Well, I;m officially a non home schooler. This is not the path I would have originally chosen, but it's the one I'm on. Due to changes and obstacles, I'm working a lot (and that is an understatement), I've put both kids in public school. My daughter started at the beginning of the school year, but my son just started on Friday. He was the one I was most worried about, but again the Lord proves that I don't need to stress. He immediately made a friend, and loved every part of it. That was my reassurance from my Papa in Heaven, so we start a new chapter in the new year. I love it when our consolation comes so quickly, because so many times I'm wondering where God is. Especially this past year. 2016 was rough. It was filled with unexpected choices, difficult decisions and a lot of heartbreak, and not just my own. Brokenness seems to have a trickle down effect. It doesn't hide well, and the waves crash over everyone. Tears don't come easily to me, and I don't acknowledge my sadness, but it erupts in other ways: anger, frustration, disconnect...and while that may be how 2016 ended, it is not how it is beginning.
HOPE. This is the theme of my new chapter in 2017. My son making an immediate friend and adapting so quickly to this change is a gift from God and God only. Those who know my son, know that change is hard, and making friends is even harder. So, while this gift was for him, it was also for me to recognize the One who made it so, and remember His promise to provide and care. His grace in this was and is undeserved, and that is what makes it even sweeter. Matthew 6:26 reminds us of our worth.
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Hope and reliance on the Lord will be my foreground, background and everything in the middle. I choose to embrace the changes that are still on the horizon with grace and gratitude. This is not a New Year's resolution, This is not a goal. It is just life.
