...my apologies to everyone. I do part time work at the school as a substitute. There has been a family emergency with one teacher, so I have been called in last minute and will be working until she returns. I will do my best to get you the wonderful ending of my story posted tonight.
Have a fabulous day and God bless!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A Time for Rejoicing
As I mentioned Monday, I wanted to talk about how my husband and I have gotten back together after a two month seperation.
My husband, Steven, was in the Army for about 6 and a half years. During that time, he became an alcoholic. Now, he did not drink at home (alcohol wasn't even allowed in the house)and he never hurt me or the kids physically or mentally. He was not and never has been 'mean' to us. As a matter of fact, I did not even know he was an alcoholic until after he left the military. You see, for over 3 years of those 6 and a half, we were not living in the same home- for every year with me and the kids, he spent about another year across the world on duty for the military. That is when he did most of his drinking. When he was home, there were many nights and days when he would have be away for duty, and I suppose he found times then to drink-but I don't know for sure. He never came home drunk. By the way, alcohol is very easily found and consumed on military posts over seas and at home. It is pretty much considered normal to drink. No wonder so many of our military have a problem with it.
For a little bit of background about me and my husband- I am a faithful Christian and have always searched for and tried to do what is right according to God's Word. I was raised in the church. I am still a sinner though and when my husband and I were in high school, we dated and started being intimate with each other. I became pregnant my first year of college, so two weeks after he graduated high school, we got married. Yes, that was the backward way of doing things and I do not recommend going against God's Word because sin always has consequences and sometimes for many years. I have been praying for Steven since the day we became married. He was baptized during our marriage, but never really began to follow the Word. He was not raised in the church.
Back to the story: Steven's last tour of duty was Iraq. After that tour, he decided he could no longer be in the military. After he left the military, I began to notice his drinking problem. Then, two years later, I found out he had developed a drug problem as well. And shortly after that, he was diagnosed with PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome). Steven never talked much about his tour in Iraq or much of anything else for that matter. These problems slowly worsened over the next few years until it finally came to the point when I did something I never thought I would do. I asked him to leave.
I have read books and books, and studied my Bible and asked for advice from close friends over the many years of my marriage, way before even any of these major problems became evident. I know my duty as a christian wife and a mother. I have always tried to follow God's will so that I could be sure of his promises. One of those promises is that a faithful wife can bring her unfaithful husband to the Lord. I wanted that more than anything. At the time when I asked him to leave, I had no idea what would happen next. What would I do now? Would we ever be together again? What would my children think and say? Is this truly the best thing to do? Is this truly God's will? on and on and on... But I also felt that everything would be okay for some reason. I cannot explain it. Even through all my questions and fears, I knew that God would not leave me as long as I kept seeking his guidance.
I had a big problem though, after that, I did not want to be with my husband again. I felt that so strongly, it sometimes scared me. I was learning how to be alone. I was learning how to be the only parent- even in those two short months. I liked my independancy and not having to worry about what Steven would do next. He was not my concern any more, he was God's and that felt good to me. I was not really sure that I wanted to have that back. The crazy thing is, he was never really my concern, but always Gods. I just tried to control the situation when in reality I cannot control any situation. Only God can.
When Steven would call to talk to me, I was so rude and blunt in letting him know that there was probably no chance we would ever be together again. It still amazes me that I said those things to him. That is just not like me- I am the type of person that would hold something back if I felt it would hurt your feelings.
I see now the way God used me to help him recover. And I will tell that beautiful part of the story on Friday!
Please come back to catch the ending, it is truly amazing.
Have a great day and God bless you!
