The Final Graduate

On Saturday, May 20, 2017, Cornerstone Academy graduated its 5th and final student.

This year has been tough, emotionally. I have been grieving the "lasts" -  last first day of school, last Eagles basketball season, last Liberty basketball tournament, last semester as a homeschool.... and on and on. I have tried to savor the moments and appreciate the goodness.  My head knows that this is the end of one chapter, but the beginning of a brand new one that has fresh potential for growth and new experiences and joys.  But my heart still hurts.  My years of actively mothering and teaching a child under my roof and under my care are over.

I have grieved other stages of life as well. I remember feeling sadness when my youngest started kindergarten, and I realized that I would never again be a mother of a preschooler. Sounds silly, but it felt like a physical blow.  Similar to the when my oldest turned 20, and suddenly I was old enough to have a child in his twenties.  And when the baby turned double digits, and then became a teenager, and ALL my children had left behind those tender years of childhood.

I shed many tears this past week, even as I look forward to seeing what the future holds for my baby boy. I am proud as punch of him, and of his older brothers and sisters as well.  I LIKE my kids. They are good people.  I am FULL of gratitude that they all still seem to like being around me and their dad and each other. I don't take that blessing lightly!

Our support group graduation ceremony featured 43 homeschools presenting diplomas to their seniors. As always, it was a lovely, moving ceremony.  As I told him when I presented him his diploma, I am extremely thankful for the opportunity and blessing of being able to homeschool all 5 of my children. It has been challenging, tiring, and frustrating at times, but most of all, it has been my joy and my privilege.

SLIDE SHOW

My Baby's Not a Baby Anymore : Turning 18

Last weekend was my baby's 18th birthday.

Gulp.
Shake my head.
Breathe.

My husband, daughter, and I threw him a surprise birthday cook-out at camp, with about 40 of his and our friends. He was surprised!  Which is often a challenge!  It was hot & humid, but still fun! I was too busy to take pictures. 

He is awesome. Amazing. Handsome. Funny. Affectionate.  Competitive. Forgetful. Unorganized. Wonderful.

I use similar adjectives to describe all five of my kids.  I adore them all.

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy.

100 Days to 1000 Blessings - Day 8

Out of sight, out of mind. Unfortunately, that is often the way my brain works, and sometimes things don't get finished the way they should. I started to list 1000 blessings, 10 at a time, back in the early summer, but have gotten sidetracked. Well, I never said they were going to be consecutive days, right? And God is continuously pouring his blessings over us, even when we don't stop to recognize them. So here is another 10.


71. Sarah was just home for the weekend, and we had a really nice visit! She has been in TN since the 2nd week of July and this was her first visit back home.  This week she's heading down to Atlanta, where Safe World Nexus will have a booth at Catalyst, a huge Christian leadership conference, featuring speakers such as Jon Acuff, Francis Chan, Bob Goff, Blake Mykoskie, Katie Davis, Dave Ramsey, Lysa Terkheurst, David Platt, and more.

72.   Sarah bought Jason a new board game, Ticket to Ride, for his birthday, and taught us to play it this weekend.  It is a lot of fun!
*from the website:

Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway.

73.   Alex posted confirmation that his brigade will be coming home from Iraq early!!! They will be coming home in Dec / Jan instead of July!   Hallelujah!

74.  Fall weather has arrived! ahhh!  after a blistering summer, temperatures in the 60's and 70's are just divine!  This is my favorite season!

75. My knee is feeling pretty good after surgery to repair a torn miniscus a couple of weeks ago.  It still gets stiff and stairs are still tough and I'm not walking completely normally yet, but it is coming along.

76.  After surgery, my dear friends rallied around and brought meals for 2 weeks - I am so blessed to have people like that in my life.

77.. My friends are still enjoying my cupcakes, so I am able to send Sarah support to help her stay in her internship with Safe World a while longer.

Caramel Apple Crisp Cupcake

78.. We spent a day in Boone with Eric to celebrate his 22nd birthday.  It was a pretty day so we went to a park on the Blue Ridge Parkway to throw a frisbee around for a bit ( I watched -  bum knee ), then went out to Woodlands BBQ in Blowing Rock for dinner with him and his girlfriend, Ryan. 

79.  The freedom to homeschool and to raise my children according to my beliefs and convictions is precious, and tonight my support group will be showing the documentary, "The Child", which addresses some of the challenges to that freedom that our country is facing right now.

