a tentative decision

Ah decisions!  You have probably never met two more indecisive people than Andy and me.  Decisions have really weighed on my mind over the last few weeks starting with the infamous letter that sent us on a school decision we did not expect to have to make. So, we now have some decisions.  The first and most insignificant decision is to join the pool that we have belonged to for years again this summer.  We seriously considered another pool when we learned that several of the kids from school belonged to it because Zach and Savannah are often bored at the pool.  However, we were never clear on how many kids and how often they attend.  Zach really wants a summer job, and it would help with football expenses this fall, and our pool will hire kids his age.  That factored in our decision as well though we don't know if he will get hired.  Crazy as it sounds, it is nice to have this decision made, and we can still visit the other pool as it is a public pool that does not require a membership.  We have learned that our dog likes to play in the hose, so maybe we don't need to join a pool at all ---kidding, I think learning to swim is a necessary life lesson that can only be learned with lots of practice, and Wyatt and Julia both need the practice.

So, the big decision.  We are taking the hard and scary road and keeping Julia right where she is.  It has been stated a few times in my memory of late that when you are at a crossroads, God would probably have you take the harder road.  This crossroads was difficult because both choices meant hardship in different ways.  We are taking the harder road financially and from the stance of the family schedule.  Emotionally, the other road was harder, and I just could not get a peace about it.  Julia was accepted at Wyatt's school, and we love the school, but something did not feel right.  Much prayer went into this decision as I begged God for wisdom, but the final pieces fell into place as our church service started on Sunday.  Our church held a baby dedication this past weekend, and the minister's prayer started with an acknowledgement that it will be incredibly hard for these children to live counter-culture. Immediately, this question popped into my mind, "can a six year old even do that?"  Granted, I have a strong-willed  almost  six year old, but she is also very much a people-pleaser which has long been a concern of ours.  The sermon that followed was on faithfulness, and I just felt the need to remain faithful to what we started nine years ago when we committed to taking every opportunity to pour God's word into our kids.  After church we went to our Sunday school class, and our teacher started the lesson talking about a missionary imprisoned in solitary confinement who relied on the scriptures he had memorized to get through the lonely days.  He found solace and joy, yes joy, in recalling those scriptures and seeing them come alive and active in his circumstances.  Julia recites Psalm 23 completely from memory, and she learned it at school without much work at home.  Zach and Savannah held onto most of the 2nd chapter of Luke that they learned at school for a long time after their 2nd grade classes went through it.  Recalling this while hearing about this missionary really drove home the decision, but it was still in Andy's hands.  He intended to spend some time in solitude Sunday night and try and get some finality on it.  However, he was on call this weekend, and work interrupted.  He is comfortable with this choice -as comfortable as we can be, I guess, as there is nothing comfortable about living on the edge, but we do trust our Provider.  He has gotten us this far, and believe me, we have lived on this sort of edge before.  I do still call this a tentative decision because we have not yet acted on it.  We have not contacted Wyatt's school to release Julia's spot, and Andy would still like to meet with a friend and discuss this further.  I have always been and continue to be grateful that we have choices.  I have friends who successfully homeschool their children, and I have friends who are loving the public schools. I think school decisions are as individual as the children and their families.

I would add that during this process a few things have happened.  We have learned of situations involving Zach's class that are bothersome, and we are working to address them.  We have also found some ways to bring more of the gospel into Wyatt's school.  A simple e-mail got the ball rolling on getting FCA involved with the school, so maybe this crossroads came so that we could be more diligent in praying for our schools. I also found some neat resources for Wyatt to use at home so that we can help him grow his faith. I don't think I would have searched had I not been in this situation. 

A new stove arrives on Thursday.  I did not go with Andy to order it, so I will see it for the first time when it arrives :)