The Real First Day of Lent?
I know Ash Wednesday is the official first day of Lent. But … to me, that half of a week feels like a dress rehearsal for Lent. Those are the days that make me think, do I have everything I need? Am I really going to be able to keep that discipline for six weeks? How am I going to clear my calendar for more focused prayer time?
So with those things figured out, more or less, this is the beginning of the first full week of Lent. I’m plowing forward.
Doing Lent when Real Life Keeps popping up!
There are only 5 weeks until the end of our homeschool co-op semester.
There are also only 5 weeks left until the birth of my new grandchild.
I am eagerly awaiting both.
I teach American History to our high school students at 9 a.m. and then my Little House Literature program immediately following at 10. It is pretty rigorous to teach two different subjects one right after the other, to two different age groups and it is a lot of work too. Last Sunday I spent all afternoon watching a documentary on Theodore Roosevelt for my high school class while carding sheep’s wool for the Lit class.
I ended up icing my tired and sore right arm that night while re-living the Battle of Gettysburg on my Amazon prime list.
So it’s a lot of time and effort. Since it is for homeschoolers at a co-op, it’s not a paid gig either. This is all voluntary and many times even takes money out of my pocket.
A couple of times my dilemma was, do I keep studying for my presentation on the Spanish American War? Or should I tackle my new Lenten Devotional? The answer, of course, is both. I have a responsibility for one and an opportunity for the other. Should it be stressful?
Or maybe it just takes managing my time better.
Lenten Lessons so far
This Lenten season, I am working on not being so sensitive about things. For example, half of my students arrived 30 minutes late this past Wednesday because they attended Ash Wednesday Mass before class. I understand the importance of getting your ashes, of course. But as they came right after my careful explanation of the Battle at Gettysburg it was also exasperating.
Likewise, this past week I prepared lemonade just like Mrs. Wilder would have in the book Farmer Boy. I also had the kids dye the wool I carded with natural dyes like blueberry tea. But a few of my kids are gone for two weeks. They were also gone for two weeks last semester, which means they missed 16% of the course.
It’s in my nature to let this upset me a bit.
But my husband helped give me some perspective. He has taught 6th grade PSR for over 20 years, specializing in the Old Testament. He has attended courses, listened to books, studied the geography of the Holy Land, watched videos and podcasts, and put a lot of time and preparation into his classes. Sometimes he has 12 kids in his classroom, sometimes it’s just him and one other student. He told me that just prepping the course was therapeutic for him, and he got something out of each class. He also said that even if he just gave something to one student each time, that was a reward in itself.
I needed to hear that after last week. The truth is, I have enjoyed delving deeper into American History and I think I’m giving my students a deeper look at the people who made the history.
And on introspection, there have been times through my life when perhaps I have not been as grateful for the efforts of my teachers in the past either. I pray for forgiveness for those trespasses that I missed because I didn’t pay attention, and I’ll pay that forgiveness forward.
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Miss C. is in my Little House Class and we would have done that at home anyway. This gives her a chance to share with her friends. I’ll try to keep that in mind and be grateful.
NOLA during Mardi Gras
Sam and Kass did stay in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and did a great job sharing their experiences online. You can follow them and their experiences @Junipertravelz on Instagram. Their next adventure is coming up soon.
Izzy Art
I don’t get to share Izzy’s art as much lately, but here is a project she is working on for her oil painting class. She had to take photographs and mix them up in Photoshop. From there she will be painting on canvas.
