vbs 2015 ... #1

I’ve been scrolling through old blog posts tonight and oh, what fun it is to see what we were up to back in the good old days!  Among those old memories, I found this post about what may have been the first year my kids went to VBS with their homeschool friends.  I had completely forgotten about this post until tonight…

June 14, 2010 (full post here)

I have spent the last hour sitting at our church browsing the internet in peaceful quiet except for the music from my blog that I am enjoying.…..

Where are my little noisemakers kids, you may ask?  The answer to that question is why I am feeling a little guilty.

This morning, I dropped all three kids off at another local church for Vacation Bible School.  The older kids were invited by some of our homeschool friends who attend the church, so I don't feel too bad about them.  D, on the other hand, is just going because the older kids went and because I thought a week of mornings to myself might be nice.

Okay, that is a giant understatement!  As a matter of fact, when I told my Mama that D could go to VBS at a church where I am not teaching this year, I told her that I didn't know what I would do with myself, but it would probably include a few minutes of sitting somewhere just drinking in the silence!

I guess I feel guilty because I have never thought of using church as a babysitter before.  My children have been in VBS all their lives and they have even gone to VBS at a church where I wasn't teaching, but always because they have friends there.  Maybe I am just splitting hairs, I don't know.  I am just going to take consolation in the fact that my friends who are members there don't seem to be bothered.

Honestly, I find this post really funny now. 

We are again in the middle of VBS week at that same church and those kids who invited my older kids are all now in the youth group and they are still inviting my kids … only now Lora and James aren’t just going to VBS, they are helping.  This has become one of my kids’ favorite weeks each summer.  This is James’ first year to help, and I have to say that he has been looking forward to it since the end of last year.  Lora is spending this week helping in the same class that she will be teaching in our church’s VBS next month.  Thanks, Marie! 

I would be remiss in posting about this particular VBS without mentioning that Marie is an amazing VBS director … I won’t say that she makes it look easy, since I know how much time and passion she puts in to making this week a success, but she does make me want to be a better VBS director!

It is only Tuesday, but James has already learned a lesson that makes the entire week worthwhile … he told me on the way home that he now knows why we sometimes yell raise our voices when we say we aren’t mad … sometimes you have to raise your voice to get the attention of a child who is intent on NOT paying attention.  Nothing like a little bit of frustration to make an excellent teacher for my young man.

And yes, I am secretly gloating, but only a little!

I do have one confession, though.  I worried all those years ago about using another church’s VBS as a babysitter so that I could enjoy some peace and quiet.  I am over that.  But I did feel a twinge of guilt when I walked Daniel in on Monday morning and I saw the frazzled look on Marie’s face just moments before I walked out to enjoy my morning alone. 

Just a twinge … but, I got over it about the time I settled on the couch with a cup of coffee, my Bible, and complete silence ... ahhh!

it isn't your story

For the past several months, our homeschool drama group has been working on the musical Pilgrim, which is an adaptation of the book Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan.  For those who may not have read this book, it is the story of “the man” who realizes the burden of his sin and begins a journey (at the impetus of the King) which leads him on the path, first to the Cross and eventually to the Celestial City.  The path is sometimes full of joy and sometimes full of struggle, but the man, who is called Christian, comes to realize that the King is always with him as he travels.  I read the book in my younger years and plan to read it again this summer with my kids, but even knowing the basic premise (I can’t remember all the details) I wasn’t prepared for how powerfully I would be moved as I watched these kids perform.

This production has been several years in the making – since our drama director found the play and has been waiting for her daughter to be old enough to play Christian.  I have no doubt that God has been, in her words, staying her hand, until our group gained the needed maturity to tackle such a huge project.  We have never done a musical and the majority of our soloists had never sung a solo in public.  Most of them were sure that they absolutely COULD NOT sing in public, but they did and it was beautiful. 