My husband, Steven, was in the Army for about 6 and a half years. During that time, he became an alcoholic. Now, he did not drink at home (alcohol wasn't even allowed in the house)and he never hurt me or the kids physically or mentally. He was not and never has been 'mean' to us. As a matter of fact, I did not even know he was an alcoholic until after he left the military. You see, for over 3 years of those 6 and a half, we were not living in the same home- for every year with me and the kids, he spent about another year across the world on duty for the military. That is when he did most of his drinking. When he was home, there were many nights and days when he would have be away for duty, and I suppose he found times then to drink-but I don't know for sure. He never came home drunk. By the way, alcohol is very easily found and consumed on military posts over seas and at home. It is pretty much considered normal to drink. No wonder so many of our military have a problem with it.
For a little bit of background about me and my husband- I am a faithful Christian and have always searched for and tried to do what is right according to God's Word. I was raised in the church. I am still a sinner though and when my husband and I were in high school, we dated and started being intimate with each other. I became pregnant my first year of college, so two weeks after he graduated high school, we got married. Yes, that was the backward way of doing things and I do not recommend going against God's Word because sin always has consequences and sometimes for many years. I have been praying for Steven since the day we became married. He was baptized during our marriage, but never really began to follow the Word. He was not raised in the church.
Back to the story: Steven's last tour of duty was Iraq. After that tour, he decided he could no longer be in the military. After he left the military, I began to notice his drinking problem. Then, two years later, I found out he had developed a drug problem as well. And shortly after that, he was diagnosed with PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome). Steven never talked much about his tour in Iraq or much of anything else for that matter. These problems slowly worsened over the next few years until it finally came to the point when I did something I never thought I would do. I asked him to leave.
I have read books and books, and studied my Bible and asked for advice from close friends over the many years of my marriage, way before even any of these major problems became evident. I know my duty as a christian wife and a mother. I have always tried to follow God's will so that I could be sure of his promises. One of those promises is that a faithful wife can bring her unfaithful husband to the Lord. I wanted that more than anything. At the time when I asked him to leave, I had no idea what would happen next. What would I do now? Would we ever be together again? What would my children think and say? Is this truly the best thing to do? Is this truly God's will? on and on and on... But I also felt that everything would be okay for some reason. I cannot explain it. Even through all my questions and fears, I knew that God would not leave me as long as I kept seeking his guidance.
I had a big problem though, after that, I did not want to be with my husband again. I felt that so strongly, it sometimes scared me. I was learning how to be alone. I was learning how to be the only parent- even in those two short months. I liked my independancy and not having to worry about what Steven would do next. He was not my concern any more, he was God's and that felt good to me. I was not really sure that I wanted to have that back. The crazy thing is, he was never really my concern, but always Gods. I just tried to control the situation when in reality I cannot control any situation. Only God can.
When Steven would call to talk to me, I was so rude and blunt in letting him know that there was probably no chance we would ever be together again. It still amazes me that I said those things to him. That is just not like me- I am the type of person that would hold something back if I felt it would hurt your feelings.
I see now the way God used me to help him recover. And I will tell that beautiful part of the story on Friday!
Please come back to catch the ending, it is truly amazing.
Have a great day and God bless you!
Monday, January 25, 2010
An update...
It has been a year since I have touched this blog, so let's get started. My kids are in the second semester of school at the local public school. I have taken up substituting at least once a week there and have discovered a few things. School is not what it used to be- not even for this little K-12 school my kids are attending. I attended the same school they are in when I was a child. For the most part, the kids are still well behaved. The elementary section is still run very well (for a public school). You see, I am a bit biased, I still think home school is the best academically. I think they do too much text work and not enough hands on in the public schools.
The Junior High section is pretty good also, but I noticed some slacking off academically. I was helping Steven J. do some writing homework one night and noticed he had written IDK on one of the answers. I asked him what that meant and he said "I Don't Know". I informed him he could not write I Don't Know on an answer, and he let me know that his teacher said it was fine. I couldn't believe it. So now we are allowing the kids to answer something with I Don't Know and even worse it is in "phone text" version (IDK). Needless to say, my son will not be writing IDK on another paper, but it saddens me to realize how low some of the teaching has gotten. On a good note, Steven J. and I both were pleasantly surprised by the science class. Science has always been Steven's favorite subject. They do lots of hands on experiments.
