Lost

Lost: My sidekick of 5 years, 6 months and 29 days

Cute, blond haired, blue eyed. Answers to the name of Caleb.

If found, please return him to me as soon as possible!

Anyone know where this guy went?

I sure don't!!

Kindergarten started yesterday. Huge sigh.

My Caleb was SO unbelievably excited. It made it easier for all of us. And I did it. I dropped him off with that huge grin on his face and lived to tell about it. But truly--Carson and I have been a bit lost the last couple of days ourselves. It feels so strange without him being around all day. And Texas schools are so lame--the bus comes at 6:50 AM!! (yes, that's right people 6:50AM!) and returns at 3:10pm. All day kindergarten and it starts before anyone should even think about being awake! Lame!

You'd think I would have caught on to how fast he was growing up. What with his Joy School graduation:



Mastering swimming lessons



(Talk about improvement! Caleb went from being fairly timid in the water to full on swimming under the water! It helped that he took swimming lessons with one of his best buddies ever!)

Oh and then there is how well he is doing at violin and how well he did at that violin recital a few months ago


He did such a good job! He really made us proud!

So you see...all the signs have been there...but I have just been in denial!!

We prayed and debated and prayed some more about what we were going to do with Caleb this fall. Public school, private school, home school. We looked at every option. 500 times. But in the end...we went with public school.

This quote from a lady named Karen Beaumont quoted here describes my feelings exactly:

“I love a winter storm. … When the wind starts to blow and the snow begins to fall, a feeling of excitement starts to build. … When I can’t see the trees at the neighbor’s farmyard, … I phone my husband! … He then picks up the children who are at school. … It is hard to describe the feelings I experience as our family is gathered home, and the storm rages outside. … And I love it! Everyone is safe; we are together. We have lots of food and water. The longer it lasts, the better. … We are shut off from the world. … We bask in the warmth of our home and in the warmth of our love. My heart is full, and I am at peace. Sometimes, I wish I could just stay like that forever, with my family gathered around me, protected, shut off from the evil influences of the world. But alas, the storm blows itself out eventually, we dig ourselves out, and off we go to face the world again.”

I sometimes want to just keep my family locked up and safe and protected at home with me forever! There is so much junk in the world and I would love to just keep Caleb sheltered forever. But at the same time, I felt like maybe Caleb could be a light to someone--and if so--it would be pure selfishness to keep him home. "In the world, but not of the world...."

When I read this quote from Joseph B Wirthlin--I knew what I had to do: "Perhaps all of us sometimes would like to withdraw and isolate ourselves from the storms of life and from the fiery darts of Satan. However, we must be in the world but not of the world, meaning to go forward in the midst of the sin, evil, and corruption that are in the world but resist and reject them. Being in the world can be frightening because we live at a time when Satan is becoming more and more bold. The Lord said, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” (John 17:15.)

And so...though I know it is not the right choice for everyone--for Caleb, we felt strongly about where he needed to be. He is out there already being a light and a leader. And it was harder than I ever thought it would be to bring him there! And yet more fun and exciting then I ever thought it could be! Funny how that works!