Our Journey - Part 2

I am taking a short detour here to fill in a few things about how I was able to come home.

I felt the call to home school when Abby was still an infant and so I mentioned it to my husband several times over the next few months. He told me that we would never be able to afford for me to come home, that I would always have to work full time. Of course, this added to the anxiety that I was already feeling. I began to pray in earnest that G-d would either change my desire or my husband's heart. He gave me a greater desire to home school and be with my child.

When Abby was about three years old, I felt it was time to have a serious talk with my husband about home schooling. It was a Sunday afternoon when I told him I needed to talk to him. I was ready for a fight. I had all my arguments ready so that I could convince him that home schooling was what G-d wanted for our family.

I sat down and said, "Scott, I really feel that G-d wants us to home school Abby." He said, "OK, let's go look at the budget and see how we are going to work it out."

I didn't have to argue. I didn't have to convince him. G-d had changed Scott's heart on the matter. We spent all that afternoon coming up with a plan to pay off all of our debt, except the house. We worked for the next two years to accomplish it.

Scott still was not convinced that we could make it on his salary (we cut our income in half when I quit working all together). I found a part time job in the afternoons and evenings but I was still working between 25 to 30 hours a week outside the home plus drive time. I schooled Abby in the mornings, which was okay because it was kindergarten. The next year, when Abby was in first grade, I took care of two children in my home. This did not work well for us because my husband works nights about half the time and sleeps during the days. However, during this time, as my income slowly decreased, G-d convinced my husband that we could make it on his salary. Since then I teach Spanish to home schooling families and that helps to pay for books, supplies and field trips.

In January of this year, we took another leap of faith when we moved from Columbia to Rock Hill, SC. My husband is a police officer and works a great deal of overtime to keep me at home. We had been praying for a way for him to be home more and a better work environment for him. G-d has blessed us greatly with a position with the Police Dept here. Scott is surrounded by believers and is home with us more. Rock Hill also has a very strong home schooling community and we have been privileged to meet many wonderful families this year.

Abby is now in forth grade. I love being with her everyday. I am finally following G-d's will for my life by being available to my family when they need me. There is nothing else competing for my time and so I am able to put all my effort in to taking care of them.

To be continued...