I kind of had a hard time pulling things together this time, partly because of outside forces, partly because I did not do a good job of blogging all the great stuff the Zoomlians are doing.
About those "outside forces." My much beloved mother in law went to the hospital for an asthma attack in early January and discovered the problem was really her heart. She's out of the hospital now, awaiting surgery. My dear father in law and amazing sister in law are doing the lion's share of care, but I am going over as often as I can to help out and have a little "mom time."
It's a balancing act. She has been there for me throughout the last 25 years, and I want so much to be there for her. The Zoomlians have risen to the occasion heroically, and they are all old enough to be left on their own. But.
This is the tricky bit: they need me there too. The smallest part of it is practical. Part of it is educational (although things do seem to just keep going), and part of it is emotional. When I'm with them, I can see when conflicts and problems are starting, and I usually diffuse them (these kids just need more space), or point them out so the kids can diffuse them (when you say this, what is he hearing?), depending on the age and needs of the kid. When I'm not there, things can build.
This too is a learning experience for the kids, and I can see that God is using it. I just need to discern how God wants me to balance my time. My weekly hour of Adoration has become essential: I need to talk about how things are going and get instructions for the next week. My friend, Fr. Pinto, used to talk about that, but I am really feeling it now!
And the Lord is arranging things, too. We didn't have enough teens to do the co-op this semester. We'll continue our Adventurers field trips, but those don't require the level of work of the co-op.
Photo: Ilya Zomb's The Art of Balance from his series The Metamorphoses of Stillness
1 comment:
Praying for you and the Zoomlians as you find balance.
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