OXYGEN MASK

When was the last time a piece of art resonated with you? I enjoy art, but I don't know if I've ever felt it speak to me like it did last month. My sister and I went to the Portland Art Museum in early October and a particular piece struck a chord deep in my heart. It was a large painting by Joe Goode, five feet square, called Torn Cloud Painting. I picked up a postcard of it in the museum store before we left, which is what this picture is of, and put it somewhere I'd see it on a regular basis.

I have my share of ups and downs, sometimes more than my share, but I was in a serious funk when I saw this painting at the museum, struggling to keep my head and heart in a good place. It's been six weeks since then and I'm in a much better place now, which I'm grateful for, and this artwork was one of two things I believe were the catalyst for change. (The other was reading Present Over Perfect, which I sobbed my way through in two sittings and finished the day after going to the museum.)

What do you see when you look at this painting? I see the inside of a difficult season, unchanging scenery no matter which direction you look. I see a sliver of belief that there are blue skies and better times (as in being more emotionally and mentally stable, not necessarily having easier circumstances) on the other side, but no clear path to get there. I see desperation, the ragged clawing away at a life that's threatening to consume one's sanity.

Hope. That's what I see. And a choice to not give up, no matter how messy the process may be.

In those early days of October, I remembered the advice you hear on an airplane - in case of emergency, put on your own oxygen mask before you help anyone else. Put on my own oxygen mask first? I don't think I even had a proverbial oxygen mask.

I know what some of you are thinking. Jesus!! That's the oxygen mask we need!! I agree, but it was painfully, very painfully, obvious that I also needed to make some long-term, practical lifestyle changes. Those changes are the oxygen mask to which I'm referring.

It was no secret to my family that I wasn't handling life well. When I tearfully shared with Tim exactly how I was feeling, what I was thinking, and some things I thought would make a difference, he heard me. Then, standing together in the garage, an unlikely location for a significant conversation, he partnered with me to get my oxygen mask on.

We're all works in progress and I'll never have it all together, but my head and heart are no longer in crisis mode. I'm being intentional about making sure my oxygen mask is on. Sometimes it falls off or I forget about it completely, but overall I'm learning to take care of myself so I can live the life I desire and take care of my family the way I want to.

Giving details of what that mask looks like for me is personal, a vulnerable place I'm not willing to go, but I'm sharing this painting and its significance to me in order to encourage those living in a cloud to scratch and claw your way out to blue sky. Do whatever it takes, however long it takes, to break through. Don't give up if the process is two steps forward, one step back. Find someone you can trust with the mess your head and heart is in, a person you're comfortable being honest with and who you'll listen to when you need some tough love. Hold on to hope. Put your oxygen mask on.

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THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that our freezer has lots of blueberries in it. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

A SPONTANEOUS FAMILY HIKE

Our family decided over breakfast on Tuesday morning to hike the Trail of Ten Falls at Silver Falls State Park after we finished eating. We've hiked there multiple times and it never gets old. Such a beautiful place! Here's proof we were all there together, a picture we took of ourselves somewhere in the middle of the hike.

Then some chronological pictures we took throughout our time there. Devon climbed up on a ledge while the rest of the family checked out one of the falls.

There's always at least one little W who stands in his hollow tree when we pass it.

Tim asked for a picture of his crew under this bent tree.

Because we're a super classy family, some of the Ws declared this rock to be a mossy (and ferny) butt.

Another hiker offered to take our picture when she saw us taking the one of ourselves at top of this post.

The picture doesn't really do it justice, but I've always loved this staircase. I just think it's pretty.

Last year a ranger approached us in the last mile of our hike and said she'd received reports of bees swarming on the trail. She was trying to find the place it was happening, but we hadn't seen any and went on our way. This week I asked the kids at a particular point in the trail if it was where we'd talked to the ranger. They confirmed that it was. Less than a minute later Devon called out, "Found it!". Wondering what he discovered, I walked over to see what he was pointing at. There were huge chunks of broken, dried honeycomb all over the trail!

I asked where it came from and my witty son responded, "Up". Funny guy! Evidently there really had been a lot of bees in that area last year and we just happened to miss them.

So many responsibilities didn't get taken care of that day, but I'm glad we all had a chance to get outside together and enjoy a hike!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for warm hats. What's one thing you're thankful for?

HALLOWEEN - 2018

We all met up at our church's harvest festival on Halloween. Some of us played the whole time, some worked the whole time, and some did a little of both. I didn't get any pictures of Silas in the skit (don't think I posted one last year either), we didn't get a family picture taken (haven't in years because we're all spread out in different directions), and there's no proof of the annual candy fest for lunch the next day. But I did get a picture of the two Ws who dressed up!! Tyler pulled a police costume out of our dress-up bin (a perennial favorite) and Naomi turned herself into a panda. 

Silas worked during the whole event, but was able to get a quick picture with Natie right before the photo booth closed down.

Photo credit: Athey Creek Christian Fellowship

It was a fun night, as usual.

SONLIGHT GUEST BLOGGER: JUNE - OCTOBER 2018

Back in May I shared links to a couple of my posts on Sonlight's blog, then totally forgot to do it in the following months. So, for those who are interested, here are the things I've written about over there through the summer and early fall.

Homeschooling with Humble Confidence
3 Life Lessons for Adults from Sonlight's Kindergarten Curriculum
Letting Kids Learn Their Way: Even with Loud Music or Upside Down
Homeschooling in a Family Mix of Introverts and Extroverts
Homeschool 911: Who to Call When We Need Help
6 Steps to Being Intentional with Your Time as a Homeschooler
The Importance of Knowing Your "Why" for Homeschooling

I hope one of the posts in that lists is an encouragement to you!


Disclosure - I was invited to be a guest blogger with Sonlight for one year in exchange for some free curriculum. All post topics and opinions are my own. If you are a first time Sonlight customer, click this link and use referral code BW20197051 to get $5.00 off your purchase of $50.00 or more. That referral code is totally separate from my role as a guest blogger and will give me credit toward my own purchases. The referral code can also be found on the sidebar of my blog.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for wake-up snuggles with Naomi. What's one thing that you're thankful for?