Graduation Gift FOR Mom

Having homeschooled my Ben from kindergarten through eleventh grade, I am relishing the memories of all the fun-filled moments we had. Sure, we went on lots of field trips--to the National Museum of Art, to the Rosedale Animal Hospital, to the Cincinnati Children's Museum, to the Amish Farm, and Six Flags. We did sports for both our boys and Sarah, Pioneer Club, piano lessons, spelling bees, Round the World Days, and science co-ops.

I took pictures of all those things. What a blessing each activity was (although in the midst of many of them I recall thinking, "Can't wait till this ends; it's a lot of work and running. I also recall thinking, "I never want these days to end; this is a precious privilege to be home with my kids, really getting to know them, how they think, what their individual giftings are, listening to their funny (and not so funny) jokes, teaching them the three R's plus all the rest, memorizing scripture with them, and mostly playing referee and counselor in an effort to restore unity and harmony.

What I realize, after having gone through about 12 boxes of old photos, is that I took pictures of all the field trips, ball games, and co-ops. What I failed to capture very often were the everyday, routine, "this is real life" photos where kids put aside math to put away dishes. Where Mom put away the paddle and pulled out the Bible. (And vice versa, or both in tandem!) Where Mom leaned against the living room wall out of sight of her daughter practicing piano and admired the long fingers and long hair that would someday Grace another home.

So all these pictures are dear to my heart. And I don't stop taking pictures. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." One of my treasure boxes is a camera, because my heart is close to my family whose smiles and hands and fingers and eyes and lips and expressions are constantly changing.

Graduation came with a gift for me this year. Paul bought me Nikon D50-- a really great digital SLR camera. The first order of business was to take pictures at the senior dinner. I took 120 (but I didn't take the one you see here. I was running the videocamera during Paul's formal address to Ben, so I handed my digital to one of the dads to snap a photo. It's a tad blurry, but that's okay. Can you just feel the love between this father and son?

To my dearest husband: Thank you so much, Paul. I don't deserve such a generous gift. The film camera you gave me for my birthday a fews ago has been priceless. Maybe having more photos on computer than stored in boxes was really your aim??? Seriously, you have truly heard my heart's desire in the way of a tangible graduation gift for the teacher. I love you. I like the camera very, very much. MMMMMWWWAAA! And I'll be sure to take more everyday pictures as the next precious graduates of our home come behind our eldest.

Hugs, kisses, and a lot more "SMILE!"

Love abounding,
Zo