* Things are Different *

Things aren't quite the same around here.  I am no amateur to home-schooling but this is all quite so different.  I'm having to school during a pandemic and it's more of an emergency schooling situation than a regular home-school.  I have not had the opportunity to plan and pick my own lessons, let alone my own curriculum.  My children do not get to attend extra curricular classes or mingle with friends while doing and learning hobbies.  We are having to follow a very regimented assignment list.  Needless to say that this has not been a fun home-school experience.  I realize that I am lucky and while I am familiar with schooling this way, many are not.  I have a few mom friends who feel overwhelmed with the whole situation of schooling or choosing not to school at all.  

There are a few things I want my children to take away from this whole experience.  I want them to remember this "Pandemic" as a time that felt peaceful and calm.  I want them to remember the time at home and how safe they felt.  The creative ways we stayed connected and all the fort building that took place during quarantine.  

It has been so different than anything I've ever experienced.  While something very serious and very scary is happening in the world, we are comfortable, safe and happy in our home.  While part of me feels calm and loves being home, the other part of me wonders when this whole thing will be over and our life will return to "normal".  

My sweet kids continue to work hard and get their school work done.  I am happy to report that there is only one day left until we get two glorious weeks off for spring break.  While we may not get to go any place fun, we will be working on fun things around the house and perhaps even fixing up their bedrooms to make them look and feel new.  

I am trying to keep an attitude of gratitude daily.  I've been trying to write or think of at least three things a day that I can be thankful for.  I know that God is always working and this is no different.  I will look up and choose to see Him even in uncertainty.  I need to.  I am blessed by His Grace.   

Here are a few pictures of our "Groundhog" days.  Lately it's the same thing....different day type of vibe.  

Everyday that passes is one day closer to this whole situation being over. 

* Be Still *

We have all sort of come to a halt.  It's quite the pivotal moment in history.  I don't think there has been an event in my life-time that has quite shook us in an eerie way such as this quarantine.  I've lived through 9-11 and it was quite sobering to see our strong nation look so vulnerable.  In the weeks after the tragedies our nation rebuilt and bonded together like nothing I had experience before.  American flags flew wild and proud every place and in almost every home.  It felt like a moment to be proud of, we stood strong, we united and we rebuilt together.  This, it doesn't feel at all the same.  Isolation is used as one of the strongest forms of corporal punishment for criminals.  Social distancing is the word that keeps popping up daily.  We are told to stay home, isolate from social gatherings including our Church services.  While staying home isn't the problem, that's actually pretty easy for me.  Not being able to unite together at church, the kids not being able to see their peers in school or extra curricular activities has affected us in profound ways.  One, it has made us realize how privileged we truly are.  We have so much freedom in the coming and going of our home.  Two, it has made us realize that this situation will probably affect the children who struggle in school already.  life as we know it has changed and it all seem so big.  We have so many questions surrounding this pandemic.  Why is this disease different from the others that have caused harm and even death?  Why are we having to shut down schools for so long?  Is it really all related to the COVID-19 virus?  We may not have the answers to all of these questions.  In fact, we may never do.  The one thing I know is true is what God says in His word. 

In Ephesians 3:18 it say's "And I pray that you and all God's Holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ's love.  I pray that you can understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is."  I truly believe that this is the time God is using believers and His word to draw everyone back to Him.  My pastors wife said that God is "Rising up Faith" in this time.  We are called to "BE STILL".  There is beauty in the simplicity of being home.  We have the opportunity to draw near to God, instill a greater faith in our children and lead them to God.  It isn't an easy situation and it all feels surreal but let's use this time to grow our faith.  We can point others to the cross by how we react to this situation.  We can help to bring the joy and the calm that is much needed in an anxious heart.  

I am hopeful that this is all going to cause growth in our Churches, in our faith and in our spirits.  May God lead you and direct you.  May His every day grace be felt in your home daily.    

In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my treasures and the time I have to home-school them.  I want them to remember this time as family time well-spent.