Making Lent Meaningful for Older Children

My children are teens now - though my youngest is developmentally much younger than her years tell us. She is also a very visual learner so symbols and actions are very important to her experience. The Anglican Church is rich in symbols and tradition - an important tool in teaching to her learning style.

We will follow our usual path for Lent - attending church and special Masses and programs that will enrich our spiritual lives, pray together, learn together - this is what homeschooling families do! I am going to add a program based on a wonderful book called To God Be the Glory, Growing Towards a Healthy Church by the Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman and Mrs. Joann Ackerman, called "Why Do What We Do at Church" beginning with the Lenten season. My girls have always gone to church. Much of what we do is rote for them. During this time of reflection in Lent, I think this will deepen their appreciation for what we do and why we do it - and grow them spiritually.

One of the ideas I found in the above book is to make a Paschal Candle for use at home during devotion or prayer times. Take a beeswax candle and wrap some colored (blue, red or gold)vinyl hobby tape around it. Then with a nail or hobby pick make five holes in the candle in the form of a cross. Place five whole cloves in the holes to symbolize the five wounds of Christ. Add the numerals from the present year - the first two above the cross and the second two below the cross. On Wednesday and Friday evenings we will burn our candle and say the Lenten Litany as found in The Anglican Family Prayer Book by Anne E. Kitch:

"Create in us a clean heart, O God.
and renew a right spirit within us.

Create in us a clean heart, Oh God
and renew a right spirit within me.

Have mercy on me, Oh God,
according to your loving kindness
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.

Renew a right spirit within me.

Wash me through and through from my wickedness
and cleanse me from my sin.

Renew a right spirit within me.

For I know my transgressions
and my sin is ever before me.


Renew a right spirit within me.

Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure;
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.

Renew a right spirit within me.

Give me the joy of your saving help again
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

Renew a right spirit within me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.


Create in me a clean heart, O God
and renew a right spirit within me."

I am looking forward to the Ship of Fools 40 Ideas for Lent 2008. It usually has excellent daily exercises for Lent that we can usually do as a family with older children.

Blogus Universalis

My husband's "diagnosis" for those who blog - everybody he knows has one but him. Blogus Universalis is not a disease or a syndrome, it is so common it is now a normal variant in our society!

Amazing Father & Son...

Skydiving! The son, Casey Deegan (31 y.o.), just happens to have Down syndrome.

See this video. It is preceded by an advertisement so be patient. It is worth the wait!

Thanks, Tara Marie at Emma Sage's blog - I love this blog filled with wonderful pictures and stories!

Every Homeschooling Mom Should Have a Hobby

I LOVE miniatures! When my girls were little, I thought this would be a fun project to do together. Well, it took us YEARS to make this something to display! We glued, sanded, painted, papered and decorated....and the work goes on. As we worked, we made up stories about the people who live in the house. It has been great fun for us as a family. I really need to talk to the miniature housekeeper - she has trouble keeping with the dust. She's probably rocking the baby instead of keeping up with the chores!

A Life Worth Living

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

For a laugh...

Homeschoolers will understand! We know how nutty we seem to much of society.

See this for a chuckle.

Why Homeschooling....

When my husband and I started our family, we had many discussions about homeschooling. Initially, it piqued my interest as a rather novel idea - totally foreign to me. With time, research, much prayer and the birth of another child with special needs, I was completely convinced that homeschooling was the only path for our family. Today, I am passionate about homeschooling my children and the homeschooling movement. I love to share the benefits of homeschooling with anyone who shows an interest in our lifestyle.

I think the best way to show the benefits of homeschooling is to have my children out in the community. Most people are quite impressed with their behavior and their ability to interact with people of all ages.

In my opinion, the greatest benefit is that God does not have to be compartmentalized in the lives of my children. We can learn about and uphold the traditions of the Anglican faith at home. Holy Scripture is a part of our everyday life. We pray together. We grow together in Christ as we make decisions and implement them. Our Triune God is celebrated in our house and looked to when we face difficulties...and praised for the blessings we receive.

The National Home Education Research Institute says the key reasons for home education are the transmission of beliefs and values to children, close family relationships, controlled and positive peer social interaction, quality academics, alternative approaches to learning and safety. I think all these factors played into our decision to homeschool our children.

Families are educating their children with special needs in their own homes to provide them with an education that targets their specific learning needs and to provide an eduction that will not sacrifice academic learning for life skills and "socialization." Many families leave the public school system after unsatisfactory academic progress for which they saw no other option than to educate their child at home. I even know of a few cases of abuse as a result of public school placement. I participate in two yahoo groups that target families homeschooling children with Down syndrome and have listened to many, many stories over the years. The system (early intervention and/or the public school system) has difficulty meeting the needs of our children. The biggest lesson I learned when we participated in the system was that it primarily seeks to serve itself - sad but true in our experience and that of many others.

