Formerly GGM: 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

January 2009

From the Editor's Desk
Happy New Year! It's difficult to wrap my brain around the fact that Growing in Grace Magazine has been publishing for eleven months now! Next month will be our one year anniversary of serving the Lord through writing what He has placed on our hearts. We have given you eleven months of desktops as our gift to you, and we have hosted twenty-one giveaways so far! It certainly has been an exciting year! If you had a list of goals from January of last year I challenge you to take a look at it again and see where you grew and where you can push a reset button for yourself. Maybe you'll want to keep the same goals on your list for this year too.

I wonder how many of you had a prayer list all year and which prayers got answered. Whether or not you got the answer you had hoped for or not, God still answers prayers and we would love to heard how God has worked in your life in 2008. I have had many blessings in 2008 and I am humbled that God would allow me to do so much for Him. I certainly don't feel worthy of serving the Lord, just as John said in Mark 1:7, "And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose." Yet He does choose each one of us to do something special for Him. How has God used you this past year? Now we have yet another year to serve our Lord and Saviour and may He find us willing to serve and may He find us to be a pure vessel to do His work through. It's been a pleasure 'growing in grace' with you in 2008!

Editor-in-Chief
Growing in Grace Magazine

View the entire magazine in one post

Special Announcements:

Miss Jessica joined us last month as a Contributor, but please take some time to get to know her better on her bio page here at GGM! Also look for her articles in this month's issue!

A special thank you to our sponsors this month!
You'll find their ads and links throughout our site and listed below.

*Have you ever thought about contributing to Growing in Grace Magazine? Do you have a gift for writing and a desire to please the Saviour in what you write? Come read this very special announcement about how YOU might be a part of our team.

If you're a business who'd link to partner with GGM and donate something for a giveaway, please contact us at ggmads@gmail.com.

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Miss Trish 'God's Gift of a New Life'

by Lady Jess

I am so happy to be able to introduce you to our January 2009 'Girl of Grace', Miss Trish. I have known Miss Trish

for a few years and it is amazing to me that she has such a joyful spirit after everything she has been through. When I met Trish she was in foster care. Most girls I have met who are in foster care have difficulty blending in with our youth group, but Miss Trish has been so different. Although I have only known her for a few short years, I feel as if I have known her my whole life.

Miss Trish has such a sweet spirit and she makes such a difference in our church. I am proud to call her my friend. Miss Trish sure has experienced God's grace in her life. Her mother went to be with the Lord and God placed her in one of the best families I have ever known. Miss Trish did not earn the opportunity to be with the Rodgers Family, God granted her His grace in placing her with them. I hope you enjoy getting to know her heart through my interview with her.

Lady Jess- How has God guided you through the loss of

your mother? Is there someone in particular that has been there for you to help you through that?

Miss Trish- The whole church helped me and I just have peace of knowing that she's in a better place.

Lady Jess- I'm glad to know she is with the Saviour. (smile) How has your life changed now that you are living with the Rodgers' and going to church on a regular basis?

Miss Trish- It has changed because now I have a family that can depend on each other through hard times.

Lady Jess- What have you learned about 'family' from your new mom and dad?

Miss Trish- I have learned about loyalty and helping each other through hard times.

Lady Jess- When and how did the Rodgers' decide to adopt you?

Miss Trish- Actually it was Samantha who came to them and told them that she really had a burden in her heart for me and my parents explained to her that it would be permanent and that she would have to give up her room for me to share with her and she was fine with it. So, I'm really grateful for that.

Lady Jess- What do you like best about being homeschooled?

Miss Trish- What I like is that the only influence I have is my family and I don't have to worry about all of the bad influences that I might have in any other schools, I have my relationship with my family, and that's enough.

Lady Jess- What are some hobbies that you like to participate in?

Miss Trish- I like playing the game cube with my siblings, even though I sometimes lose I am fine with that, it's about the fun. I also like to play basketball with them. Sewing. I really like sewing. My mom taught me how to sew and at first I thought that it was really boring and then she showed me how fun it could be and I really like it now.

Lady Jess- Have you grown closer to the Lord since coming to stay with them?

