Impressing His Words on Heart and Soul

Today, my daughter formally graduates, and I end 24 years of homeschooling. Three kids safely graduated, after kindergarten through high-school of home-education. Honestly, looking back on it all, I wonder how I had the energy. I definitely don't now. The last one is graduating not a moment too soon. If I were a car, I'd be on empty. There is a good reason God designs us to have children while we are young. It takes all the rest of our lives to recover.

But I wouldn't have traded it. Not any of it. It was not all easy, and not all fun. Most of it was, however. And my only girl, the graduate today, was truly a child after my own heart. How incredible a privilege it was to share our mutual love of art, creativity, and animals. All those hours of dog agility, horse riding, sculpture, drawing....I will miss her when she goes off to college, but she is ready.

I took my responsibility seriously that I should teach my children, not only about school subjects, but especially about God. I sometimes wish I didn't take it so seriously...it was a burning need to obey God in this and I never felt adequate. I knew if I failed Him, I failed them. But I did my best, and when it wasn't good enough, prayed that God covered my failures, and held them safely near Him anyway. I hope they will all look back one day, and realize I gave them all I had as best I could. And I pray God will look on them one day, seated beside Him, and say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

World, be gentle on my dear Asherel, my blessing of God.

Deuteronomy 11: 18-21
      18“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 19“You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.