Making Our Homes

We have had a week that can only be described in superlatives.
And not the good kind.
I thought Tuesday would never end! When I was telling my dear friend about it, at one point far into the story she said, "Oh my word! Nothing else could possibly go wrong!" to which I replied, "You'd think so....." and then I finished the story.
One thing about this week, though, is the way our children have reacted to all of this...catastrophe. From the littlest, who spent 3 1/2 hours straight in the car with me the other day driving back and forth, to the Middles, who take every change and inconvenience with a shrug and an "ok," to even the grown one, who didn't even flinch when he was faced with the choice to do right or take the easy way out, I have felt so blessed to have such resilient, adaptable children.
I want to make sure that even when we are facing storms like these and others that our home is a sanctuary for them. That home is where they know they can find comfort, support, and love.
I would like to highly encourage those of you raising children to read this blog. You can click right on the word and it will take you to it. You can also access it by clicking on the "I Take Joy" tab on the sidebar. Sally Clarkson is a wife and mother and popular homeschool speaker. She writes on her blog about parenting from the heart. This blog entry is entitled "Sing a More Beautiful Song" and is about how the "songs" we are singing need to be like Orpheus' songs and be able to draw our children homeward and away from the songs of the Sirens. What an encouragement it was to me to try to, even in the midst of weariness and feeling overwhelmed with things to do, make our home a refuge where our children would rather be.