Miss Trish- I feel closer in watching my family in responding to negativity. My mom has taught me that I have a voice and I need to stand up for myself and God, and tell the truth. My mom has also taught me that I have a reputation and that I needed to work on it. Before I moved in with them I didn't have discretion or good hygiene and she just has helped me learn how to be more kind and to use kind words and stuff like that.

Lady Jess- Tell us about the relationships you have with your new siblings?

Miss Trish- It's better now that I live with other people because I have siblings the same age. I think communication is better because we are closer in age. In the other families I have stayed with over the years, I was the youngest and they never really talked to me. Now we are all closer in age and it is easier to communicate with them. Also, the fact that I now have a dad and I love that!

Lady Jess- What has been one of the most memorable times you have had with your family since you've been with them?

Miss Trish- Just when we are all together is the best. I like it when we play games like hide and seek in the dark, when we go places together like Disneyland. That was really fun. I think that some of the best times that I have had with them has been around our table. Just talking and being together is the best.

Lady Jess- That was a really great answer, because most of the kids I know would probably end on the 'Disneyland' factor and then talk about how great it is to be with other families with kids their age. That's really great that you feel differently. Overall, thinking of the statement , 'God's Grace' how would you describe what God is doing in your life?

Miss Trish- What God has done in my life to show His grace is that he has always given me someone I could go to. Like when I was with my birth mom he gave me a bus captain (who happens to be my Uncle Eugene now) and when I was in foster care a social worker who was a Christian, then when I was in a home that I really didn't like He gave me a Christian teacher. Now that I have the Lord and I can talk to Him. I can use what I've been through to help others.

Lady Jess-Thank you Miss Trish, for sharing about your life and what God has done and continues to do in your life. ((big hugs))

Lady Jess is a teen lady who is homeschooled along with her siblings. She assists her mother in teaching her younger siblings, is an interpreter in her church's deaf ministry, sings in the choir, and is the Toys for Tots Assistant in her county.

Interview with Mrs. Ronneberg "Beauty of Braille"

by Lady Jess

I feel so blessed that God has allowed me to know such wonderful people. It has been a pleasure to know Miss Charlene and to be able to learn sign language in order to communicate with her. I also have the privilege of knowing Mrs. Ronneberg. Miss Virginia and I had the great opportunity of going to her home to learn all about her life and how she accomplishes her daily life while being blind.

We discovered that much of what she told me is so similar to the same things I have learned about the deaf. They find their way of living life no matter what obstacles they face. While Miss Charlene is without hearing and Mrs. Ronneberg is without sight, they actually have a lot in common.

Many people don't realize how incredibly smart the blind and the deaf can be. All they need is someone to teach them. Some of you might remember when Sisterlisa wrote about Helen Keller and her friend and teacher Anne Sullivan. Miss Keller was deaf and blind, yet Miss Sullivan was only blind. Hand in hand they worked together to build upon each other's lives.

While we spent the afternoon with Mrs. Ronneberg we were able to find out how she lives her life and my family and I found it fascinating!

Jess- At what age did you go blind?

Mrs. R.- I started going blind at age six. It was a progressive thing.

Jess- Are you completely blind?

Mrs. R.- No, I can still identify light and some shapes. I can tell that you are standing there, but I can't tell what you really look like.

Jess- Did you already know how to read before you learned braille?

Mrs. R.- No, I think I was too young to understand how to read.

Jess- In what ways do you serve God in the ministry?

Mrs. R.- My husband does the photography in the church, so when pastor is introducing them for baptism and things like that, I try to write down their names in order as fast as I can so that my husband can match them correctly when he makes the certificates.

Jess- Is it hard to go about your every day life?

Mrs. R.- No, I have sort of memorized pretty much where everything is in my house. If my husband or my son moves anything, they had better tell me, because I would probably bump into it or fall. I also had some one teach me how to do my makeup, so I can do that myself. But, if I get mascara under my eye, or something, my husband will tell me about it.

Jess- What is a memory you have that is special to you, from when you were a little girl?

Mrs. R.- I remember seeing certain things when I was younger, like different trees. So if anyone talks about a tree, I have a mental image of what it looks like.

Jess- Are there other family members that have lost their sight too?

Mrs. R.- Both of my older sisters have the same eye condition that I have.

Jess- Can you tell us what caused your blindness?

Mrs. R.- It's an inherited condition. Both of my sisters have the same, it's called Cone-rod Dystrophy.