The High School section on the other hand, I am disappointed in. After three years of Spanish, shouldn't a student be able to speak, read, or write some of it? The math area is excellent though. But math is my best subject, so there is not problem with my teaching it to our children.
So, the dilemma- do they stay in next year or come back home? Guess we will just have to keep praying, weighing the good and bad, and decide over the next months.
Please comment if you have any opinions on this subject- I could use all the feedback I can get! Thanks!
Topics I will be covering this week: learning to quilt and my husband and I are back together after a two month seperation-God truly loves His children
Thanks for stopping by and God Bless You!
The Junior High section is pretty good also, but I noticed some slacking off academically. I was helping Steven J. do some writing homework one night and noticed he had written IDK on one of the answers. I asked him what that meant and he said "I Don't Know". I informed him he could not write I Don't Know on an answer, and he let me know that his teacher said it was fine. I couldn't believe it. So now we are allowing the kids to answer something with I Don't Know and even worse it is in "phone text" version (IDK). Needless to say, my son will not be writing IDK on another paper, but it saddens me to realize how low some of the teaching has gotten. On a good note, Steven J. and I both were pleasantly surprised by the science class. Science has always been Steven's favorite subject. They do lots of hands on experiments.
The High School section on the other hand, I am disappointed in. After three years of Spanish, shouldn't a student be able to speak, read, or write some of it? The math area is excellent though. But math is my best subject, so there is not problem with my teaching it to our children.
So, the dilemma- do they stay in next year or come back home? Guess we will just have to keep praying, weighing the good and bad, and decide over the next months.
Please comment if you have any opinions on this subject- I could use all the feedback I can get! Thanks!
Topics I will be covering this week: learning to quilt and my husband and I are back together after a two month seperation-God truly loves His children
Thanks for stopping by and God Bless You!
Friday, March 20, 2009
A Word of Encouragement...
I would like to take a minute this morning and say a few words of praise to those Christian women who choose to continue fighting the good fight. Through every struggle, small and large, you refuse to give up. That is not to say that you do not have your down times and maybe even cry a little (or a lot), but when it is all said and done, you are still standing in your position, ready to do your duty. And you know the Lord is standing there with you.
Bless your heart! And may God bless all you do.
There are times when struggles seem to get the best of me and I feel that I do not even want to turn to prayer. I know that God's Word has not changed. Therefore I still "must" do what I know I "should" do. That is a hard fact sometimes, especially when it feels as what I've been doing just doesn't seem to help or change anything. There are times when I must make myself pick up that Bible or "Biblically based" self help book and look for guidance. My Bible gets the most use, but another book that always puts me in my place is "Created to Be His Help Meet" by Debi Pearl. This book is completely biblically based and the writer is "blunt" to put it nicely.
I would like to share just a piece of Debi Pearl's wisdom.
"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones" Proverbs 12:4
A good woman is a crown to her husband. She can make a mediocre man be as honored as one wearing a crown. A good woman could be married to a man who is a poor example of a father and husband. He may be selfish and self-centered, possibly not even honest, yet because she is submissive and honoring towards him, he treats her with kindness. People look at their relationship and think he must be a good man since he has a good woman and because they seem to be happy together.
You may be saying, "Why should she carry the load and make a lazy, impatient, selfish man look good?" Why should she not? By being a crown to her husband, she is raising children who will rise up and call her blessed. By the time they are teens, they will know their dad is something much less than he should be, but they will honor him because of the example of their mother. By being a crown to her husband, she is winning his love and appreciation, thus she gets treated much better than if she stood against him. And, by being a prudent woman in how she uses the meager funds given to her, she is gaining a comfortable place to raise her family. In the final analysis, she is dong exactly what God says will cause her husband to come to God. And most of all, she is bringing honor to god by fulfilling her calling as a help meet. In the end, people who know her will know the truth.
God bless.
Bless your heart! And may God bless all you do.
