Closing the Door on a Life Season

After 15 months of living in state of flux, we finally completed on the sale of our house in Chester on Friday last week. It was a bittersweet moment when I received the telephone call from our solicitor telling us that we had completed.

We were no longer owners of the home that has housed our family for the past 5 years. In those four walls, we built memories, cried tears, experienced loss, dealt with health issues, faced uncertainty and change. 

It was the home that saw the end of our home educating journey, a safe haven for our girls to return each day after university lectures, a launching pad when they finally fledged the nest.

As I wrote a little "Welcome Home" card and placed it next to a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine for the new owners earlier on in the week, I prayed over the house. 

"Lord, may this be a safe and happy home for the new owners. May the experience every blessing and create a myriad of happy memories together. Bless this home and this family".

I'll be honest, over the past 15 months I really could not understand why it was that the door kept closing on our sale, why we experienced such an uphill battle to pass it on.

Three of my friends sold and bought houses in that time with very few problems, it was disheartening.

But there came a point when I realised that God was working out His good plans in our lives, directing our paths, and showing us that His way was infinitely better than our personal plans.

Our plans had us moving to the Lake District, further away from our children and our community. God's plans placed us in the Welsh hills, within easy commutable distance of our children.

Our plans had us downsizing to a small 2 bedroomed cottage. God's plans placed us in a sizable home with 4 bedrooms. Our children and their boyfriends and friends have spent a significant amount of time visiting and staying with us. More so than when we lived in Chester. This home seems to invite people to stay. It's inviting, warm, comfortable, spacious enough for everyone.

Our plans had us moving closer to my husband's place of work. A job that made him deeply unhappy and stressed and was having a very real impact on his health. God's plans had my husband step back from his job, retire from the hotel industry, and move toward finally opening his dream business. Since leaving full time employment he is happier, healthier, has lost weight as he has time for regular exercise. I am no longer fearful of him having a heart attack. We are looking forward to opening our own little coffee and artisan food shop - a long held dream.

Our plans were for a quick and easy sale so that we could push on with independence. God's plans forced us to depend on Him and His timing. That process restored my trust in God, trust that had been severely shaken after the untimely death of two close friends. 

I have since been able to let go of my own plans that seemed "the sensible thing to do" and am trusting him to lead me along a different path, a path of a ministry which He placed in my heart when he asked me to trust Him and home educate our daughters 20 years ago. I'm grateful that my training allows me to work in a freelance capacity right now, allowing plenty of time to step out in faith as He leads me down a new path.

My angst has faded. I don't have any assurances as to what the future holds but I do know that I am back on the path that God has planned for me, for us, because I know God's peace that suparsses all understanding (Phil 4:7), and I have not had that peace since our home educating days came to a close. 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways", says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. " ~ Isaiah 55:8-9

While hindsight is a wonderful thing, the process of walking through difficult times is a refining and necessary process if we are to grow in our faith. 

While I couldn't see it at the time, am grateful that our journey was not a smooth and easy transition. It was not what we needed and our Heavenly Father knows best. He knew exactly what we both needed, and for all our kicking, screaming and tantruming - He patiently loved us and revealed His good and perfect way for our lives.

Whatever season you are in, lean into God and trust His ways. He loves you deeply and wants good things for His children. Sometimes our understanding of what 'good things' are may not be the 'best' things.

Wishing you every blessing this week.

Counting My Blessings

A Heavy Heart

The past few days have been heavy. I did not know Charlie Kirk personally, but I was familiar with his work. While I did not always agree with his political views, he was first and foremost a brother in Christ, a husband, and a father. To hear that he was so brutally murdered simply for speaking, debating, and seeking to shine light is both horrifying and deeply troubling.

What shakes me even more is witnessing people publicly celebrate the violent death of another human being. Such cruelty, such callousness—it reveals something very dark about the state of our society. My heart grieves for his family and friends, for our Christian brothers and sisters in America, and for the wider world in which hatred is allowed to fester so openly.

On Community

After sharing a simple Instagram story—a photograph of Charlie Kirk with a few words of sorrow—I immediately saw my follower count drop. A sharp decline, just like that.

Now, let me be clear: I have no concern for vanity metrics. Numbers on a screen do not define me, nor do they measure the worth of my life. I come from a time when relationships and real connections meant far more than “likes” and followers.