There are good stories too - wonderful placements and caring professionals. We did not get that experience. We do have a wonderful speech-language pathologist working in the private sector and consider her part of our family!

I would really like to know why more Anglicans don't homeschool their children. This article gives a scary picture of what children face in the public schools today:

"80% of Christian families send their children to public schools where their faith is attaked. Based on the study's findings, it appears that their kids are the ones being "evangelized" by the religion of secular humanism. More than half of their Christian teens believe Jesus sinned and only 9% hold to moral absolutes, while 83% of children from committed Christian families attending public schools adopt a Marxist-Socialist worldview, reports the group."

Our hope is, that by keeping my children home for their education, that we are raising strong soldiers for Christ - placing the Lord first in their lives, strong in their knowledge of Holy Scripture and joyfully fulfilling the Great Commission.




A huge thanks to my 15 y.o. daughter, K, who does my graphics. Send me an e-mail if you would like something created for your blog. She works for free!

Weekend Blessing

This weekend I attended a quiet day for clergy and seminarian wives - my first. What a blessing the day was for me! The day was led by a wonderful (and very holy) retired bishop in our diocese. The topic - why we are important to God. The day consisted of three talks The first about the joy God takes in creating us and our uniqueness. The next talk was on how He loves us so much he sent His son to redeem us in our fallen state. The last talk was on how we are glorified on earth and how we will be glorified in Heaven. Each talk was followed by 35-40 minutes of silence.

There were so many gems in the form of Holy Scripture and insights into what God wants for us - and into the joy we bring to Him. I have been mediating on the following statement since the retreat ended:

We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.

I love the Lord. I want to love as He loves - unconditionally and compassionately without compromise. I'll probably never reach my goal in this human state. I know just how inadequate and sinful I am but the world is needy - it needs God's love and we are put here to give it and bring others to Him.

I picked up a little jewel as I worked in the church gift shop this weekend - Prayertimes with Mother Teresa, A New Adventure in Prayer by Eileen Egan and Kathleen Egan, O.S.B. I can't wait for a little time alone with this book! I so admire Mother Teresa and her ability to care for the poorest of the poor with unconditional and compassionate love - the love of Christ.

Ode to Terry

This was passed to me from my local Down syndrome support group.

Prayer for Homeschoolers with Children with Special Needs

I don't know if any of you are familiar with 4:00 a.m. wake-ups but I certainly am. A dear friend of mine told me they come when our lives are so filled with busyness that the Lord finds a time when we are free to listen to His voice.

The Lord gave me this prayer for families homeschooling their children with special needs during one of those 4 a.m. quiet times with Him:

We thank you Father for placing your special children within our care and for trusting us despite our human failings. We seek Your will in training up our children to Your glory. You created our children with special needs in Your image. You reveal yourself to us through Your creation and Your Word. Let us study all you reveal with a discerning mind, seeking wisdom with a grateful heart that allows us to know You and Your plan for our lives.

Specifically we pray...

We always remember to put You first in our lives and lead our children to do the same.

For patience when we are frustrated.

For enthusiasm when teaching the same concept repeatedly.

For creativity in teaching concepts which are difficult.

For hope and strength when learning seems to be at a standstill - knowing that it will occur in Your time. Help us to see the baby steps and rejoice in them.

For positive attitudes when behavior problems overwhelm us.

For wisdom and discernment when making decisions for our children.

For courage to encourage independence as our children make their way in the world.

May we see You in Your special gift to us as we stumble, and occasionally fail, seeking Your will.

For comfort for those who are grieving the loss of a "normal" child and those who struggle with depression or feel overwhelmed as they see Your will for their families.

That we may freely give you our sorrow, anger and grief.

For others who offer an ear, a shoulder, or a discerning heart traveling alongside us in friendship.

For professionals that lend a helping hand in the way of therapies as we educate our children at home. Let us remember that You alone gave them the gifts they use to guide us. Give us a discerning heart and mind to lead us towards those who are homeschool friendly.

For our typical children - that they may come to understand Your will for them as it relates to their "special" sibling.

For our spouses as they journey with us - may we find our hope and strength in You.

As we seek Your will for our precious children and ourselves, we ask for wisdom, strength, courage and discernment. Help us to always see Your loving arms beyond our early shortsightedness.

We delight to do Your will, oh Lord. All glory and honor are Yours - now and forever.

Amen

For a Laugh....

Can you see yourself in this video? I hope my children have better memories than this:

A little more about my family...

