Thursday 24 March 2011

Encouragement

 

We are very Blessed here in the Hunter Valley, NSW to have an evening set aside, once a month, when us Mums get together and encourage each other in the calling of homeschooling.


We gather in a home central to most of us. We share a welcoming drink and yummy food and we chatter. Getting to know each other better.


We make our way to the loungeroom and we settle. We ask God to be with us, thanking him for his greatness and providence and we begin our evening session.


We share our ups and our downs.


We laugh and we remember and we listen lovingly to each other, as we share our stories. All our stories are so different. Why we began homeschooling, where we are now in our journey, where to from here and the list went on.


We were asked to think how God talks to us in our journey. How much do we listen to his guidance and do we trust in his journey for us.


This lead to lots of great discussion.


At the same time our teen girls are being guided in a little share group of their own. All 8 sit at the dining room table and one of the older girls was asked to take a leadership role in their group. I am so proud of these girls; they are taking the steps in sharing and listening to each other, with love and respect. Brid is enjoying having this special contact with her friends and is relishing in all the sharing.


Brid took along her All things Girls books- essentially Catholic, but there is a lot of good solid wholesomeness to share and talk about. It certainly could be a spring board for them.


The night ends too quickly, and we find ourselves in the car driving away with our spirits lifted. We have wonderful talks on the way home. Lots of deep sharing from the heart. Brid just chatters away. At one point she said, if I was at school, I don’t think I would be having this conversation with you Mum. Very true I would think.


This leads me to tonight’s discussions. We love our girlie nights, and we take the opportunity to light a candle, pray, and read a mum daughter book. We are cherishing our Beautiful Girlhood nights and they themselves generate lively discussions. Tonight we chatted about sincerity and ideals. It was a beautiful way to share some time together.


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2 comments:

Sue Elvis said...

I've always wanted to have such a group here in the Highlands, Leanne. However, we all live quite a way from each other and nights in winter are so cold and dark. Perhaps no one would come. Do you have to travel very far? What time do your gatherings start and end? Such a wonderful blessing for you and Brid!

Leanne said...

Hi sue, We travel about 25 mins from our home. It starta at 7pm and finishes around 9pm. And yes Sue it is a wonderful Blessing for Brid to have lovely christ centred girls in her life.