Phil and Ava standing at the fence)

90.1 FM NPR station

Victory 91.5 

Others had to wait too.

Today's Leaders of  the faith and faithful fighters!
And really smart people.
Joshua Edmonds (GRTL), Catherine Davis, Pam Stenzel,
Nancy Stith (GRTL), & Dan Becker (GRTL President)

We started off by hearing comments from Governor Nathan Deal (whose wife was a Dunagan and somehow and the vast ocean of genealogy a cousin on my mother's side - though she wouldn't know me from Adam). He presented a PROCLAMATION to Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) declaring today "Respect for Human Life Day." (don't forget to check out the media links under their pictures).

Gov. Nathan Deal

Then we heard various others.

The Doug Stroup Family leading praise.

Chris and Chloe Hewett shared their testimony of
the peace that passes understanding
and the 8 hour life of their daughter last November.
Can't wait to hear them again.
hewettsforrevival.com

Special guest speaker, Dr. Robert White
Executive Director of the Georgia Baptist Convention

Keynote speaker, Pam Stenzel
A 15 year old girl was raped and became pregnant.
At that time in Michigan, abortion was illegal.
Pam is that baby. Given life. Adopted. Loved.
Defender of LIFE.

Congressman, Dr. Paul Broun

Catherine Davis.
She has a website. I haven't found it yet.
I LOVE this lady!

I don't remember this lady's name.
She is from Silent No More

Here are some others being Silent No More.

Women DO Regret Abortion
Men Regret Lost Fatherhood.

This is my dear friend Hemda Mercer.
She is my hero. Honest, Kind, Real, Brave. (and a blast to hang out with).
Next to her is another hero, Tina Brock - holding the same sign as Hemda.
Tina is also our local director of Franklin Life Pregnancy Resource Center.
Praise God for putting these ladies in my life!

Here's some of the gathered defenders.

Check out Uncle Sam - don't worry, you'll see more of him.

Hey Look! It's the Petitts. <3
I have the best people to call friends!

And then we heard the heartbeat (well, WE didn't hear it because little children were having a total melt down - so Mr. Phil, who was going to sit somewhere warm while we marched, because of his bad knees, took two whiny little boys to eat fries and wait warmly).
HERE is a fetal heartbeat - so no one feels left out. 8 week old Fetus.

And then we sent off the old and young for warmth and began to march.

And that's it.
We meet several people when we got back to the capital. We even answered a few questions for some passers-by.

Me and Kassie Brown, President of Elbert County Right to Life
(no relation)

Me and the Jesus loving Uncle Sam dude.
Apparently he wears this suit often while walking to gain attention and
tell others about the love of God. Precious, yet BOLD man.

 To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth BOLDLY to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it BOLDLY, as I ought to speak.

Romans 6:18b-20

Pam Stenzel and ME!
That's our halos merging together above us.

Okay, further mushy thoughts:
What is it about man holding the hands of little children that can make your heart melt?
I've noticed it with my dad and husband and in-laws. Today, when we sent the boys in the opposite direction with Mr. Phil I quickly lost sight of them. Then, I saw them. Just about to round the corner of the capital building. Mr. Phil holding hand with my little baby boys, trotting along and waddling together.
My heart flipped.
I didn't get a picture. I wasn't quick enough. But I captured Mr. Phil and Jacob on their happy way back to rejoin our little party.

Precious.

So we slowly left the gold dome.

Do not be deceived by the pretty, blue, cloudless sky.
IT WAS COLD!!! 

And we stopped at Chick-Fil-A in Duluth to eat (because they have tiny doors).

The End.

*conception - the union of sperm and egg forming a zygote***
**natural death - on God's time
*** zygote - one celled human

Happy New Year!

For new years eve we always let the kids stay up and play games. We eat plenty of snacks and make Shirley-temples in plastic champagne glasses. We'll turn on the TV in the last minutes of the year to watch the ball drop in NYC. Then we'll cheer as if something new and wonderful has just taken place. Then it's off to bed.

This year we invited the Petitt family to join us. I bought crowns, beads and horns (the horns were most "delightful" to the daddies {evil laugh}).

After midnight. Not wound down yet.

Here are some highlights from the year so far.

Alex

Josiah

Autumn slept with her hair in pins, this is the stunning result.

Things I've learned so far this year:

1) My memory is terrible. I just figured out yesterday that that is due to the fact that I have not been "with child" for more than three years. I tell time in babies. Also, placentas aren't real. That's totally made up to make mothers feel better. That thing you have to give one more good push to get out is actually a part of your brain that has swollen to a peculiar size. If I had no children I'd still know everything and my memory wouldn't even matter because nobody would ask me "when did that happen?" or "what is that?" or "what are we doing?" or "who are you?" 

2) Lora and Jorja are heavy. 

Some number of years ago, more than I think, Lora was 15 months old when Jorja was born. I became expert at rocking two little people to sleep and then taking those tiny sleepy beauties down the hall and putting them in their own separate cribs.

I can't do that for them anymore. But it is still nice to have them fall asleep on me.

3) One of Ava's favorite games is "That's my Mama." It's sweet. It would be sweeter if all the children she chooses to play that game with were lighter and had duller elbows.

4) New Years day seems very similar to the day before and the day after. Except the children sleep later.

5) I don't make resolutions. I don't have a good reason. 

I could resolve to loose some of this gut. But I'm fat and happy. 

I could resolve to quit doing something, but that means I'd have to start doing something first.

I could resolve to save money but that implies that there is extra money to set aside.

I could resolve to do better. But I just don't want to. 

