She Understandeth It Not

Beckie and I are now studying Shakespeare, specifically Romeo and Juliet. As we started, I laid the foundation by describing the protagonists, major and minor characters, plot, themes, and so on. I found an excellent and affordable study guide at www.pinkmonkey.com, which has been one of my favorite literature resources for years. I also like www.sparknotes.com, and usually use a combination of both sites for my literature studies. Each site offers online information, including explanations of famous quotes, study questions, and online quizzes. They also offer downloadable resources for a nominal fee. I paid $1.99 for a 37 page PDF document that was instantly available to me to print off at home. It would have taken me hours to find and compile the information, so it was well worth it to me. It has been a few years since I taught Romeo and Juliet with my other homeschool students, Josh and Beth. Beckie was too young to remember more than an overview from her siblings study, so we are starting anew. We read through Act I, Scene I together. I paused periodically to explain or clarify what was happening and to check in with Beckie to make sure I hadn't lost her along the way. At the conclusion of the day's lesson, I asked Beckie what she thought so far. After a brief hesitation, she replied that she thought she understood what was going on, but that without my interpretations now and then you could say "She understandeth it not."Ah, Beckie! Thou art both a challenge and a joy to teach.

Resolutions, or not?

I am hesitant to make resolutions. It's not that I don't think they are good things. I'm just not sure that a mere calendar change is an adequate reason (or excuse) to vow to do things that should be happening regardless of the time of year. If something needs to be done, I don't wait for a new year. I guess it's a good time to review life and see if the goals are still aligned with who I am now. But I also don't take things lightly if I say I am going to do them, so I don't want to set goals unless I know I will be able to see them through. It's like making a promise to myself, and that commitment shouldn't be taken any more lightly than if I were promising something to another person. I can easily see areas needing improvement. So many, in fact, that it could be overwhelming to try and address them all. I don't want New Year's resolutions to set me up for failure or hang over me with a looming condemnation as days slip by without goals being accomplished. So for now, I am living by general Christian principals without delineating specific and measurable goals. I tend to be driven by nature, and do not lack motivation and objectives I hope to meet. What I need is to live in grace, understanding the mercy of God who created me and knows my heart. I believe God will show me the areas where I should set goals, and only He can help me accomplish anything of true importance. The bottom line for me is that I want to be smack in the center of God's will for me, and my prayer is that if I stray He will nudge me back to the place I should be. So I guess I actually do have a New Year's Lifetime Resolution to stay close to God and cooperate with Him when He reels me back to Himself.

Sequins in the Socks

When Josh was young, he liked to collect rubber bands. We'd go for walks and he would pick up rubber bands that were left behind along the sidewalks. Josh liked to wear as many rubber bands as he could find to put on both wrists. If it left grooves in his skin, he didn't mind. In fact, I finally figured out that what Josh really liked was the deep pressure it gave him on his wrists. He didn't have good awareness of his body, so the input from the rubber bands felt good to him. I was concerned about circulation and that it looked odd for Josh to be wearing so many rubber bands, so I bought some terrycloth wrist bands from a sporting goods store and had Josh wear those instead. The rubber bands were meeting a need for him, so I didn't want to just take them away without an alternative replacement item. But then Josh started collecting sequins that were used for art projects. Because his pockets were usually full of paper clips and other found treasures, Josh decided the best place to store sequins was inside his socks. I think it would drive me crazy to have just about anything besides my foot inside my sock, but it didn't bother Josh at all. Plus, he wasn't doing his own laundry yet so getting them out of the socks was not an issue for him. I gave Josh Zip-loc bags to store his sequins in, because in this case it was an issue of storage and not a sensory need. He was just doing a little sorting and problem solving to keep the sequins in a separate place from his other collections, and if you think about it...socks are pretty handy and convenient for storing small items. Unlike storage containers, in cold weather you almost always have socks on, and once an item or items are in the sock it's ready to go wherever you do.
Most of us wouldn't think to use our socks that way, but for a little guy like Josh with a different way of thinking it makes perfect sense.