God reminded me of many things as we prepared for and performed this play.  From the very first time I watched the DVD of the original performance and then even more as I read the script, I began to see so many parallels to my own journey.  Even my kids began to notice things and would often mention how some detail of life resembled the play.  Then, as I watched Isabela (and her Mama) tackle the role of Christian and face the many trials along the way (both figurative and literal), it became even more clear that God was in the timing of this.  These kids (and their directors) were not just learning lines and blocking, we were learning the Truth of the Presence of God in every situation.  The kids faced the trials of parts outside of their comfort zones and the adults faced details of sets and sound systems (among other things) that seemed impossible to work out.  Everyone dealt with everyday life that seemed to crowd into (or crowd out) the time needed to prepare for the play.  But, we persevered and the play came together; as a result, we had the opportunity to see God bless our efforts.

I have been working through my emotions surrounding the play since our final scheduled performance this past Saturday and I want to record some of the things I would like for the cast to know about what they have just experienced.  These are the things that I want my own children to take away from this experience and the things that I want to remember as well.

This was more than just a play.  I think our students know that.  I have been amazed as I have watched the kids grow through this production, not just as performers, but as people.  I pray that the truth of this play has seeped into their very being and that they will never be the same.  Each one of our drama kids may have been to the Cross before this play started, but we all need to be reminded that the King is always with us and that He cares about every moment of our lives.  I hope that they never forget that a Christian can leave the path, but cannot step outside of the King’s care for His children. 

Any play has the potential to teach us something, but this one goes much deeper.  These children – many of whom are actually young adults – had the opportunity to step on to a stage and share the Gospel.  In order to do this, each one had to “become” a character.  Some of those characters “fit” the individual.  Some didn’t.  Many of them had to go back and forth between being good guys and bad guys.  Some kids had lots of lines, some had only a few.  But none of that matters.  I want these kids to know that it makes no difference what part they played, the number of lines they spoke, or even the amount of talent they have for acting.  Every one of those students participated in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through this play.  Even those playing the “bad guys” set in motion a time when Christian learned something more from the King. 

And that is why this play was so very moving to me.  God using the good and the bad to show us HIS plan is a very real part of life.  As Christians, we often struggle to see the good in a situation that holds only grief and despair for us, but thankfully, God sees the bigger picture and He isn’t going to leave us in our despair.  Often, it is in our lowest moments - in the times of our greatest trials when our King uses the people around us to speak to our deepest needs and to point us to Him.  One of my favorite parts of the play is the Castle of Doubt scene (where Christian and Hopeful have left the path looking for an easier way and learn the hard way that the story isn’t about them).  I have been there and I am so thankful for the people who have filled the role of Hopeful in my life.  We all need to be reminded occasionally that this life isn’t about us.  This isn’t your story or my story, it is HIS story and that is infinitely better.

I realize that this most of this won’t make sense if you haven’t seen the play or read the book – so go do it!  Read the book that is.

I know that this is already long, but I can’t help but end with a few pictures of the play.

Lora in her role as Obstinate … she plays a pretty good bad guy.

James as Evangelist – my favorite of my kid’s roles.

Lora was our choreographer (she took the original dances and turned them into something our less experienced dancers could actually do). I think she learned that she would rather dance than choreograph.

The whole crew at Vanity Fair

educated?

It happens every year about this time. I realize that we are approaching the end of the school year and we haven't accomplished as much as I would have liked.  It doesn't matter that we school year-round, so the end of the school year simply means that there will be a change in our extra-curricular activities … we go from drama and dance to Vacation Bible School preparation … but that is another story in itself.

This year is different, though.  Now that I have my first high-school student, I am feeling the pressure to “keep up” with what her counterparts in public school, or even other homeschoolers, are doing.

But, that is not why I am educating my children at home.

All of this contemplation has led me to really search out what it means to be educated.  I looked up the definition … and the word means exactly what I thought it meant, but what does that really mean for my kids?

Simply put, what is it that I want my children to know before they graduate?  More importantly, what do they need to know before they leave the safety of our home and make their way in the world?  Does my responsibility for my children's education end with a list of courses to finish and credits to list on a transcript?  Somehow, this seems to miss out on the whole point of what I have spent the last 10 years doing … or at least aiming to do. I don’t want my kids to leave home thinking that their education has been limited to the time we have spent doing bookwork.

