Emerging from a state of weariness from the holidays, our house was stirred early in the New Year morning, as we got ready to welcome the crisp, fresh air into our lungs. Driving into the countryside always brought a sense of belonging to my body and soul. We greeted the park ranger at the entrance, and quickly located the starting point as we embarked our first hike of the year. My husband’s work phone kept buzzing. I heard him utter the same response to his work calls, even our children could recite his answers word-by-word. We completed our hike despite all his interruptions, feeling accomplished and hungry. Thus we marked the first couple of miles in our record for 2026.
Although I did not wake up with a bold vision like years past, this January has been filled with celebrations and new opportunities, as we embarked a new journey in our marriage, our parenting, and our spiritual walk with Christ. It is indeed an exciting time for our family! As I contemplate my new duties and responsibilities, serving and loving well, the Lord has taught me a few things…
LIVING IDEAS
Raising my first teenager comes with a tremendous amount of doubt, fear and anxiety. From my heart of insecurity, it is easier to grab as much control as I could, rather than entrusting her to her Rock and Redeemer (Psalm 19:14). I am reminded that the sole purpose of parenting teens is to lose the sense of comfort and control, which echoes with what Charlotte Mason called “masterly inactivity,” “wise passiveness,” and “letting alone”:
“‘wise passiveness’ … indicates the power to act, the desire to act, and the insight and self-restraint which forbid action.” — Charlotte Mason, School Education, p. 28
As we finished Term 2 of the school year, I shared my humble opinion on the blogabout what I think my roles should look like during her high school years. I hope you will find encouragement to clear your path and work intelligently towards your destination of homeschooling.
SACRED CALLING
As mothers we are often discouraged by regrets and unrealistic expectations set upon ourselves, dwelling on things outside of our control, nurturing our anxiety-ridden heart and mind. Every year I re-read The Mission of Motherhood as a way to re-orient my calling as a mother:
“The mother who reaches the heartfelt needs of her children by helping them feel loved and secure, by believing in their dreams, by noticing when they stray and gently steering them back in the right direction, and by teaching them what they need to know to live full and meaningful lives accomplishes a great work for the Lord.” — Sally Clarkson, The Mission of Motherhood, p. 14
As I ponder on ways to help my children feel loved and secure, it warms my heart to see my daughter’s writer heart flourish and one step closer to her dream. You are invited to follow her website and her Substack as she continues to publish her works, living a full and meaning life for the Lord.
BEAUTY SENSE
In this New Year I am cultivating the habit of re-aligning (and slowing down) my midday by reading poetry – my favorite genre which speaks in a deeper sense to my heart. As I create this time and space for mother culture, flipping through The Complete Poems of Emily Bronte, her poetic lines bring back awareness and purpose when my days feel mundane and weary:
To Imagination
by Emily Jane Brontë
When weary with the long day’s care,
And earthly change from pain to pain,
And lost, and ready to despair,
Thy kind voice calls me back again:
Oh, my true friend! I am not lone,
While then canst speak with such a tone!
So hopeless is the world without;
The world within I doubly prize;
Thy world, where guile, and hate, and doubt,
And cold suspicion never rise;
Where thou, and I, and Liberty,
Have undisputed sovereignty.
What matters it, that all around
Danger, and guilt, and darkness lie,
If but within our bosom’s bound
We hold a bright, untroubled sky,
Warm with ten thousand mingled rays
Of suns that know no winter days?
Reason, indeed, may oft complain
For Nature’s sad reality,
And tell the suffering heart how vain
Its cherished dreams must always be;
And Truth may rudely trample down
The flowers of Fancy, newly-blown:
But thou art ever there, to bring
The hovering vision back, and breathe
New glories o’er the blighted spring,
And call a lovelier Life from Death.
And whisper, with a voice divine,
Of real worlds, as bright as thine.
I trust not to thy phantom bliss,
Yet, still, in evening’s quiet hour,
With never-failing thankfulness,
I welcome thee, Benignant Power;
Sure solacer of human cares,
And sweeter hope, when hope despairs!
How are you imaging your New Year, even without a clear vision or definite next steps? Despite all interruptions in life, I have chosen to embark our imperfect journey with never-failing thankfulness, sweeter hope, and great faith. What about you?
Love,
Teresa
P.S. This coming year we will continue to use the CMEC as our Charlotte Mason homeschool program. They will accept new registration for the 2026-27 School Year on February 4th. I have been so blessed by these wise and generous fellow mother-teachers, who have taught me so much about Mason’s educational philosophy and methods, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