What I do care about is the kind of community I nurture around me. If those who unfollowed me are people who would celebrate the violent death of a Christian man, then it is best that our paths diverge. We clearly do not share the same value for life, compassion, or truth. Circumstances such as these always reveal the true heart of people.

Drawing Nearer

And so, I turn my gaze back home and count my blessings. In a world that feels increasingly fractured, I am reminded of the importance of surrounding ourselves with people who share our values, who offer encouragement, and who seek light over darkness.

Even in sorrow, we can choose to draw nearer to God, to hold fast to His truth, and to be grateful for the community of faith He gives us.

Counting My Blessings

In times like these, when the world feels harsh and unsettling, I find myself cherishing even more the peace and beauty I can create within my own home.

Home is where we practise gratitude in the ordinary, where we nurture our families, and where we remind ourselves that God’s goodness is still all around us.

One of the small yet meaningful ways I mark this season is by showering our home with autumnal touches—simple decorations that speak of warmth, abundance, and the comforting rhythm of God’s creation.

My hops garland arrived from Huskin Hops on Friday. I absolutely love decorating my home with natural material, usually gathered from nature on my walks.

I had seen hops garlands in various places over the years and really wanted to have one for my own home. However, our previous home just did not lend itself to a hops garland. We didn't really have a natural place where it would hang.

Our new home has a lovely inglenook. The moment I saw it I knew that I would be ordering a hops garland for my autumn decor. It has not disappointed! I absolutely LOVE it!

Of course, I have added a few other autumnal touches because September 1st is autumn for me. There's no waiting until the autumn equinox in my home. I want to get every ounce of autumnal goodness from the season before we transition into the festive season.

So the candles are out and the house fills with the scent of apples, cinnamon, pumpkin and spice each evening.

Autumnal pictures have been hung...

Corners of my home are lit with fairy lights and adorned with garlands and much loved homespun decorations have been brought out of storage and now take pride of place for another autumn season.

Books are being gathered in preparation for longer nights and cozy days. I'll share my autumn book basket in another post. I have added some lovely books to my home library over the last few months that I am excited to share with you.

I love the changing light at this time of the year, it comes in gently and pools in little puddles of warmth throughout the house at different times of the day. What a lovely small blessing!

I have always paid attention to the simple, small things and I love making my home a haven for my family and for those who cross the threshold. Last night, I overheard my husband telling my daughters boyfriend that after a long day at work, he always got excited about coming home because it was his 'happy place' and it was made so because of the love lived within its walls and the care taken in making our home a haven. 

I was so touched by that. That is exactly why I do everything I do, and why I place such value on the simple things that go into running a home.

I want my Biblical womanhood, love and faith that I hold in my heart for my Lord and for my family shown in practical ways through the canvas of my home and it appears that my husband has felt that. It touched my heart hearing those words. 

Thinking about it later on in the evening, I was reminded of the importance of the woman in the home. We set the tone, we are the thermostat to the atmosphere of our home. We can bring blessings in so many ways. Be encouraged. I know it can often feel like a thankless and overlooked task. But what we do matters. It brings blessings!

Before I go, I wanted to share a beautiful playlist that I came across the other day. I hope you enjoy listening to it as I have and may it be a blessing to you.

May your homes be filled with faith, love, peace and joy this next week.

Making Home with Your Hands & Your Summer Peace Plan Printable

There’s something deeply comforting about crafting with your hands—especially in summer, when the days stretch long and golden, and the pace of life invites us to slow down, savour, and make space for peace.

This week, I’ve been leaning into that sense of intention and simplicity—creating with joy, prayerfully preparing for the seasons ahead, and grounding my days in gentle rhythms. I’m delighted to share a few of those things with you today: a cheerful handmade rag wreath to brighten your home, beautifully decorated candles ready for gifting, and a free printable to help you map out your own peaceful summer.

✽ Creating a Home that Whispers “Welcome”

I started the week with a simple, satisfying craft: a fabric rag wreath. This is the sort of project that feels timeless and comforting—no fancy tools required, just your hands, some fabric scraps in soft summer hues, and a bit of time to tie and tuck.

Each scrap carries a story—a memory from an old sewing project or a remnant too pretty to part with. As I knotted them around the frame, I found myself praying quietly for my home and those who pass through its doors.