With that in mind, I am working on a list of the “things” I want the kids to know or understand before they leave the nest.  This list probably won't scratch the surface of everything that they really need, but I am just going to start and see how far I get.

To my children:

·        Each of you is loved unconditionally.  The love that your Daddy and I have for you is in no way tied to anything you might (or might not) accomplish ~ academically or otherwise.  But, never forget that we do not love you perfectly … we don’t have that ability.  We have made mistakes and we will continue to make mistakes.  Our mistakes don’t mean that we love you any less, they simply mean that we are human.

·        I want the three of you to learn to love each other unconditionally.  Someday you just might need each other … don’t wait for that day to come to become friends.

·        On the same train of thought as #1, you each need to understand that you are not the center of our world.  I don’t believe that God ever intended it to be that way.  Someday, you will step out of our home and make your own way in the world.  When you do, it will go easier for you if you already understand that you aren’t the center of the universe. This may not make sense to you now, but someday it will.

·        I want you to know the value of hard work.  Sometimes teaching you this seems like a losing battle to your daddy and me.  But we will continue plugging along.  You may not enjoy hard work now, but I pray that you learn to do it anyway. (See Colossians 3:17)

·        I also want you to know the beauty of serving others.  This is something that I already see each of you embracing, and I am extremely proud of you for it.  Just don’t lose the joy you now find in service. I don’t claim to have learned too many things in this life, but I do believe that you will never regret time spent serving others.  Oh, and don’t worry if they don’t seem to appreciate what you do.  Ultimately, what you do isn’t for them anyway.  (Again, see Colossians 3:17)

·        I want you to know the importance of being willing to step out of your comfort zones and try new things.  This was probably one of the hardest lessons I had to learn as an adult.  Don’t wait like I did. You will be amazed by the things you can accomplish if you are willing to try.

·        I want you to learn how to be a friend.  This is a tough one.  I am “full-grown” and I am still learning.  Learn to forgive, even when it is hard.  Learn that just when someone seems most un-lovable, this is most likely the time that they need someone to show them love.  Ask God to allow you to see people the way He sees them.

·        I want you to know how to think outside the box.  I don’t want you to buck the system just for the sake of being different, but I don’ t want you to follow the crowd either.  Think for yourself.  And more importantly, pray and seek God’s guidance and then follow Him!  (See Proverbs 3:5-6)

·        There is one final lesson that I want you to know before I type up that final transcript.  I want you to know HOW to learn.  In the immortal words of Ernest T. Bass, you will learn how to “read a little, write a little, and tote up yer ciphers” during the years we school together, but unless you walk away knowing how to learn things on your own, I will have failed you.  And what is probably more important, I want you to WANT to learn.  I hope that you will never forget the saying that hangs on our school room wall –

If you are not willing to learn,

 no one can help you.

If you are determined to learn,

 no one can stop you.

This list is by no means comprehensive, but maybe it is a good beginning.  I am thankful that I still have a few more years to be involved in my children's education, but I know that the time will fly and I will be typing that final transcript before I know it ... 

but I'm not going to dwell on that thought right now.

remembrance

We had a few minutes before the service started. People were chatting all around us, but we sat quietly talking about what we were about to do. He's seen us prepare for and participate in this solemn ordinance many times, but this is only his second time to partake. I asked him if he understood what it meant to prepare our hearts, to not take of the meal “unworthily” … he was solemn and serious as he answered and we talked about confession and forgiveness. And then my little wild-child closed his eyes and leaned into me. I don't know what happened in those few moments and I don't know if he will remember that moment in years to come, but I will.

I can't help but think of the gift that Jesus gave to His disciples ~ His friends ~ this gift that has been passed down to us. An invitation to remember … to never forget … to never take for granted His broken body and shed blood.

He paid a debt He did not owe because I owed a debt I could not pay.  May I never forget.

