What Works For Us May Not Work For You....

      You say tomato; I say tomahto. You say potato; I say potahto. What works for one definitely doesn't work for all. I would say that is the case for almost every situation imaginable.  We have four children. That works for us. We often get remarks like "don't you know where kids come from" or "y'all should buy a TV". Sometimes we get even more personal questions like, "Would you really consider having more children even knowing that it could have lung disease like Tucker?" Yea. People really say these things. Some people will ask anything. Some people honestly believe that our life is their business. I say whatever.
     I am a people person. I love to make conversation with the lady behind me in line at Target. I enjoy talking to the little girl picking out a new toy while we are on the toy isle. I love to make small talk. I know going into a conversation with a complete stranger that my feelings could get hurt...but, I also know that this could be a chance for me to share my Jesus...or to just walk away smiling. It's worth it for me. Totally worth it. Except on the days that people you know...people you have come to grow fond of...say things that hurt. Say things that make you angry. I typically have pretty thick skin - most things I can let go. Sometimes, this is easier said than done. Period. Occasionally, I have been known to let other peoples words bother me and even influence how I think about something.

**Rewind 12 Months**

    "I want to try homeschooling the kids", I say to Scotty.
    "No.", He replies. That simple. He didn't even think about it. Just no. Not happening. Not for us. You may have actually fallen all the way off of your rocker this time. That kind of no. I will be the first to admit that maybe I wasn't the perfectly submissive Godly wife that I strive to be. I may have put up a little fight....something that may have sounded a little like this...
    "Please, honey. I think it could work. I mean just think of all of the benefits of bringing our children home for school. They would have more time to get a strong Godly foundation from us. They would have more time to learn life...not just how to read, write, add and subtract", I begged.
    "No." He wouldn't budge. He had good reasoning. Our children were attending a school that a lot of people wait years and years to get in. Our children were working on what seemed to be a slightly higher level than other children we knew that were their same age. There wasn't anything wrong with the school they were in. I just missed them while they were gone. I just longed to see their faces light up when "they got it". I just had to be the submissive wife that my God has called me to be and follow his lead. It wasn't easy, but that's life sometimes. Okay, if we are being honest that's life a lot of times.  I prayed. I prayed a lot. I didn't necessarily pray for the Lord to change his mind about the schooling we chose for our kids. I prayed for the Lord to put us on the same page. In the same sentence. Better yet, on the same word.  I prayed this prayer for over 11 months. Occasionally I would mention how fun it would be to homeschool, but we never brought it up very often. Quite honestly, I figured it was long gone from his brain...never to return.

**Fast forward to April 2012**

    We are riding down the road - I can't remember exactly where we were going...or even if we were coming or going! Wink! All I remember is the radio was turned up and the kids were singing "Glorious Day" at the top of their lungs in the back seat. All of a sudden, Scotty speaks up. I hear him say "something", but I'm positive I didn't hear him correctly. I ask, "I didn't hear you - can you repeat that, please?"
    "Maybe we should homeschool the kids next year", he says again. Now, I'm sure I looked at him like he had some kind of growth coming out of his ears because I was completely taken by surprise. I wasn't sure how to respond. I nearly cried. Not because I got my way. Not because I was beyond excited at the opportunity to be my children's teacher, but because God answered another prayer. He taught me another lesson.  He showed Himself to me again. He will answer when it's time. His timing is perfect. His timing is right. All I had to do is wait.
    So, I am extremely excited to announce that Titus 2 Christian Academy will be opening it's doors on July 16, 2012.  Scotty and I picked the name of our school very carefully. Titus 2 sums up a lot of things for what we desire for our children to get out of schooling from home.
    All of this to say this: Please choose your words and your attitude carefully. You never know how it may truly affect someone. We have had lots of people encourage us and support us through this decision. We have also had people....people that we love....say things that have really hurt. It may turn out that homeschooling isn't the right answer for our family, but we won't know until we try. This isn't a decision that we have taken lightly. This isn't something that we decided on over night. We have prayed about this decision for quite sometime now. We aren't sure if we will homeschool for one year or until graduation. We plan to take it one year at a time...we plan to pray diligently and seek the Lord's will in the decisions that we make for our family. We appreciate support from all of you!





Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. - Psalm 27:14