✽ Preparing for a Season of Giving

While the warmth of summer wraps us in sunshine, my thoughts often stray to Christmas. Yes, really! I love to use these quieter months to prepare small, thoughtful gifts that can be wrapped up with care when Advent arrives.

This week, I dressed a few candles with a collar of brown craft paper and seasonal trims—tucked away for December gifting. There’s such peace in this kind of quiet preparation. It feels like sowing seeds of love in advance, ready to bless someone months from now.

Perhaps you’d like to make a few too? Pop on a hymn or soft music, brew a cup of something soothing, and let your hands create beauty.

✽ A Printable to Help You Plan a Peaceful Summer

To accompany your slow summer days, I’ve created a Summer Peace Plan printable, designed to gently guide your heart and home toward peace. It's a one-page resource you can tuck into your journal, pin on your fridge, or keep near your Bible.

It includes:

• Daily Anchors for Peace like prayer, time outdoors, and creative moments

• Soul Prompts to reflect on what God may be inviting you to release or embrace

• A Gentle Summer List of soul-nourishing ideas—from pressing flowers to reading under a tree

This is not a to-do list, dear friend, but an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and dwell in the quiet, nurturing presence of God this season.

✨ Click here to download your free Summer Peace Plan printable

PS. You can download this plan anytime from the FREEBIES page on this blog.

✽ Homemaking as Worship

Whether you’re stitching, baking, tying ribbons or simply sweeping the kitchen floor, I believe these acts can be a form of worship. When we make our homes with love and intention, we reflect the heart of our Creator—who made all things good, and called them beautiful.

So as summer unfolds, may you find peace in the small things. May your hands be blessed in the work they do. And may your home be a haven of grace.

With every blessing...

Beginning Again: Reclaiming Your Quiet Time with the Lord

 There’s something deeply comforting about beginning again. I often think of how the seasons gently turn, always arriving in their own time, never rushed—never scolded for being late. And perhaps, our hearts are much the same. They, too, move in seasons. Some are fruitful and focused. Others—well, they drift a little. And that’s okay.

I’ve found myself in one of those drifting places lately. The quiet rhythm of meeting with the Lord each morning had slowly unravelled. Not in a dramatic way—just a slow slipping of intention. The Bible sat unopened on my desk. The journal gathered dust. And my soul began to feel it.

But here’s what I’ve also found: the Lord never turns away. His invitation to come away with Him remains open, unchanging. No matter how far we’ve wandered, we are always welcome to begin again.

A Gentle Return

I’ve started to return, slowly. Not with strict routines or grand intentions. Just small, meaningful moments—like lighting a candle before the house stirs, whispering a prayer as the kettle boils, or sitting quietly by the window with an open Bible and expectant heart.

No guilt. No pressure. Just grace.

I think that’s the key, really. Coming back to the Lord isn’t about performance. It’s about presence. It’s about remembering who we are, and whose we are. And often, it begins with one small choice—a simple act of turning our heart back towards Him.

Little Touches of Beauty

As I ease back into a rhythm, I’ve been drawn to creating a little space that feels peaceful and lovely—a quiet corner with my Bible, a notebook, and my favourite mug. Nothing fancy, just comforting.

A candle flickering nearby. A vase of garden flowers. Even the gentle hum of a hymn playing softly. These small touches speak deeply to my spirit, drawing me into rest and worship without words.

It reminds me that beauty and faith are not separate things. They are woven together in the fabric of daily life, gently pointing us back to the Creator.

When Quiet Time Isn’t Quiet

If you’re in a season where quiet is a luxury, I understand. I’ve had many of those years—years of nappies and homeschooling, full sinks and full hearts. And I know that quiet time with the Lord doesn’t always look like sitting serenely with tea and Scripture.

Sometimes it’s praying while pegging out the washing. Sometimes it’s listening to Scripture on audio while doing the ironing. Sometimes it’s just pausing in the middle of a messy kitchen to whisper, “Lord, help me.”

And that counts. More than we know.

No Shame, Only Grace

If, like me, you’ve been feeling a little distant, I hope you’ll hear this: you are not behind. You haven’t failed. You are simply human. And you are beloved.