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood:  this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 

1 Corinthians 11:24-27 

what we've been doing outside of the classroom

A couple of weeks ago I was asked about my philosophy of home education.  I’m not exactly sure what I said, but I am pretty sure that it sounded as dumb to those listening as it did to my own ears.  I have since come up with a better answer.  Here goes …

I want to squeeze as much fun … as many good memories … as possible into the years I have my children at home with me.  Now, many of those memories need to center on your basic, sitting-at-the-desk-doing-math, kind of days.  Many days yes, but certainly not all.  So, with that in mind, here is a look into what we’ve been doing outside the classroom lately.

all three smiling ... quite an accomplishment for my non-photogenic family

my beautiful girl

the boys playing in the corn bin ... 
I guess you never get too old for this kind of fun

a rare picture of me ... sitting in the very stinky hay

ain't he cute?

 A few weeks ago we made our somewhat annual (read – we want to do it every year but don’t always get to) trip to the pumpkin patch.  We’ve been doing this since our very first year homeschooling … as a matter of fact, I think the pumpkin patch was one of our very first field trips to ever attend and I know it was the first one I ever planned.  This is not something that I ever did as a child (did they even have pumpkin patches way back then??), but I have loved how much my children LOVE this super fun fall activity.  I am sure that they have learned a few things over the years, but honestly, we aren’t taking this field trip to claim school hours learning … it is just FUN!

JW chose a flat one for the
pumpkin stack that is now
next to our front door.

D and his so-ugly-it-is-almost-cute pumpkin

Of course, some field trips are both educational and fun.  This was certainly true of our recent trip to the Grand Gulf Military Park in Port Gibson, MS.  The children were given the history of the Civil War battle fought there and then sent off to explore the wonderful park.  Oddly, one of my favorite parts was exploring the old cemetery.  Roaming through weathered tombstones is always such a poignant reminder of our connection to the past. 

Our history teacher - the park director

The kids wandering through a section of the cemetery

The group - taken by LB from about halfway up the
observation tower ... no one in my family
wanted to go any higher.

JW and his best friend

One of my favorite views of the day.

We ended our day with a visit to Windsor Ruins located somewhere near the Natchez Trace, not too far from Port Gibson.   Windsor is the remains of what was once a beautiful antebellum home.  This massive home has a sad history ~ the man who built it died within weeks of its completion.  Later, it was used by both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War before it burned down after a guest dropped a lighted cigar or cigarette.  

Just a little perspective on the massive columns

I took several of these just because the day was so beautiful

As we walked among the columns (which we probably weren’t supposed to be doing), one couldn't help but think of the lives that were lived inside those now imaginary walls.

A beautiful old tree that was probably
there when the house was built.

A very serious D climbing the jungle gym tree

While the adults and teens enjoyed the actual ruins, the younger kids found a tree that looked just like a jungle gym to them.  What a perfect way to end a wonderful day.

A bonus for the day ... my friend Marie (and her children
Izzy and Max) rode with us, just to make sure I didn't get lost ;)

birthdays

I’m feeling like waxing (a little) poetic tonight.  I’ll apologize in advance … but keep writing anyway.

The days are marching by faster and faster.  Sometimes, it seems that all I can do is think in clichés about how fast kids grow up and how quickly time marches on.  I don’t think I can keep up with the changes in my children.  My sweet friend (and “secret twin”) Marie informed me that it has to do with my age … hmm, just what I wanted to hear. 

In the midst of all this fast moving time, I have missed several important events that should have warranted a blog post.  A good mommy-blogger would probably give each a separate post … oh well, judge me if you must, but I’ll just lump them together here.

Last month, my first-born child turned 15 years old.  This beautiful little girl has grown into a lovely young woman.  She has entered high-school and I have been pleasantly surprised that she is beginning to take initiative and pride in her schoolwork.  She still needs some encouragement, but that is okay ~ I am not quite ready for her to grow out of her need for me just yet.  I saw a quote the other day and I can’t help but look forward to the time when this is true for us … “Daughters are just little girls who grow up to be our best friends.”

