Lonnie’s Recent Tests
This will be a “flash post” of sorts — I’ve got a ton to do today but wanted to give an update on Lonnie.
He got a call yesterday from his oncologist, who informed him that his “bad” proteins were the highest they’d been since he was diagnosed. Other proteins they look for in the labwork were high, as well. By way of explanation, high levels of certain proteins usually signifies that the cancer is getting more active. There are no plans for treatment yet — he’ll be going in for his next lab tests in April (a month sooner than usual). If the numbers remain high or continue to rise, his doctor may suggest the next course of action, or refer him back to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
If you’re new to this blog, you may not know that Lonnie was diagnosed in early March of 2006 with Multiple Myeloma. He received the call with this news the day before Bethany turned three weeks old.
You can learn more about Multiple Myeloma by going here: MultipleMyeloma.org.
Prayers for Lonnie would be appreciated!
Sometimes it’s Okay to Quit
I have never let my schooling interfere
with my education.
~ Mark Twain
From childhood, we are told it’s a sign of weakness to be quitters. Admittedly, there are plenty of things that are bad to quit without good reason…such as marriage and jobs.
And college.
(Some people even decide to quit living…and that never turns out well.)
“Once you start something, finish it!” We’ve all heard that noble saying. But the mistake lies in making that statement all-inclusive, because sometimes it is okay to quit.
Last summer, we “quit” homeschooling in favor of online public schooling. The boys’ school, Insight School of WA, despite its glitches, has been working out pretty well. Not so with Erica’s school. The number of hoops (a.k.a., busywork) that Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA) wants parents to jump through as ”learning coaches” is over the top. I won’t go into it all here (let’s just say I had less work when I was homeschooling her)…but I made my concerns known to Erica’s teacher (who was really wonderful), and maybe WAVA will eventually get a clue. Hopefully before enrollment starts dropping astronomically.
Don’t get me wrong–WAVA is a good school, and many families are happy with it. WAVA uses the K12 curriculum, which is one of the best around (I was very happy with their representation of Jesus and Christianity in Erica’s world history course). It just wasn’t a good fit for us. For something that was supposed to make things easier around here, it actually became a camel on our backs.
And, so, we find ourselves…once again…quitting. But it’s a good thing, this quitting. You see, my gut instinct originally was to keep homeschooling Erica through junior high, so this is a confirmation that I should have stayed on that path.
But sometimes you just don’t realize how well something’s working until you give it up.
Nevertheless, I’ve appreciated this whole experience. Why? Because it’s made me so grateful for educational choice. I will never, ever tell someone that they must give their child a certain kind of education, whether it’s public, private, charter, alternative, homeschooling, or online. There shouldn’t be just one way. We started out as private schoolers (with Joel in preschool) who became homeschoolers who later had the choice to switch to online public schooling. I so appreciate that I was still able to keep my kids at home, but was able to let go of the burden of doing the teaching (with the exception of WAVA). I wasn’t forced to put them in a brick-and-mortar school.
So, I guess you could say we’re a “mixed-education” family! I will always fight for the right of people to homeschool their kids, but even more, I will champion their right to choose their desired form of education. There is no one form of education that is right for everyone.
If your child isn’t thriving in school (wherever/whatever that school might be), it’s okay to take a look at other options. Don’t worry about what your friends and extended family think. (If, for example, you decide to quit homeschooling against “their” wishes, are “they” going to run right over and teach your kids?? I think not!) The important thing is to do what’s right for your family, even if that includes quitting.
Just don’t forget to start again on a better path. 
Summer’s Grown Wings and is Flying Away…
…kind of like my kids.
Sometimes I really yearn for the days when my kids were small and Lonnie and I were the ones who controlled their schedules. Even down to whether or not they could play outside…that was our decision, too. Now that they’re older, they’re fast becoming the captains of their own ships, and I’m learning that simply saying yes is not only my best option at times, it’s necessary.
Joel is 16 now. Soon to get his driver’s license. (He would have had it by now, but with this spring and summer being so consumed by this and that, it just hasn’t happened yet. Our fault, not his.) He and Jesse just got home last night from Silver Lake Camp (in Medical Lake, WA). Jesse was only gone for a week, but Joel was gone for almost two. The first week, he went with Erica to the junior high camp where he was an assistant counselor (if I got the “title” right). He stayed over the weekend with his Uncle Bob, Aunt Sandra, and cousin Hunter, since they live within walking distance from the camp. He had a really great time with them, then walked back to camp on Monday to join Jesse and the other highschoolers and leaders from our church. Would I have liked for him to come home in between those weeks at camp? Absolutely. But…I’m learning to let go.
In a week and a half, he leaves for Nawlins (New Orleans). He’s going with his youth group, for the second year in a row, to do relief work for people who were — and still are — victims of Hurricane Katrina. Do I like to think of him being 35,000 feet in the sky? NO! But I’m learning to let go. Again.
Thankfully, I have one little person who still must do everything I say. Right now, we’re learning, “Come here.” Bethany was in the habit of not coming when called, and honestly, that terrified me. What if she was in the path of danger, and didn’t respond when I said, “Come here”? I didn’t like the possible outcome of that scenario, so we worked on it, and now she comes when called. She doesn’t like it, and cries and fusses, but she’s crying and fussing while she’s coming to Mama. She can fuss all she wants — I just want to know she’s safe. And learning obedience is a beneficial thing for every child. I could get on my soapbox with that one (regarding everything from prisons to politicians) but I won’t.
I’m still working on getting my guest bloggers on here. I got sidetracked, but I’ll have them pop in to say hello very soon.
