I wonder if my soul has been a bit more of a warehouse than a lighthouse, locked safe not opened enough?

Not every day is going to be easy, and that’s okay. Your calling might break and bend you on all the correct places. Lean into it.

Google shows you where you are-start googling where you want to be.

Sometimes our prayers get answered in wild and wonderful ways. Ways, that if they’d been answered when we first asked, we wouldn’t appreciate God’s wisdom in knowing we weren’t ready for the answer quite yet. We need time and experience to understand how blooms unfold. As newlyweds, we purchased a starter home and I started gardening, my feeble inexperienced attempt at placing seed to soil and expecting a abundant blossoms to appear.

I found a book at a local library sale recently. The cover worn and spine frayed. Flipping through, I briefly caught vintage book smell of aged grass with sprinkled vanillin~it gets me every time.

The due date though? 1974~the last time this book was checked out, I was one month old…

I think we all hit a point where we understand our human-intentioned plans aren’t working. Places and spaces of grace where our sensitivities will speak to us if we take the time to listen.

Mine was glittery shoes. I know, right?

Do the flowers that bloom later in the summer have less worth than those that arrive early in the spring? Often, the summer flowers, the ones that don’t wilt under the pressure of the beating sun are hardier. They may have had to work harder to burst their beauty for all to see, but they harness patience, long suffering, perseverance. Never underestimate a late bloomer. Or their ability to make this world a more lovely place.

Seeing early signs of autumn here-even our neighbor’s silver maple is golding a bit early this year. The mornings have a crisp overtone, more so than our typical morning humid spells.

Waiting and watching for the sun to crown the rooftop like a jeweled crown.

“Giving our children rest means being their safe harbor, their place to retreat when life hurts and the world looms large and people disappoint and mistakes are made. Becoming that safe harbor means being free ~ freely available, freely offered, freely welcoming.” ― L.R. Knost

I find myself drawn, pulled in and nestled to Miss Mason’s thoughts. I think I’ve learned more about the importance of self-education as a home educator than I did when I was a student? I believe it’s the idea behind it, that it’s my job to remain educated…

child digs for becomes his own possession.” -Charlotte Mason

Living missional looks different(breathes different) the older I get. I think I romanticized missionary living-let’s be honest, I idealized and romanticized a lot of how I thought life would look…

I do this every single year-doubling over choices. Whether the choices I make are correct or whether I could have made better choices. What books we read or what curriculum we use or whether I should let this whole writing venture go and give more to my family. I question whether the nudge is from God or if there’s selfishness at the table speaking as well-how the words I leave on a page might be better spoken over the hearts of the hearts directly in front of me…

“No matter the problem, kindness is always the right response.” ― L.R. Knost

Life can be a bit like baking bread-

you can measure and weigh and mix just right, but you’re not guaranteed the same outcome as the person down the street or even across the globe.

We’re doing yearly testing this week-basically, because, why not🤪. We school year round and are required to do yearly testing for our state-so, when the mancubs move up a grade level, we just do the testing and carry on. I look for consistency and progress.

I used to stress-partially, because there were so many learning challenges the kiddos faced for years, but also because I fretted what the tests said of me…

I spend too much time second guessing myself-the would have, should have, could have. Today, I’ll soak in the I will, I shall, I can. That will be my offering to this beautiful day.

𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 “𝙝𝙖𝙘𝙠” 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨?

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦…

“People who really want to make a difference in the world usually do it, in one way or another. And I've noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: They hold the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters. They get excited over one smile. They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. They aren‘t determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they're satisfied with small changes. Over time though, the small changes add up. Sometimes they even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world.”

-Beth Clark

“The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes."

- Martin Luther