Jess- What are a few things you miss seeing?

Mrs. R.- It's not that I miss seeing anything, it's normal. This is the way God made me, and I'm fine with that.

Jess- Were you able to go to school blind?
Mrs. R- I was able to attend a normal school with the help of a 'reader'. A woman would come to class with me and read the books to me.
Jess- That is like how Miss Charlene had an interpreter in school right?
Mrs. R.- Yes I would think that is the same.

Jess- How do you organize your food?
Mrs. R.- I make labels with Braille. I have made some that are magnetic and I add them to the canned food in my pantry. In my pantry I keep cardboard in between the food so I can easily find what I want to cook. My refrigerator has Braille labels also so I know what button I am pushing. For the stove I know the first click turns the stove on and half way around is medium. I have memorized how t o use everything in my home.

Jess- How do you choose your clothing each day?

Mrs. R.- I have it all memorized and labeled, I just have to be careful. I can see some things when they are right next to my face, but, for example, a black shoe and a navy blue shoe look awfully alike. I still sort-of rely on my husband and my son to tell me about that. I also keep my earring organized in little boxes, by color. I know where each earring is located!

Jess- What are some ways your husband helps you that you could not get through the day without?

Mrs. R.- He takes me different places and he describes things to me, so that I can 'see' what's going on.

Jess- How old were you when you learned to read and write in Braille?

Mrs. R.- I was seven years old. My older sisters had a tutor that would come over and help them learn how to read and write in braille. So, I sort-of caught on.

Jess- Are there many books in Braille form for you to enjoy?

Mrs. R.- No, I mostly listen to books on tape.

Jess- Do you have a Bible in Braille?

Mrs. R.- No, that would take volume after volume of books to get it all written down. I have the Bible on tape.

Jess- Are you a part of any blind groups? (If so what do they do together?)

Mrs. R.- Yes, I meet with a local support group. Sometimes we have speakers that come and talk about new resources for the blind.

Jess- Do you send letters to your sister in Braille?

Mrs. R.- No, we all have the same phone plan, so we just call each other.

Jess- Tell me about these items on your table. I see these two blocks that have pegs in them. Can you tell me about those?

Mrs. R.- Yes those are called Cell Blocks. Each block has 6 cells that the pegs go in. We use them for practicing Braille. You can take out the pegs and add in the ones for the letter or number you are trying to create. It's good to use these when you're first learning how to read and write in Braille.

Jess- That is so interesting! What else do you have here?

Mrs. R.- I have Braille playing cards and Braille dice. The dots on the dice are raised so I can 'see' what number is

displayed. The cards have Braille too.

Jess- That is neat that you have a way to play games in Braille. What are these metal plates for?

Mrs. R.- These are called Slates. You can put cards in between them and use a Stylus to punch the holes into the cards to make words. You have to do it backwards so that when you turn the card around we can feel the dots. There are small ones and larger ones for bigger sheets of paper.

Jess- This is all so fascinating Mrs. R. Tell me about this machine you have over here.

Mrs. R.- Oh yes this is called a Braille Machine. You can use it like a typewriter.

Jess- This is really fun for us Mrs. R. What about this brown book I see?

Mrs. R.- This is the book I learned to read from. The first page shows you the alphabet and the dots that represent each letter and number. Anytime you want to make a capital letter you punch in one dot before the letter you want capitalized. I have some extra worksheets here for you to take home. You can use them to practice learning to write Braille.

Jess- That is great Mrs. R. Thank you! Can we send some to the winner of our Louis Braille book giveaway?

Mrs. R.- Oh yes of course you can! I have a Braille card you can take too.

Jess- Thank you so much for taking the time to let us interview you Mrs. R. We had a lot of fun learning abut your life and about Braille.

Mrs. R.- You're welcome girls. If you have any more questions just let me know. And please send my husband the link to this article so he can read it to me. :O)

Jess- Of course!

I have a book I read about Louis Braille. This book is intended for ages 9-12, but I found it very interesting.
When Louis Braille was very young he went blind by accident. Although his parents reluctantly sent him to a special school for the blind, by recommendation of the priest, God used that time to inspire him to create something that would benefit the blind learn in learning how to read. While growing up he had a passion for books, now that he is older he believes that he has invented a way for blind people to be able to read, but what is it? Will the world accept the invention brought forth by a blind man? This book has the answers and I think you will enjoy reading about his life.

