Fall is a time when perennial root structures do their most growing. These are the roots of the grasses in our fishpond. They grow so much in the late summer and fall that they become a mat of roots. And they are hard to split up. We actually had to cut these out because the roots were keeping the water from coming down the waterfall. We put them in another place in the pond to re-root next year.

One of the things I appreciate most about home schooling is that families are allowed to step back and evaluate growth more often. It isn’t about tests that everyone takes at the same time or preparing for conferences. You are able to re-root goals for each learner. You step back and see each child.

Try using these three open-ended questions to evaluate faith and your child. Use them whenever you have a moment to just stop, look and listen. This will help you to see where God is leading your home school lessons next.

I wonder how my child’s faith is connecting in the world.
I wonder how my child’s faith is connecting to God.
I wonder how my child’s faith is connecting in the family.

These questions will help you evaluate what you might need to emphasize more in the faith formation of each child. Do you need to have a child do more service to others? Does your child need more time with God through holy texts or prayer? Does your child need practice acting out faith with siblings?

Evaluate and re-root your faith formation for the kids. And look out for growth that is blessed by God. Amen.

When we put in our fishpond, I wanted cattails. So we took some seeds from the marsh in the back of our property and sprinkled them into the pond. Several years later, we have lots of cattails. In the fall the cat tails “fluff” or seeds kind of explode. This fall I have exploding seedpods all over. Next year, I will have lots of cattails. Whenever I see this, I think, be careful what you add to your life.

Grand parenting is like the cattails. I add a few things once in awhile to my relationship with the kids. Maybe once, I’ll end a reading time with a second book for a special occasion. That child NEVER forgets that they got 2 books once. Pretty soon I’m reading 2 books as the norm. Then I hear this from older to younger in a whisper.

“If you are a really good listener, she reads 2 books every time.”

And younger replies, “Grandma, I think I will listen good to 2 books”

Ah… the cattail seeds are moving and now I’m reading 3 kids X 2 books. Be careful of how you plant the seeds. Or use nature as your examples and relish the joy of the grandparent tasks that are fun that go on and on and on.

The one thing I did not plan on when I moved to the prairie was the wind. It is a constant here in the grasslands. The seed heads on the grass are often parallel to the ground because of big gusts of wind. Planters can move across the sidewalks and at least once a year, the gas grill blows over.

These willow trees are my favorite to watch in the wind. The two sides of the leaves are different colors so they can look completely different when the wind blows. When you add the fall colors, the movement and color is beautiful.

Wind is always there and unseen. What we see is the physical difference in the willow leaves. They change. I like to think of the trees as beliefs that may change with seasons, ages or weather conditions. Faith, like the wind, blows through our life experiences and change the beliefs. Faith doesn’t change, but beliefs change. When wind continues but there is no change, we cannot even see the wind. Hmmmm…

I got this great idea once to dry flowers. I would save the Faith Garden blooms and use them all winter. I cut tons of flowers, hung them upside down and waited. It didn’t go so well. The heads fell off, they got full of cobwebs and the color just wasn’t the same. Here is a picture of a flower that is dried right on the stem. But I have to be patient and let the flower do it’s drying on the stem. I need to check it often and cut it carefully so it doesn’t lose its beauty. I know from experience that if I am patient, I can cut it and it will last a long while inside.

Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One built a house of straw. One built a house with sticks. One built a house of brick. Well you get the idea because you’ve heard the story 100 times. The pigs had a choice. They could build for long-term permanence, which took lots of work, patience and materials. Or they could throw up any old structure, which allowed them less work now. The question remains, “Does the easy way out now, give us strength, support and protection later?”

I wonder what straw faith looks like. I wonder why it’s more important to build our faith on rocks rather than sinking sand or crumbly straw. I wonder why patience and slow building for permanence is important.

Is your faith, straw, sticks or bricks?

One of the hardest things for me to do in my life is let go of people. When I was working in a congregation, I felt so badly when a family moved or chose another church. Then I came to The Faith Garden.

Here is what taught me that letting go is good. The faith garden is circled with pine trees. Some are spruce but most are pine. The first fall, I panicked because all the needles were falling off of the pine trees. Every tree was piled with pine needles. Were they all going to die?

I researched on the internet, called nurseries and read books. Everyone said, it’s part of the process. It is okay. After 8 years in the Faith Garden, I am finally learning to let go. Each pine needle is not my responsibility. Each family in the church is not my responsibility.

God has this handled. It’s part of the process and faith goes on without me trying to control it.

This quote is from one of my favorite childrens books, Because Nothing Looks Like God. It is by Lawrence Kushner and Karen Kushner and was published by Jewish Lights Publishing. www.jewishlights.com

This is the quote I love from the book.
“Where is God? God is in the world. …In caterpillars chewing leaves from daisies, And in worms turning leaves into earth.”

Where is God? God is beyond our senses and beyond our minds.

Sometimes the smallest thing can make us stop and think again. It’s good to look for the mini blooms that tell us to pause and think about God. Look at this Johnny Jump up bloom. I almost missed it. Once I saw it, stopped and captured it as a photo to share, I can’t stop thinking about it. You could say it has “jumped” into my thoughts as I read, write and work.

Here’s a mini resource that has a powerful impact. If you are waiting for an appointment, waiting for a ride or waiting for any reason, this is the book for you. Take this mini Bible for children and families (http://www.ubah.com/AFF11366 )out of your pocket and choose a story. I mean really choose it. Just close your eyes and open the book and read what you see. Stop and think about what your read. Look at the pictures, the border of the pages and the words. Keep thinking.

There is power in small things that make us stop and think. I’m betting the story and the visuals will stay with you and you will think about it all day.

I love worship. I’m one of those people who say all through a worship service of any kind, “That’s my favorite song.” You might feel when you read this blog that I worship nature. You would be wrong. What I love about nature is its connection to God. That’s the same thing I love about worship.

In home school you have the unique ability to worship everyday. You opening and/or closing time can include prayer. This little time of prayer and connecting God to your day is what worship is all about. I like to think of worship as connecting to God in community. Your home school is a community. Worship can be big and elaborate or simple. It can be in a building made for worship or in your living room. It is the connection with God with others that is the important part.

So is worship about what we get? Or is worship about what we give to others in the presence of God? These questions are very important to ask when you are involved in any kind of worship. For me, I try to stay connected to God in the presence of others. That is certainly one premise for home school.

Think about ways to bring worship into your home school. How can your home school community worship daily? Take this simple formula and put it into your day.

Beginning Worship for Home School
A child shares a prayer.
A favorite song is sung.
A holy text is read.

Afternoon Worship for Home School
An adult shares a prayer.
A favorite song is sung.
Partner read the same holy text.