The Impossible

This year marks the end of our homeschooling journey. As I type we are selling books we no longer need. Each one goes off to other homeschoolers who are in need of the things we have used. Every book that leaves provides a little more money for the renovations we need to complete on our home. There is a peace and relief as we work our way through our belongings and declutter. Someone else needs what we have and it' s time to pass the baton off to another family. We have reached the end of our journey.

I have been a person that has defeated so many odds. Many have looked at me with a puzzled expression when I've said I homeschool because I am a single parent. Most can't believe it's even possible. But I knew nine years ago that it was our only option for that new school year. Both my kids needed more one-on-one attention and we had lots of appointments to attend. It really was our only solution. God paved the way opening door after door to make it possible.

That spring nine years ago when my son started spiraling downward I never envisioned the turn our life would take. All I knew that spring evening was that my son was in a crisis and he desperately needed help. That process was the hugest ordeal I have ever been through. A team of professionals were called to help us that evening and a dear friend stepped in to take my youngest to her home for the evening so I could weave my way through a process that was entirely new to me. In the meantime, all I could do was pray as we waited and waited for a team to evaluate my son and provide us with help and a solution. It was 3:30 in the morning when the ream of paperwork was completed and my son was admitted to the hospital. I drove home physically and emotionally exhausted. Leaving my son in professional's hands was good but difficult too. I cried all the way home and crawled into bed too exhausted to sleep. Three hours later I had to prepare for work despite my sleepless night. Making it through that difficult day only happened by the grace of God as I was emotionally and physically drained. Thankfully my secretaries stepped in to prepare a way for me to take the next two days off work so I could meet with my son's doctor and the professionals caring for him. Two days later I was sicker than I'd been in years. I spent three days in bed trying to recover while the staff in the hospital cared for my son.

After my son's release our journey continued to be rocky. He was out for a few hours only to have to return again. All we could do was wait, pray and prepare for him to come home. When he did come home he was so lethargic that in the evening we had to call 911 and have him admitted to the emergency room so we could stabilize him.

Those months were terribly difficult. Every day was a challenge. Adjusting to life again for my son took time. He needed our support and daily I had to manage his care to assure we didn't end up in another crisis. It was a day by day process. Yet, even with all this careful care, several months later our homeschooling began during my son's third and fourth hospitalizations. Months earlier my son begged for me to homeschool him. It made so much sense as he was having a very tough year. He couldn't handle school. Frequently, I received phone calls asking me to come and get him from school. We needed to provided a way for him to thrive. During his third and fourth hospitalizations, God paved a way and a plan for us to begin homeschooling. Doors opened. In that time I received all the materials we needed and I prepared our home. All the pieces were in place when my son returned home two weeks later.

Our beginning was like watching a foul that was just born. It was shaky. I was constantly running from one crisis to another. Sometimes my son was too sick to do school work. Just getting up from the sofa led to vomiting. It was a difficult task but day by day we inched our way forward. Gradually, the pieces began falling into place. Professionals became involved, youth pastors and people stepped in to support my children. The relaxed home environment began to bring healing and slowly but surely our homeschool life began to fall into place.

Nine years later, I can honestly say that the long and difficult journey was worth it. My children grew and healing began to happen. Was it easy, no, it was not but we did what God wanted us to do and blessings happened.

Sometimes God asks us to do the impossible, what seems so inconceivable by everyone else. Our job is to focus on what God tells us to do. If he wants you to do it, He will make a way for you to accomplish it. God has amazing ways to make things happen. With Him nothing is ever impossible. If God is asking you to do the unbelievable don't balk. Do it. He will provide the resources, the power and the strength for you to accomplish that task.

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