One Godly Woman’s Legacy

My life has been touched by some very special people. I want this post to focus on one whom is no longer with us. One of the persons which has impacted my life the most, was  a godly woman. She was a woman of faith which was actually an encouragement to my own mother. While my parents grew up secular for the most part without a particular creed or religion, they did believe in the existence of G-d. This woman whom I will call Mary, made it her personal responsibility to share the Word with my mom. She constantly invited my mom to church, and when my mom was too busy to attend, she would ask if in her place she would send my older sisters. This woman never gave up, nor would she be turned away so easily by rejection. She was an amazing woman, always showing concern for the wellbeing of others.
Mary’s story was one of triumph. Her young years were filled with sorrow and sadness, but she never let that determine her destiny. She could have blamed outer circumstances as reason for bitterness and resentment. Instead she rose above it all and became the amazing woman who touched the lives of many. Mary grew up with a determined attitude. She knew what she wanted in life, and she fought for what she valued.
This woman had a family of five children. The oldest around my mom’s age. So the gap in age between her and me was quite a large one. For many years I only heard from her occasionally. Running into her and every now and then, we would exchange a few brief words. At the time around my engagement, something changed drastically. I found myself visiting her almost on a daily basis. It was during those visits, that I got to know her in a more personal way.
She was always welcoming and greeted me with a smile every time I came by. Usually during my visits, she would share things about herself with me. There were times that she would pull out a notebook of poems she had written and share them with me. Other times we would sit and just talk about things such as faith and family. The talks were always so interesting and lively, being that besides so much knowledge she had a good sense of humor as well. She would answer my many questions, as I sat there in awe at the wisdom of this elderly woman. I’m not certain whether  she realized an admiration on my part. Mary was a humble woman and many times wondered out loud why I would take the time to visit with her. Maybe it was the fact that I was in my late teen years coupled by the large difference in years between us that made her wonder. Yet she was always grateful and appreciative of my visits.
What I find so remarkable about this woman, is the fruitfulness of her life. She always shared her faith with the people she met along the way. And the thing I now wished I would have asked her about, is one that has constantly been on my mind. Three of her children which were her sons, the other two were daughters, went on to become ministers. One of them actually was the one that conducted my wedding ceremony. How, I wonder, did she raise her children. I know of her children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren; they have continued in the faith even many years after her passing away.
The impact this woman had is one I wish I had, at least on my descendants. It’s not so much the fact that she raised three ministers,  that is the most admirable. What left an impression on me is the fact that she taught her children well. How many times in Scripture we read of a new generation that did not know G-d.
^{7 “}And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD, that he did for Israel.
⁸And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
⁹And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.
¹⁰And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
¹¹And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
¹²And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.
¹³And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.”  Judges 2:7-13
It’s heartbreaking to think that G-d’s children would not walk in his ways because the previous generation had failed in teaching their children. This is something I’m constantly repeating to my own children and one of the main reasons we chose to home-school. I pray Hashem gives me the wisdom and diligence to teach my children so that my future descendants will continue to love, serve Him, and walk in his ways.
This is a lesson I get from the Patriarchs. They took such special care to transmit what they valued (the fear of Hashem and love of His Word) to the following generations that even to this day they’re still baring fruit. How amazing is that! We read about Abraham:
^{19 “}For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Genesis 18:19 
Mary knew the importance of teaching the next generation too. She was diligent and loving, and while I may never know how she raised her children, I can to this day see how effective she was. She was a successful woman in my opinion. May Hashem grant us all, that love Him and are seeking to serve Him, the effectiveness in transmitting to the future generations the fear of the True and Living G-d. May he strengthen us and give us a vision to see past our immediate circumstances and instead focus on what counts to eternity.

Cooking Scarcely in a Large Family

This week I began cooking on more of a regular basis. What I mean by regular is actually daily. As strange as that may sound, for the mother of ten; I will proceed to explain how this has come to be the case around our home. Yes, of course we do have regular meals; although I'm not necessarily the one who prepares them.

The days when I used to cook daily are all a blur now. A faint memory is all that's left. Why and when did I stop cooking? The answer is quite simple really. As our family grew and our home education began to take on more of a formal approach, we began to teach the kids some basic cooking skills. With time they begin experimenting with new recipes. Mostly at the beginning, the cooking was along side mom or dad. But shortly after, the kids were allowed to cook on their own due to their progress in learning.

