I remember when my daughters stopped playing with Barbie dolls. There wasn't a warning or a ceremonial ending; just one day, they stopped playing with them. It was the same with ballet lessons and Irish Step dancing, baby dolls, Legos and playing dress up. Suddenly the phases of childhood came to a halt without warning. I'm thankful that being a full time homemaker and homeschooling momma didn't end without warning. For years I knew it was going to come--well, at least the homeschooling part. It wasn't clear until a few years ago that working would be part of the equation for me so our kids could attend the colleges the Lord was leading them to.
Studying Outdoor Recreation, one thing we learned was how the anticipation of a trip was a very large part of the enjoyment. Surprises are cool, but anticipating a trip is almost as important as the event. The percent escapes me now but it's possible it was a higher percent of the enjoyment than the actual trip....
Along that vein but exactly opposite, was my experience with the end of life as I'd known it as a homeschooling/homemaking mom. For a couple of years the anticipation was hard. There were tears and lots of uncertainty. I loved all the things that were a part of my life as a home educator and homeschooler. From the early days of breast feeding and cloth diapering to gardening and canning, incubating chickens, teaching my own kids, teaching other people's kids, learning to cook for various allergies and health needs, keeping a tidy home, educating for academics and spiritual growth, preparing home cooked meals--it was all a joyous challenge to work out until what I considered success was mastered. Days were full and my life was profoundly fulfilling. I couldn't imagine what it would be like after my work wasn't pouring into my kids and home day and night. There were times my heart felt broken and my purpose in life felt murky. Even as a Christian, I just wasn't sure how God would use me so that I'd feel my life had meaning.
As always happens after a time of darkness, the sun comes up and God shows Himself so faithful. The little cleaning business I'd started when our kids were very much at home became the focal point. I went from 1 client to 0 when Covid started because my dear friend was put in an assisted living. For about 8 months I prayed and waited, and then a friend asked me about cleaning her house. When 8 months more had passed, 3 more people had taken me on. Four months after that the number grew and then suddenly 2 months later my number was 8 clients. Here we are now, 4 years after my tiny business began and I've got 10 lovely families I'm able to clean for, and I love my work. It is beyond anything I could have imagined to help people care for the space that God has given them to be themselves, relax, have fun together and rest in. Home--it is such an important place. To get to make it clean and lovely for people is deeply satisfying.
Only a great God who cares about His people can do something like that. Take a simple momma and help her feel that her life has meaning by cleaning other people's homes. Meanwhile, my own home dynamic is very different, but I'm fulfilling my new calling to serve my family by making money for college. It is a good thing to help our husbands carry out what they see as the right way to go. Whether we agree or not isn't the issue. God is faithful to bless when we keep our eyes focused on what He's said we're to do. So ladies, when your years of homeschooling are coming to an end, trust the Lord. Ask Him to show you what you can do, if you need to make money. If you don't, ask Him to show you what to do to stay very busy because a woman with too much time on her hands quickly becomes a busy body, often with insatiable lusts that make her unpleasant to be around.
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