6) I am respected. A small group of people think I'm "mature" or "experience" or "grounded" or even that I have good ideas. They seek my advice or help. (This really is a new thought - I kinda seemed to think I was mostly ignored). This respect can make you feel about three inches tall and totally immature. It is also followed by very weighty decisions about how best to serve God - in my home, church and community. 

Makes me wonder if being ignored was a happier place. It wasn't. But it did involve more naps.

7) I am despised. A group of people (small? large? who cares!) think I'm weird. Peculiar. That I'm a liar. That I'm the meanest, grumpiest, so and so. They bad-mouth me. They've hurt me. They may turn their backs on me. This dislike can you feel about three inches tall and totally neglected. It is also followed by the very weighty decision to just get out of bed every day and push onward. Makes me wonder who really loves me. Makes me wonder if I should just keep my mouth shut. Makes me doubt.

8) I am commanded and promised. #6 and #7 don't even matter. 

9) It's okay. 

Life's hard. Sometimes it really sucks! 

The world keeps spinning. It's okay. 

Having the peace that passes understanding is awesome.

Enjoy the journey homeward.

10) Gene gets more wonderful with every passing day. He is the best blessing ever. 

Hope your new year is going well and that you'll be writing 2014 on your checks soon.

God be merciful unto us, and bless us; 

and cause his face to shine upon us; 

Selah.

~Psalm 67:1~

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

~Number 6:24-27~

Where are the BREAKS!?!

Happy New Year!

Another year come and gone. 2014 - still sounds like something fictional to my ears. Then I think that in the year two-thousand-whatever we'll be doing such-and-such or that kid will be that old or we could have grandchildren by then. Just bizarre.

My nature is to make plan, not that I have ever stuck to a plan (it's a left-brain right-brain conflict) but I sometime imagine what will be or should be (in my world) going on today, tomorrow, next week, next month, a little later . . . In my foresight I'm happily surrounded by these grown children and there spouses and ump-teen or so grandchildren. All of them clamoring for MeMaw's attention (MeMaw? That's my future moniker).

But lately I can't seem to get there. I don't even want to.
Lately I've been looking for the brakes! I'm in the passenger seat slamming my foot against the floor board. I'm trying in vain to make a hole and drag us to a stand still.
My flip-flops are on fire!

These short persons I live with aren't staying short. I'm out of little babies. The wonderment of the "newness" of the world through the eyes of a wee one has worn off.
They can all walk and talk, feed themselves. Most of them can read.
I've somehow managed to keep them mostly alive most days.
We are successful. Right here. Right now.
These forward looking thoughts I had years ago about teaching teenagers to drive is now soon to become a reality.
And I just don't like it.

They are all big enough. Just right. Let's stop here and hang out. Just here. No older.

Yet I wake up each morning and see something on a little face I haven't seen before.
It's the big girls that hurt my heart the most.
Ava is pining for her learner license. She's excited about it. (I was too. I know the feeling.)
Autumn is curvy. She beginning, in spurts and starts, to speak (when she has too). She told me "Love you, too," on the phone the other day. (O my heart!)
They're reminding, without saying a word, that this parenting time with these little girls, this preciousness we've had, it's changing. It's beautiful watching them bloom and it hurts. It's going WAY to fast.
And the others are not far behind.
Lora is becoming a big girl. Her face is thinning. Her attitude and actions, while still sweet, are changing.
Jorja tried this morning to find loose teeth. She's in a hurry. Her dramatic retelling of events is done with the mocking motions and inflection of an older child. And it's just who she has become.

And then there are these boys. These people that are supposed to turn out to be MEN.
Scary.
Elijah and Alex are continually in trouble for something. Attitude, fighting, meanness, dumping all the clean clothes they take in there room on the floor, not finishing a job, fighting indoors where I can hear them, disrespect . . . (I keep sighing as I type).  However, they can be so helpful. They can be so loving. They can melt your heart when they are being "such good big brothers" to one of the shorter people.
They are longing for "tallness." They want real guns and knives and yet, they have this knowing that they are still boys and cling to the Daddy, watching his every manly move, listening for some manly thing they can already do or be a part of. Longing for manhood yet content, for now, to be protected and cared for in the shelter of Mama's arms.
Jacob is definitely 5. I've worked with four and five year old enough to see it. The laugh, the looks, the speech, the play. He as suddenly taken more interest in being Daddy's boy than Mama's baby. The snugly-bug is giving less snuggles.
And then there's Josiah. {sigh} Rough and tumble. Smart and focused. BUSY! How did we fit such an old person in such a tiny, young body? The baby is big. Spoiled. And keeping up with the bigger littles like a pro.

They are fine just where they are. Freeze. Pause. Stop.
I just can't get them to stop. They laugh and think it's funny. Who wouldn't want to be a grown up?
(raises hand).

And I try again to imagine the big events of the future. Family trips. Holidays. Graduations. Weddings. Grandchildren.
It's no longer fun. It hurts. I don't want to let go.
I don't want to see them drive away without one of us teaching them from the next seat.
I can't anymore imagine all these big things to come without the reality of life hitting me in the face.
They will hurt too.
The pain will help them grow in ways other ways.
They will ask me how I dealt with life's punches in the gut and I will hurt for them and smile anyway.

"Pray, darling one. Study. Draw close to the Father."

I have plenty of lofty idea for keeping myself busy as my nest empties.
But I'm happy right now. Right here.
Let's stop, just for today, and breath them in. Look at them.
Then tomorrow, we'll keep watching them grow.
The hurt will become happy tears of continued blessings.

The laughter continues.