There’s no need to fix everything overnight. Just begin again. One verse, one prayer, one moment of stillness at a time. The Lord is already there, waiting to meet you.

With You in the Starting Again

So today, I begin again. Not perfectly, but prayerfully. With a quiet heart and open hands. If you’re in a similar place, know you are not alone. We can begin again together.

May this be a gentle season of remembering, of drawing near, of basking once more in the beauty of His presence.

With love and grace,

A Journaling Freebie For You

Hello my lovely friends!

The weather has finally broken in our neck of the woods and we have had some lovely rain which is a welcome relief for the garden. I have to say that I have missed the lack of rain! I love listening to it falling and the way the earth smells as the rain hits the soil. Don't get me wrong, I have loved all this sunny weather. It means we have had no slug issues this year and it looks like we are going to have a bumper strawberry and apple crop this year!

I've noticed that the Elderflower is out already so I plan on taking a walk along the nearby canel tomorrow after church to collect flower heads so that I can make a lovely Elderflower Cordial, a seasonal activity that I love to do each year.

Following my post earlier this week (Finding Your Way Back Home), I have continued to focus on the little things that lead me back to a life of peace, contentment, purpose and grace. I have realised that it is easier said than done as we humans tend to operate on the established 'tracks' forged in our brains.

Charlotte Mason spoke about the physical tracks that are created in our brains when we establish a new habit. It is what makes breaking a bad habit so difficult. We physically have to choose to take a more purposful course of action and do so repeatedly until a new 'track' is forged. This is definantly a topic I will come back to on this blog.

I have always found the process of journaling through any challenging times to be very helpful. It helps me to take swirling washing machine of thoughts in hand and pick them out one by one to create some sort of order. So I created this little journal with 10 prompts to help explore a gentle return to the slower and sacred rhythm to my home and life.

The prompts are designed to encourage reflection, to pause and return to the heart of your home and heart. I am using one prompt a day to allow time to really ponder on the topic and examin my heart.

I am finding the process so theraputic and helpful that I thought you may like to download my A Gentle Return Journal to use if you wish. This is a resource aimed at the Christian woman so I appreciate that it will not be helpful to everyone. But if you would like to use it please do.

I'd love to hear if you are in a season of change or just pondering on what it is that truly brings you peace, contentment and joy. Perhaps you have already travelled this road and have some thoughts that would be good to consider. Please do let me know in the comments.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I shall see you back here next week.

Weekending in The Lake District & A Few Thoughts for February

We had expected to be in our new home by now however, we are still waiting for our house sale to go through. It's been an age and quite frankly, we just want to get this done now. We are craving being back in the countryside and cannot wait to start a new chapter in our little cottage up on the Lancashire/Cumbrian border.

So what do you do? Well, you book a weekend on Lake Windermere to ease your woes.

We found a great New Year's deal at the McDonald Old England hotel on Bowness-on-Windermere. The hotel is on the waters edge so we enjoyed eating breakfast overlooking the water.

Old England Hotel from the Water

We were slightly concerned as the day we were set to travel up to Cumbria, the UK was expecting dangerous gale-force winds across the region. However, we left after work on Friday by which time the worst of the winds had passed.

On Saturday morning we woke up to the most gorgeous day we've had this winter! Clear skies, not a breath of wind...just stunning!

We decided to hire a little self-drive boat for an hour and pootle about the lake. 

Memories of the adventures of the Swallows and Amazons which I'd read to my children came flooding back. All my most loved heros have lived a life in this area. Beatrix Potter, Charlotte Mason...I felt completley at home and at peace.

I confess that I have had a moment or two during this whole house selling and buying business that has caused me a wobble or two. But being back in Cumbria I just knew that the move is the right thing at the right time for us.

After pootling about the lake we took a drive around Lake Windermere - it is so nice in winter. Very little congestion and few visitors. Apparantly it is almost unpleasant in summer with the amount of visitors that visit the Lake District.  But who can blame anyone for wanting to escape cities for this landscape!

The opposite side of the lake to where we were staying is not really devloped for tourists - perfect! If I had an unlimited budget, I'd definitely be buying a lakeside house. I probably wouldn't get a thing done - I'd be hypnotised by the view!

All too soon our weekend in paradise was over and we returned to our suburban home, a little more motivated to start packing those boxes!