So many benefits stemmed from this first decision to teach them cooking. To begin with, working with recipe books proved to be an excellent way for learning fractions. All I recall, is one day asking my daughter how she had come up with the correct quantities for doubling or tripling the ingredients. She went on to explain to my amazement how she had added the fractions. She was at the time around six or seven I think. This was such a surprise to me, specially since I had not deliberately introduced her to fractions. Besides learning a necessary skill for life which is great in itself, another added benefit was teaching character; for in preparing meals for others, one also learns to serve. As if this all wasn't enough we had the added benefit of more help to get things done around the house, which is actually pretty terrific.

Cooking and baking has been a natural learning process around my home. My older kids I taught, naturally, However my younger ones mostly picked up this skills from their older siblings. I don't think a week passes by without the younger ones 8-12 baking some cookies, trying a new recipe, or preparing a dessert for Shabbat. I have then come to the conclusion through personal experience that work and education go hand in hand. What an advantage it has been to us, the freedom to teach at home with more of a hands on approach.

To conclude, I'd like to add that I'm proud to say the students have exceeded the teacher. The food the kids help make is always tasty and prepared with such creativity. I want to specially give credit to my two dear daughters. They do an excellent job. I'm glad to think that in this area at least they are preparing well to be future homemakers. And as for the boys, it's great that they can depend on themselves when necessary too. So now I'm off to start my new week preparing dinners, and as crazy as this may seem, I'll be asking for my daughters' input and opinions. It seems to me they have a much better idea when it comes to deciding on the quantities I'll be having to cook. =)

Mi Vida Sencilla

Decidi con el deseo de compartir con los lectores de habla Hispana, escribir un poco de mi blog en este idioma. Mi vida es una sencilla, sin embargo, una que me llena de satisfacion. Soy casada y junto con mi esposo hemos abrasado la fe Judio Messianica. Tambien hemos sido bendesidos en grande manera con el privilegio de una familia de diez hijos. Por gracia de El Todopoderoso desde de que nuestro primer hijo era aun muy chiquito desidimos educarlo en casa. Esto ah sido una gran bendicion, mas de lo que podria esplicar en un pequeno blog como este. Esto de educar en casa aun que sea algo muy peculiar en algunos lugares, es algo permitido y legal en Estados Unidos. Claro algunos de los estados son un poco mas tolerables que otros. Lo bueno es que nos encontramos en un lugar donde somos libres de hacer esto. Mis dias los paso en casa libre para estar con mi familia, servirlos, y alludarlos en su educacion. Donde vivimos esto es algo fuera de lo comun, lla que la costumbre por aqui es de que la mujer tambien trabaje y aporte a las necesidades de la casa con un sueldo propio. Me alegra decir que mi esposo no comparte de este pensar, y me apolla en que me quede en casa. Como mastra de mis hijos soy responsable de lo que ellos aprenden o no. Para comensar nuestro dia, primer procuramos dedicar un tiempo a la lectura de las escrituras. Esto es vital, lla que la fe debe tener prioridad al conocimiento. Despues de esto, cada quien por su cuenta se pone a estudiar dependiendo de su edad y el material de estudio disponible. Sin entrar mucho en detalle, despues de el tiempo separado para "la escuela en casa" seguimos nuestro dia, cada uno con varias tareas del hogar. Me alegra decir que mis hijos mallores de dies anos pueden cocinar y hacer casi cualquier cosa que se propongan. En mi humilde opinion creo que la educacion es mas que conocimiento acumulado. Nuestro deseo es que nuestros hijos crescan en la fe y puedan ser personas de bien que puedan tambien aportar algo a la humanida para beneficio de otros. Para terminar quiro decir que aun que hemos decidido tomar el camino menos escojido y en ocasiones mas dificil, lo hacemos con alegria y el deseo en nuestros corasones de servir a HaShem con lo que el nos a encomendado. (Pido disculpas tambien a mis faltas de ortografia, lla que mi idioma principal es el Ingles.)

