"We are all wanderers on this earth...our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." ~ Gypsy proverb

Monday, August 13, 2012

The music plays on....

The Wildlife Sanctuary

A touch of sadness tinkers at the edges of my days lately. I feel summer ending and the shadows shifting again. While the excitement of experiencing a new Fall sits quietly, observing the simmer of summer in my eyes, the reservations that come with any change rise as assuredly as the steam created by the clash of hot and cool.

Having my children home with me these past couple months has brought the taste of our lives as unschoolers and home learners back into my mouth, though I don't think it has ever truly left. Today we go to their school "open house", a task that combines bitter and sweet. As much as I trust that my children will flourish at their own volition, the lack of trust I have in any system is nearly just as strong. So hope and skepticism continue to do their dance around each other, while the music plays on.


Much love on this Monday friends, and wishing everyone a smooth transition back to new routines (if any) in the next few weeks...

xoxo


13 comments:

  1. funny, i don't send mine to school but i still feel this time of year a bit disconcerting...kids heading off to school, a switch to our routines. stay strong mama, these waves aren't easy but they can be taken in stride and really, life should be taken in stride.

    love the doodles on your journal, basking in the light. it says a lot to me about where you are in your life right now and while you may not see it, you're full of light and life. xo

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  2. The change of the seasons, the days getting shorter or longer, everything in a constant shift, but for some reason we only notice it at *season* time. The things you learn as you get older! Enjoy these times and the adventure.. ox

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  3. both of mine went to school and I heavily augmented what they did when they were home. Consider it double the education. Everything will be fine. You can always change your mind and so could they. Nothing is permanent. Enjoy your end of summer days. My daughter just returned to her campus over the past weekend and now my son returns to his in two weeks!!

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  4. Change is hard isn't it? Even good changes are sometimes a slightly uncomfortable transition. We are going though our share of changes here as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your own; it helps to be reminded that it's a natural and constant part of life for us all...

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  5. I am not a fan of change and have been having such a tough time of it lately. Hope your world continues to brighten MJ. Hey, I bet you are going to have a great fall there, I am so envious that you will get to actually see 'fall'! ;)

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  6. i hope it's all a good change for you all this fall. nothing is perfect. letting go of expectations is always good.

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  7. I love that last picture with the journal and the pile of colorful pens!

    Aren't these changes, some big some little, oh so challenging at times. The gentle nuance of them can be almost imperceptive, until you realize they are overwhelming!

    Sending hugs!

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  8. ah hugs are on the way, i do remember having these 'fall' feelings when my own children were young. there is such good advice here, accepting impermanance and letting go of expectations (the source of unhappyness) helps! good luck mamma!

    p.s. your journal is amazing!

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  9. these mixed emotions must surely remain with any parent who has believed in non-schooling. i'm curious what i will feel...

    your journal also makes me curious. :)

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  10. Great pictures MJ.
    Yes, as we inch toward the bottom half of the August calendar, it is very bitter sweet.
    Like you, I have reservations about the school system my children will be entering into this fall (NY state budget crisis equals a complete redistricting of public schools around here). This past hopeful spring I visualized a very different fall experience. But that is OK.
    I know you will revel in your first Colorado Autumn though!
    Cheers,
    Leah

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  11. I was sitting where you are last year, and this year we are joyfully back to unschooling. For us, it is always in process, seeing what works for our family for a time, changing it up if we see a new (possibly better) option. Maybe returning to what worked better before. It takes courage to leave it open-ended, but what a great learning opportunity for your children to have so much choice and input and options in their education....

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  12. This is so beautiful. And oh, how I feel this touch of sadness. Bitter yet sweet....something is churning. My son begins a new school this coming Monday and I have spent many nights staring out the window searching for the hope that will quench the fears. Seventh grade after spending six beautiful years in a small Montessori classroom with the same teachers and students, continually loved and nurtured. Change is change. And somewhere in that change, I look for the dance of trust....thank you for this.

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  13. My oldest little one starts school (1st grade) tomorrow in a new school. (My youngest still home with me for one last year before beginning as well.)
    One thing I always hold tight to is that....I can always pull my kids out of school if it doesn't work. Of that, I am in control.
    XO

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw