Well we finished up our first official week of homeschool!

How do I feel?  Full-hearted, and exhausted.  A bit isolated, but more alive than ever.

Each day had it’s own trials and tender mercies, each day brought it’s own magic and fulfillment.

I was flooded with more fear, doubt, and anxiety last week than in the weeks prior, but I also felt a calm and steady reassurance, anytime I would offer those restless feelings up in prayer.

My biggest blessing right now is how much my girls are enjoying our new life.  They have become even more capable this past week, getting used to our ‘flow’ with tidiness and good habits, helping with cooking and the younger kids, and diving deep into literature and conversation with me and each other.

Another unexpected surprise to homeschool is how many opportunities we have to pray each day.  It seems natural to sit down and pray before breakfast and lunch, while we’re gathered around the table.  We also start our school day at our school table with a prayer, and we end our night with prayer.  The children have each had lots of opportunity to pray over our family this past week, and I am loving hearing their prayers and how their own spirituality is developing.  Grae has been adding to her prayers “bless we can all follow God”.  None of us have used that specific wording, so she came up with it on her own, and I love that simple statement.  Yes, bless that we can, indeed, all follow God!

I feel as though I’m on my own island right now, with my homeschooling friends long plugged into their co-ops and way of life, and my public school friends living a different day-to-day than I.  But this morning after some restless feelings about that, I realized that this too is it’s own blessing.  I AM on an island, just me and my four children.  We have been given this time together, and this wonderful opportunity to figure this all out together.  Just them and I, that’s the only thing I need to busy my time with right now.

The Lord is teaching us every day, and I’ve never before been so reliant on Him.  It feels good.

This week as Sunday swirled around us, for the first time I felt a little flickering in my heart for Monday.  Excited to start the school week was a ‘first feeling’, both in my own school life and in my parenting life.  God is so good!

First official week down, and looking forward to the bright road ahead.