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Ready?

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Bible reading notes: Ezra chapter 7: V6 ...he was a ready scribe ...the king granted him all his request , according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. V9 ...according to the good hand of his God upon him. V10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach it... V23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done... V26 And whatsoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. V28 I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me... Chapter 8 V16 men of understanding V18 by the g ood hand of our God upon us V21 I proclaimed a fast ...afflicted ourselves before our God, to seek Him a right way for us... V22 The hand of our God is u pon all them for good that seek Him ... V23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and He was intreated of us . V28

Life as We Knew It

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There is an old country song called "Life as We Knew It Ended Today."  That is how I have felt today. Not melancholy, just recognizing reality.  The end of an era is here.  I have been a SAHM (stay at home mom) since Nov of 2000. Twenty-four years is a long time, folks!  You know how some books are broken down into sections & then chapters? The book of motherhood started a new section when I became a widowed mom. And today I close the section on SAHM.  Monday I start working full-time outside the home again. I will always be a mom, but all my sons are adults. They need me just in different ways now. The Lord has provided this new job as a way to provide for me and grow me in this next chapter of life.  Today has felt like the last day of a vacation, soaking it all in knowing this time is ending, yet knowing a new duty is calling. I walked around the yard just enjoying the usual evening songs of our usual robin, cardinal, and wren, with occasional red-winged blackbird and

The Empty Schoolhouse

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My youngest son graduated today! Several people have said to me that now I will become an empty nester. Actually, two of my sons still live at home, so I am not an empty nester just yet. But I will have an empty schoolhouse!  I began homeschooling back in 2003 when my oldest son was a preschooler. We began gently using  Before Five in a Row  and the wonderful companion books. These books and the ones used in Five in a Row  (FIAR)  became like dear friends as we continued to homeschool and more boys were born.  I have tried to remember how I first heard about the  FIAR  curriculum which has the parent read the same beloved children's book five days in a row and pulls out different elements each day: language, applied math, science, social studies, and art. Then it has activities with them. My most treasured memory of motherhood is having my sons surrounding me on the couch, snuggled in, and being captivated by a book that seemed to transport us to a different time or place. This was