Silent Night....

Silent Night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright.... Since Friday's deadly shootings in Connecticut I'm hearing the same Christmas songs I've heard all month but they have taken on a whole new meaning. I hear songs like Silent Night, I'll be home for Christmas, Joy to the World, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, All I Want For Christmas is You, and so on.

Before Friday's shootings these songs brought much excitement, anticipation, and joy when I heard them but now as I listen to these songs through the ears of those who are grieving the loss of a loved one due to this horrible tragedy, it brings on a whole new meaning. A once silent night is now most likely filled with sobs and wailing. The once assuring words of I'll be home for Christmas won't come true. Where is the joy in this world after such a tragedy? It doesn't seem to be a word that describes Newtown right now. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year, I don't think merry and happy will be terms that these families will find over the next couple of weeks as Christmas comes and goes and a new year approaches. I'm sure their hearts are yearning for their loved one and the words of All I Want for Christmas Is You strike a whole new chord this year.

How does one go on and find another silent, calm night in the midst of their chaos and grieving? Will joy be found again in Newtown and in the homes of those who lost a loved one? Will merriment and happiness describe future Christmases and New Years these families will face?

I don't feel like I even have the wisdom or insight to even begin to answer these questions, it's not my place to even try. In times of deep trial and grief I know my Savior, Jesus Christ, speaks comforting and reassuring words that are filled with love and hope and that is where I want to dwell during this time. I think this is the perfect time to be reminded of some of the promises that scripture holds. Maybe these words will bring a little peace, joy, and hope during this extremely difficult time for so many.

The lyrics of Silent Night go like this:

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

I'm sure sleep is a difficult thing to come by when grieving the loss of a dear one, and when sleep is found I'm sure it's not described as peaceful. Here is what God's Word says about peace that allows us to find this rest. 

Proverbs 3:24 

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
 when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Proverbs 6:20-21

My son, keep your father’s command
    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
²¹ Bind them always on your heart;
    fasten them around your neck.
²² When you walk, they will guide you;
    when you sleep, they will watch over you.
  

Jeremiah 31:25-26

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.
At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

Psalm 4:8

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 3:4-6

I call out to the Lord,
    and he answers me from his holy mountain.

 I lie down and sleep;
    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
 I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side.

The lyrics of Joy to the World read like this.

Joy to the World, the Lord has come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

The first four words of this song say Joy to the world. I can't imagine uttering those words especially after loosing a child in such an awful way, an evil way, at the hands of a very dark dark person who radiates evil. But then I read the next four words, the Lord has come. Joy is not found in this world, Joy is found in Christ and in Him alone. We live in a fallen world, we are surrounded by evil influences that are of this world, but we have the promise that a Savior has come to save us from this world. Let us be reminded of that and soak in these promises:

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 14:16-18

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans;I will come to you.

John 14:26

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:20

Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

1 John 3:1-3

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

1 John 4:9

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Titus 2: 13-14
While we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 


The song titled All I Want For Christmas is You has also taken on a whole new meaning. Towards the very end of the song it says this:

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas 
This is all I'm asking for 
I just want to see my baby 
Standing right outside my door 
Oh I just want you for my own 
More than you could ever know 
Make my wish come true 
Baby all I want for Christmas is... 
You 

I imagine these words are at the heart and soul of each grieving person this Christmas. I'm sure that is all they want for Christmas, their loved one to be standing right outside their door. Sadly, that won't be the case but there is another who stands outside the door. His name is Jesus and He is ready, waiting, and always available.

Revelation 3:19-21

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Matthew 11:28-29

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Psalm 70:4-5

But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
    “The Lord is great!”

 But as for me, I am poor and needy;
    come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    Lord, do not delay.

John 14:23

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 

We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

Saying the words "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year" to a person whose heart is deeply grieving is probably not received as a happy greeting as it would have been just last week. These terms are normally spoken with an excitement and hope of what is to come. This Christmas most likely will not be merry for many families in Connecticut nor will happiness be a word to describe this new year but for those whose hope is in the Lord, they can rest in these promises. 

Psalm 62:4-6

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
⁶ Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

Isaiah 40:30-31

Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

So let me ask these questions again. How does one go on and find another silent, calm night in the midst of their chaos and grieving? Will joy be found again in Newtown and in the homes of those who lost a loved one? Will merriment and happiness describe future Christmases and New Years these families will face?

I believe the answers can be found in God's Word. God's Word is meant for each and every person. God is meant for each and every person. It is my prayer that those who are troubled, distraught, deep in grief, hopeless, deeply saddened, scared, and tired will look to the Lord who will walk with them through this time and bring them to a place where they can once again enjoy a silent night, find joy in the Lord, come to Him, and even enjoy a merry Christmas in the years to come and that happiness will once again be found in the years ahead.

