Monthly Archives: May 2007

Tonight I attended a Graduation Ceremony for one of our local homeschool support groups.  There were eleven young men and women graduating tonight, and it was a very nice ceremony.  Okay, the poor speaker was quite dull, but I could tell he meant well, and he cared.  Motivational speaking just doesn’t seem to be his strong suit.  But the video presentations of each graduate were really sweet (well, okay, except for Kendall’s friend, Tyler, who spent a large portion of his video digging in his toes!  Hard to call that ’sweet’, LOL)  and I even cried when I watched Laura M’s, because she has always held such a special place in my heart.  I met her when she was five, and now she’s eighteen and graduating!

And I realized, as I was watching the videos, that my own baby will be graduating in less than three weeks.  I mean, I KNEW he was graduating, but it really started to sink in on me.  I saw all those pictures of everyone when they were babies, and my own mental slideshow began playing in my mind of Kendall, and pictures flashed through my mind of him growing up.  And the image that is still the clearest is the look in his precious eyes as he looked into mine the first time I nursed him.  Noone had ever looked at me with such absolute trust, and it was paralyzing.

Nearly eighteen years later, he still trusts me, and I trust him.  We have a precious friendship that I count among my most prized treasures.  And I can’t believe he will be going off to college in less than four months!  I knew time would fly, but I didn’t realize how quickly.

But I thank God for the gift of Homeschooling.  I have had the rare and special privelege of spending more time with my children, because they didn’t leave for eight hours each day to be in someone else’s care.  I taught them all to read and write, and taught them math, science, history and religion.  Kendall’s graduation from our little homeschool is as much my victory as it is his, and I am humbly proud beyond description.

I am proud of all of my children, and I stand in awe of each one of them and their special gifts and talents.  They are amazing, and I am humbled before the brilliance of each one of them.  God has been so good to me, and I am so blessed.  Abundantly, beyond all understanding.

Yes, homeschoolers do "graduate".  We really do have Graduation Ceremonies.  And I really do think they mean more to us (generally speaking) than to many other families, because it really is a team effort, and a family celebration.  I am especially grateful that Kendall chose to celebrate his graduation wrapped in the mystery, beauty and sacredness of Holy Mass.  I can think of no better way to celebrate this great even than by weaving it in to the most sacred of all events, the Eucharist.

I am blessed beyond all expectation or understanding.

I love being a wife and mother, even with all the chaos that it tends to entail. I love homeschooling my children, planning meals, and even keeping my home relatively presentable (except for the ever-present and amazingly prolific dust bunnies, I do a decent job of it!). But sometimes, we all need a break.

When I was a teenager, my idea of a break differed vastly from what I now consider to be a break. I used to think that staying out all night and partying was the pinnacle of fulfillment. But, (thank goodness!) I am no longer a teenager, and I am quite content with going out to dinner with a few of my closest friends and enjoying good company, stimulating conversation and a really smooth micro brewed beer from Belgium that I can’t spell or pronounce.

I spend my weeks in a whirlwind of activity, editing homeschool yearbooks, formatting graduation announcements, organizing my daughter’s 10th birthday party, making sure my youngest son makes it to his Driver’s Ed classes on time, as well as his Drama Club meetings and Class of 2010 Soirees. I steal time away to crochet an afghan for my oldest son to take with him to college in the fall, and find recipes that I think sound unique and exciting for his upcoming graduation festivities. I am negotiator, activities director, project coordinator, travel engineer and prayer warrior. I tend to all decorations, set-up, clean-up, menu planning, budgeting and therapy sessions. To say that my days are full is a gross understatement! But, I am happy, and the future looks bright.

So, an evening out with friends is a more than welcome reprieve from the day-to-day stress, and a sweet reminder of the blessings God has showered me with in my friendships. I am aware that everything I do is done only by God’s grace, and His grace is seldom more tangible to me than when I spend time in the warmth and security of true friendship.

Angela, Me, Lisa and Emily

Alexander received the Sacrament of Confirmation this morning! We are very proud of him, and wanted to post a couple of pictures. (We will be getting proofs from the photographer soon, and will send copies out at some point.)

The Confirmation Mass was celebrated by Bishop Peter Jugis at St. Barnabas Catholic Church in Arden, N.C. at 10:30 a.m. this morning. Alex’s chosen patron saint is St. Francis of Assisi. His sponsor was Greg Carter, who earned Alex’s respect and admiration teaching his catechism class last year.

There were 31 young men and women who received the Sacrament of Confirmation at our parish, and we are very proud of all of them.