Homeschooling during a global pandemic and finding the lost socks (the fruit of faith)

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During these weeks of living affected by Covid19, I have seen a lot of fruit come from homeschooling up until now. I am honestly very thankful we have been faithful with this, because now staying home is nothing new, and in fact it feels like our comfort zone.  Having only two years under our belt has seemed like a major loss to me (especially as I was not homeschooled and I do not share the extreme conviction about the seriousness of it that many of my friends do.....) UNTIL now. 

Having two years under our belt now seems like a gift. I can see so many good fruits coming out of living the quarantined lifestyle.  Each day I can honestly say that I look forward to what will come from this time of new change.  I also have to remind myself that Lent isn't just a season of penance. It is that- but it is more than that.  Lent is a time for change (it literally means "Springtime"), and thus, it is also a time of little deaths and small resurrections.  I always loathed celebrating my birthday during a season of penance, but as I have gotten wiser and sharper, I have learned to notice and appreciate how inspiring a season of rebirth really is. Without the struggles, we cannot see the light. Without the patience of enduring small sacrifices, we cannot see the fruit of the real and true resurrection.

Now these are the good fruits coming out of our isolation:

-In the time that we would have gone to the Y for our extracurriculars, and Mama time, and exercise, we have been watching the Mo Willems Lunch Doodles-- art lessons with cartoon master and children's book extraordinaire (author of the Elephant and Piggie books).  The kids sit together on the couch, with their notebooking journals--- Decorated cover of simple spiral bound notebooks-- and we are learning patience, and they have done some really excellent pigeon drawings thus far!  The change in our routine has felt welcome and natural, mostly because they already know the morning routine like the back of their hand. (Reading, Seton books - Grammar, Phonics, Religion, History, the works, etc.- the Y, lunch, Allotted screen time, Playtime, Math, Read books!).

-I cannot work out at the gym any more, so my birthday gift this year was my own Audible subscription. I have been going on long walks on the Riverwalk while listening to audiobooks, and it has been so pleasant.  I am so very thankful I had to lay down my Podcast and Elliptical habit because being out in nature with the time change has been a delightful small routine resurrection.  Molly was ahead of me in this curve front... she has been listening to Wings of Fire long before I got on the Audible bandwagon (although I recommend Librivox for listening to the Classics, by which I have listened to many).

-The kids are playing better together, and this mostly means the older kids are entertaining the younger ones so much more than they used to.  The first year of homeschool was learning the rhythms and routines, the second year was learning independence- how I can expect them to pick up the pace of helping with household duties including making their own lunch, and the third year is learning to care for one another. This has taken time, and I truly believe the "trial by fire" metaphor is real and the "planting seeds to see growth" metaphor is more than just a platitude. As I pick up on how best to lead them, they pick up on the rhythms of not only time, but character-building in tangible ways.

-Patience is a real fruit, borne of many truths of the Scriptures- made more tangible if heard by true believers in communion with Christ in the Eucharist who readily cling to the truth of Perseverance.  What springs to mind most readily of those I learned in childhood is this: 

"3 Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

-Here is what I want to say about hope:  when we make small sacrifices there is definitely a cross and a resurrection poured in by the H.S.  Hope is in the Kindness. Hope is in the waiting for the reality of the Scriptural teachings to sink in.  Hope is in the real, deep love I see between siblings.  Hope is in the kicks within my womb that promise of a baby sister early in the summer.  While we suffer, we have this hope:  God continues to bless our socks completely off.  I don't know where they are and if/when they will ever have a match or a home, but I hope and pray that the lost socks have a "come to Jesus" moment.

😋😛☺️

Resources:

Mo Willems Lunch Doodles - art lessons

My Homeschooling Pinterest Board

Reading List For Mama and For Kids

 read more at tacywb.blogspot.com

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