What Am I Going Here?

I guess if I'm going to blog I might as well start out with..."Why?" What on earth am I doing here? I'm not a writer...never have been. But I am a wife...and a mother...a woman who needs to learn and grow in my relationship to Christ, in my relationship with my husband, and in my role as a mother. One thing that I think may help me at this point in my life is to get my thoughts, experiences, and knowledge down on paper...or on "cyber-paper". :)

So here I am. Writing (or should I say, hoping to write) about it. It is my hope, my desire, my prayer, that this blog will help me on those oh-so-frazzled days to remember all that I've been through, all that I've learned, all that I know to be true, that is soooooo hard to remember when I'm in the trenches....up to my armpits, so to speak, in dirty diapers, snotty noses, wiping bottoms, cleaning up vomit, bickering children, grumbling pre-teens, crying toddlers, etc.

And if someone happens to stumble upon this blog and find that they are not alone in this calling, this vocation that requires everything, but that the world looks upon as "wasted" time. One that requires sacrificial love, but generates no monetary gain. No paycheck at the end of the week. No 401(k). No vacation time. No glamour. If someone happens to find this blog and be encouraged, then all the better!

And by the way, maybe the monetary end of this "job" is weak, but the benefits are amazingly out-of-this-world!! :)

A beginning......Thankful Thursday

My first blog post!!! I decided to start it (finally!) with a Thankful Thursday! I was thinking about what to write and I realized that I am so thankful for the family that the Lord has so graciously given me. A wonderful, loving, dependable husband who works hard to provide for our family. Seven little children entrusted into our hands to raise, love and cherish. So much to be thankful for!

Many times I am asked how I "do it" with so many children. Sometimes the question is about homeschooling, sometimes just about life in general. Well, it is hard! My days are full. Some days seem to be TOO full! Some days I make it to the end of the day without too much frustration. But sadly, more often I don't.

I was pondering that question and the others I often get....."Will there be any more???" "How can you afford so many children?" etc., etc., etc. And I was thinking about what other people are doing. The ones who don't have a "lot" of children. They also, just like me, give their lives and their time and their money to something. Maybe a career. Maybe a hobby. Maybe a second home. Whatever it is, they are investing in something. And I thought....what better investment can I make than in the lives of my children? All the hard work, all the financial sacrifices, all the frustration on those difficult days with teens-to-toddlers and trying to get some school done as well. It's all worth it! One day that career will be over. That hobby will be dusty. That second home will be gone. But a living soul is eternal. What a worthwhile investment!!

So my answer to that question is this. If you knew what I know, you'd be doing the exact same thing! :)