I saw this very cool slideshow on Laurie's blog and thought I would experiment a little. Here is mine:

I've been married for 18 wonderful years to a very interesting man who is working on his true calling. He is presently at a seminary in the Midwest after working as a nuclear engineer (Capt., USN, Retired) and in emergency medicine. I have two living children, Miss K, 15 y.o. and Miss R, 13. K loves horses, in fact all animals, is a budding writer and wants to be a vet. I introduced R in another post but she just turned 13 - loves cats, DVDs, singing at the top of her voice, and everything I cook!

We are a homeschooling family. We have always homeschooled our children and love the lifestyle. I might be called a veteran homeschooler by now but I am always learning something new which keeps me fresh and excited about life and homeschooling.

We also have a cat, Orla Rose, and a dog - Lil'O. Our pup is an almost 3 y.o. chocolate lab. She is the most lovable dog ever. Orla Rose is new to our lives. She just came on Sunday - a Christmas gift that had to wait until after my husband's parents left after visiting for the entire 12 days of Christmas.


Down Syndrome

I call my beloved daughter with the extra chromosome my earth angel. She recently became a teenager. She loves cats, DVDs, singing at the top of her voice and everything I cook. I am hesitant to post a picture of her here. There are EVIL people out there who steal pictures of children with special needs and use them for unspeakable purposes.

The facts about Down syndrome can be found here

The facts don't tell you everything though.

Here is what I experience as a mother of a child with Down syndrome:


Unconditional love
Uncountable I love yous
The best hugs on the planet
Joy and laughter
A new sense of wonder in God's creation
A slower pace
A glimpse of heaven when I look into her eyes

I've tried over the years to put my thoughts to paper about my journey with her. I can never accurately describe our journey and how it has made me a better person and brought me closer to the Lord. Perhaps it is because she has given me a vision of the world as it should be - a place where everyone loves unconditionally. She lives Matthew 22: 37-40:

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and will all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hand all the law and the prophets."

She is the most powerful teacher I have known. She has taught me so many important things about living and loving because she lives her life this way:

Pray first when things go wrong.
Thank the Lord for all good things.
Always say your sorry from the bottom of your heart.
Seek Jesus in everyone.
Delight in the simple things and let go of the small irritations.
Make a joyful noise - it doesn't matter to God if you can't carry a tune.
Patience flows - everything comes on her time, not mine...sound familiar?
A hug cures most hurts.
IQ is immaterial.
Joy is expressed with a cheer, arms raised high and "cabosing" - a word she uses for a happy dance.
When people stare, smile and wave.
Smile and greet everyone. If they don't respond, it is their problem. If they respond, she has a new best friend.

This child has an amazing ability to see into the heart and soul of most who take the time to know her. She has more friends than I will ever have on this earthly journey. At church camp last summer, she got an award for the best example of living a Christian life. It was said that she lets Jesus live in her and work through her. It validated my thoughts about her. It is sometimes said that parents of children with special needs romanticize their existence with their child with special needs but others can see it in her as well!

I love the following passage from a book entitled, The Clowns of God, by Morris West. In the book, a deposed pope has gone through many trials and tribulations and it is time for the Second Coming. When he meets the Returned Christ, the former pope is afraid and unsure - much like the apostles when Christ first rose from the dead. This passage takes place in a mountain hideaway where children from a school for Down syndrome are among those present. The Returned Christ is speaking about one of these children as He holds her.

"I know what you are thinking. You need a sign. What better one could I give but to make this little one whole and new? I could do it; but I will not. I am the Lord and not a conjurer. I gave this mite a gift I denied to all of you - eternal innocence. To you she looks imperfect - but to me she is flawless, like the bud unopened or the fledgling that falls from the nest to be devoured by ants. She will never offend me, as all of you have done. She will never pervert or destroy the work of my Father's hands. She is necessary to you. She will evoke the kindness that will keep you human. Her infirmity will prompt you to gratitude for you own good fortune...More! She will remind you every day that I am who I am, that my ways are not yours, and that the smallest dust mite whirled in the darkest spaces does not fall out of my hand...I have chosen you. You have not chosen me. This little one is my sign to you. Treasure her!"

Many parents are devastated when their child gets a diagnosis of Down syndrome. Approximately 90% of babies diagnosed before birth are terminated. Just thinking about this makes me weep. Oh, what the world doesn't know...

Before Christmas Ends....

I just had to share this picture!

In the fall of 2006, our entire family made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This is my 13 y.o. daughter with Down syndrome reverencing the birthplace of Christ. It quite a moving moment for me just to be there but this brought tears to my eyes. She sees and understands more than most of the people I know...