Along with this book giveaway we are ALSO sending the winner the Braille worksheet pages Mrs. R. made for us. You will get:

1- The Braille Alphabet and Number Card
2- Mrs. R.'s name sheet in Braille for an example
3- A Blank Worksheet to practice on
4- The Braille Alphabet Sheet
5- A Blank Braille Alphabet sheet to practice on.
6- And a Message sheet that Mrs. R. wrote for you to decipher along with a sheet you can write your own message on.
7- And a special message from me just for our readers of GGM!
(and you may make copies of these for your siblings to practice too.)

This is a great learning experience for those who wish to learn about the Blind Culture. It sure has been a fun lesson for our home school.

To Enter please follow the directions below:

1. Subscribe to Growing in Grace Magazine and forward your subscription confirmation email to: ggmads@gmail.com

2. Leave a comment for Mrs. R. in the comment box below.

3. Post about this giveaway on your blog and leave us the link.

For additional culture study on the Blind you can go to The National Federation of the Blind.
Suggested topics to research:
Can the blind use a computer?
What other ways can those who are visually impaired read?
Are there libraries for the blind?
Guide Dogs
Are there Braille books for children?
Is there a school for the Blind near you?
Here is a story from a woman who wrote "Homemaking After I Became Blind" by Mary Lou Hentges

With No Place to Call Home

By Miss Charlene

I was asked to write this article because SisterLisa knew that I had a past of being homeless. I will have to think about some things that I have finally forgotten. It took me a long time to get over it growing up as a kid. I can honestly say that looking back, in spite of the hardships, it was a valuable lesson to be learned.

I was born into a deaf family. I had a deaf father, mother and younger sister. I was also born on the road because we were constantly moving with no place to go. My father refused to work and received a disability income from the government called Social Security. Often times, he would leave us and my mother stranded in some strange town to fend for ourselves. Where he went, none of us really knew.

We were in a different town every two months or less. I have been to fourteen different schools and that was before the fourth grade. My mother tried counting all the places that I have lived and it was over forty different places. I grew up in the backseat of a car, and not even the same car because my father would trade it in every two weeks.

My sister and I grew up sleeping in the backseat of the car. Some people would let us sleep on their floor if my father knew them from his old school or someplace else. If we were lucky, we would get to sleep in a motel room. I loved motel rooms and I especially loved the vending machines with snacks and soda!

There were many times when our car broke down or if we ran out of food, that my father would

make us stay at a supermarket parking lot all day in the sun and sell ABC cards. These cards were a tiny card that showed the hand signs for the alphabet. It had a BIC pen that was put in the middle. Inside the card, it said "any donation needed."

My father would make me do a lot of the ABC card handouts because he said people felt sorry for kids more. I remember being so humiliated because we had to knock on car windows if we saw a person sitting inside and waiting in the parking lot. Most of the time we would get spare change or a few bucks. Sometimes there were generous souls. I remember what a huge excitement and relief it was if someone handed us more than we expected! It was a Disneyland kind of joy.

We went to the Salvation Army many times when they had food for the needy. As a girl, I lined up with hundreds of homeless men and women to get food and clothing. I have memories of them being the kindest people I have ever met. They would always let us go first because we were children. One of them dressed like a poor Santa and brightened up my day! I am tearing up as I write this because they are amazing people with the biggest hearts.

I see people ignoring them as they drive by those people. I can recognize the look in their eyes and their soul is weary. I remember that feeling where it's constantly about survival and how we needed anything to get a meal and some comfort. I remember that feeling how it seemed like everybody in the world had it all, going shopping, driving to the fast food drive through, getting in their fancy cars and we couldn't even afford the smallest thing.

God blessed our family when he finally got us out of that life after ten years. He gave us a step dad, a new house and I had my very own room. These were the things I had always dreamed of. I got to go to the same school and live in the same town for longer than two months. I got to feel like a kid for a few short years but I am grateful.

Many homeless people will never get that chance. Many die from exposure every day. They freeze to death and they starve to death. God has called us to help those in need and to give from our hearts. There is a passage in the Bible where the Lord separates the sheep from the goat and gives the glory to the sheep for helping him. The sheep ask him when they did these things. He replied,

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40

And the Bible tells us that God will bless us and we will not lack anything if we give to the poor.

