AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 11-12

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 11-12

Sally begins these chapters with the importance of companionship. I hope that you have at least one person or group that you are sharing your homeschool journey with. Someone you can bounce ideas off, laugh with, cry with, pray with, and be sharpened by. Inevitably, you will need this, I can attest that in my life there are times when my journey was solo and times when the path was traveled with a group. The Lord provides. Sometimes that meant that He was my sole companion.

From there we stepped into rhythms and routines. I loved Sally's list of routines. In my younger years I craved the element of flying "by the seat of my pants." That certainly wasn't how all my life was structured, but I loved the freedom to just change directions on a whim. Not so much now. Now life is like maneuvering a giant freighter in the harbor. Most movements are calculated and planned with a large family. Once we get sailing on the wide ocean there is more room for quicker course changes, but we find comfort in the known.

Some of my favorite parts of our family's routine include gathering together at the beginning of each homeschool day. We begin with prayer and scripture. We try and eat suppers together at night and read aloud during that time. We end our days with family devotions. In between all of that is school work, caring for animals, athletics, enjoying nature, etc.

In the last chapter Sally wraps up with summarizing her foundational ideas and what she would change if she was doing it all again. I found value in the wisdom she shared and will be trying to implement some more grace with myself!

As I closed the book I reflected back on what I learned. Surprisingly, this book hasn't been so much on my children as it has been about me. I need to make sure that my foundation is good, because that is what we are launching from. So much depends on what I provide for my kids. The things I stop to see in life and deem important, the relationship with Christ I emulate, what I fill our home life with, the books I set around, etc. From there I need to allow time for the wonder to grow and happen, and keep my heart open to the Lord's direction!

I hope that you were as blessed by Sally's words as I was in Awaking Wonder. Blessings to you a you work to a make your home filled with just a little bit more of wonder!