Victorious through RHYTHM, RHYME & REASON

Intertwined gifts ~

The RHYTHM of the home-schooling drum started beating again today. Third term commences...
19 years and it's still makes my insides hurt ... like a heavy bass in a confined space.

But the gift of RHYTHM has brought another gift...DISCIPLINE
(no wonder my insides hurt...who likes that word?!)

When we started home educating, discipline was not a quality I had very much of. But as I submit to the RHYTHM, I find DISCIPLINE tags along like an uninvited, but not unwanted, friend. The steady RHYTHM of home educating and I, may still not be BFFs (I prefer, by nature, a freer rhythm), but we sure do get along betterer and betterer the more time we spend together.

When I look in envy at my darling's disciplined nature, he tells me the secret is in 'not giving one-self a choice'. Do not ask yourself what you feel like. If you go down that path you'll only get trouble. Instead, just go with the RHYTHM...the RHYTHM of the alarm clock, the RHYTHM of the day's requirements...the RHYTHM of life.

 I try...I fail...I try again...I do a little better

The RHYME of home educating has changed over the years. It's also been a gift.
It used to have verses of games, crafts and fun-based learning. The next stanza - projects, groups and integrated learning. Now in senior years it is much more memorization, studying and text-book learning. But what a lot I've learned as we've gone through it with each one.

The poetry of it all as a whole, etched in the overflowing minds of my children.

But have I done this labour of love for the beauty of the RHYME, or the discipline of the RHYTHM? A resounding 'NO'! There is a REASON!

A REASON...a hope...a dream that we work towards. The REASON makes us keep going when the RHYTHM is hard. The REASON makes us search out new RHYMES to help us through. The REASON makes us able to stand strong and weather the tough times.

RHYTHMs  and RHYMEs help REASON to cross the finish line ...victorious!

~~~~~

"1000 gifts"...

#128  An early morning 'goodbye' cuddle 

#129  Nice memories of yesterday

#130  More fb birthday wishes

#131  Photography tip from creative daughter

#132  The familiar rhythm of school

#133  Daughter's piano chords emerging into a song

#134  Being reminded of the reason we home educate

#135  Easy dinners

#136  Phone call to my darling

#137  Smoothie from kind son

"The King was in his counting house, counting out his money...

3 GIFTS READ...

Talking to my 21 yr-old daughter about her day, to discover we'd both been working with accounts. She in her government job working with electronic records for company finances... and me at home paying the phone bill, etc.

Honestly, I don't much care for this job! My enthusiasm was apparently showing...

"Mother, do you remember when I was little and was starting to read. The whole page was filled with gobbledygook. But with some help, and patience on your part, I began to recognise one word and then another until the whole page came alive. From the day I can remember you had us reading everything...even "Robinson Crusoe" at age 11, which I hated! You told me I had to understand it, even if I didn't like it or make a life career with it.
Well, it's the same with accounts. Some people never put in the discipline to understand money and so they are always in money-trouble. Others love it so much they make career choices and become accountants & financial planners. You may not have made a career choice for accounts, Mother, but you are empowered by the understanding you have.
...You know where you've been.
...You know where you are going.
...You know where you are right now.
And with that knowledge you can start micro businesses in Africa with a little money, sponsor children, or become a world famous architect and do something much greater for the African children.
Oh dear!...I think all the dreams of my heart just tumbled out!"

My heart swells... love that girl!
She standing on the threshold of making those dreams a reality
Me smiling as I listen to myself falling out of her mouth, ...bills all paid.

Grateful that I will not receive any automated calls saying I forgot to pay... a gift to myself!

~~~~~

"1000 Gifts"...