Without power for a few days

A windstorm swept through our state, leaving us and many others without power. I quickly realized I am a wimp and would have made a lousy pilgrim or pioneer. It seemed that everything I could think of to do relied on electricity. I am so grateful for my friend, Kathy, who let me bring my entire family to sleep and shower at her house. Plus, she let me bring my freezer things and keep them in her freezer so I wouldn't have to throw everything out. I had to toss everything that was in my refrigerator, but at least most of my freezer contents were spared. It was also nice to be able to heat up some of the meals I had made and frozen, so they wouldn't have to be tossed. I was feeling ahead of the game by making doubles of some of our favorite recipes so I could just reheat them when I got home from work. I had about 6 meals made in advance, and I would have been very sad to have to throw them out. Kathy saved the day for me, and it was nice to be able to do school with Beckie in a home with electricity.

Back to school with Beckie

I started another school year this week, with Beckie being in 10th grade. We've done school all summer together, so the transition isn't as dramatic as it would have been if we'd not been working the lighter schedule. The other transition is being back to work at my part-time job. Since Beckie is back to working on her own while I'm at work, and working with me on my days off and in the evenings and weekends, I've noticed something new with her. She's made comments about how school is more fun when she's with me, and every day (sometimes a couple times a day) she thanks me for doing school with her. She lets me know when she thinks an activity is especially interesting or fun. I don't know if it's just maturity, or if she's heard enough from her friends who go to school to know that she appreciates being home schooled, but it's nice to actually hear her thank me for working with her.

New Friends and Old Friends

I didn't really think I had time for any new friends in my life. In fact, I feel guilty because I have a hard time keeping up and being a good friend to the ones I already have. But this summer I met a group of women at a Bible study that met once a week. These women were so genuine, wanting to please God and be the people they were intended to be, yet recognizing their weaknesses and struggles at the same time. I was drawn to them for their honesty, their compassion, their determination to draw nearer to God. By the end of the summer and the final meeting for the Bible study, I realized that this group has touched my heart and I'll never forget any of them. How did that happen? Oops! I forgot to stay aloof, I guess! Then a few nights ago I organized a gathering for 12 women who met at work back in the early 1980's. We've all moved on to different jobs and don't see each other much but once a year I get us all together to reunite for an evening of shared memories, current happenings, and of course pictures of vacations, kids, and grandkids. These friends have history together, and I value them for their part in my life.

Seeking God

Today some godly women are fasting and praying with me for Josh's work situation. We are seeking God and asking Him to make it clear if we should be advocating for Josh in his current position or if God wants Josh to make a change. Josh has gone the established routes for reporting incidents, through his supervisor, the HR person in his store, and even meeting with the general manager of his store. They all assure him that what he has experienced is not acceptable and they promise him that things will change. Yet nothing concrete has altered. Josh finally felt he had no choice but to take it up a level, and called the district HR person. Although she was polite and professional, and also stated that the abuse Josh has experienced is unacceptable, she took no action on his behalf and left him with the advice to report every single incident to his supervisor. Josh has already reported more than enough for action to be taken, but it's not happening. His supervisor is not always available or in the store when the incidents take place. Josh actually likes the job most of the time, and he would rather not leave at this time even though this is not his final career destination by any stretch of the imagination. But unless something actually does change, he will have to continue working with the repeat offender of verbal abuse and bullying whenever their schedules overlap. Fortunately, Josh is resilient, and I love him for that and so much more. He has been an example to me of showing grace and returning respect for inexcusable behavior by management. I can tell, though, that this work environment is taking a toll on him. So thank you, my friends, for your prayers on Josh's behalf. Many of you only know of Josh through hearing me speak at conferences or at our Bible Study. Your support means more to me than I can express. You know my mother's heart, and how hard it is to see and hear what Josh has experienced. You stand with me, and your compassion and caring ministers to my very soul. I appreciate you all, and the God who knows His child Josh better than any of us ever will. May He make His will known to us!