Mother... YOU ARE NOT ALONE

     Hello dear mother,
     It has been awhile. But with the world seemingly coming apart at the seems and tensions on high I felt compelled to write to you today, with a simple message. Dear mother, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. As a homeschooling mom some of you may be thinking that life for us hasn't changed all that much. And it would be a lie to some to say that wasn't true. However, we have had changes to our daily lives, and if I am struggling then I can only imagine how much harder this must be for some of you. If your child attended public school you are struggling to teach your children and entertain them, and heaven forbid if you are having to work from home too! If you are a teacher and mother you are still having to teach your students all the while teaching you own. Maybe you are in the medical field and you aren't allowed to stay home but you have children who you are struggling to find sitters for, even grandparents are hard to find with the virus attacking them with a vengeance. If you are a homeschool mom, the normal teach on the go is being attacked and your activities have been limited. To all of you, you are not alone.
     Long gone are the days where we felt like there were not enough hours to get everything done, now the days seem to drag on. Screen time seems for a time to be a huge time filler. But before long even our kids (and lets face it, even us) are bored with it. As a mom struggling myself I have never before sat there and counted the HOURS before my kids went to bed. Just being honest here. And the fighting between siblings and the complaining to you and the agitated state of your home is on an all time high. Sure you can go on pinterest and look up fun crafts but after a while that can really start to get expensive having to buy supplies after supplies (if you can find it). Heck even now I am feeling the anger well inside of me as my youngest throws disrespect my way because I wont let him do something. I am struggling just like you mom. There are moments when I just want to scream and get away and I can't because I am trapped by this virus. Another example, we have bedrooms for each kid, a open concept home, and where are my kids as I write for the first time since December? In the school room with me! Tears are trying to well up and the overwhelming sensation in my senses screaming, "I can't do this! I wont survive this! Get me out of here! I am not strong enough to coup! I hate this new norm!"

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     I have no pictures to even insert on this blog because my computer crashed months ago and wont allow pictures to be unloaded. LOL. Humility at its finest. But in the mist of all of this strive there is always a light if we choose to seek it out. It may be very dim right now, but it still remains. I don't know God's reasoning for this. To purge our environment of impurities for a time? I mean there are less people on the roads, beaches are closed, national parks are closed, etc. Might it be so parents have to learn how to teach their children how to coup in times of hardship by setting the examples themselves? With schools out and kids home there is no where to hide how we are handling the situation. I know my children have seen the tears start flowing in a normal conversation on the phone, all because I realized that I wouldn't be seeing my parents for Easter. Crying because I wanted to be taken care of for just a few hours by my parents instead of being the constant care giver. Maybe it has something to do with the value of life and how the world has been making it clear to God that there is no value. By killing the unborn and starting on the elderly and handicapped. Maybe it is a combination of all things. I don't know God's will, but He ALWAYS has a reason to everything He does and this virus is no exception.
     So, mother, who is not alone, take every day at a time, every hour if you have to. Re-establish quiet times every day so you can have some peace and recharge. Send the kids to their collective rooms for an hour or two. Let them nap or play by themselves, I did this yesterday. Come up with a new normal routine. Make sure you have some time to be active (though of you're like me that is t he last thing you want) as a family. Take a nightly walk before the sun sets (keeping that social distancing). Try to do one craft a week, not every day, burn out is real. Play cards (UNO, Go Fish, Old Maid, Crazy 8s, etc) are all great for kids of most young and older ages. Play hide and seek in your home and start a tally board to keep track of who is winning. At the end of this virus see who is the champion. Face Time, Face Time, Face Time, at least one person every day; it will help you and them. Start planning and gathering ideas for a "Coronavirus is gone!" party, to give you something to look forward to. And keep praying and fasting, this will not last forever, but until it has passed we must continue to seek joy every day.