Follow Your Path

We started our school-year off with a camping trip. One of the perks of homeschooling, right?! We wanted to go to a State Park and found that if we waited until Labor Day to actually START camping we could get a stellar spot. It was a great way to start the year. :)

We had a perfect campsite, perfect weather, and a really great time with our kids. This morning, after breakfast, we had everybody put on a bathing suit and headed out to swim/hike. We saw some amazing scenery and Leve reminded me of an important truth. Kids do that, don't they?!

We went to a very secluded area of beach and decided to swim. The beach was filled with tiny little rocks, you know the kind...the ones that get in your shoes and drive you crazy. When it was time to go, we had everyone go over to a large rock away from the small pebbles to clean off their feet and put their shoes on. Once they were on the large rock they could easily walk to the path out of the beach and avoid filling their shoes with rocks again. Kiki and Finn did this perfectly. Leve seemed to be doing great too. I turned to put on the backpack I was hauling and heard Leve call, "Help!" with a sound of panic. I turn to find her clinging to the rockwall...she was stuck and too scared to go forward, back, up, or down! I went over, climbed up a few feet, picked her up, and helped get her down to the trail. Once she was safe I said, "Why didn't you take the path? WHY would you think you should climb the rock out of here?!"

She pointed ahead of her and said, "That's what Kiki DID!"

Ahh....the good 'ol doin' what your sister does rational. She could just have well have said, "Someone I love, trust, and look up to was doing it that way, so I thought I'd do it that way too." Never mind that she's 3 years younger, 2 feet shorter, and not nearly as agile on her feet. When I was looking at it from the outsiders perspective I thought how silly and foolish it was. That is, for a split second, until I realized the truth in the statement. The reason it hit me folks, is because I am SO guilty of doing just that...and have to struggle at times to stay true to what I know is right for me.

In fact, I've been doing a lot of that lately. You see, for Minnesotans it's the first day of school.

I grew up going to public school. I trained to be a school teacher. I'm used to getting up the day after Labor Day and going off to school. I have been called to a different path with my children. In my heart of hearts I KNOW that path is the right path for us. I KNOW without a doubt that we're doing the right thing for our kids and for our family.

But, I admit that there are days, like today, that I want to do what other people are doing. I have twinges of envy when I think about the Moms who are getting a tiny break while their kids are off at school. I get a little nostalgic for my own school days and wonder how my children will look back on their childhood and if they'll feel they "missed out" somehow. A tiny bit of me wishes that sometimes someone ELSE was having to deal with curriculum decisions for them and bearing the weight of this tremendous responsiblity.

In short, I could TOTALLY identify with Leve's desire to do what Kiki was doing. And I was jolted back to the reality that doing what others are doing if it's not right for you will get you stranded on a rock wall calling for help...or some sort of equivalent!

Each of us needs to do what is right for us and for our families. We need to live an examined life. How can we truly be doing God's will in our lives if we don't? We're not all called to do the same thing and we do ourselves, our families, and our world a dis-service if we try to do things like our neighbor. It was awesome to be reminded of that today and encouraged to stay the course.

Blessings to each of you as you follow your paths.

Stacy