Instead of a Wrap-Up, I’ll just ramble for a while.

04.28.2011 | 9:15 am | Homeschooling

Why so long since the last homeschool wrap-up, or any update for that matter? Oh, have we been busy! The schedule over the past few weeks has been full of all-day yardwork, with breaks taken only for schoolwork, working out, and my continuous doctor appointments (which relate both to the serious health emergency from last month, as well as something new that came up. Lucky me!).

We live on 1 acre, and the yard upkeep is immense, especially since I’m responsible for nearly all of it. I’m proud to say that I raked the entire property, all on my own, except for two little patches that I begged Philip to help me with toward the end. After eight days—yes, eight days—of raking, my arms and hands were sore beyond belief. But then I got up the next morning and mowed the grass. Philip kindly took over that evening and finished the mowing for me, while I was at our neighbor’s house with the boys.

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A 7-Year-Old’s Take on Jesus’ Suffering

04.5.2011 | 1:37 pm | Homeschooling


I’ve mentioned the devotion book we’ve been going through during this Lent season (Journey to the Cross), but I wanted to share something extra that happened during yesterday’s devotion. We’ve gotten up to the point of Jesus’ crucifixion and have spent the past 3 days focusing in detail on the events of that sad morning. Yesterday’s focus was on the pain that Jesus endured willingly while being nailed to the cross, and the casting of lots for his robe.

At the end of each lesson there are usually three thought-provoking questions to ask your child. One of yesterday’s questions was, “Are you grateful that Jesus was willing to suffer and die on the cross?”

When I asked G that question, I was scanning forward in the book, thinking about the next reading, and wasn’t looking directly at G. But after a couple of seconds, I realized he hadn’t answered, so I looked up at him. He was looking at me with a sort of helpless look on his face, which obviously isn’t normal, so I repeated the question, thinking he perhaps didn’t hear it before.

He continued looking helpless, and said quietly, “Well…” and then I noticed his eyes filling with tears. I asked him what was wrong, and he choked softly, “Well…I don’t want to be grateful for him suffering and dying, because it was bad (free-flowing tears at this point)…but I’m grateful, too, that he did it for us” (more tears).

And now, I know for sure, that he gets it.

I pray that he moves closer to making a life decision to follow Jesus, now that he’s truly understanding what Jesus did for him.

But I was also struck by his sweet, sensitive response to that question. Undoubtedly grateful for what Jesus did, but hating that he had to ever go through it. So much so that it’s hard for him to even traverse the concept being grateful for such a thing. Of course, I grabbed him and hugged him, and let him know that his heart is exactly in the right place. He loves Jesus so much, and I’m grateful that he does. I’m also grateful that he’s here with me during the day, so I can take him and hug him at any time—especially when he has moments of fear, insecurity, or, in this case, just being so full of new emotion that he doesn’t even know how to begin to express it. What a special moment together.

I didn’t get around to last week’s Weekly Wrap Up, but I know no one really cares. However, because I love doing it, I’ll try my best to do this week’s Wrap-Up, and to tie in anything important that we covered last week, as well. Things have been pretty routine, with lots of yard work, doctor visits, and minor crises in between lessons. But all’s well, and that’s good! Hope to be back this weekend with the Wrap-Up!