Last week my “baby” turned 9 years old.  Somehow this one has been hard for me.  I am now one week into my last year with a child in single-digits.  Maybe this has something to do with how fast time seems to be flying.  This little wild-child of mine is changing faster than I can keep up.  He may still be the baby of the family, but he is finding his own way in the world, apart from his older siblings, and I am loving it and hating it at the same time.  At least he still loves to cuddle with his Mama and he’ll even still let me kiss him in public.  I know that these things won’t last forever, but I’ll enjoy it as long as he will let me.

There was another birthday last week, but this one brought only sadness instead of celebrating.  My Mama would have been 66 on Wednesday of last week.  It has been 18 months since Mama died and I really thought that it would be easier to deal with by now, but it isn’t and I really wonder if it ever will be.  I have made a couple attempts to write a post about just that, but so far I just can’t seem to get it done.  The words just won’t come.  Maybe someday.

 

I’ll end on a happier note … my middle child will be celebrating his 13^th birthday in just under a month.  I think that milestone birthday should warrant a post all of its own.  I’ll try really hard to actually accomplish just that!

fourteen

I say it every year on this day.

How can it be possible that I am old enough to have a ____ year old daughter.

Here we are again and this year I have a fourteen year old!

I spent the morning looking through old pictures ~ you know from back in the dark ages when we actually printed pictures ~ and it dawned on me that I really miss those carefree days before the real world crowded in and we all had to grow up and go to school and such.  

But there is joy in these new days as well.  Today that joy is found in celebrating the young woman that my beautiful baby girl is becoming.  I find joy in the little things I notice about my girl ... this has been a hard year for our family and I can see her coming through it stronger, but a little softer and more willing to look for the good instead of the bad.  She's learning the value of working hard at things that aren't as easy as she thought they would be. That lesson alone will serve her well as she continues to become the woman that God created her to be.  Sometimes, I miss that tiny little girl who used to talk my ear off but that is mainly because I realize that she is quickly growing up and I want to hold on to our days together.  

I wish I had something witty or memorable to say at this point, but all I know is that I love this little girl with all my heart and I am excited to see how God is going to use her for His glory.

My little angel ... I didn't even feel like a Mama yet when this picture was taken :)

I loved this outfit!

With her Daddy on her first Easter

LB with my Mama ... we didn't know then that Mama would be
LB's first best friend.  I am so thankful for the time they spent
together while they had the opportunity.

I think this is one of the cutest pictures ever taken of my girl!
She was dressed up for her first trip to the Dixie Stampede.

On the tire swing at my parents' house

LB's third birthday

Her first day of Mother's Morning Out

The day she was recognized at church for memorizing 100 Bible Verses.
She sure misses her friend Poptart since she moved away!

At Disney, with the only character she really wanted to meet!

At a family reunion last weekend

Me and Mama ~ I was 20 ... several people have looked at this
and thought it is a picture of LB and Mama.

Beautiful girl!

Christmas, really?

It seems that lately I haven't been able to find any words for this little blog of mine.  Not that there haven't been things to blog about, there are plenty of things I want to share.  But, it seems that each time I sit down, fingers poised over the keyboard, my mind goes blank and the words just won't transfer from my brain to my fingers.  It makes me sad to think of all the things that I wanted to write about that I have missed ... kids' birthdays, school struggles and triumphs, LB's first play, JW's leading role in the Christmas musical, and the list goes on ... 

So, what is it that has finally prompted me to actually force the words from my brain to the screen?  I suppose it could be coming to the end of another year and looking forward to a new one ... that always makes me a bit reflective.  I don't really know the answer, but maybe I'll be able to find my way out of this blogging slump since I really do miss sharing regularly.

This has been the most un-Christmas like Christmas ever for our family.  We almost didn't even put up a tree and we didn't get out any of our decorations except for the Nativity scene that LB insisted we couldn't have Christmas without.  We did finally buy a very small tree less than a week before Christmas and decorate it with the new ornaments that we have received this year.  We jokingly called it our Charlie Brown tree.  I didn't even begin shopping until the week before Christmas and even then we basically only shopped for the kids.