North West Winter Wool Festival

February is set to fly by, we have the North West Winter Wool Festival in a little under 2 weeks - so there is a LOT going into that at the moment. 

Saturday tickets have reached capacity for the venue so we have had to stop selling tickets for that day. How incredable is that! Tickets are still on sale for Sunday however, if people want to book any Saturday workshops we will be issuing show tickets for them. So email us on northwestwinterwoolfestival@gmail.com if you are wanting to do that.

February Love...

Apart from the show and hopefully our house move, there is lots to love about February! I've got my little Valentines heart tree out. Of course, it's not going to be a slow Valentines weekend for us as we will be working at the show but it's nice to mark the season with a bit of home decor.

I've enjoyed having bunches daffodils brightening up my home during Janaury. It's one of those little things that is part of the rhythm of my year. Gloomy January is cheered up with daffodils.

In the Garden

I was working in the garden yesterday - mainly helping my husband repair a fence that had blown over in last weeks storm, and found a little bunch of snowdrops! I love seeing the garden slowly waking up. I always find it so sad to see the state of it in the winter months. Snowdrops are just the reminder we need that no season lasts forever!

We have enjoyed some lovely frosty mornings this winter. I love the way spiders webs freeze up and look like delicate pieces of jewellery. I've been taking time to once again appreciate the small things in life - it makes such a difference to ones outlook wouldn't you agree?

I've snipped a few Forsythia branches from the garden and brought them indoors to force. 

I think I may do a journal entry documenting the process. It's been a long while since I picked up my journal and I must say that I miss it!

February Ponderings

Its funny how life seasons change, disrupting your rhythm and changing the course of your habits isn't it?

Just like the fierce storms we have had, they cause turmoil, rip things away, and leave behind some form of devistation that needs to be cleaned up and put back together, often leavning life looking very different.

Since taking the decision to close my yarn business, I have been through my Instagram doing a bit of housekeeping and archiving some photographs. I realised how single focused my life has become, whether it was on yarn or during my legal studies. 

Quite frankly, I don't like it! 

I believe that this is a great danger in life becoming mundane and lacking in joy and appreciation of the small, ordinary things when we set them aside in favour of achieving a goal to the exclusion of all else. 

Every so often, we are given the opportunity to confront our choices, review our life and decide if we like what we see or if it is time for a change.

For me, it's time for a change. I think our house move, the end of my studies and trying to make a business from my hobby is that juncture. Workwise, I'm in a good place. I have the yarn show which is going really well, I'd like to build on this and arrange another one for the autumn. I have also just been appointed as a county court advocate which allows me to decide how and when I work. 

It gives me the flexiblity I've been looking for to build a balanced life that includes time for the things that are important to me, like getting outdoors, painting, visiting friends, getting involved with my church and other groups. I am determined that 2025 is going to be a year of appreciating the small things and moments.

What are you hoping for in 2025? 

Anyhoo lovelies, I hope that you have a lovely week whatever your plans are. I look forward to catching up with you a bit later in the week.

Pottering About & Lockdown Encouragement

It looks like our run of sunshiny weather has come to an end, at least for the time being. But I have to say that I do enjoy a good rainy day or two. The earth and my garden are in need of quenching water.

Those pots are full of sweetpea seeds. I'm hoping that they will scramble over the garden shed this summer

I'm always amazed at how therapeutic it is to spend time outdoors. At the moment we don't get to venture too far from the house so I am very grateful for my garden. I'm able to get outdoors and just rest in the peace of the day and enjoy pottering about in my garden.

Major cleanup going on here!

We've spent a lot of time in the garden, more than what we ordinarily may have been able to spend. This weekend we cleared out a lot of undergrowth, weeds and last autumns fallen leaves out of one flower bed to make way for some new plants once the garden centres re-open of course. 

I have earmarked my hellebore bed which I will plant up over the summer in readiness for a display in the winter months. I love hellebores and my garden does not feel quite complete without a good few. The range of colours you can get is amazing so I'm glad I have a good space to plant numerous plants. 

My sweetpea seeds are coming along nicely and a planted a few more pots of sweetpeas over the weekend. I'm really looking forward to this summers display.