"He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse." Proverbs 28:27

My mother and I are starting a new ministry to help the homeless. We want to crochet as many blankets as we can by next winter to give out to the homeless to endure the cold. If you want to be involved, you can follow the pattern on the website, Needles for the Needy, and send in your own blankets! If you cannot crochet, then we could use yarns and donations to help the women have more yarn to make more blankets.

You can be involved to help the needy from a smile in their direction, helping in shelters, raising money to help shelters, bringing a bag of food to someone, and it can be many things. I hope I can encourage you all to be involved somehow.

"She stretcheth out her hand to the poor, yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." Proverbs 30:20

Charlene is a deaf mom of two boys, one being hard of hearing. Her heart for God shines through her life and she has the 'law of kindness' in her words. She writes for AGMinistries, and you can read more about her at 'Bring on the Rain'.

Celebrating Special Needs: Education on the Autism Spectrum

by Mrs. Brown

~For Anyone Who Loves Someone with Special Needs~

Each child is a miracle and every individual life is worth celebrating!
Every angle is unique. Each perspective beholds a different set of wonders, a unique way of looking at the world. Responding to what is observed is a blessing, not a sorrow, and yet may require a little thoughtful adjustment. Special needs give us an even richer, more creative way at looking at our world. Whether you are the parent or sibling of a child who learns in a special way, or whether you, the reader, have differences and challenges yourself or if you know and love others who need a little extra understanding, this article is dedicated to you!

“He’s 10 years old, and he STILL can’t write!”
I exclaimed this to the evaluator who was testing my son. She carefully went through the paces and had him perform many tasks such as balancing on one foot, but that wasn't going to happen. Writing his ABC’s on lined paper wasn't either. He turned the paper sideways and wrote down instead of from left to right almost like Chinese letters/characters. She had him attempt to do simple puzzles with only 4 pieces to create common objects like horses, houses and the like, but nope, he could not do that either. Then, she just sat down and talked to him.

He was comfortable, confident and competent in language. He could tell you the names of almost every country on any given continent. He had memorized computer catalogs and a myriad of owner’s manuals and had a mastery of technological information. He also had a huge amount of unexpected information such as the license plate number of every friend we had had in the past 5 years, the exact date of purchases we had made that were of interest to him such gaming devices, and a vocabulary above and beyond any fifth grader I had ever known.

The result of that testing was inconclusive and frustrating. The Occupational Therapist admitted that there were serious issues that needed to be addressed, but she could not help us because our son was home schooled and not a part of the district programs. We asked if we could bring him in at regular intervals, but were declined. We then enrolled him in public school after him having been exclusively home schooled since we had moved to Washington when he was 4 ½ years old, at which time he taught himself to read by listening to me teach his big sister!!!

To School and Home Again
During those four or five months that he attended the local elementary school, his confidence levels plummeted. He could not keep up with certain aspects of the classroom. He could not write in cursive and was given poor grades in subjects that come easily for him such as spelling and math because he could not form the basic shapes that would be recognizable to the teacher. His teacher was a very creative teacher, but somewhat inflexible in some areas and definitely was at a sorrowful loss as to how to teach this boy. She felt terrible about it and tried to learn all she could to better teach him. Even years later she apologized for being unable to specialize the curriculum for just him. To top it all off, the children in the class, for the most part, were hateful and unable to relate to my son who can talk to adults with ease, but did not have the patience for the nonsensical conversations of these pre-adolescents.

The more I thought and prayed about it, the more I realized that my son was flourishing at home and now was being squashed. He was unhappy. His former bouncy joy was all but gone. He was angry and unable to accomplish much. He was learning all right - he was learning to be skeptical, frustrated and disappointed. He was learning how to be sarcastic, unkind and overwhelmed. He was not sleeping well, and he was not feeling well. While at home, he had been full of life and energy, kind, loving and enthusiastically curious about everything and everyone.

