Author: Sarah Joy Albrecht

My friend Betty Lou passed away after a sudden heart attack yesterday.

I am told that she felt light headed after church and decided to take a nap. She never woke up.

Today is the day that her daughter in law is to be induced, as the baby is past due. It is very sad that Betty Lou never got to meet her new grand-baby, but she loved that baby deeply before it was born.

What a bittersweet moment the birth will be later today.

One of my favorite artists for greeting cards and calendars is Marjolein Bastin. I happened to have one of her cards on hand that was very fitting. On the front was a lovely watercolor bouquet of lavender, pansies and white roses and a few sprigs from the bouquet were painted inside.

In it wrote,

Dear R—,

A big hug to you!

E— called me at 1AM this morning to tell me that Betty Lou had gone to be with the Lord. We talked and cried together, remembering what a sweet, kind lady she was.

I am so thankful to have seen both of you at the grocery store last week. It was a busy time of day – the store was crowded with many shoppers – and she didn’t hesitate to get my attention and say hello. This was so typical of her friendly personality, purposefully going out of her way to greet people and to encourage them in the Lord.

Her love for you, M— and S— and the new baby was also a beautiful testimony of a godly woman who saw it as a joy to care for and nurture her family. She wrote to me earlier this year, so tickled, because she had managed to surprise M— for his birthday. She delighted in being a blessing to others.

Betty Lou always followed up on prayer requests, too. After a few weeks of receiving a request, she would always write or ask me in church how things were going. She emailed me little notes to let me know she was praying for me when Tom was traveling, when the children were sick, or after the birth of a baby. There were countless times that her notes brightened my day.

She did not quench the Spirit when the Lord put it on her heart to pray for and encourage me. When I received these notes, exactly at the time I most needed them, it was as if it was God’s way of showing me how much He loved me… working through the actions of your sweet Betty Lou.

I will miss her very much, and I cannot wait to see her again someday. What an honor it was to have had her as a friend. I am thankful for every moment of our friendship.

Today I am praying for you, M— and S— and I am praying for a safe delivery, too, of your precious new grand-baby.

Much love,
SJA

PS: This passage reminds me of Betty Lou. Her life was like a fragrant aroma, one who “walked in love.”

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

My friend Susan tagged me!

meme break…You have to open the book you’re currently reading on page 161 and read the fifth sentence on the page, then think of 5 bloggers to tag with…. I’m tagging my last five commenters…

Now, Susan will tell you that I need to read more FICTION for the imagination… and she’s right! Here she has caught me, once again, reading NON-fiction ;-)

This is an excerpt from a letter by Alexander Hamilton, Philadelphia, May 26, 1792, to Edward Carrington, as documented in the book Something That Will Surprise The World: The Essential Writings of the Founding Fathers, edited by Susan Dunn.

“As to the first point, the evidence of Mr. Madison’s sentiments, at one period, is to be found in the address of Congrees, of April twenty-sixth, seventeen hundred and eighty-three, which was planned by him, in the conformity to his own ideas, and without any previous suggestions from the committee, and with his hearty co-operation in every part of the business.”

I’m also reading There Goes The Hood: Views of Gentrification from the Ground Up by Lance Freeman, and African American man who studied city revitalization efforts in Harlem and Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The book is less than a year old and is published by Temple University Press in Philly.

This topic is extremely fascinating to me, especially in light of the recent revitalization efforts happening here in Coatesville.

Eek… the following quote does need some context. This is from chapter six, “Implications for Planning and Policy” under a section entitled, “Are Residents of Other Gentrifying Neighborhoods Likely to Be Cynical Towards Gentrification?” Prior to this quote, the author points out past experiences of “oppression and resentment” over mishandled revitalization efforts that left families displaced.

There is ample evidence that this cynicism is the accepted wisdom in many parts of the black community.

It’s fun to see what others are reading… I’m curious what Emeth, Miwaza, Elrena, Tara, and Tom (crossing my fingers, hoping he’s game!) are reading… so consider yourselves TAGGED! :) Maybe I’ll get some inspiration from then for my next trip to the library. <-- (Check out this link! It will change the way you use your local library.)

My husband and I were both homeschooled from elementary school through graduation.

While I have years of experience being a homeschooled student, and have a solid understanding of homeschooling –- the philosophies, curriculum options, politics, and even the memorized retorts when nosy people at the grocery store ask silly questions like, “shouldn’t you be in school?” -– this is the first year that my husband and I are homeschooling teachers.

At the beginning of the school year, even as a second-generation homeschooler, I confess that I still had some unrealistic expectations for what homeschooling was going to be like this time around.

Honestly, I felt overwhelmed. I realized that while there were some aspects of homeschooling that I liked from my own education, I also carried a number of fears over things I struggled with as as a homeschooled teenager – like math. (I even took math classes in college and confirmed it’s still not my favorite subject.)

However, something interesting happened to my perspective today: I caught a glimpse of the bigger picture.

This morning, while I was putting away laundry, I quietly observed my children playing. I listened, unobtrusively, as they assimilated what they had learned about the five senses into their play.

Apparently, some of our Barbies are now “blind”. 

