There we were on a random summer day, riding back from getting our favorite lunchtime treat together – egg & cheese biscuits. The radio was tuned to our favorite Christian music station, and we were both singing along. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw my bright-eyed girl, grinning widely at me. She pointed to her smile, and then pointed to me and said, “I’m just SO HAPPY that you’re my mommy! I love you so much!” *cue the mom tears*
I had been so much in my head the last few days, worrying and wondering, “Am I doing the right thing? Have I lost my mind?” But there she was, assuring me with her steadfast love that I’m pretty good at mom-ing. And since I know my prayers don’t fall on deaf ears and my Father won’t lead me down the wrong path, maybe I am actually equipped to handle what’s next, regardless of the knots in my stomach.
To elaborate, my daughter has been attending a private Christian school for the last 3 years, where most of her local friends go to school as well. It’s a good school, with less problems than most. BUT GOD. He just does not quit. He has been diligently working on my head and my heart over the last couple of years, pointing me to the idea of homeschool.
Then, a few challenges came up over the last year that rattled us. They rattled my girl. And I knew that God wanted more for her, and more for us. So to be the obedient daughter that I want to be, in the past few weeks, I officially withdrew her from the school, declined the scholarship that she had been awarded for this school year, and filed a notice of intent with the state to let them know I was opening a homeschool. *This is the part in the movie where the main character screams, cries, and throws up all at once.*
Needless to say, it has been a large mental load to carry. And I still had to find the right homeschool curriculum for us, figure out a way to continue working full-time from home (because we’re also currently in the process of building a house), and have complete and utter faith in that Holy-Spirit voice that has been reassuring me that homeschool is the right choice for us.
Trust me when I say, The Lord has mercy on His children. I questioned, procrastinated, and tied myself up in a thousand knots before I completed all the necessary steps to get this homeschool adventure started. And I tried to tie my husband’s mind up in the same knots, but he very gently and matter-of-factly looked at me and said, “We both know this is the right thing to do.” (Which completely shut down my inner Mrs. Worrywart.) *This is why men and women are wired completely differently. We need each other.*
So here we are, T-minus 2 days from officially starting homeschool. Today, my girl completed a readiness assessment to make sure she’s ready for the curriculum we’re starting on Monday. She scored above and beyond the “ready” line, which was further confirmation that we’re right where we need to be. God is SO good.
Please pray for us as we begin this new journey.
Blessings!
Emily <3