When we decided to take a break from "formal" homeschooling and try a more relaxed, bordering on unschooling approach with our children, one of the first things we did was to get rid of our television completely for a month.  This little experiment went so well that nobody even noticed when the original goal of a calendar month was over!  My children were playing games, making up stories, and finding all kinds of fun to get into, but not at first.  At first it was a lot of, "Mom, we're BORED!"  But what I saw slowly and gradually take place was that each member of our family started to find their own groove.   What I found was that the quiet, the calm of boredom forces a person to have a more grounded inner life.  When all the chaos of television, activities and even the voices of other people are swirling around, there is little opportunity to hear that inner voice, sifting thoughts and forming opinions, much less to hear the voice of the Spirit, the whisper only to be heard in silence.
Tonight I am feeling particularly lonely.  I am writing this as a truth as much to myself as to anyone who may find their way here to read it.  I miss my friends, and the constant activity of all the things that were familiar.  On Friday nights back in WV you never knew who may be at your house - maybe playing cards, maybe laughing with a house FULL of teenagers over large quantities of Doritos, or watching a movie with girlfriends while the kids jump on the trampoline in the late hours of the night!  These were precious times that I will always treasure, but this boredom and loneliness has a purpose.  I can hear the whisper.  I can feel the breath of God lean in and come near to dry my tears.  I know that there is a work in progress in me, and I will hold tightly to the one who already sees the finished product.

Love and blessings! ~ ? Julie ? ~

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