After Christmas break that year he did not go back. He came home to reading and watching educational programs. He came home to cooking meals together, swinging in the back yard, taking swimming lessons without rushing there hungry and tired after school. He came back to long discussions about the Word of God on a daily basis and even later participating in an award winning Bible Quiz team and walking away with large portions of scripture flawlessly memorized and applied to his life. He blossomed again. His joy slowly returned. He was somewhat permanently damaged by the exposure to the meanness of his peer group, but is overcoming that still, four years later.

Finally, An Answer
The following spring, after we were told by a school psychologist that our son’s IQ had the biggest discrepancy he had ever seen, and that he would have to be on meds and could not be successfully home schooled because “that NEVER works for THIS kind of child”, we took him to a children’s developmental specialist. She read all of the test results. She talked extensively to him and to me. She performed some evaluations of her own and looked me in the eye and said the dreaded words: “He has a high-functioning form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome (AS).” Was I devastated? No! I was relieved. It was not all in my head. It was not something I had done wrong in my teaching-parenting style, and there were things that could be done.

My son was a bit confused by the diagnosis. We explained gently that he was not “broken” or “damaged”, but that his brain has a unique way of processing information. We took what he knew about computers and analogized the scenario about how it was as if you had stored a file on your hard drive, but did not know how to access it again later. It is there, but you have to create new pathways to get to it! We showed him that The Bible says that he is fearfully and wonderfully made and proceeded to learn about Asperger’s Syndrome, so that we could be of the biggest blessing and help to

him with this extraordinary learning style.

Psalm 139:14, 15

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth."

We also learned during that time that he has Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, which means that he is great at anything verbal, but the non-verbal tasks were extremely difficult for him. Typically, AS children also have sensory issues and some obsessive-compulsive traits. This was true of Jordan too.

One of the greatest blessings to us at that time and now is home schooling him. We can tailor our day to him. We can spend all the time we want on unit studies that interest him and also life experiences that grab his heart and mind and teach him about new things. This gives him a way to connect all of his experiences together meaningfully and usefully. He can take time off from book work to learn how to repair cars and other vehicles with his dad. He can do yard work for our neighbors with his brother. He can read and read and read to his heart content. He can take time to do exercises designed to connect neurological pathways in his brain, as well as to strengthen and relax his whole body. He can be trained with the consistency that we know is Biblical without mixed messages being thrown at him from every angle. He can be given only wholesome foods and avoid toxic cleaners that inhibit his ability to grow and learn. He can talk to other children and adults without being made to feel like he is a big mistake. Just this summer he completed a full year of curriculum because he wanted to and was able to jump ahead to 9th grade this fall!

From Jordan to Noah
The more we learned about our son and how best to bless him, the more we rea

lized that our youngest son also was on the autism spectrum. Since Jordan’s challenges were so pressing at the time and Noah’s presented in a very different way, and because Jordan was at that time louder and more attention-getting we had not noticed that our quiet, introspective, intelligent little guy was struggling too. Eventually, we took him to the same doctor who had helped us with Jordan, and she confirmed what we had learned. Noah also has Asperger’s Syndrome. Yet, even within this portion of the autism spectrum there is a wide variety of ways it can manifest and we had not noticed a lot of similarities in actual behaviors. We had now come to realize there were intense commonalities in frustrating thought patterns, problem-solving issues, more sensory issues and obsessive-compulsive traits and a bunch of “triggers” that set off or worsened the problematic parts of AS behaviors for both boys.

Living With AS as A Family
We prayed and began to learn together as a family. We removed as many of the offending foods and household cleaners as we could and began supplementing. This has been helpful in our case. Not every special needs family will feel that they see a difference doing these things, but it has worked for us. Both boys recognize a difference in themselves and are great at reading labels, remembering to take their vitamins and are able to discuss strategies at times when we run into a scenario where things are not going well. For us, medication has not been necessary at this time and we have been able to see a big improvement in the boys’ health and impulse control! We are continuing to learn and adjust. It is an on-going process!

We are not looking for a cure. We actually LOVE the beautiful way our boys see life. They notice things we never would. They think of things that no one does. They create amazing ideas. They are amazing conversationalists. Other children have also begun to enjoy the boys. While this is not the goal, it is an encouraging side-effect! Both Jordan and Noah are also prolific readers and can learn just about anything. Noah, who is now 10, has even taken an interest in his dad’s college Thermodynamics textbook and understands a great deal of it!

