Strawberry Picking

I love the month of May because it means it is strawberry picking time. Hail damaged many of the strawberries last year, but this year was amazing. The strawberries were beautiful and abundant. Both times I went to pick the weather was amazing- sunny, but not hot and the late afternoon breezes filled the air with the sweet aroma of ripe berries. The kids absolutely love picking berries, of course they eat more than they pick and the evidence is all over their faces! Then it is home for strawberry shortcakes and whipped cream, which is a strawberry picking tradition. I picked several gallons each time I went, but with all these hungry boys I didn't have enough left over to make jam. I haven't quite figured out how much I need to pick to make a few jars of jam and feed the boys, but it's probably at least double what I picked this year! At least I managed to freeze a few gallons for smoothies.

Elijah's first still life

We enjoy painting in our household... mostly just for fun. I haven't taught them style or technique or anything formal. One day Elijah decided he wanted to set up his own still life. I didn't even know he knew what a still life was, but that is what he wanted to do and so he did it. He found the objects he wanted, set it up and painted it. He was very proud of himself and I was so excited that he wanted to do this without me prompting him.

The Giant Branch

There was a giant hickory tree that hung over our house- specifically over our boy's bedroom. Last Saturday I was in their room organizing and everyone else was in the living room. I heard a loud cracking sound and I knew exactly what it was so I sprinted as quickly as I could to the living room, when we heard a loud crash. A giant limb from the tree fell on our roof. But God is good. He truly protected our home. The branch only damaged the outside of our roof and didn't come through to the attic or the bedroom. Thankfully it wasn't the whole tree. So we had the tree taken down and our roof and gutters are getting replaced. As Ma (from Little House) would say- All's well that ends well!

Rejoice and be glad in it

"It is not perfection that God expects from mothers. There is no perfect personality that does the job best. It is not our background or training or the way we keep house that qualifies us to be godly mothers. God designed mothers to partner with Him in His eternal work, and He has promised to reward our faith and faithfulness... it is for the children's sake that we give our lives. We are protecting future generations that they might be strong for the battle of life. We are the real, in-the-flesh, tangible picture of God's loving hands, strong arms of protection, and encouraging words of hope to our children" -Sally Clarkson, Mission of Motherhood

Many times I have placed expectations on myself for perfection in our homeschool, in housekeeping, cooking, parenting etc and often times at the end of the day I have felt like a failure- battered, weary, exhausted, and overwhelmed. About 2 months ago as I was praying I felt very strongly that God does not want me to feel this way. I had my eyes set on goals that God didn't set for me. I was trying to do too many things in my own power- striving to meet worldly expectations. I decided I needed to know what God expects of me, what does He want for my life? This is what I found:
Hebrews 11:6 says "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him". God wants me to be faithful, to seek Him.

Psalm 105: 1-4 says " Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually." God wants me to be thankful and glad- to worship Him, to declare His wonders.

In Romans 12:9-18 it says "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality, bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." God wants me to serve, rejoice, pray, persevere, be humble and peaceful.

Deuteronomy 6:5 says "You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." God wants me to LOVE Him and my neighbors; to diligently teach the commandments to my children.

There are endless scriptures on hope, peace, love, faith, endurance, joy, thankfulness.
It is written no where in scripture that God wants us to feel defeated, worried, angry, bitter, frustrated, inadequate etc. God doesn't want that for His children. Those thoughts and feelings are lies from the enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy. That is why I've made up my mind to leave those feelings behind. I am working diligently at replacing the lies with truth- keeping my eyes set on the promises of scripture and focusing on living the beautiful, joyful life that God intended me to live. Rejoice in Him, in your children, in your husband, in your home, in motherhood, in your life... rejoice and be glad in all these good things.