Season's Change

This has just been a week of changes. For the last eight years, I've been working as a volunteer on the Five in a Row forums. We fell in love with that curriculum nine years ago, and I became active in the online community then. In fact, I can honestly say that FIAR has been instrumental in our lives in dozens of ways.

If it hadn't been for FIAR, our homeschool journey would have been far less adventurous and fun.

If it hadn't been of FIAR, I never would have met and become close friends with the most amazing and wonderful people in the world.

If it hadn't been for FIAR, I never would have met, Madeline, Albert, Henry, Babar, Sal, and many other fine works of literature.

And if it hadn't been for FIAR, I might have missed the countless times that I've seen the FIAR staff operate as the church in the truest sense of the word.

This week, I was approached with the idea of retiring from the staff, and I agreed that it was time. Steve didn't actually ask me to leave the staff, he just opened the door for us to think about it. So, I prayed about it, and decided that it was time. My children are so much older now, and I have so little time to really be helpful on the staff.

It's a sad time for me, though. I know I'll retain and cherish the relationships that have been built during these last eight years. But change is difficult for me. :-(

I've also been in the process of enrolling my oldest in public school. He's going to be coming home from some friends' house in the next few weeks. And we've decided that his homeschooling journey has ended. He's 15yo now, and ready to become active in sports. He's already taken the school assessment and will be able to start on "grade level" which I've never really paid attention to, but I'm glad he's really not considered "behind," ya know?

But the season of change doesn't end there. I'm also having my 13yod evaluated by the local special ed. co-op, to determine if she has learning disabilities that they can offer services addressing her lack of reading skills. Now THIS really does make me nervous. Although, the SEC director was very nice and said he would help me with all the paperwork and hoop-jumping that needed to be done. Still, it's closer to having "big brother" in my business than I've really ever wanted. LOL!

And lastly, several of the people I've been ministering to where we live, are moving. I am really not ready for them to go, and will miss them so much.

Remarkably enough, I have a great deal of peace about many of these changes. I know that God is working actively in my life, and in the lives of my family. Change is difficult; sometimes I feel like I'm being pruned and it's painful. But I also know it's necessary for growth to happen.

Lord, don't let me miss it.