Chapter 25: To get where you are going, know where you start.
I remember my first summer and season of Outdoor Education learning how to teach map and compass. I loved teaching it because it meant that I got to wander in the woods with campers, discovering new and different things and trying to find the orienteering markers. I had, however, no real idea of how to use a map and compass in the real world, just on the course which I had memorized. When Mr. Modern-Day Mountain Man and I moved to Colorado to teach Outdoor Education, I realized that I may actually need to learn how to use a map and compass correctly, as a wrong path in Colorado leads to disaster quicker than a wrong path in Missouri will. My kind husband sat outside with me, looking at Twin Sisters on one side and Longs Peak on the other side of us and showed me the proper way to use a compass and a map together. That was one of my favorite lessons with me as the student that I can remember. Actually learning the proper methods and the logic behind it made all the difference in the world. When I went on to teach Map and Compass skills to campers, I was finally able to reason the why and how behind their questions and help the campers truly learn to love wandering in the woods with purpose.
T.S. Eliot wrote, “Home is where you start from.” To get where you are going, know where to start. My desire, as a mom, is to have my children’s beginnings start at home, and a good home at that. There are many examples of people who start at a home that is in no way a true and loving home. Those children have much to overcome to get where they are going. Right now, the whole world is thrown into “forced homeschooling”. Personally, we are having a blast! Our kids have played outside every single day, for hours at a time. If we had been in our regular brick and mortar school, they would have had a 15-20 minute recess and then had homework in the afternoon when school was done. Now, we have the opportunity to be outside while learning together. It’s been very enjoyable, for the most part. Some children aren’t so blessed. Their environment is not peaceful and loving. School was, to them, a refuge. For them, this is stressful and they probably aren’t learning as much as they would if they were safe in school. For my family, being together is a joy (most of the time!) and learning in a relaxed and outdoor setting fits with their learning styles and personalities. For us, this is a blessing in disguise.
When T.S. Eliot wrote, “Home is where you start from” I am confident that he understood that home is our beginning, whether it is a good beginning or not. Just as my first lesson of orienteering was not a good beginning lesson and I had much to learn to be successful, it was not to be my only lesson. It took me reaching my new home (with Mr. Mountain Man) to have my next lesson with my new teacher help me reach success. Even if our first lesson (home) is not the best lesson possible, we can learn from it and grow and know that it is not the only lesson we will ever receive in life on the subject. For me, I want my home to be a refuge of positive life lessons where my children can grow and learn together. Is it always peaceful? Absolutely not!! There are days when I’d rather be anywhere else but in my home, but we always make it through those days together. Even on the bad days, we learn something- what not to do, what frustrates another person, or what doesn’t work for someone’s learning style. Learning throughout each day is what matters. Adapting to that learning and growing from it is what makes our home successful.
My favorite “compass” is the Bible. Reading scripture together as a family orients us towards the right direction. Reading it on my own points me towards God and allows me to better teach my children, not only God’s word, but all the life and educational lessons they need to know to be successful. I’m amazed at the connections my children can reach when we discuss scripture together. I’m jealous of their ability to memorize large sections of scriptures or prayers, while I’m still having to read it aloud to get it correct. Just as using a good compass and the correct map will get you to your desired location, using the Good Book and correct guidelines will help you reach your end goal- Heaven.
Pliny the Elder wrote, “Home is where the heart is”. Eliot had a bit different perspective when he wrote: “Home is where you start from”. For those who do not, or did not, have a good home to start from, I encourage you to consider Pliny the Elder’s words. Find your true home. Find where your heart truly lies and is at peace. Find joy in your home, whether it is the one from which you started or the one to which you are looking for. Allow your home to be full of heart and love. Allow your home to be a good start for those to come. Fill your house with God’s word and love and you will find that your compass needle, pointing towards God, will always lead you to your true home.
Comentarios