#109  A phone call from my darling at lunchtime
#110 A florist walking up to my door
#111  Help from a kind daughter with my IT issues
#112 Kids dropping by the supermarket for me
#113  New slippers just in time for this cold snap
#114  My '1000 gifts' list on the fridge reminding me
#115  The Chronological Bible Reading Programme we've joined
#116  A new more-positive approach to the accounts :)

3 GIFTS FOUND AROUND A TABLE

My table...
meals, birthdays, schoolwork, crafts, ...
sharing, discussions, expanding ideas, ...
laughter, tears, acceptance, belonging, ...

Nurture happens around the table. Nurture of the body, mind, soul and spirit. My table...One of the greatest tools I have.

Jesus used the table. When He called them, all of His disciples were 'once-born-only' rather than 'palingenesia' - spiritually reborn from above. For a period of three years they came and went from His table. He cooked them a fish breakfast. He fed them on the mountain with miracle bread and fish from heaven. He shared a final meal with them around a table. For three years He fed their minds with new ideas of a kingdom. He demonstrated the Father to them. And they ate...

with grateful thanks Loma Photography©

What happened when He left?
One rejected and betrayed Him.
One vowed to follow but quickly ran into his own limitations.
One ran away naked not even stopping for clothes.
The rest just disappeared and hid.


Time happens...

The one who vowed to follow made those Jesus'-values His own and was the first to take the gospel to the Gentiles.
One by one the others all came back ... revelations in their hearts ... committed to their martyrdom.
His values now their's to live and pass on.

Discipled at His table.

Who is at my table?...

3 GIFTS FOUND IN LIGHT

To be found: 3 gifts in light.

I love light!  In science we have played with light as we marveled at it's abilities. The colours of the rainbow being a spectrum of light from the sun reflecting off droplets of moisture on the earth. Have you ever closely examined all the colours in a single drop of water?...it's magnificent! And then to try and capture them on paper...it sends my senses into artistic heaven. With delight in His wonderful creation brimming from us, we grabbed our cameras and were happily mesmerized.

So, come delight and ponder with me...


"And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light" Genesis1:3


God made light.

with grateful thanks to Loma Photography ©

All of the life that He created needs that light to exist. Even the things that live in absence of light require food that was made in the light.
Nourishment...warmth...vision...happy feelings...Light Life gifts from a God who cares.

Light pierces the darkness. Light exposes.
His light exposes the issues of my heart.


"The Lord is my light and my salvation" Psalm 27:1 "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:12




I become light when I receive His light.

with grateful thanks to Loma Photography ©

Reflections...

A GIFT UNEXPECTED, UNWANTED, UNLIKELY

I had gone to sleep last night with my list organised of today's activities, only to be awoken early this morning by a child needing an immediate ride to work for an unexpected early start. Before getting out the door I noticed my engagement ring had broken...very unwanted! A conversation with fore mentioned child revealed I had the day all to myself with no husband or children...after 22 years of homeschooling this qualifies as highly unlikely!

with grateful thanks to Loma Photography ©

My tendency of old would have been to be generally annoyed at having my plans messed up, to have felt despondent over the breaking of my engagement ring - sentimental and stretching of already stretched purse strings, etc. - to have wished for a day by myself when I could choose what to do with it, rather than the things I had already committed to.
But He has been teaching me that "...all things work together for good to those who love God..." Romans 8:28 


So, I choose to trust...

with grateful thanks to Loma Photography ©

I trust that every gift is good, and "...every good gift and every perfect gift is from above." James 1:17, "...that my Father knows what I have need of"  Luke 12:29-31.

If I trust Him, I may not sulk because it wasn't the gift I wanted. I must not be annoyed, or despondent, or unthankful. In saying 'Yes' to His gifts, I am saying 'Yes' to a treasure hunt.  There's a sense of satisfaction in putting all your effort into finding the gift, and a thrill that makes it extra special when you 'get it'.

with grateful thanks to Loma Photography ©

I 'got' today's gifts
...unexpected afforded me quality time with working child when she was fresh rather than tired at day's end.
...unwanted allows His provision to shine brighter
...unlikely quiet has been good for my soul. He promised me that.

                                                         Oh, how He loves you & me!