So next time you listen to one of these familiar songs, remember the promises that God's word brings and pray. Pray for those who are hurting. Pray these scriptures over the people of Newtown. 

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Elf on the Shelf fun

We've never been big on Santa, our kids have known from a pretty young age that there is no Santa. They have never liked the thought of a big fat man watching them while they sleep and coming down our chimney on Christmas Eve. So we've been honest with them when they asked if Santa was real and told them (more like assured them) that mom and dad are the ones who buy them the gifts and put them under the tree on Christmas Eve. However we can pretend and have fun with the idea for the sake of those who do believe in Santa but in our home we really don't make a big deal about it. I've got a few Santa decorations that are special to me and have been passed down from both sides of the family so they are on display during the month of December and they do bring back happy memories for both of us. But don't worry, our kids still have a total blast during the month of December. We have many other fun traditions so we don't feel like they are missing out or scarred in any way because we don't make Christmas about Santa. We have many other fun family traditions that make December meaningful, fun and exciting while keeping our focus on the main reason for celebrating Christmas- Jesus. I learned about a fun tradition last year called Elf on the Shelf and started seeing it pop up again this year on the day after Thanksgving. I was a bit intrigued by the whole thing and thought it might be a fun to incorporate it into our family for the month of December. However, I adapted it since our kids are older and they don't believe in Santa and would never buy into the whole elf reporting to Santa business. So we simply have an elf named Bill who does funny things each night after they go to bed and then when they wake up they find him and we all share a laugh. Here are some of the highlights of what Bill the elf has been up to over the past couple of weeks.
The first night Bill went bungie jumping into Pepper's water bowl.

 Another morning he was waiting by Pepper's food bowl with a treat and Pepper's ball. Pepper and Bill have a love/hate relationship. Pepper thinks Bill is a fun toy and quite often Bill gets tossed across the room and picked up again in Pepper's mouth. And since Bill never stops smiling he seems to enjoy the whole thing. LOL

 Bill made a another friend.

 He went camping under the Christmas tree, even my oldest child complimented me on this arrangement. Maybe he is "slightly" into elf on the shelf but just won't admit it.

 Bill played in the snow.

 He challenged a wooden Santa figurine (made by my mother in laws boyfriend) to a game of Battleship.

 He got stuck in rush hour traffic.

 And my most creative one yet, went poopoo in the potty

 mini marshmallows is what our elf poops.

I'm not sure I can get much more creative than that so I'll be trying to come up with a few more good ones the next few nights.

How they've changed

I really can't believe how my kids have grown up and changed in one years time. I know each year they grow and change but this year they just seemed to grow up more than any other years. Jadon put on at least three inches from last year. The kid is now almost a head taller than me. It's just crazy! So let's start with him, my 14 year old (gulp).
Here is his photo from last December

And one year later.

And here is Camden one year ago.

And now

And here is one of my favorite pics of Anna taken one year ago.

And here she is today, I love this picture because Michael was meeting us at this location and she had just spotted him, her face lit up and she couldn't stop smirking. Love it! In comparing her picture from last year she seems to have gone from little girl to big girl. :(

I love these guys. They bless me in so many ways, grow me in ways I never thought I could, and challenge me in ways I wish I didn't need to be challenged in but when it's all said and done, they do make me a better person.

A day in the life of a homeschool mom

In the beginning there was a mom. She prayed to God to ask Him to show her the way as far as educating her children, He lead her to homeschooling. She resisted at first but God showed her it could be done. Over the past four years she has become known as a homeschool mom. Luckily I'm not alone in this title as I know many homeschool moms and each of them are amazing in their own unique ways. But this is the story of a typical day in the life of this homeschcool mom. So here we go...

At the beginning of the school year, everything is organized and in its proper place.

But as the year goes on things can get a little messy. Part of being a homeschool mom is being ok with messes and knowing there are more important things in life than having everything in its proper spot at all times. A lot happens around this table. Meals are eaten, family conversations happen, lessons are taught and hopefully learned, crafts are made, tears are cried, laughter is heard, games are played. It's a table that has seen and heard it all.

Our day starts with what we call group time. There are certain subjects we do together like Bible, Science, and reading a chapter book together. We have spent the first half of our homeschool year working through the first six chapters of Revelation. It was a great study and the kids really learned a lot. I love the way Kay Arthur presented such a tricky book with such simple understanding. 

We have been spending this school year learning all about flying creatures. I love apologia science curriculum. I think this is our fourth science book.

On Thursdays while Anna is at enrichment school and Jadon is at his jr. high science class this handsome boy and I homeschool at Starbucks. I love the one on one time I have with him and I'm pretty certain he feels the same way. He sips his tea, I sip my latte and sometimes we even munch on a pumpkin scone. I love the relationships I am building with my kids and treasure the times when I get special time with each of them. That is a perk of being a homeschool mom.

