Happy New Year!

Happy New Year my friends. We're back from visiting the in laws and happily getting ready for Shabbot. We had a delightful time with Dodi's side of the family although allergies attacked Little Critter and I. It was almost funny as we'd go into stores or resturaunts and folks would give us a wide berth....thinking we were contagious. I didn't blame them, it sounded like we both had either TB or the plague!!!! But we're glad to be back home in our own little beds, surrounded by our own pollen (which we've adapted to quite nicely thank you!) and being loved by our little pets. I pray each of you had a blessed and happy holiday season also.
My love letter came from Papa came as we were at my in laws. It's a bit bittersweet. As we were up there, the differences between our way of doing things and the way the rest of the in laws do things is starting to become glaringly obvious. Little Critter has been taught to show respect for others especially his elders. He's punished when he doesn't. The children at in laws are not taught that. We dictate when, what and where we eat, what we do (taking Little Critter's opinions and preferences into mind also) and what we watch when we watch TV. There, the kids tell the adults such things. We study Torah (Bible) daily....there they depend on the church to teach the kids. It's puzzling to me. Why would people so depend on others to do their job and then lament when kids turn out rude, illiterate and slovenly? Hmm. Then Papa told me, it's because we've come so far from Torah. The Torah tells parents to teach their children morning, noon and night, when you wake, when you lay down, as you walk down the road, and as you return to your homes. We're to use everything we can to point our children to the Father. But many parents today don't do that. I'm sad for them. Yes, because we homeschool I have few breaks from being with Little Critter, and there's days I'd like to wring his little scrawny neck!!!! But in reality, when I do have a break from him, I miss him. He has a warped sense of humor (wonder where that came from?! LOL!), a delightful way of looking at things from outside the box, and a tender little heart that he tries hard to hide from others. He's at that awkward age when he's trying so hard to be a young man, but still wants to be Momma's baby boy and that in itself provides plenty of moments of hilarity. Those who leave the teaching of their kids to others miss out on so much...the fun, the laughter, the wonderful ah ha's when something difficult is understood, the closeness and the squirmy, dirty little boy hugs. Sigh. Most of all, they miss the delight of seeing the teachings of the Father take root and bloom in their children's lives. And the Bible tells us it will only become worse as we race toward the end of this age. I wish all could spend so much time with their kids and see what wonderful awesome creations they are. Well, I suppose all I can do is pray for them, ask Papa to open the eyes of their hearts. This is NOT a wish that all would homeschool. That takes a significant amount of sacrifice and more patience than I knew I had. But I know my parents sent us to public schools, but also took time to teach us of Father during our family times together. It can be done....it should be done.....it's really a delight to do. I pray each of you take the time to really get to know your kids and grandkids. Learn to delight in them and teach them of Papa. He loves them more than we do. And He desires that we teach them about Him. Their lives depend on us doing our jobs....their eternal lives depend on it. May I be more dedicated to teaching not only Little Critter, but also all the children we influence more about Papa in this new year. Be blessed, and Shabbot Shalom, Joie