inspired

It's late, and I should be in bed—resting for another week where my kids will be wanting to play, write, make, do, be, laugh, run, jump, learn, and do all this, wholeheartedly, with me. Another week when they'll need me, share their joys and worries with me, and expect me to treat them with patience, kindness and respect, just as I do them. You need rest for that, I know.

But I keep thinking, and sleep takes that away, sometimes. My thinking time. My being time. My planning time. It gets in the way.

Here in the night dark, my senses simultaneously alight and exhausted, I feel alive and I don't want sleep to come and steal this—how I feel so blessed to have the life I have. How I feel overwhelmed sometimes, and inspired by the responsibility of guiding my two children through these years of education. How much I want to write and share my ideas, and there are so many of them! And how beautiful I think the world is. In this moment.

I feel such gratitude. I feel such joy. I feel.

I feel grateful for my community of friends—the growing sweet circle of homeschoolers who are changing my life, and other friends who have stuck around and supported us as we ventured into our alternative educational universe.

I feel astonished at how much we are learning. Together, separately, and at our own pace.

I feel passionate about writing and sharing my love of writing with others.

Today, especially, I feel joy about writers workshop. I love this group, this little group that meets every second week for 2 hours and ends up staying for 2+ hours afterwards to play and hang out. I love that I didn't listen to the slightly panicked, shy person inside me who wasn't sure I'd have something of value to say. I love that I followed through on something I'd dreamed about for years.
I love that a young person from writers workshop today said to me, "I read books differently now, because of the workshop. I see things I hadn't seen before". I love how just last Friday I asked if everyone wanted to meet on the very last day of term and they all said, unhesitatingly, "YES!" I loved when, recently, three of the kids climbed a tree nearby, to write together. I love that my daughter, who believed she didn't like to or want to write is now creating stories constantly. And my son never hesitates to share his quirky wit, and isn't afraid to be himself with this collection of fellow writers. I love how these young people bring the books they're reading, their stories, their ideas, and their laughter. I love how they write. It is inspirational.

So today in the quiet, the sleeping dark, when all my family rests, I say I am grateful. I am joyous. I am lucky. I am blessed. I am inspired.