80.  Did I mention that Alex will be coming back from Iraq much sooner than expected?  And his contract is up in Dec. and he is planning to leave the Army?? 

100 Days to 1000 Blessings - Day 7

I'm going to do something a little different for this today.  I found this poem tucked in a file folder, edges curled and slightly browned.  It gave me some needed perspective on the disaster area that is my house right now.

I'm thankful for the muddy floor that greets me every day; 

I'm thankful for the dirty socks that on the floor do lay.

I'm thankful for the fingerprints that deck both chair and wall;

I'm thankful for the daily dust that on the desk doth fall.

I'm thankful for my kitchen sink that hides the dirty dish;

I'm thankful for the splattered wall from when I fried the fish.

I'm thankful for the Cheerios, Playdoh, and other yuck,

And all the stones and crayons that plug my sweeper up.

I'm thankful for the toothpaste smeared on the bathroom door;

I'm thankful for the wad of gum stuck to the kitchen floor.

I'm thankful for the scattered toys that often pierce my feet

When I must run to get the phone before I have time to sweep.

I'm thankful for the mending that I love so much to do,

That I hide it in the corner and buy them something new.

I'm thankful for the unmade beds that mean I'm not alone;

I'm thankful for so many things that make our house a home.

by Michele T. Huey

100 Days to 1000 Blessings - Day 6

10 blessings to add to my list...

51.  Going to a Mudcats baseball game on a beautiful summer night with my husband and son, and watching fireworks at the end - Classic Americana!

52. Getting an email ( even a short one ) from my soldier son makes my day.  He let me know yesterday that he has arrived at his base in Iraq.

53. On Saturday, we celebrated the 18th birthday of my sweet baby girl by going to The Cheesecake Factory  - our family and 2 of her bestest friends. :-)

54.  Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake....mmmmmm

55. Having good friends rally around you in times of trial is pure gold.

56.  And being able to be an encouragement and support for friends in return.  It goes both ways.

57. A friend asked me to hold her little baby grandson while she did some shopping at the Book Sale on Saturday - oh yeah.

58.  Singing songs of praise and worship in church on Sunday mornings fills my heart with joy

59. Knowing that God loves my children even more than I do is a comfort and helps me to release my worry.... most of the time.

60.  John 11:25   Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."

100 Days to 1000 Blessings - Day 5

List 10 Blessings a Day for 100 Days.
... honestly, I'm having to dig a little harder for the blessings today.  That is why this is a good exercise.

41. A good friend of Jason's had eye surgery this week.  It was a somewhat controversial procedure that they hope will restore some aspects of his vision that have always been deficient. His mom, Tammy, reports that things went well. 

42. I took Jason and friend to the movie theater on Tuesday morning for a free summer movie, "How to Train Your Dragon".  Even though we own that DVD, it was still a treat to sit in the theater and watch it on the big screen.

43.  Mark arrived home safely Monday night after driving 1500 miles home from TX with Alex's car. 

44. The AC is now NOT working in the van, BUT..... we now have Alex's car here, so we still have enough vehicles with AC. :-)  

45.  A friend of mine was just diagnosed with Leukemia, BUT the doctor thinks it is the not-so-scary kind, CML.  Putting our hope and trust in a great and holy God as she awaits the results of the bone marrow biopsy.

46. Jason's All-Star baseball team won their 1st game this week. Love watching my kids play.

47.  I was privileged to be able to talk about homeschooling with a group of new homeschool parents last night.  It is a blessing to be able to pass along the encouragement that was given to me when I started so many years ago.

48. The visas came in this week for Amanda's mission trip to Uganda in August. One step closer. 

49. The hydrangea and gardenia bushes I planted out front 2 months ago are growing and look great!  Another victory for the non-gardener!

50. Ephesians 2:8-9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith  - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

100 Days to 1000 Blessings - Day 4

10 Blessings a Day for 100 Days....

Hmmm, this starts to get harder after you've gone through the "big blessings" of family, health, work, home, friends.  The 100 Days are NOT going to be consecutive...
 

31. A friend's fb post about not having water at her house one day this week reminded me that clean water flowing from my faucets whenever I want it is something I don't think much about, but something that many people in this world don't have.

32. It is the July 4th weekend, and I am so grateful to live in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!   God bless the U.S.A.

