A Mother's Sabbatical

How is it that motherhood can be the most rewarding and most draining thing in a woman's life? I ask myself this and wonder how I can love my family so much and yet feel the need to escape from them at the same time. I'm sure that every mother, whether she stays at home or not, asks herself that very same question every once in a while.

Well, last week, I escaped--for a few days anyway. I finished all the laundry, shopped for extra groceries, planned a few meals, packed my scrapbooking gear and left my family behind as I headed to the North Georgia mountains with my best friend (who was also escaping from her kids). We packed more scrapbooking paper than we did personal items, not to mention the photos, the embellishments, and all the other paraphernalia that goes along with that celebrated pastime. We stayed up late, ate whenever we wanted, and scrapped to our hearts content. And not once did we hear the words "Mommy" or "what are we having for dinner." It was wonderful.

On the last day, I woke up early and felt a small twang of guilt as I reached for my Bible. Was I just being selfish? Should I really have asked my husband, my mother, and my mother-in-law to take up my slack and care for my kids for three and half days just so I could go scrapbook with a girlfriend? With those questions still floating through my mind I opened my Bible for my truly quiet "quiet time" and the Lord led me to this passage in Matthew 14:"...And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray..."

When I read that verse, tears came to my eyes and thanksgiving filled my heart. I knew that the Lord was telling me that even He had needed time away from His family and friends to pray and rejuvenate. I knew than that it was okay to go away and be alone in the mountains. While we may not have prayed to whole time, we did seek His peace and share about His work in our every day lives. I also knew then that I would be ready to go home when the time came--that I would be ready to face again all the joys and frustrations of motherhood and homeschooling because I had been renewed in body, mind and spirit.

This short sabbatical was a learning experience for me. I learned that my husband and my children can survive if I am not there to tell them where the refrigerator is. I learned that I can still scrapbook, even though I had feared that the busyness of life had stolen the ability from me. I learned that I am still a person apart from being someone's wife and someone's mother and that I can enjoy being just me. I learned that friendship is something never to be taken for granted but to be cherished and nurtured. I learned that taking time for me can make me a better wife and mother. I learned that God cares for everything I care about--even about me taking a much-needed mini-vacation from my life. God is so good--all the time. Praise be to the Lord!

Ethan's Accomplishment

Everything is different for everyone, especially for children. Each one has his own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, fears and dreams. Recently we were at an older playground where they had older equipment--like the kind Dennis and I used to play on when we were in school. Ethan was drawn to it at once because it was different from what he usually sees. It was one of those igloo shaped jungle gyms, and he decided to climb up. When he got to the top, he began to see that it was higher than it seemed, and he began to be afraid. Heights are not Ethan's favorite thing. He wanted to stop, to get down, to not go any further. So, to help Ethan not give up, Dennis climbed right up on the jungle gym with him to encourage him. Then Ander climbed up. Then Chandler climbed up. I yelled words of encouragement from the ground and took photos of this trial of childhood. Eventually, Dennis talked Ethan through his fear, helping him to climb down on his own. Tears and cries for help were interspersed with the words of encouragement from us all, but Ethan made it back to the ground on his own steam. He didn't give up! When he finally touched solid ground again we all cheered.

The sweat pouring from his face and the look of accomplishment in Ethan's eyes--those are the photos I should have taken, but I was overcome by the emotion of the moment and cheering for Ethan conquering his fear. When I looked at these photos today, I was overcome again with emotion. As I looked at them, I knew that they depicted what family is all about. It is about sticking together, encouraging one another through the tough times, and celebrating every accomplishment--big or small. Thank you God for my precious family! And thank you for giving our children a daddy who will walk them through every difficult hurdle.

Wednesday Morning

So, here we are on Wednesday morning. It's the beginning of the week for us. We're homeschoolers, and we've been on an adventure this past weekend. So we're just starting our school week today. We started off a little bumpy, but we seem to be on track now. This is one of the things about homeschooling that I love--having the freedom to travel without being tied to such a strict schedule, like a school schedule. We get all our lessons in, usually in less time. And we have so much more together time. I love it!

During our travels this weekend, we headed to Nashville, TN to visit family and to Kennesaw to visit friends that are closer than family. Dennis's brother and sister-in-law just bought their first house, and we went for a visit to check out the new digs. Very Nice!! We are so happy for them. All the little cousins played, and the adults talked and laughed. It was a great time with family, and a trip we'll not soon forget. Especially since on the way home, we missed a turn and took a detour. But the detour turned out to be pleasant enough. We were able to stop at a Scenic Overlook and see a beautiful view. Isn't God good? His Word says that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. So even though we lost a hour in traffic time, we gained a few minutes to view an example of His glorious creation.

And visiting with Heather and her family on Monday and Tuesday was wonderful! Like I said being with them is like being with family. We all felt so at home and had a great time catching up, even though the visit was too short! The kids had a fabulous time together. Now I'm not too sure about Allye--she was a little overwhelmed by the Pug Parade at the Pisanos--but she made it through and chalked it up to a growing experience. She told me that--REALLY!

The Beginning?

The Hall Family in Ga Home, School, and All is going to be about our family. Homeschooling will be a big part because that is a big part of our family and who we are. But it will cover all sorts of other things, too. Come along and join us in the advcntures of our life.