Encouragement

Faith and Philosophy

No soul that has approached Me has ever gone away un-consoled” (Diary of St. Faustina, 1777). 

https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/divine-mercy-sunday-whats-feast-all-about-anyway

https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/going-confession-mercy-sunday

The homeschool community especially veteran homeschool parents, are here for you.

Perhaps a few things might be helpful to consider: 

-How much time am I spending on the computer and electronic devices?

-Am I making time for prayer? 

Daily family rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, morning offering and daily livestream Mass. The amount of time put into prayer might seem overwhelming as a young mom but prayers allow us to enter into Heaven on earth where we are not pressured to do anything very demanding.  It is a retreat for a few minutes.  If the thought is still overwhelming, then a rosary can be reduced to one decade a day and Mass time doesn’t have to be every day. Participate in Mass when you feel you can and find the Masses that engage you/lift you up.  Our family (because I have teens) enjoys Bishop Barron’s homilies.

–Can I make a schedule?  

Begin your schedule in a different way.  I find that making notes of what works is a great place to start, instead of dictating how you “think” the day should go.  What is God blessing and making so natural? Like, does nap time occur at a certain time every day?  Think about the routine, rather than the hour of the day and go from there.

-What are the most important subjects in school? 

Aside from religion, the most important subjects are math and English. All of the other subjects can be learned independently if they learn these two subjects. Another note, in all my many years of homeschooling, I’ve discovered the power of five minutes toward memorization.  Put away the grand plans and feeling of defeat, and just use five minutes toward memorizing Latin vocabulary, poetry, math facts, etc.  

Just do what you can every day. This is not a race.  This is not a competition.  Your commitment to what you can do is your offering to Christ to fulfill the vocation He has given you.  He understands the charge He has given you.  He will provide the grace.  Sometimes that requires us to submit to His speed, not ours.

During this Easter season.  You and your family deserve a break. Allowing ourselves to have a break is just as important as working on our studies.  Fun is an important component to being human.  It allows us to feel alive.  Feel the joy that He gave himself up for on the cross.  He does not want us to be a slave.  We are made to kiss our cross.  So, if you can, relax sometimes…these weeks may have been more or less productive, I encourage you to relax if you need to, allow yourself some down-time, casually take notes on what you’d like to work on, leave a piece of paper lying on the kitchen counter and add to it throughout the day those golden nuggets of what is working and what is not, and then develop a plan/a goal to work toward.  Put steps in place to make the plan/goal a reality by creating a schedule to fit those steps in.  If it cannot be fit in, maybe you need to reconsider its importance, or carve out time once a week, once a month, etc. to spiral into it.  

Discouragement does not come from Christ.  To come through to the other side is beautiful.

… I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. (Diary, 742)

God bless you my dear companions in Christ!