crisis

Note: This is not the Reader’s Digest version. I guess I still needed to process. Feel free to scroll to the bottom to see how I got through my crisis.

I wish I could say I haven’t really had to homeschool through a crisis.

My crisis was 22 months ago and I still feel like I am not back on track yet.

My mother moved ‘in’ with us September 11, 2005.
I use in in quotations because she lived in her 5th wheel on our property.
That day I became part of what is known as the Sandwich Generation.
Caring for a parent and also for my children.
Having her here put a new spin on homeschooling. Although I didn’t start homeschooling until June 2006.

As the years passed her health declined.
There were doctors appointments that took me away from the house most of the day.
There were hospital stays that we felt guilty for because we could relax a little because she was being taken care of.

In August of 2011 The Principal had applied for a job in North Carolina. When it looked as if he might get the job we broke the news to my mom.
She decided rather quickly that she wasn’t going to be joining us. She was going to move to Vancouver to be near my brother.

Labor Day weekend, Friday at 4 pm, I am finding myself taking her to an emergency eye appointment because her eyesight is unexplainably foggy.
The eye doctor found nothing wrong.
She went into a short term care facility the following Thursday, the 8th, to get stronger to move to Vancouver. She was only going to be there for 2 weeks.

On September 15th I had visited her before going to Seattle for a half marathon. I was also dropping off Girl Child and Boy Child #3 in Seattle to go on an Alaskan cruise with their Oma and auntie.

September 19th, 2011 6 am I got a phone call.

Mom had passed away.

My two younger kids were in Alaska.
I was in Seattle.
The Principal was home.

Yet, God was ALL OVER this. His plan was THIS.

You see. Mom had what is known as a Triple A. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. Basically a ticking time-bomb.
Both of us feared, when this aneurysm gave, that she would be in her bed and one of the kids would find her.

God knew our fears. He protected my children.
He also, by them being in Alaska, gave me a week ALONE with The Principal to grieve.
On the way home from picking the kids up in Seattle at the end of that week we got a phone call.

My older sons mentor and ‘big brother’ had been in a tragic motorcycle accident.
Five days after loosing their grandmother they lost their ‘big brother.’

That was my crisis. Now how did I homeschool through it?
The first thing I learned?
Children are resilient.
While I was still in a fog my kids were taking Gran being gone much better.
They knew she would eventually die. Our family didn’t candy coat that fact. Everybody dies.
I found myself annoyed. The world around me continued to revolve, while I was sitting here “How dare you! Don’t you know I am now a motherless daughter!?”

The ages of the two I still homeschooled were 12 and 14, so I didn’t have littles to tend to.
We did a lot of Netflix learning. We also did a lot of reading.
There wasn’t any rhyme or reason to our days.
That may or may not have helped, but I was in survival mode if you will.

I gave myself permission to slow down. To grieve. I didn’t want to miss what God was doing during my crisis.

My children came through their lack of ‘real school’ unscathed.

When life throws you a curveball it’s ok to put school on hold.
Seriously.
In the big picture of things….read 1 or 2 years down the road….your children will be ok.
Taking a short time off will help hearts heal. School isn’t going anywhere. When they are older they will remember the family bonding and healing WAY more than if they remembered their multiplication tables after taking time off.

Life happens.
God’s plan is sovereign.
Give yourself grace.

Have you had to homeschool through a crisis? Click the above picture to read more.

I am linking up with other bloggers over at Teach Them Diligently.

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