“Let me explain… no, there is too much.  Let me sum up” – Princess Bride

Let me sum up

I am a daughter of God who enjoys:

• Books, books and more books to build our home library
• Walks with my husband, weekly date nights
• Singing at the top of my lungs, especially Broadway and Disney
• Reading aloud to my children or laughing together over family dinner
• Sharing the gospel of Christ with others
• Anything having to do with Ireland since my ancestors came from there and I tend to have a bit of the “fighting Irish” in me 😉
• Personal time for reading, especially historical fiction, and biographies
• Learning and teaching, yay for homeschool!
• Family history, genealogical research – especially those elusive Irish ancestors
• Backyard homesteading in the suburbs with gardens, fruit trees, and chickens, oh my!
• Natural medicine, especially herbs
• Preparedness, self-reliance
• Hiking, backpacking, and camping, being in nature feeds my soul

I am:

• the oldest child of four
• a life-long learner who was both homeschooled and public schooled, with some college
• a Christian
• married to my hard-working farmer sweetheart for over 24 years
• mama to seven children aged 23 down to 7
• a homeschooling mama, going on 14 years

Let me explain

Daughter of God

I can still see my 6 year-old daughter’s sweet smile when I taught her one of my favorite poems, by Anna Johnson:

I am a child of royal birth,
My Father is King of heaven and earth.
I was born in the courts on high,
A child beloved, a princess am I.

One of the greatest revelations that came to me after becoming a mother was that the depth of God’s love for His children is deeper than I ever thought, it is incredible and beyond my understanding.  I loved my little daughter more than life, I had literally put my life on the line to bring her into the word, as all mothers do.  But I heard the Spirit whisper to me that as deep as my love was for my sweet baby, God’s love for His children was infinitely greater.  I have felt His love ever since I was a little girl, but when I became a mother, I came so much closer to knowing how deeply He loved me.

Who am I?  A child of God, and so are you!  With everything in me, I know that this is true!  I have felt the constant and enduring love that our Father in Heaven has for us, His precious children.  That love is given freely, just because we are His.  And nothing we ever do will remove us from that love, it is always and forever.

I know that our loving Heavenly Father sent us His son, Jesus Christ to be our Savior and overcome sin and death.  How grateful I am for “my Jesus” who has redeemed me and makes it possible to repent, change and grow, and become more like Him.  “I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Family

I have been married for 24 years to my “knight in shining armor” and my best friend.  As a teenager I had quite the list of qualities I wanted in my future husband, and my sister used to tease me that I didn’t really go on dates, they were actually thinly veiled interviews 😉  Well, Aaron passed the test with flying colors and we were married three months to the day after we met!  We are working together on our happily ever after and it is a joy to have him by my side.

The Lord has blessed us with seven children, ages 7 to 23 years old.  When people find out I have seven children, almost without fail they will say, “Wow, you sure have your hands full!”  Recently I found the perfect reply… “If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart.”  This exactly sums up motherhood for me!

What an incredibly demanding (a.k.a. seriously hard), yet beautifully fulfilling responsibility it is to be a mother!  More times than I can count, I have felt completely overwhelmed, inadequate, small, not enough.  Sometimes I forget that I cannot do this motherhood thing without the Lord’s help.  It’s too big, it’s too much to do on my own.  But He has blessed me so many times with sweet assurances that He is with me.  

When my little 2 year-old throws her arms around my neck and says, “I wuv doo mama!” or when my teenage son asks me a thoughtful question and we end up talking together for an hour, my heart is full and I am grateful beyond belief for the gift of these sweet children and for God’s help to make it through those long days and nights.  I know that I am doing a great work and that the Lord is with me, because they are His children first!

Learning

I have an insatiable desire for learning!  Whenever I have a spare minute throughout the day, I am reading, researching and learning something.  I am passionate about many things: the Gospel of Christ, motherhood, literature, homeschooling, family history, gardening, music, natural medicine, preparedness…  So much to learn, so little time!

When we prepared to move into our present home, my husband suggested that we turn the front room into a library.  He sure knows the way to my heart!  (cue the music from Beauty and the Beast, which happens to be the best Disney movie).  The library is now my absolute favorite room in the house.  Books, with the beauty and knowledge available in their pages, surely make me happy!  I am not into spending money on clothes, shoes, makeup or the like; no, I spend every extra cent I have on books.

I credit my parents for nurturing this unquenchable desire to learn.  Growing up, we truly had a house of learning.  My mother homeschooled us in the 80’s, a time when it was not popular, and without the internet (Gasp!! How did she do that??)! My parents encouraged and supported my love for learning and I cannot thank them enough for how much that has blessed my life.

My childhood was filled with good books.  We studied scripture together (almost) every day.  I came to love those men and women who fought for the right and were obedient to God.  I wanted to be like them with everything in me!  They were my friends and my heroes, they pointed me to Christ, our greatest and truest friend.

At bedtime, if we got ready quickly and on time, they would read aloud to us.  That is where I learned to love stories and the power they had to whisk me away to far-away lands.  My favorite was the Chronicles of Narnia! It truly shaped my life and imagination, my relationship with Christ. I love that majestic and powerful, wise and gentle, not tame Lion!  Phrases such as, “Courage, dear heart,” “I was the Lion,” “So that knowing me here, you will come to know me better there,” were branded on my memory and became a part of me. We moved a lot throughout my childhood, and my mother had a library of books that she carted around to every new home we lived in.  She loved her books, and I came to love them too.

We talked and discussed, learned to think for ourselves, form opinions and then defend them.  Everyone had a voice and learned to express it.  We were taught to seek for excellence and to keep on learning because every generation should improve on the last.  They wanted us to build on the foundation they gave us and reach even higher.  What a gift my parents gave me!!

Teaching

Next to learning, I love to teach.  That is definitely one of the reasons I was drawn to  homeschool our children (this is our fourteenth year homeschooling).  It is a joy to be with them, to see their lightbulb moments, their wonder in discovering God’s world.  Sharing with them the things that I have learned and have come to love, fills my soul.  Nothing can replace the sweet questions that my little ones ask, as we cuddle on the couch and read together.  They are so full of wonder and love to learn (most days).  I want to foster that love of learning and give them the tools that they need to continue to seek for the good, the true and the beautiful throughout their lives.  Sometimes I feel that I have missed so many opportunities with my older children, (who don’t always show an excitement for learning) and I have to tell myself to keep trying, that no good effort is wasted, and God will make up for my lack!

My Goal

When I talk with other women, I get such a sense of sisterhood, that we are all a part of something incredible. We are trying the best that we can to build our faith and be more like our Savior.  Being a virtuous woman, wife, and mother in today’s world is hard!  It is wonderful to know that we are not alone.  We can learn, grow and strengthen each other, to reach our full potential as daughters of God.  I am passionate about doing whatever I can to help others realize the greatness within them and stand tall with confidence in their God-given stewardships.

I wish I could sit next to you on the couch, give you a hug and talk with you in person.  Since that isn’t possible, I hope that this will be a place where you will feel that you are not alone!  You can do this, sweet mama.  Thank you for being here!  I hope you will comment on the posts and share your thoughts, experiences, and tips; it makes my day.  And if you ever have any questions or anything that I might be able to help with, please email me.