Comparto aqui un buen articulo sobre la educacion en casa:
http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/7_und_trs_hsing_spanish.php

Excelling Through Homeschool

In all labor there is profit, so goes the proverb. After more than a decade I'm seeing this fulfilled in our schooling efforts. Yes, I knew my child was learning. And yes, I was aware of his progress, but after hearing this afternoon of how well he was doing in his class I was overwhelmed with joy. I thought about how all those years of work had paid off. It wasn't in vain. We started homeschooling at my son's request at his tender age of four. From the moment we began it was clear to my husband and me that we wanted to do this in honor and obedience to Hashem and His Word. We wanted to raise up a G-d fearing young man that would serve him. It's been to us more of an investment in eternity. Having a close watch over the shaping of his character has been key in his education.

Never did I imagine that his academic progress was better off in my hands. I certainly felt inadequate to teach him most of the time to say the least. But since academic excellence was not priority we went ahead with confidence. Our goals were based on convictions. I knew that his education was my responsibility and I was not about to delegate it to someone else. This is the reason I was pleasantly surprised to find how well my son was doing academically. I can't explain how happy we are to see the young man he's grown to become. And now seeing him doing so well in his schooling gives me a sense of relief, I must admit. Not only is he a mature and faithful young man, but it's good to know that in his obedience he was able to excel in other areas as well.

Praise be to the Almighty. All I have is gratitude towards him for giving me the privilege of being a mom, the blessing of helping shape a young child, and the joy of it all.

Teaching Goals

Which is the best teaching method? This is a question I have often pondered. The answer to me lies in yet another question. What is the goal for teaching? To put it in an even more personal way, "What is my goal in teaching? There is so much at stake when it comes to choosing the appropriate method for one's children. Had my goal been intellectualism or academic excellence, I might have chosen a different route. If on the other hand I was focused on raising socially acceptable and adaptable children by worldly standards I would perhaps go with the public school option. Protection for my children is my duty, however it's not the reason for which homeschooling has become my perfect choice.

I am very much set on taking the homeschooling path. The main reason I have elected to do this is one of faith. The purpose for my choice, "Raise a generation of G-d fearing people, who will glorify God in their lives". Easily said, but not as easily put into practice. For those who know me and are surely aware of my flaws, I would say. Though the task is indeed monumental and I am but a feeble being I have high hopes of success. Why such confidence? It is because I am not relying on my own understanding and wisdom. Had I trusted in myself, I'd be on the road to failure no doubt. But I am determined to "trust in the Lord with all thine(my) heart". I will acknowledge Him from whom wisdom comes, and then only will I be able to succeed.

I have seen academic excellence, good character, and well mannered children that are all the product of schooling at home. All of which are commendable. Yet will I concentrate on obedience to God's word and seeking first His Kingdom. I pray for His guidance through the Ruach HaCodesh (Holy Spirit). After all "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom".

For this reason I decided that Torah study shall be first priority. We will concentrate on each child writing their own copy of the Torah. To this we will add other subjects, such as Language Arts, Reading and Math. Eventually we will cover other Jewish writings, such as Perkey Avot. The basic pattern we will aim to emulate is one found in Josephus' writings, that being God's chosen people's way of education.

I am so thankful for those who came before us and setting high standards. And mostly thankful to my Lord Adonai for all he has done and is doing in our lives. Praise be to Him, Baruch Adonai Atah Melech HaOlam!

Among my favorite things to do is read, read, read. There is so many good books out there, that at times I find myself reading several at once. One great book I found that I'm currently reading is A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching A Generation Of Leaders For The Twenty-first Century. It immediately turned into one of my favorites, and I'm hoping to buy it at a later time since the one I'm reading is a library loan. This book focuses on learning by reading the classics, inspirational teachers, and mentoring. While the topic wasn't foreign to me, it did present some new points and some excellent tips to implement the method suggested. Many books are suggested in this book, which I am hoping to start reading soon. One eye opening topic discussed in the book was on the "conveyor belt school system". Little had I considered the ramifications of such a system being that I had no intention on relying on it for my own children's education; however the information will come in handy when talking with others in the future. Perhaps my favorite thing about the book is the emphasis placed on teaching future leaders, unlike the popular trend on teaching for the sole purpose of acquiring a job. From a spiritual view point I have to agree that this is the best method of learning for our family being that our calling is to lead and not be followers. In the Torah we are clearly taught that being the tail and not the head is a direct result of a curse that comes from disobeying Hashem's Holy Word. With this in mind leadership training should and will be emphasized in our everyday schooling. This book was clear, eye opening, and most helpful in the topic of education. Education is very important to us and the TJed system will no doubt be usefull to homeschooling.