As I stand at the back door of my kitchen, coffee cup in hand, a song comes to my mind -- the beautiful hymn It Is Well by Horatio G. Spatford.  Listen to this last stanza:  O Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, "Even so,"  --- it is well with my soul...

   I didn't get to see Jay this morning because he left early for work, but next to the coffee pot found a little blue post-it note:  "Hi Mare, It's a sad day for America today...but Jesus reminded us to 'take courage; I have overcome the world.' Have a blessed day in Him. love you --- Jay."  

   We don’t know about you but we are both very example-oriented learners. We watch YouTube tutorials and read how-to books like they are about to be banned (if the government banned Supers, who knows what’s next!) Creating our own Personal Purpose Statements was no exception. A really helpful part of the process was reading the purpose statements of other people, particularly people who are in the public eye enough to see how their purpose statements color and craft their daily lives. So, here are a couple of our favorite Personal Purpose Statement examples...

   In Maryland, we are experiencing heavy rain, high winds and a range of emotions as emergency personnel encourage us to prepare for power outages, downed trees and flooding.  Of course, we're heeding the warnings as we collect flash lights & batteries, help neighbors & family, and take inventory of food, water, etc.   This afternoon, as much of the east coast prepares for hurricane Sandy, my prayer is that all of us would truly sense God's peace. 

   As wives, mothers, teachers, and daughters of the King we wear many hats, moms. In addition to teaching our kids to read, write and do arithmetic, we serve as mini CEOs of our household, support our husbands in their calling at work and their leading at home, and hopefully seek after God with all our heart.From our earliest years of homeschooling, one of my greatest desires was to personally inspire my children to follow hard after God and to live lives of greatness for the glory of His name. Because I am with my children more than anyone else, my influence in their lives is probably greater than anyone except perhaps their daddy’s before he went home to be with the Lord.

   Have you and your family seen The Incredibles?  It is not only an amazing family film, it is also a fantastic illustration of the importance of crafting a Family Purpose Statement based upon the personal strengths of each member of your family.

   “You weren’t an accident. You weren’t mass-produced. You aren’t an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on Earth by the Master Craftsman.” – Max Lucado  

 Autumn can be a particularly busy time for homeschooling families.  With lessons to coordinate, a household to manage, children to nurture, & a marriage to maintain, sometimes it's hard to juggle everything!  Keeping the family's calendar is often an extremely challenging task, especially later in the fall as Thanksgiving approaches.

This conference was a time for leaders to come together to renew, refresh, and re-tool - but definitely not retire! I was so encouraged to see many still in leadership roles providing wisdom and guidance even though their own children had long ago completed their academic schooling. HSLDA is the kind of organization that fosters that type of commitment.

   I was excited to see young people who attended college with Megan now in places of leadership and innovation. These young people with fresh ideas and insights are contributing and learning from the experience and wisdom of their elders. How refreshing to see a living, breathing organization that is replenishing itself in order to leave a legacy for future generations!