I've said it before and I will say it again, History is not my favorite subject. I don't enjoy teaching it but the kids need to learn it so I do my best to fake my excitement and knowledge. This is Jadon's history book. He listens to lectures and spends about a month on each unit. Right now he is learning about 1840-1885 and all the important events that happen during that time. YAWN! I mean, YIPEE!!!!!!!

This is more my speed. This year Camden has already studied the Wagon trail and Revolutionary war and right now we are knee deep in the Civil War. Fun times I tell you!

Sometimes you just have to eat cookies and fill the house with the smell of fresh baked goodness. Every homeschool mom needs to incorporate this into her day. Well, maybe not every day but more often than not. 

There are days when our bodies are telling us to rest. We don't really get sick days in homeschool since you can lay around and school in your jammies but sometimes you just have to be still and tune out the hectic world for a while. This guy has had his share of medical issues the past couple of months and thankfully we have been able to have restful days.

Then there are days when we take school out of the home and go on field trips. So far this year we have toured the state capitol, dissected a squid at the aquarium, and toured the Biosphere 2 in Tucson. I could say that trips to the grocery store, skate park, mall, and our front yard are field trips in themselves but I like to call it every day living. But lessons can be learned anywhere and anytime. A homeschool mom has a way to incorporate learning into almost every outing. I'm sure my kids will thank me for it someday.

Here we are at the Biosphere listening to our tour guide. This picture cracks me up because I'm taking a picture, Anna is looking at me, Camden is looking in the opposite direction of our tour guide, Michael is paying attention and Jadon is no where to be seen. We are such great listeners aren't we. 

Field trips are great, but math is important too. I may just pull my hair out teaching dividing decimals. It can do crazy things to the homeschool mom. Where's my cookie, must eat a cookie. 

I've discovered that our middle child has quite the mind for memorizing. It hasn't always been this way but over this past year his mind has grown and developed in some amazing ways. He can memorize scripture, learn all his math facts, and the locations of each and every state. 

We do a lot of celebrating, especially over each paper that is written. Camden is on the one paper a week plan and it's been amazing to see how far he has come with his writing skills. I love looking back at old papers and now seeing him write papers that are single spaced and legible. 

Our jr. higher has graduated to this kind of paper. I always enjoy reading what he comes up with.

We get excited over passed spelling tests. 

We have some amazing friends in our life who want to help disciple our children to become leaders and help them grow in their relationship with Christ. This is a class Jadon takes once a month with many of his church friends. It's discipleship training at its finest. We are very blessed with such a great network of Godly men speaking into the life of our teenage son.

We take advantage of many programs offered for homeschool families. Anna enjoys two days a week of enrichment school. Here she is on the day of her Thanksgiving play. She was a pilgrim girl.

We spend recesses doing some of this.

We make crafts and get messy, or make messes is more like it.

We do chores, every day. We incorporate it into our homeschool day. Having the kids at home all day means more messes which means more chores which means our kids have responsibilities to keep our house looking and smelling nice, or in this case keeping the yard mowed. 

Then there are days when we each find a cozy corner and spend time reading. This is Camden's current book called STINK. 

Spelling comes easy for the females in our house but the males on the other hand are quite challenged in this department. We have found our ways to make it easier like writing the words like this. It's amazing how something this simple can make a word easier to spell. 

Then we have days when academics go on the back burner and we focus on character issues or areas of struggle. We mend relationships, we practice being kind, we say I'm sorry, we learn to cheer each other on, we learn to love better. 

And then I see fruit of our labor and discover a gift under the Christmas tree without any prompting from me. Makes my heart smile. 

We learn (or I should say we are in the process of learning) as parents how to raise children in the world of electronics. Finding that balance is never an easy task. 

We say go play outside and this happens. Not quite what I had in mind. 

There are days when I feel completely overwhelmed raising kids in a fallen world. I feel like I could be doing more, or doing some things differently, or like I just need to run away and catch my breath. This is my calgon. Everyone needs some young living essential oils. 

I'm so thankful for this wonderful man in my life. He's also my calgon and does actually take me away on dates now and then. He's also great and knowing when I need to get away on my own. He provides me with that time and I could never be a homeschool mom without his love and support. 

There are days when I feel like this...

And then days when I feel like this...

And days when it's more like this...

Or morph all those together and I could feel all this at the same time within seconds of each other. This homeschool mom celebrates, she gets mad, she gets sad, she sees the fruit of her labor and smiles from ear to ear, she sacrifices, she delights in victories, she learns through trials, she relies heavily upon her God who strengthens her to do what she does day in and day out. She calls herself a homeschool mom and as you can see it's not the easiest job in the world but it happens to be the most rewarding job she has ever had.
The End