33.  That little patch of shade to set my lawn chair in during Jason's baseball practice yesterday afternoon - that was a blessing!

34. The fact that my children enjoy spending time together and are real friends makes my heart glad.  My 23 yr old just asked her 12 yr old brother if he wanted to go to WalMart with her, and he turned off the movie he was watching to go. Alex wasn't able to spend a lot of time with Sarah, Eric, and Amanda during his 10 days of leave because they work at an overnight camp, but on his last night home he brought them milk shakes and hung out with his brother and 2 sisters for a little while.  Priceless.

35. After waiting until the LAST MINUTE, we were still able to find the exact car for Sarah that we were hoping for - a used Honda Civic with less than 100,000 miles on it within her price range!  YES!

36. Mark is such a great daddy.  He might grumble a lot, but he will do about anything for his kids. He spent last week finding Sarah a car on Craigslist, taking it to the mechanic to be checked out, getting her insurance, etc. (because she was at camp and couldn't do it)   Then he flew to TX and is spending the holiday weekend - and the 4th of July is his FAVORITE holiday - driving 1500 miles to bring Alex's car and some other belongings back to NC. 

37.  As we head out to church this morning, I am thankful for the First Amendment to the U.S.Constitution.  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech; or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." 

38. Fudgesicles

39. I love this little town we live in.  There is a big Independence Day celebration tonight, with live music, skydivers, concessions, and fireworks, and then tomorrow is the Children's Parade, where kids decorate their bikes and wagons in red, white, and blue and walk up and down N.Main Street, then head over to the town park for sack races, water balloon toss, tug of war, and crafts.

 

Children's Parade, 1997

40.  Isaiah 40:28-31   The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.

100 Days to 1000 Blessings - Day 3

Rediscovering joy!  List 10 blessings every day for 100 days.


21. Afternoon thundershowers yesterday brought some needed rain and brief relief from temps in the high 90's.

22.  We have a mechanic friend who will take a look at a car Sarah might buy and let us know if it is worth the money, since nobody in this family really knows anything about cars!  Thank you, Joe Rego!

23. Double-stuff oreo cookies.  Enough said.

24. I love having contemporary Christian radio stations to listen to, where the music is uplifting and family-friendly and the DJs are kind, encouraging and even pray over the air for their listeners.  Thank you, K-LOVE and HIS Radio, for blessing me as I drive here and there and everywhere.

25. The Public Library is such a cool place!  Thousands of books at my disposal, free for the asking,  when I need something to read besides the thousands of books in my house!

26. My family blessed me with a smartphone last Christmas, and I just found another very cool thing I can do with it!   I misplaced my library card ( again ), and when I walked by the self-checkout counter at the library today I saw a card that said that the scanners read library card barcodes stored on Smartphones!  What?!!!  So I sat down with my little mini hand-held computer aka Droid Incredible, went to the internet and found the name of the "app for that"!  I downloaded the free Cardstar app, entered my library card number ( which I do have memorized!!!  yes, I'm a homeschool mom )  and voila!  I checked my book out using my smartphone.

27. I am thankful for an almost-13-year-old son who still likes to hug me and snuggle on the couch when we watch TV or read. Don't tell him I wrote that here.

28.  Romans 8:38   For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

29. I love crawling into my nice soft bed after a long day.

30. My KitchenAid mixer is a great time saver in the kitchen.  I just went over 6 months without a microwave oven, but I don't think I'd last a week without my KitchenAid!

100 Days to 1000 Blessings - Day 2

List 10 blessings a day for 100 days!

11. Sarah, Eric, and Amanda all have summer jobs at New Life Camp. I really couldn't ask for a better work environment for my children!

12. My friends seem to like my cupcakes well enough that not only did I raise enough money for Amanda's mission trip to Uganda this summer, but I am going to be able to send Sarah a support check each month as she works as an unpaid intern for SafeWorldNexus in TN. 

13. My new cupcake decorating tips arrived yesterday - a jumbo 3/4" tip and a jumbo open star tip. And some pretty cupcake paper baking cups as well.

14. I love fresh fruit.  It is summertime, and that means fresh, juicy peaches.  Southern Peach cupcakes will be coming out of the oven this week.

15. In addition to my homeschool support group, I am also part of a Tapestry of Grace Co-op that meets every week during the school year and is made up of the coolest families in the world!  We love our Lollapalooza Co-op!

