At Home with Grace
Today is New Year's Eve, the day I have traditionally shared my theme for the coming year. God revealed it me a while back and I’m just very happy with it. My theme is At Home with Grace. Sound familiar? Ten years ago when I was trying to think of a name for our homeschool, I saw one of my books titled Mothers & Daughters at Home. I loved the thought of staying at home with my beautiful daughter, spending time together making memories. We did pretty well those first five years. Then, along came Dulcie. I didn't do nearly as many special things with her. Does any mother with her second and subsequent children? Holland and Dulcie share the middle name Grace so it just seemed perfect to name our school Grace at Home, reminiscent of that book on my shelf.
This past year or two, things have just gotten away from me, life is passing us. Our time spent away from home is far too great but I don't see that changing much. However, the time we do spend at home has increasingly become more stressful. Even our time in the car isn't as special as it could be for us. Scripture tells us that children are a gift of the Lord. I believe this and yet, I often live to the contrary. This year, I am seeking to change the nature of our time together. I decluttered many things from my life in 2008 but I want to do more. For example, my time chatting with friends on the computer will be limited so that I can focus on my gift of Holland and Dulcie. My time devoted to my little women will be more intentional. There is so much I want to accomplish with my girls before they marry and move away from home. The window I have to do so is becoming shorter and shorter. Our days are not a dress rehearsal. I do not want them to be a day to get past just to reach another, a more special day. I want each day to be special, memorable, time well spent. Not that every day has to be a tea party day but I do so want to find joy in the small things and to create lovely moments everyday with my girls. I see how quickly time has flown by for my sister and her three daughters. But I also see how close their family is and how my nieces are devoted to their family, much the same way I am to my parents. I want this for myself and my daughters. So much time has already passed and well, I would do it different if I were given the opportunity. I don't want to have that same thought ten years from now though. I want to look back and be able to say that I am pleased, to know that God is pleased with me as a mother. I want this year to be a Creative Memories year so to speak, full of shared moments preserved in our hearts, quality time, quantity. I want to make the most of each moment I have with my beautiful girls. It is my prayer that I can keep first things first. My first love will always be God. I want to obey him as he spoke to me to keep Holland Grace and Dulcie Grace, my gift of daughters, a priority each day. I want to honor him as I focus on my daughters at home. At Home with Grace.
