In a race

Life these days is pretty busy. It isn't strange for the washing machine to be running before the sun is up or for me to find myself folding tiny jeans or putting dishes away hours after when I would have liked to have been in bed. The role of mother-wife-teacher feels like it requires more than I have to give some days.

Sometimes it is in these moments of monotonous tasks, be it any time of day, that the Deceiver aims to plant seeds of discontent, discouragement or self-doubt in my mind. Recently, as I put away sippy cups from the dishwasher I felt his attack coming on.

I thought about the marathon that had gone on in Richmond not too long ago and how I would love to run in a race like that one day. I hadn't seemed to be able to make it to the gym more than once a week lately. There is no way, my Attacker told me, that I would have the time to train for something of that caliber. Satan reminded me that my jeans were fitting more snugly than they used to and my frustration escalated as he continued his appeal. In my self-pity, I had been convinced that I was sacrificing far too much for my children, for my family. Why didn't I deserve the chance to accomplish something special, something worthy of praise?

And then my Comforter, my Lord, gently but firmly spoke, "Gretchen, you are in a race."

It was so clear that my immediate reaction was to be a little startled. I was touched that He had spoken my name. It was so personal, so loving, that He would steer me back to where I need to go--with my mind focused on Him and not on me.

Because I am in a race, so to speak. We all are.

In a race around a track each competitor runs in their own lane. Sometimes I want to look at who is running alongside me and compare my path to theirs. Perhaps they got a head start, or maybe the hurdles don't seem to be distributed evenly. No matter what our path looks like, He promises to be with us the entire way. He doesn't want us to get distracted with those running alongside us, or halted or slowed down by what we find in our lane, but to keep looking ahead, and to keep running.

I want to keep my eyes focused on the finish line. On Jesus. He is my everything and He willingly sacrificed everything for me. Pitiful, undeserving me. He didn't ask for "me" time. He didn't complain when the disciples or the crowds were unrelenting and didn't give him a break. He gave everything He had even before He was nailed to a cross.

I want to run in this race of life to bring glory to Him. I am not patient. I am not kind. I am not sacrificial. But He is. And He can help me to be those things. Time and time again I am reminded of how I need Him. I seem to trip up on my own feet and fall hard. Sometimes it feels as if someone else has thrown an obstacle in my path and sometimes the crowd seems to be hurling insults rather than cheering me on. But, He knows and and He cares. He wants me to be obedient and to stay in the race. He knows what's in my lane, and with Him I am able to continue on. With faith, my spiritual legs will get stronger and it will become easier to be the person He wants me to be.

I don't know if I will ever run a marathon, or even a half marathon for that matter. But I do hope that I finish strong in the race that really counts.



"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me....Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phillippians 3:12-14


"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10


"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

Gallmeyer Farms

27 Hours

This past Saturday I was able to participate in the American Heart Association Heart Walk in Richmond in honor of Nate Asher Hill. It was a privilege to celebrate the life of a baby boy who lived for only 27 hours, yet has touched so many people.

Nate's story is one of hope.

Our friends, Jason and Shannon, are a testimony to what God can do even in the midst of unimaginable grief.

We anticipated along with Jason and Shannon the birth of their fourth child in April.

On April 7, 2011, with great joy, Jason and Shannon welcomed a baby boy into their family (the gender had been a surprise), Nate Asher Hill. We were all thrilled to get the news of his birth.

Not long after his arrival, it was learned that Nate's little heart was having some trouble.

The next day he was moved to another hospital so that a procedure could be done on his heart.

Many prayers were said.

Many tears were shed.

The doctors worked hard. Nate fought.

On April 8, 2011 his Heavenly Father lovingly and tenderly welcomed baby Nate into heaven.

Jason and Shannon know that God had a plan and a purpose for Nate's life. They have hope in knowing that one day they will be reunited with him. Standing on the Rock, Jason and Shannon's faith has remained strong.

So we walked in honor of Nate.

Because even when we don't understand, we can trust that God loves us and that He loves Nate.

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

Hebrews 6:19

The group that walked for Nate.

Capturing Quotes

We recently received a letter from Luis, our Compassion child in Ecuador. The boys enjoy getting correspondence from Luis. After reading the message to them, I remember making a point to show the boys the Spanish words that were written on one side and the English translation on the other.

As a handwriting assignment this past week, Bryce wrote a letter to Luis. After he had completed the assignment I looked at his beautiful artwork, but not so beautiful handwriting and asked him if this was his best work.

"But mom," he told me "it doesn't matter because they are going to transform it. Remember?"

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My engineer husband cracks me up with the things he says sometimes.

Claire has introduced us to the world of girly screams. Oh yes, I've been told many times lately that she has a "good set of lungs."

This week when Brian was dealing with our squealing little girl he picked her up and said matter-of-factly, "Decibel per pound, she's the loudest kid we've got."

Field Trips and Fun

We've been able to take a couple of field trips already this school year. We are studying American history and because we happen to live in the state of Virginia, the options for field trips are phenomenal.

