It’s tough to imagine my life without my wife and kids now. If not for them, I wonder what lens I would view the world through. Through my relationship with them, my view of world events has taken many turns. I have been all things from overprotective and scared for the lives of my children, to defiant and at times militant against a brutal and controlling world of negativity.
Just yesterday, a neighbor recollected a discouraging comment from a family member. Something along the lines of “…it would be tough to feel good about bringing a child into the world today”. I’ve seen this point of view with great simpathy.
Part of me wants to look at today’s world with sorrow, disappointment, and at times, downright disgust. As bad as it seems, there have been people feeling similarly for generations. Ponderings from the past and present – “How have we strayed so far from God” and “Jesus has to be on his way soon” or “Things just can’t get much worse…”
In this journey of life, we have taken the not-so-easy road to homeschool our children. To be clear, there has been a place for public education, and there still is. The decision to do so may have been hatched during one of my “militant” phases, but it is a decision we do not look upon with regret. In the last year, never has it been more apparent we are on the right track. Through this process, there is a sense of hope seldom found anywhere else. Ownership, responsibility, commitment, courtesy, faithfulness. These are just a few of the values missing from many vocabularies today.
When we attend gatherings of families today who are choosing to take on the leadership, and lost lexicon of true education, I am blown away. What we are witnessing is as close to revolutionary as I can imagine, yet so naturally and biblically basic. The love poured out upon our children through the hard work of loving parents is the baseline of humanity.
Dear ol' Dad 