Excitement, Expectations and Event'ful'

WOW…It has been 234 days since that January meeting where we first presented this idea to about 40 families. From that day on, it has been a FAST moving train.  I was recently interviewing a family who had their son along and I mentioned this ‘fast moving train.’ Being literal…he asked where the train was?

While figurative, that is the only way I can describe the last 9 months. And while it has been fast, uncertain and demanding, it has been invigorating.

Many have said that they are excited by my excitement. So what is ALL the excitement about?

• First, any time you do something new, there will be those who want to get in on all the fun.
• For those who have been disillusioned by other educational opportunities, this looks like the latest and greatest.
• We are all looking for that ‘perfect’ thing…a place where our kids are safe, not bullied, can learn, ask questions and explore. We want a place for them to grow in virtue, faith and character. We want a place they can pray and we can pray with and for them. We want a place where they see Christ in their friends.
• I would like to say that Frederick East is that place. But, sadly it isn’t. I want to warn you now that we won’t be the ‘perfect’ ‘place. That is reserved for our eternal life in heaven. We can find ‘glimpses’ of that here on earth, and I hope that Frederick East will be that glimpse.
• That is where the excitement should be...in the glimpses of what will come. Let’s hold onto the excitement, but let’s be excited because we see just a little bit of what heaven may be.

HOWEVER…

• Our kids will hurt each other, we may hurt each other, be ugly, selfish and nasty at times. Sometimes we forget whose child we are. We forget that we are sons and daughters of the most high King. Our crowns fall off, our garments become muddy and we forget the royal blood that flows through us. God is our heavenly father and we need to sit a little straighter and try to be more like our precious Jesus. That leads me to the second ‘e’…that of ‘expectation.’

Expectations.

Of course, we expect you to do homework, we expect you to come to FEC on school days, we expect that you work through difficulties to complete the year. But those are lesser to some other expectations that we should have for each other:

• We should pray for one another. To that end, there will be a weekly update and that will list some prayer requests, so let us know how we can pray. You can pray together here. Pray often for the leaders....we DESPERATELY need prayer as the enemy will attack to try to destroy this ‘glimpse’ of heaven.
• We should seek to resolve conflict. The church (Calvary Assembly), in our lease, includes mediation in the event that we disagree on things. We at FEC should do the same thing. If I hurt you, I want to know. If I don’t keep my word, I want to know. If I sin against you, I want to know. Only through loving confrontation and reconciliation can we grow. Let's pattern this for our kids.
• We should work hard and rest often. The school work should not ‘beat you down.’ Work hard during the homework times, but take time to rest, enjoy nature, play a game, snuggle with a child.
• This may be a hard year…two days in classes AND homework (that sometimes may be longer than the teacher anticipated). Your child may push back against the structure. Expect that. Your child may HATE writing. Expect that. Your child may wake up and NOT want to go to school. Expect that. You may hate Tuesdays when there are four kids who need you to edit a paper. Expect that. There is a learning curve in this kind of co-op. Expect that it could take a while to settle in. To that end, the board members and some other ‘veterans’ will be checking in with you, helping you to make adjustments.
• One good thing to expect is that we are providing structure, good, solid learning and you will feel good about your child’s progress at the end of the year.  We will work hard, but you will rest well next summer (we hope)

Finally, we are ‘Event’ Ful…what do I mean about that? Well, this whole process has been exciting. We have had open houses, meet-ups, picnics and today meet together one more time before the big event. I have had a TON of fun this summer and many of you have enjoyed the fun and excitement. But just like the day after a wedding, the events will end in a week when we begin the hard work of homeschooling our kids. There could be a let down. That, too, is to be expected.  We will get into September, with October just around the corner and may feel a little bit of sadness, uncertainty and doubt…why in the world did we do this?  Just remember, this could be a little bit of the let down. It can’t all be rainbows and unicorns or big events and fun. That is when we need to hunker down and do the work. Our field trip coordinators have given us much fun in future weeks and it is my hope that we will break out into little groups of moms, enjoying each others company and building friendships. Keep enjoying the events together!
 
As we begin the final countdown, I would encourage you to remind yourself of the reasons for joining this endeavor. Keep those front and center so that when doubts and frustrations come (and they will) you will remember why you did this.