Life altering decissions

Today at church Bro. Anthony was talking about finding God's will in our lives. He was explaining how our decisions and our environment help determine God's will in our life. God puts us in the time and place to prepare us for His plan. Understanding how everything works together is why I try to think every decision for my family through and consider any how any decision I make for my kids is really the best possible decision for them. So, I've been thinking and praying and asking everyone I can think of to pray that I make the right decision for schooling for all three of my kids.

I've been thinking all year that something was not right with the twins current school situation. I can't put my finger on just what the problem is. I know it starts with the fact the the school's nickname is the Stevenson Saints and the mascot is a devil.

Maybe it's that I just remember how awful middle school (Jr. High) was for me. I H.A.T.E.D. Jr. High. I had awesome teachers that I still love but I hated being there. I wanted to be where my friends were (at ACA). I had 3 friends in Jr. High and I married one of them! I know my parents made the best decision for me. Even though I was miserable at the time.

That is why considering homeschooling for the twins is so hard. I want to homeschool. I always have. The plan was for me to homeschool from the start. It just never seemed to me that that was the best thing for them.

By the end of each school year I already know which teacher they would be with the following year. I make a point of researching the best situation for each kid for the next year and this year; I can't seem to find a best situation for the twins. So I am again looking into and praying that I will do what's best for them.

Mitchell is a people person. He is a total combination of the other two. He is very smart and very emotional. He needs to be around people to function. This makes deciding what's best for next year easier. He needs to go to school. As long as he continues to get great teachers at Schweitzer, he will go there. The principal is a good friend of a friend so there is easy and open communication if there is ever a problem.

Marion is an average student with the potential to be better than she's willing to work for. She enjoys learning but is very emotional and the minute something happens to make her unhappy or mad she looses all focus and without someone to help her learn how to deal with that she will never succeed at school. The fact that her twin brother seems smarter than her makes trying not always worth it.

Matt finds school to be a breeze. He's very good at math and absorbs enough information in the other subjects that he can feed it back to the teacher when required. He is getting bored with the whole process of school. He finds the other students in his classes immature. He thinks everyone should just be at school to learn, no playing around allowed. He is on the older edge of the kids in his class because he has a late birthday.

They have asked all year if I would homeschool them next year.

Around a month ago I asked Donnie to start praying about it. I would let him know my thoughts if he wanted to know but I wanted him to just start thinking about it and praying. This weekend he said that he was leaning towards homeschooling for next year. We are going to continue praying and deciding on a regular basis so that if any of us want to change the plan
there will be the option. So anyone with a clue how to go about homeschooling starting in 7th grade please clue me in!

15 years

So 15 years ago today my daughter JulieAnn died. I was 35 weeks pregnant and the cord developed a knot and all my hopes and dreams died. I can remember every second of the next two days, 15 years ago. I can't remember much of last week but every emotion I lived through 15 years ago is burned into my heart.

After all these years I still miss her. I look at Marion and think how much she'd like an older sister and I miss Julie. But if Julie had lived there would be no Marion and a life without Marion is not one I can even comprehend.

When do you get over losing a child? Should I be "over it" after God blesses me with two amazing, beautiful, incredible children 2 years later? Or when I realize how they wouldn't exist if she did? Or when Mitch says to me "I'm the luckiest boy in the world to have you for a mom"? Does it make me less grateful for what I have that I miss what I don't?

I can easily picture my life as it is, with Julie added in. What I can't see is a life with Julie in it, but without the other three. So I guess God does know what He's doing. I just wish He'd share the plan.