Grace and rain, and my first post

When I first decided to start a blog, my thought was, am I  crazy?? which mimicked my husband's thoughts exactly. First of all, when will I have time to sit down uninterrupted for any length of time, what with chasing around three rambunctious little boys and homeschooling three more besides; and secondly, what would I have to say? I decided to put those questions on the back burner, and just go for it. I have always enjoyed writing, and if nothing else, I figure this can be therapeutic me-time! That being said, I will probably talk mostly about my kids in this blog :)
This week has started out with some absolutely perfect weather; the first signs that summer is actually arriving...finally! I am very excited to finish up with our homeschooling, hopefully by the end of this month, and then spend the summer visiting friends, going berry picking, trips to the zoo, playing at the park, taking the kids out for ice cream...just because, and having no routine whatsoever. Actually, I really love a routine and thrive on being able to plan things out. What I really mean, is having no school routine whatsoever. Something I have learned this year of homeschooling my children is, there are seasons. Some seasons, like the one we are in now, is survival mode. It doesn't sound glamorous, because its not. But in some ways, I think it is even better than the season I really wanted to be in this year...daily Mass, field trips, school projects, preschool for the little boys... This season of survival has forced me to live day to day, moment to moment. I believe that God has been asking me to live in the moment and enjoy each one as the blessing that it is. Tough ones, fun ones, all are gifts from Him. Even when I kick and scream through each moment that doesn't go "my way", as is often the case, He still offers me the opportunity to receive each moment as a gift and be grateful. And if I am open, He offers me the grace to not just survive the moments, but to thrive. Over this past school year, I have watched my kids develop relationships with each other. I have been impressed at their ability to cooperate with each other and get along, even when its difficult. It has touched my heart deeply to see them enjoy babies and toddlers as much as they do, and to happily learn responsibility through helping to take care of the little boys. I have experienced their hearts of compassion as they willingly come to my aid when they see me falling apart at the seams. So, yeah, maybe this is a season of survival, but its also a season of grace. And even though we might not have done all the academic things I had hoped to accomplish, I think much more important things have been learned.
We took a school break this afternoon to enjoy the sunshine and warmth. The kids played hard until it began to rain, and then pour. And what did they do then? They danced in it, laughed about it, dared each other to run around in it, and got completely soaked. And I laughed too. It was so much fun. To me, it was an illustration of how God is offering to wash and refresh us with His down pouring of grace. And thankfully, these kids of mine reminded me to receive it, enjoy it, and be grateful!