Moving?

It appears that another military move may be on the horizon.  This knowledge of impending change brought about a very familiar cycle of thoughts and feelings.  Where will we go?  How long will this take?  What does the future hold?  After the questions, in come the secret hopes and desires.  Since we get to list our most desired places to be stationed I get very fixated on hoping for those destinations and fantasizing about what it would be like to live ____ or ____.  Then shortly after that first brush of excitement.  The fear starts nagging, the feelings of uncertainty and worry that we won’t get what we want that we won’t be happy.  And thus starts a cycle of stress and distress.  I’ve decided this isn’t necessary.  Really, Go figure!

While listening to my lesson tonight.  Pastor was talking about laying aside our will for God’s.  It sort of hit me right there that my main source of stress in each of our moving experiences was my desire to have things the way I want.  If I laid aside the desire for any specific outcome and instead focused on being excited for what God has already chosen, I might go into this whole thing with stability instead of fear.  I’ve decided I don’t “want” any particular outcome no dream destinations or care over when it happens.  I “want” to ride this one out with the Lord.  I’ve seen enough to know that He has carefully planned everything and never left me or failed me.  I don’t want my plan this time.  I want His. 

So, I’m VERY excited!  I’m going to be where the Lord sends me.  It’s never where I expect and always full of challenges.  All my roads lead to eternity with God anyway. 

I’ll keep you posted,

Mary

Homeschool,Don’t Forget The Fun!

With the holidays beginning in just over a week, now might be a good time to ask yourself, “Am I having any fun?” If your answer is yes, good for you but if you’re like me and it starts to be “NO” this is a clue that you are burning out!   Some of our best memories from childhood are centered around the fun times we had as children.  It’s easy to get bogged down and frustrated with our schedules right about this time of the year.  We see the long road ahead of us and we see this wall of distractions heading our way with the coming holidays and we know we will most definitely lose time.  Now, if your like me, that sends me into panic mode.  I start to imagine all the hours of school work we will need to do this summer just to make up for all the time we missed during the holiday season.  I see 10 years down the road and my children are very badly educated because I just couldn’t keep the full schedule etc.  Well… this is nonsense!!  What is life if it isn’t enjoyed?  It is vanity, emptiness, weariness and misery.  Our lives were not designed to be this way.  Now would be an excellent time to trim the fat so to speak in our everyday school schedule.  Do less! you heard me right.  Do less!  Give your family the freedom to have fun this holiday season.  January will come soon enough.  There will be long winter days and less distracted time to accomplish all that needs to be done.  You don’t have to walk away from school work altogether, you just might need to decide which things can’t be missed and do the others every other day or just put some things on hold until January. Don’t become a grump because you have put too much on your shoulders and no one is living up to your impossible standards.  Relax and just try and have some fun.  If you start to have fun so will your whole family.

Keep Sailing,

Mary Hugill