Solution.

I made no resolutions this year. Of course, you hear many making the same statement at the beginning of a new year - they're used to quiting, or not following through with their commitments, or perhaps they are rebelling against the prevailing wisdom that the passage of the earth around the sun one more time signifies the time to try to change things about ourselves. However, that isn't why I eschewed the resolution binge. It's because of the word itself.

The original Latin root of resolve means to loosen. The idea seems to be that idea of removing the obstacle to a certain end or goal by great force. But in common English, "re" refers to a repeated action, and obviously "solve" involves the idea of a complete answer to a problem. How can one repeatedly solve the same problem? No, I prefer one complete solution, one that does not mean remaking myself, but finding what my purpose was from the beginning. It is not a resolve, it is a return. A return to the purpose that already resides in me, an affirmation that God is the real solution, not the resolution. Even in the original meaning, resolving means more than grabbing onto something, it is releasing all that is not important or central to the high prize of the calling for which I strive. The idea of letting go, of the total lack of my internal ability to change without eternal assistance, is my mandate for 2008.

In homeschooling news, we are back into our normal schedule. Marcus is working on presidential trading cards and reading "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" , and Naomi is head over heels in love with "Bridge to Teribithia". The kids seem to feel comfortable with the prospect of continuing homeschooling even as Marcus approaches middle school age. We will look into enrolling him in Florida Virtual School to allow him a taste of higher end classes.

Happy New Year to all and may God help you to maximize your mission this year!

Unto the hills,
acp