We also put up the gazebo over the weekend. The sides will only be fastened on later on in the season but we have put up the fairy lights and we are looking forward to being able to dine out in the evenings when the temperatures warm up a bit.

DH has started on his latest DIY project which is to refurbish the wrought iron garden furniture. The last time this was done was 9 years ago so it is in dire need of a good old sprucing up!

Before moving into our home I had bought two of my favourite plants that my garden simply cannot be without. I feel that they denote the season and I look forward to their seasonal displays each year. It adds to the atmosphere of the season in my mind. 

The first of those has to be the forsythia. Each spring its bright display of flowers is simply a delight. I love to bring twigs indoors in late winter to force in vases. My garden does not have a forsythia shrub so I'm glad I bought one. I found a perfect spot for it to live over the coming years and am looking forward to watching it grow in stature.

The second plant I bought was a Virginia Creeper. I first spotted this delightful plant one autumn whilst travelling through the peaks from our home in Chesterfield to our fortnightly homeschool art class with our dear family friends who live in Manchester. 

It covered the side of a quaint stone pub in one of the villages, a mass of firey colour. I instantly fell in love with this plant and knew that one day I would have to have one and be able to stay in a home long enough to see it come to such maturity.

My creeper has been sitting outside my front door in a pot. I couldn't quite decide where I wanted it. The bare stick slowly came into leaf as spring has progressed. I had noticed that our garage had some sort of creeper trailing over one wall and over a third of the roof and wondered what it might be, honeysuckle perhaps? 

As it too began to come into leaf I noticed that the leaves were identical to my Virginia Creeper! I was thrilled! I now have two of these delightful autumnal plants. I have since planted my Virginia Creeper at the back of the hellebore bed to trail and cover the back fence and I will get to see it grow to maturity! Delightful!

Gardening is so good for a healthy outlook, especially at this time in history. With the world in turmoil and the future unknown, it can be overwhelming. But when you start looking at how nature just carries on and thrives it gives hope that everything is going to be okay. It calms anxious thoughts and keeps your hands and mind busy - away from the busyness of fretting. Gardening also provides us with fresh air, vitamin D from the sunshine and exercise which releases endorphins naturally boosting our immune systems and improving our outlooks. I'm grateful for my garden.

I am reminded to take joy in the small things that come our way. Watching the bumblebee visit each flower in turn to collect pollen. Or perhaps watching the cat stretch out in delight in the sunshine. Observing how the water droplets from a recent shower sit delicately on a flower or leaf. 

There is much to enjoy in each moment and learning to tune into these small joys helps to get through these rather strange days. 

I know that many of you may be struggling in our shared global circumstances but as our dear Queen said in her moving lockdown speech a few weeks ago, "We should take comfort that, while we may have more still to endure, better days will return; we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again."

What a wonderful inspirational woman! I just love her and am so very proud to be British!

So my lovelies, if you are feeling a bit blue please remember that every season has its time and each season gives way to the next in its turn. Be strong, trust our Lord and delight in the things that he sends our way in each little moment.

Blessings in Christ...

Moms Moving On

When our children begin to fledge the nest, it can be a turbulent time for us mums. We have dedicated years to nurturing, raising, educating, planning, researching, doing, existing for our children.

We always know that what we are doing is to raise responsible, well-balanced, happy, and successful children who will thrive in their own adult lives.

But all too soon they suddenly grow up and off to college, university or out into the world in their first grown-up job and you are left to wonder, "What now?"

There is absolutely no doubt that you as a mum and homeschooling mum at that, are going to go through one huge life change. With that comes a whole heap of emotions that you will need to work through. 

You are of course excited for your children to be progressing and having a world of opportunities and experiences open up to them. But there is a sadness that knows life has inextricably changed. You will see less of your children, not be involved in every decision or perhaps not know everything that is going on in their lives.

Your once full and busy days will suddenly quieten down and you will be wondering what to do to fill the time or grappling with finding your new purpose and path in life.

These are really all perfectly normal feelings and instead of allowing them to make you anxious, it is best to acknowledge that it's quite alright to have a good old cry every-so-often to grieve the end of an era. It's quite alright to not know exactly what it is you are going to do for that is a journey in itself that you will have to take before it becomes clear.