16.  John 3:16  For God so loved the world ( ME ) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

17. Jason attended basketball camp at NRBA last week and at NLC this week, both places where they stress not only doing your best and playing hard, but doing everything for God's glory and honor. Both are great programs that run by wonderful, godly men - Mr. Mark Miller and Mr. Greg Burton.  

18.  Our 3 cars are all running and all have AC this summer!

19. I'm very thankful for the "sistas" in my life!  My girlfriends laugh with me, cry with me, pray with me, encourage me, challenge me, debate with me, compliment me, stretch me, support me, love me.  I get to spend a couple of hours with my sista Eve this afternoon.  So glad. :-)

20. Not withstanding summer colds and allergies and normal bumps, scrapes, and bruises, my family is blessed with good health.

100 Days to 1000 Blessings

I've been in a bit of a funk lately, feeling a wee bit sorry for myself, not liking the changes that come with this season of my life.

Soooo.... I came up with the idea of listing 10 blessings a day for 100 days. That makes 1000 blessings!  I know that God is good, all the time.  I know that my cup overflows with his blessings.  I just need to lift my eyes and refocus.  As my camp counselor kids would say - "ATTITUDE CHECK!".

Day 1

1. My oldest son is home for a 10 day visit!  All 7 of us went bowling together on Saturday, and went to church and out to eat on Sunday. :-)

2. I have an air conditioned house, which makes summers in the South oh so much more comfortable.

3. The bank immediately noticed suspicious activity on my debit card yesterday and denied the transaction, so no money was stolen from our account.  Kind of eery that the bank "knows" we wouldn't be withdrawing money from an ATM in Hollywood, CA, but I'm glad they do..

4. Got an email from a far-away friend this morning, which made me smile.

5. My dad is doing well after emergency gallbladder surgery this weekend. Thank you, Lord, for my Dad.

6. During a time when so many people are losing their jobs, my husband's employment has been steady.

7. God's Word is true today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

8. There is a pot of fresh, fragrant herbs growing on my deck - an accomplishment for a decidedly black-thumbed gardener ( is that the opposite of green-thumb?)

9. I am part of an awesome homeschool support group, with a group of amazing ladies at the helm.

10. My husband loves me and tells me so quite often. :-)

There, I feel better already.

Counting My Blessings

The images coming out of Haiti are just heart-breaking and mind-numbing. How can a tiny nation, already desperately poor and politically unstable, survive a calamity of this magnitude? In the midst of the destruction and despair, it is encouraging to see the response of those rushing to provide aid and to see people pulling together to help one another. I am proud that so many Americans are reacting with typical generosity and compassion - and am somewhat dumbfounded by criticism accusing our nation of using this situation to "occupy" our island neighbor. If our government sat back and did nothing but send money, we'd be accused of indifference and isolationism, but sending resources is "occupation". interesting.

I've been following the blog of a missionary family in Haiti that gives an up-close view of what they are dealing with there...
http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/

Needless to say, I once again look around at my own little corner of the world and am profoundly grateful for the many blessings we are showered with on a daily basis. Some of the things currently topping that list:

• Alex should be boarding a flight OUT of Iraq and BACK to the US in a matter of days. His year over there is finished and he returns with his entire Brigade back to his home base in TX. Oh thank you, dear Father, for watching over him and keeping him safe these 12 months, and please give them safe travel next week.
• My husband has a job. Enough said.
• We have amazing friends who love us and are generous with us and help us in many ways.
• Mark and I are sooooo blessed to come from intact families - neither of our parents are divorced, and that makes us pretty unique! Also, none of our siblings have divorced, and even extended family has been relatively untouched by divorce. How did that happen? I am very grateful that my children have this wonderful legacy and model of dedication, commitment, and faithfulness to look up to.
  
• We are all healthy
  
• despite all the craziness going on in government and politics in this country, we are still a FREE people living in a nation founded on the principles of liberty, equality, and justice. We can protest against things we believe are wrong with our government and not get thrown in jail or shot because of it. We can gather with like-minded people and start grassroots movements and effect change, and not have soldiers break down our doors in the middle of the night and terrorize our families. We can worship God in the way that seems best to us, and we can teach our children what we believe is right, even disregarding the established state-run institutions - something that even people in civilized places like Germany and Sweden do not have the ability to do!