Take Time for Family

This morning I was awakened by the sound of my phone ringing. You may have gotten one of those calls before; the one that wakes you up from a dead sleep and then frightens you because you realize that no one in their right mind would be calling you at this hour of the day. As soon as I saw who was calling I knew in my heart what the call was about. My grandmother that the kids and I had driven to Ohio to see a couple weeks earlier had passed away. Her heart stopped this morning and though the hospital staff did all they could do, this time the Lord chose to take her home. And I’m thankful for that…I really am…I just wish it didn’t hurt me so much, but I am happy that her suffering is over even if I would selfishly liked to have seen her just one more time.

I am thankful that I made that spur of the moment decision to rent a car and see her two weeks ago but more than that, I’m thankful for the time my kids took out of our homeschooling schedule each week before we began traveling that I designated family day. Each Friday we would visit my grandparents, my children’s great grandparents. I thought it was so valuable for them to spend time with their elders and it’s a decision I have never, ever regretted. When you homeschool sometimes it’s so easy to get wrapped up in all the busyness of the season and neglect the things that really matter. I just want to encourage you to make time for your loved ones. We lost my grandfather on our first day of school two years ago, my grandmother passed away last November and today I lost my last living grandmother. They won’t always be there, but the lessons you can learn from them are invaluable and the memories you’ll make will be priceless.