There are times when struggles seem to get the best of me and I feel that I do not even want to turn to prayer. I know that God's Word has not changed. Therefore I still "must" do what I know I "should" do. That is a hard fact sometimes, especially when it feels as what I've been doing just doesn't seem to help or change anything. There are times when I must make myself pick up that Bible or "Biblically based" self help book and look for guidance. My Bible gets the most use, but another book that always puts me in my place is "Created to Be His Help Meet" by Debi Pearl. This book is completely biblically based and the writer is "blunt" to put it nicely.
I would like to share just a piece of Debi Pearl's wisdom.
"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones" Proverbs 12:4
A good woman is a crown to her husband. She can make a mediocre man be as honored as one wearing a crown. A good woman could be married to a man who is a poor example of a father and husband. He may be selfish and self-centered, possibly not even honest, yet because she is submissive and honoring towards him, he treats her with kindness. People look at their relationship and think he must be a good man since he has a good woman and because they seem to be happy together.
You may be saying, "Why should she carry the load and make a lazy, impatient, selfish man look good?" Why should she not? By being a crown to her husband, she is raising children who will rise up and call her blessed. By the time they are teens, they will know their dad is something much less than he should be, but they will honor him because of the example of their mother. By being a crown to her husband, she is winning his love and appreciation, thus she gets treated much better than if she stood against him. And, by being a prudent woman in how she uses the meager funds given to her, she is gaining a comfortable place to raise her family. In the final analysis, she is dong exactly what God says will cause her husband to come to God. And most of all, she is bringing honor to god by fulfilling her calling as a help meet. In the end, people who know her will know the truth.
God bless.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Future...
Things are still more than crazy here, but I wanted to give an update for those of you who still actually visit this site ;) Steven started a new job yesterday(so things are already better for me, ha, ha!) as a mechanic that does just about anything needed doing. He was so excited. He is not a person who does well sitting around at home. And I have my home back to myself again. The future plans for me are this: I am working really hard to get the kids ready to go into the small public school in the area. This was not my first choice, but I think it is best for everyone. They will start in the fall. I will going back to school, Lord willing. I always leave that up in the air because it seems many times, things just don't work out for me to be able to go. I enjoy school very much, but I will admit, I am not sure I am going to enjoy being around those "wonderful" teenagers again! I don't do foolishness very well. In any case, that is the plan. So, if you have an extra moment during your prayers, please include us.
Now for some fun news- we all went camping this past Friday and Saturday at the San Angelo state park. It was quite an exciting adventure! When we arrived, we were informed that the information on the internet was not correct and there would be no microwave in the cabin. Also, no fires of any kind were allowed! They are on a very, very strict burn ban. So our first question was, What are we going to eat?! We didn't worry too much about it right then and decided to go check out the lake. Another surprise- when they say the lake is low, they mean the lake is low! We were able to walk down the boat ramp, into the area that should have been covered with water, about 150 to 250 feet away from the boat ramp to get to any water. The good news was that the fish just had nowhere to go, so we caught plenty! This was the first time we actually caught any fish since we started taking the kids camping(unless you include the little five inch thing we caught once before!). I still have not come across my camera since coming back(I haven't looked very hard). As soon as I do, I will try to get some pics on here.
Hope everyone is well and God bless!
Now for some fun news- we all went camping this past Friday and Saturday at the San Angelo state park. It was quite an exciting adventure! When we arrived, we were informed that the information on the internet was not correct and there would be no microwave in the cabin. Also, no fires of any kind were allowed! They are on a very, very strict burn ban. So our first question was, What are we going to eat?! We didn't worry too much about it right then and decided to go check out the lake. Another surprise- when they say the lake is low, they mean the lake is low! We were able to walk down the boat ramp, into the area that should have been covered with water, about 150 to 250 feet away from the boat ramp to get to any water. The good news was that the fish just had nowhere to go, so we caught plenty! This was the first time we actually caught any fish since we started taking the kids camping(unless you include the little five inch thing we caught once before!). I still have not come across my camera since coming back(I haven't looked very hard). As soon as I do, I will try to get some pics on here.