Most of all, they both love God deeply.
They take sermon notes that bring tears to my eyes. They have learned to be sensitive and caring for others as they have deepened their personal relationships with Christ and they are mindful of striving to be the young men that God has created them to be.

Thoughtful Considerations
When Jordan was almost 11, I blogged about a conversation I had with him that sums up a lot of what I would like the readers of this article to walk away understanding:

Jul. 29, 2006 What Size Box Do YOU Prefer?

This morning I overheard my boys talking... reflecting on their experiences in public school this past year.

Jordan said, "Public school is like being put in a box, one that is even smaller than you are. Home school is like being in a box too, but it’s bigger than you are and you can have room to grow."
I know he was just being a child and trying to identify his feelings, but I really felt that there was some considerable insight to his statements.
In public school the box size is often not only smaller than the child, but misshapen. They are squeezing square pegs into round holes on a daily basis. They are stating theories as facts. They are taking away the simple joys of childhood and individuality. They are slowing down the maturity process in some areas and speeding it up (inappropriately) in others. They cannot give each child the one on one attention they need academically much less spiritually. They cannot, even in the best of circumstances, give a long-term investment to the child's character and development.
Home school is so much more flexible. A box can be useful to establish appropriate boundaries, but it needs to be big enough to embrace unique preferences, strengths and weaknesses. It needs to have room for true, dedicated love from a family structure, not just a pseudo-family group of people who have a one or at best two year investment in your child. Instead of bright fluorescent lights, this box is full of fresh air, warm hugs and home-cooked smells. This box can be adjusted and decorated accordingly as the child changes instead of being a one-size doesn't quite fit all pre-approved scope and sequence that fits some of the people some of the time.
I want to give my children the box that protects them from harsh winds and harsh words, but can have the flaps flung wide open when it is time for them to spread their wings and fly. I want to give them the box that has enough room to invite friendships in, but small enough to keep negative influences out.
What size box fits your child? What will it be made of? What will it be filled with? What color will it be painted?

Mrs. Brown is a GGM contributor and owner of a small custom crocheting business/ministry named Bundled In Prayer and enjoys Bible study, writing, scrapbooking, sewing, reading and more. She is happily married to her best friend, Russ and is in her 12th year of homeschooling her five children.

National Eye Health Care Month

by SisterAngie

Perhaps you have heard your grandmother tell you to take care of your eyes because they are the only pair you have. During this month of national recognition for eye care, here are some tips that will help you keep your eyes healthy.

1. Eating orange and green foods are usually good for your eyes because they contain vitamin A, which is known to be good for eye health.
2. Wear UV protective sunglasses. Long exposure to UV rays can harm your eyesight.
3. Wear eye protection when working with chemicals or projects that would cause flying debris.
4. If you wear contact lenses, avoid wearing them for more than 12 hours. This can cause damage in addition to discomfort.
5. Be cautious using eye drops to reduce redness. Continued and daily usage can actually make the problem worse.
6. Press cold cucumber slices gently against eyes to prevent puffiness.
7. Too much time looking at a computer screen can cause eye strain.

On a personal note, about a year ago, I was experiencing blurry vision, recurring headaches, and eye twitching. These symptoms prompted me to see an optometrist. After a thorough examination, sure enough, the doctor could not believe I had gone so long without glasses.

I recall when she slipped the magical lens in front of my eyes how the letters before me came into focus. Even the white background behind the letters was illuminated, turning from gray to bright white. How had I endured this fuzzy focus for so many years? It seemed so normal to me.

On the way home from the clinic where I finally picked up my glasses, the best way I know to describe my new vision is to say that all of a sudden things had a high definition quality about them. There was a new depth to my eyesight. No longer did I see just a tree along side of the road. I could also see the detail of leaves.

This made me question. How are my spiritual eyes lacking? In what areas am I walking in darkness and do not even realize it?

Oh Lord, with the psalmist, I ask, open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Ps 119:18). I want to see the world through the lens of your word, my spiritual vision illuminated and magnified by faith!

Sister Angie is her husband’s ' help meet' and mother of two wonderful children. Her life’s mission is to serve and help others by encouraging, exhorting with God’s truth, and interceding on behalf of the saints and the lost. She can be found at Sonflower and as a moderator/contributor at Growing in Grace.