End of School Year Reflection: My Help Comes From the Lord

Day 3 of summer vacation!  Wahoo!

Maybe.

If you've spoken with me in the last few weeks, we likely lamented the month of May.  May came in like a wrecking ball and completely knocked me off my feet.

It was hurry up and get those last few A.R. points.  Then find that missing library book.  Then attend this program, then that meeting, then register for this, and sign up for that, then feel guilty over forgetting to do something important... like buying end-of-year teacher gifts, and I could go on and on.

People always asked me how I did it when I was homeschooling… I’ll say it was A LOT easier than what I experienced in the last 30 days, having six kids in 3 different schools!

The last day of school.

In retrospect, our family had an amazing year, though.  We made so many precious memories! 

I’m not usually a crier, but I was an emotional wreck at preschool graduation as my shy young daughter danced and sang with her classmates; how she blossomed!  She made friends quickly as she shared her love of writing with a few boys in her class.  She brought home STACKS of papers daily, all of them containing her name and the name of her cute little best friend.

I just got home from picking up my 1st grader from a birthday party for one of the girls in her class… that girl's social life is on point!  The first month of school was hardest on her.  She’s highly sensitive, so the many new people, places, rules, expectations, and concepts were very overwhelming.  But look at her now! She is already making plans for next school year.

My 4th grader was hilarious to me.  He has a summer birthday, so I considered holding him back in 3rd grade, but he thrived and fit in beautifully with the other students in his grade.  I had so many people tell me about how funny he was carrying around his oversized 900-page, almost foot-tall Tarzan book.  A boy that small has no business carrying a book half his size!  But what he lacks in size, he makes up for with his wit and unflappable demeanor.

My 5th grader is a highly adaptable young lady, so it was no surprise that she flourished at the top of the Holy Family School food chain.  It was a delight to see her interact with her kindergarten buddy and many of the younger students. She truly has the heart of a teacher. It was so entertaining to hear her highly fabricated daily classroom adventures! How much was true? I shall never know.

7th grade was a journey for my 13-year-old.  He developed a love for running and participated in Cross-Country and Track for Albany Middle School.  He had some major wins that we were able to celebrate, and he is looking forward to a fresh start in 8th grade.

Joining a new school as a 9th grader is about as character-building as you can get.  But my son handled it with a lot of grace and found his groove.  He takes a lot of pride in playing on the Albany JV Soccer team, with hopes of playing Varsity in the fall, and has done well in the Poultry and Farm Business Management Teams for the Albany FFA Chapter.

Wow!  That felt really good to individually reflect on each kid!  What great successes! 

For most of the year, I could only focus on the negative.  We had a lot of sickness in our family, as well as many unexpected circumstances.  I felt like I was barely surviving and was quite overwhelmed.

Which brings me to summer vacation.  School let out on Wednesday.  On Thursday morning, I heard the sound of glass shattering in my kitchen.  Less than 4 hours into our summer break, someone kicked a ball, and it hit one of my kitchen chandeliers.  Seriously? 

Anyway, I’m over here just hanging on by a thread.  But in the quiet hours of the morning, when all is still, and the babies are all off in dreamland, a whisper of hope finds me. 

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains-

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

The Maker of heaven and earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2

Dear Lord,

I praise You for Your goodness and mercy.  I praise You for Your grace in my life.  Without You, my life would have no meaning and purpose.  You not only give it purpose, but You make my life glorious. You make each breath worth breathing, as I know that You are by my side, sanctifying each moment of my life with Your grace. 

I give You my everything this day and every day.  All that I do, I do completely for You.  Teach me to love my family as You love them.  Remind me to replace my eye rolls with smiles, and my frustrations with grace. 

Lord, thank you for my MANY blessings, but please give me patience to love those little blessings well.

I praise You, I bless You, and I adore You.

Amen.

Until next time, your sister in Christ,

Leah