It's so much more than *school*

Driving my children back from their collective dental appointments this a.m., I decided to take the leisurely way home. I had been given a Target gift card recently. We were all hungry. And heck, it was as sunny a day as you could ask for in late October.

So we mingled. We meandered. We postponed our morning school plans in favor of some morning life.

It didn't feel revolutionary at the time that it was happening. No, it just felt like a momma hen out with her four little chickens, soaking in some much-needed Vitamin D and enjoying some giggles at the expense of what passes for workout clothing. The truth is, it is so easy to take for granted these little moments in time. My children are always with me. I am secure in their presence; their voices, their hugs, their poking silliness ... it is the fabric of my very being. That fact sometimes makes me forget to savor every last second that I have with them, simply because I have those seconds in abundance.

I forget, too, how precious our freedom is. The mere fact that I could spend the better part of a morning safe and secure in the knowledge that our schoolwork can be done on our time, not someone else's ... priceless, isn't it? There is no two hour load of homework that must be turned in tomorrow morning. No class that must be attended. There is only a framework, some goals and an open-ended spirit of learning.

I am so unspeakably grateful today for the gift of homeschooling. It is this small sacrifice that has opened a door to a much, much larger blessing: time with my children. Not every moment is perfect. Not every moment is meaningful. But every moment is ours.