Our first trip was to Colonial Williamsburg. We were able to go with friends who also homeschool. The children all had a blast and learned a little about what life was like in Williamsburg during the 1700's.

The older boys and I were also able to make a trip to Jamestown, Virginia. The Powhatan village was a highlight for the boys. Bryce has been creating his own bow and arrows ever since. They also couldn't get enough of the ships. They talked about the Susan Constant for days.

After learning about the letter A, Carter and I made caramel apples together ("A" is for apple). It was a fun and easy activity and the whole family was able to enjoy the apples later that night. Yum!

Fall Photos

This girl LOVES her pink boots!

Claire's "cute face."

First day of class at Classical Conversations.

Grant - 3rd grade

Bryce - 1st grade

Carter - Junior Kindergarten

Davis - age 3

Claire - age 20 months

Grant's first year of tackle football.

Grant has thoroughly enjoyed football this year. We have been impressed by his enthusiasm, sportsmanship, effort and abilities. We have all enjoyed cheering him on. Go Wildcats!

A New Way of Learning

This year our family has embarked on a new adventure in home education! After much research, reading, discussing, and prayer Brian and I felt certain that God was redirecting us to home school this year. We have successfully completed seven weeks of homeschooling and I am feeling encouraged, excited, and blessed by this new way of learning.

After making the decision to homeschool, a lot of time and energy was spent selecting curriculum. This was both fun and overwhelming at the same time because there are just so many neat options available. I was able to get personal recommendations from several homeschoolers that I know and I also spent a lot of time researching curriculum and reading reviews online. One night while reading a review, I felt God directing me to a particular curriculum (this was something I had been fervently praying about and probably stressing over way too much). It was so clear it was as if God was saying, "This is the one!" I had wanted to be sure about this big decision and from that point on I was. God was so gracious to take that burden from me and to give me the confidence that it wasn't just me picking and choosing, but that He was leading me through it all.

Just in case you are curious, here is a list of curriculum that I am using for the boys. Grant is in the third grade and Bryce is in the first grade. Math, writing, reading, grammar, handwriting, and spelling are grade level specific. Science, history and Bible are taught together.

History, Geography, Spelling, Science, Art and Music: Heart of Dakota: Bigger Hearts for His Glory

Math: Horizons

Grammar: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind

Writing: The Complete Writer: Writing With Ease

Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting

Reading: SonLight Readers

Bible: Heart of Dakota along with Word of Life

Carter is in Junior Kindergarten. I am using Early Education at Home, Heart of Dakota: Little Hearts for His Glory, Horizons Math, A Reason for Handwriting along with many great ideas from the internet and of course our local library for his curriculum.

We are also supplementing with Classical Conversations (you can find out more at ClassicalConversations.com). We meet with this group on Tuesdays to learn history, geography, math, Bible, Latin and science by the classical approach. The boys each go to their own class where their tutors instruct them on the weeks lesson and review memory work. They are also required to present to the class each week (a 2-3 min. presentation). Tuesdays have become the favorite day of the week at our house!

To get ready for the school year we set up a school room in our house. Each boy has his own work space. These photos were taken right before we started school. After seven weeks of school, the walls are now covered with artwork!

Grant and Carter's desks. We are learning about American history this year, hence the flag.

Bryce's desk along with a table for Davis.

I made this calendar that I found on a homeschool blog (MamaJenn.com).

Our more traditional calendar, along with our flag for the pledge.

We are also using the workbox system. This was highly recommended to me and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering homeschooling. Basically, each child has their own set of workboxes. In each workbox is an assignment (handwriting sheet, math worksheet, map activity). On each box there is a number attached with velcro. As the child completes each assignment he moves the number from the workbox to the chart over his desk. Some workboxes can be done independently and others require mom's help. This allows for more efficiency and keeps the boys on task. If mom is working with someone else they can just move on to the next workbox until mom is available. The boys have really enjoyed this system and it has helped us get through all of our schoolwork every day!

I keep my lesson plans taped on the wall at the student's desk so that I can refer to them throughout the day. Grant, Bryce and Carter each have their own workboxes and their own lesson plans.

Each of the boys got a certificate after completing our first day of school.

I can't wait to share more about our adventures in home education. It has been a big undertaking and I can't say that it's been easy, but so far the results have been worth the investment. My mom and Brian's parents have been such a blessing by helping with Davis and Claire several mornings a week, allowing me to spend the needed quiet time with the older boys doing school.

As I said earlier, Brian and I both feel certain that God directed us to homeschool this year. I can see the benefits of this new way of learning starting to emerge and I am encouraged. But mostly, I am at peace knowing that I am in His will. There have been some challenging days. This new job of teacher/mom is very fun but also humbling and at times overwhelming and exhausting. But even in those times of difficulty or self-doubt, God keeps assuring me that He is faithful. If He has called me to do this, He WILL provide me with the ability to do it. I feel now more than ever a continual reliance on Him. Simply because I can't do it on my own. But He can. And that makes all the difference.