From the moment I gave birth I knew that raising my children was my purpose. It's all I wanted to do. Later we were called to homeschool and I knew too, this is exactly what I was purposed to do. I have always been someone who has been perfectly happy being the wife, mother, and homemaker that God called me to be.

So when that purpose has been fulfilled and it fitted who you were so perfectly, it can be a very hard journey indeed to find a new purpose and if you do find that purpose it can come with feelings of guilt and indecision.

This is what I have been grappling with over the past year. I figure that other mums moving on from full-time parenthood or homeschooling must go through something similar.

I have been lucky in that I found something else that I really believe in and enjoy fairly quickly. Law. I really love it. I find it quite fascinating. I absolutely love my work as a Magistrate and it is this that spurred me on to take a law degree and begin pursuing a career as a barrister.

However, guilt is something I apparently LOVE to drag around with me. I feel guilty not being able to spend as much time on my home as I have done in the past. Guilty that the washing does not always get done in a timely manner, guilty that meals are generally quick and easy, that I don't have the time or energy to bake everything from scratch, guilty that perhaps my work is not as important as the work of raising and educating my children has been.

But something clicked this week as I was praying about it to the Lord. I was asking how my work and chosen career path could ever possibly be as important as what I had been doing. Was it even worth going through the next 5 years of my law degree, Bar course, and hopefully pupilage and dedicate all that time and expense to a career that is quite frankly expensive to attain both financially and timewise, highly competitive, and difficult? Then I recalled Jesus' life work.

He did not live in a sheltered, cozy bubble. He was out in the field with the despised of society. He took time to have tea with the tax collector, spoke to the shamed woman at the well, mingled with prostitutes and societies undesirables.

He wanted to be with the 'messy' people. Why? Because they needed him most. He loves the very people society does not want to bother with or see. As Christians, we should be the same, bringing the good news to those who need to hear it most!

My work as a Magistrate ensures that I am working with 'messy' people. They have issues, vices, tragic life circumstances that bring them to court. In my current position; yes I have to dish out justice and sometimes send people to prison, but I also get to sentence by way of rehabilitation and reform which gives people an opportunity to change. In this position, I don't have much close contact with 'messy' people other than the short time they appear before me in the dock and having to deal with their crimes but in my chosen career path as a criminal barrister, I will.

For the first time, I felt some of the guilt fall away. You see, God called me and you to homeschool and raise our children; to keep the home running smoothly and beautifully for a season. Just because that season is over and your calling has been fulfilled does not mean that He is done with you. There will be a new season and a new calling; a new work that He needs you to do and he expects that you will do so with the same passion and enthusiasm that you have shown in the last task He set for you.

It's about seeing the work that you do as working for the Lord for that is what you are doing. I would have happily stayed in my safe and controlled world forever. I have found dealing with societies 'messy' people difficult at times because their lives and choices are so different from mine, so shockingly astounding and at times repulsive. At one point I found myself feeling rather superior to them and that, my friends, we should never ever do! For it is a slippery slope into a hardening of our hearts. 

God wants to reach the 'messy'. God loves the 'messy'. Each messy life was once an innocent baby, created and loved by God. Each messy life did not start out so but through the enemies, plans became so. These are people, human beings who still, despite their 'messiness', feel, hurt, and endure so much pain. Jesus had compassion for the messy and so should we.

I'm now in a season of preparation and equipping for my next task. It requires hours of study and sacrifice. It's a season of transition. And that is what you can expect when moving on from homeschooling. A Season of transition. Perhaps not as long as mine will be but it takes time for things to become clear. 

Pray and seek the Lord for His next 'big thing' that He is planning for you. Just as you trusted Him to guide you through homeschooling and raising your children, so too you need to trust Him to lead you into this new chapter of your life. Don't make a move without taking God's presence with you! There is a good reason whey Moses said to the Lord, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here" before he led the Israelites out from Egypt.

And ditch the guilt! No, life is not going to be the same, but Spring is not the same as Autumn, and Winter is not the same as Summer yet each season is necessary and bears its own rich fruitfulness. 

I hope that this post has been of some encouragement to you dear mama. Whether you have homeschooled or not, if your children are flying the nest it is an emotional time and we need a solid rock as the sands of time shift.

Be kind to yourself, rest solidly in the Lord and He will lead you into the next season which is full of richness for you to explore and enjoy.

Blessings in Christ.