We didn't plan for this to be an unusually small Christmas, but then things don't always go as we have planned, now do they?  I said several times that I couldn't figure out how we got from Dec. 1st to the 15th without my noticing the passing of time, but we did.  During the first half of this month, all three kids were in a production with our home school group.  LB was in her first play and the boys were in a Christmas musical.  

The following week, it became clear that Ronnie's grandmother would likely not live until Christmas, so he made a flying trip to the coast to see her.  He had only been home a few hours when the news came that she had passed away and we began making preparations to return to the coast for the funeral.  Her life should have a blog-post all its own, but I'll simply say that she lived all of her 96 years well and that her family is a testimony to her love for the Lord and her willingness to serve Him.

Ronnie, LB and I returned home on Sunday (leaving the boys with Ronnie's Mom) to try to get the house ready for his Mom to come stay with us for Christmas.  Again, this could be a post all its own, but suffice it to say that I have been reminded, in a very clear way, that I really need to get a better handle on keeping my home clean and organized.  A new continued project from years past, that I will take into 2013 ... maybe this will be the year I succeed!

So, Granny and the boys arrive on Wednesday (as in the 19th) and with her help we got the shopping done ... in other words, she kept the kids while I shopped.  It is a good thing that we basically finished on Friday, since she and Ronnie spent Saturday in the ER finding out that he had cellulitis (an infection under the skin) and not a blood clot in his leg.  We were supposed to spend Saturday with my family, but LB was sick and Ronnie was in the ER so I stayed home.  The boys did go, though they shouldn't have since they were both sick before the weekend was over.

And that brings us to another first for us, (we've never before NOT put out any of our normal decorations) all three kids were sick on Christmas.  JW was the most miserable, though they were all coughing, sneezing, and running low grade temps.  He was so miserable that he had to force himself to open his gifts and then he just set them aside took to the couch.  They have felt so bad that they didn't leave the house for a full week and when we finally ventured out today, they kept asking if they could please go home!

So, why all this talk of the Christmas that almost didn't come?  Because it has caused me to reflect on what Christmas really means to me.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I know the true meaning of Christmas, but what I am questioning is the place that Christmas has in MY heart.  Does worshiping my Savior come somewhere behind all the traditions that have always been important to me?  This year, with everything stripped bare, I have been able to see more clearly the things that need to change ... not in how I decorate or in how many presents I buy, but in my heart.

There was a song in our Christmas musical this year called What Christmas Really Means and it sums up how I have been feeling much better than any words I can come up with.  I wish that I could find it for you to listen to, but the printed words will have to suffice.  It is kind of long, but oh, so worth it.

We're invited to the sacred manger

where Glory sleeps upon the hay,

to bow in wonder at the myst'ry

of all that is fulfilled this day.

Oh hallelujah!  Where there was darkness,

now heaven's Light has intervened.

A child is born and we watch breathless

to see what Christmas really means.

We're invited to relive the journey

from Bethlehem to Calvary.

The Lamb will lead us to the hillside

where ev'ry willing soul is freed.

Oh hallelujah! He dies to save us,

and we fall silent at the scene.

Oh, pierce our hearts to feel the sorrow.

This is what Christmas really means.

We're invited to the tomb, now empty

for dawn has come and hope is here.

The curse is swallowed up in vict'ry,

and there is nothing left to fear.

Oh hallelujah! Jesus has risen.

Come sing the song of the redeemed

as we proclaim to men and angels,

behold what Christmas really means.

Oh hallelujah! We'll shout forever.

Love's final chapter is complete.

And He will reign and we will worship.

Oh hallelujah to the King.

As I contemplate the end of another year, I want to begin 2013 with an attitude of worship ... not because the calendar tells me that some day has been set aside to recognize what my Savior has done for me, but because Jesus lives in my heart and that is the only reason I should need.