Hope everyone is well and God bless!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Okay, we didn't fall off the face of the earth!...
Needless to say, it has been more than hectic around here. Sometimes there are certain things that just have to get pushed to the back burner for a while and that's exactly where my blogging has been lately. I am also making no promises of keeping it up regularly as of yet. I will do the best I can. Thanks for the patience.
Yesterday, we started back to school after the break. I started my oldest on a writing program that I have had up on the shelf for a while. It was a used book sale find for about 20 dollars. The lady informed me that it is a very good program and she paid hundreds for it. So, it has been taking up shelf space until I could find the time to really check it out. And to be honest, until I became interested in putting one of my children on a writing program of some sort.
It is called "The Institute for Excellence in Writing" and contains about 10 videos, an instruction booklet, and a student notebook. I decided to watch the first video and read the instructions for lesson 1. The program is based on the same learning style Benjamin Franklin used in that the student looks at a piece of written work, writes out an outline for it, and then tries to rewrite the piece on their own. It does look promising and I hope it is just what my son needs.
We also started reading about Harriet Beacher Stowe today. I only had one child nodding off some! Hopefully they get interested as the book goes on. If not, then I guess we'll just find another one.
So, life as usual. We are all healthy, thank the Lord. And we have much to be thankful for.
God bless.
Yesterday, we started back to school after the break. I started my oldest on a writing program that I have had up on the shelf for a while. It was a used book sale find for about 20 dollars. The lady informed me that it is a very good program and she paid hundreds for it. So, it has been taking up shelf space until I could find the time to really check it out. And to be honest, until I became interested in putting one of my children on a writing program of some sort.
It is called "The Institute for Excellence in Writing" and contains about 10 videos, an instruction booklet, and a student notebook. I decided to watch the first video and read the instructions for lesson 1. The program is based on the same learning style Benjamin Franklin used in that the student looks at a piece of written work, writes out an outline for it, and then tries to rewrite the piece on their own. It does look promising and I hope it is just what my son needs.
We also started reading about Harriet Beacher Stowe today. I only had one child nodding off some! Hopefully they get interested as the book goes on. If not, then I guess we'll just find another one.
So, life as usual. We are all healthy, thank the Lord. And we have much to be thankful for.
God bless.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Keepers of the Faith...
Keepers of the Faith is a great organization that, I say, takes the place of girl scouts and boy scouts for my family. As a homeschooled family, we were at one time involved in a home school organization that used Keepers of the Faith. Now, we just use the books on our own. There is a book for boys called "Contenders for the Faith" and a book for girls called "Keepers at Home". I bought my books on ebay for a fraction of the cost.
Out of the books, the child is able to choose a project he or she would like to do. My kids have done baking, rocketry, electricity, cake decorating, and much more. The child can mark the date and time that the project is completed. The parent then signs the book.
Keepers of the Faith has a catalog that contains awards and pins that can be given to the child when they accomplish a project. Also, they sell many wonderful christian books, some homeschool curriculum, and even project kits that go along with the child's book. The best part I have found is that it is very affordable!
The website is www.keepersofthefaith.com and the telephone is 906-663-6881.
Check them out. I am sure you will not be disappointed.
God bless.
Out of the books, the child is able to choose a project he or she would like to do. My kids have done baking, rocketry, electricity, cake decorating, and much more. The child can mark the date and time that the project is completed. The parent then signs the book.
Keepers of the Faith has a catalog that contains awards and pins that can be given to the child when they accomplish a project. Also, they sell many wonderful christian books, some homeschool curriculum, and even project kits that go along with the child's book. The best part I have found is that it is very affordable!
The website is www.keepersofthefaith.com and the telephone is 906-663-6881.
Check them out. I am sure you will not be disappointed.
God bless.
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