Surely this phenomenon happens to children who are attending school outside of the home — it’s just that, as a homeschooling parent, I can be more in tune with why these thoughts are manifesting themselves in their playtime.

As I watched, I appreciated that I didn’t have to wonder about the process that took place before they came to these conclusions. I didn’t have to ask myself, “What else are they being taught?” I knew for a fact that, yesterday, we had studied blindness, and I knew the scope of what it entailed. I didn’t have worry about the agenda that sometimes is pushed in schools along with with sensitive topics.

We had read a library book together that explained that those who are blind still lead a full life with the use of tools like Braille, guide dogs, and canes. The book also mentioned how children who have disabilities are regular people – with thoughts, feelings, and dreams for the future. We read about ways to help people with disabilities to fit in and feel accepted, just like we would with anyone else.

In observing my children’s play, I could see that they had an understanding what they were being taught – as if they were taking a quiz that utilized role-playing.

I was tickled that they grasped the more scientific aspects of blindness and practical things the blind could do to lead normal lives. The Barbies were identifying objects through touching and smelling them.

I was warmed to the heart that my children understood the importance of including people with disabilities. The “seeing” Barbies were helping the “blind” Barbies to do the things the “seeing” Barbies were doing.

Homeschooling my own children has, even before I noticed it happening, changed the way I look at parenting. How true it is that, “school is life and life is school.”

Participating on a deeper level in my children’s education easily fits in to a larger, more holistic picture of my role as a parent. Being a homeschooling teacher has helped me to appreciate how young minds work. It has caused me to evaluate what I am doing to shape them – for better or for worse.

We’re still in preschool and elementary school here in the Albrecht household. Yes, I do have some apprehensions about homeschooling through high school. But, no matter what happens, I have learned a valuable lesson about the natural relationship between parenting and education.

As I look to the future, I’m also looking forward to new “ah-hah moments” that will teach me even more about making a difference in my children’s lives as they get closer to turning into adults.

For now, though, I’m content to live in the moment, simultaneously teaching and parenting, and quietly observing the fruits of my labor.

Photo credit: Cheryl Harvey via Flickr

A friend recently wrote that she was having trouble trusting God. This was my response:

“Rather than trying to muster up feelings of trust by your own strength, how about taking time to get to know Him better? The book Behold Your God by Myrna Alexander may be a good one to pick up again.

Also, just go back and read the account of Christ in the gospel. Don’t try to sort it all out at once. Just “camp out” on the thought that God loved us so much that He sacrificed His Son – who NEVER sinned – in our place as payment for our sin.

How often do we stop and play out what salvation looks like in a way that we, people living in the year 2007, can relate to?

Imagine you are sitting at home enjoying a delicious meal with an old friend. As you are talking, the familiarity is so great, it is as though he can read your very soul. You love him deeply and never wish to be separated from him. Your friend is kind and good. For as long as you can remember, he has never wronged you – or anyone else, for that matter – in any way.

Suddenly, you hear a loud crash in the adjacent room.

Before you even make sense of what is going on, a special military force enters your home. They move quickly and with skill. With guns drawn, they stand in front of you. The moment you see them, you know they have come for you.
Continue reading “Can I Trust Jesus?”

Dear Dr. Paul,

When I traveled abroad to visit some friends earlier this year, I could see the people there being polite but not warm to Americans. It was a different experience even from when I visited a few years ago. People wanted to know what I thought as an American about the Iraq war in particular – often times expressing that concern over whether or not the US would be invading other countries as well.

My only response was that I disagreed with the war, that it wasn’t a declared war, and that many people in America were angry about it – but that the President and the government chose to go ahead anyway. When some of my friends spoke of America, they talked about it once being a great nation, but that it was now filled with arrogance and greed. They talked about America’s rejection of God.

The more people talked about America in this way, I was felt sad and embarrassed. America was no longer seen by other countries as a place of hope or freedom. It hurt because deep down, I knew that they were right.

To add insult to injury, I had just had the experience of going through the airport security, and had my baby’s (whom I was holding in my arms!) much-needed diaper rash cream taken away because the container itself – not even based on the amount of cream inside – was about one centimeter larger than what allowed on the airplane. So, it was really impossible for me to disagree over the current state of freedom in our country.

It seems like a small thing, to have diaper rash cream taken away, but to me it represented the larger picture of freedoms being removed. How did things get to be so bad? Why are people so fearful? (And, as a tangent, families are being kicked off of airplanes because a baby is breastfeeding or, because a baby is crying – yet parents can’t take with them things that would make them better – like soothing rash cream. It’s so ridiculous! Parents are left in a catch 22 situation when it comes to traveling with children – a direct result of sacrificing practicality to avoid fear.)

I just want to thank you for renewing my hope for America. Listening to you speak truth has been so refreshing.

I deeply appreciate how you love the constitution and how, as a politician, you have sought to uphold it instead of wielding your power to find loopholes.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for consistently voting to protect the rights that we do have and for not being afraid to vote differently than the rest of your party. I am sure that this took a great deal of courage, to vote for what is right although it was not popular. Thank you for setting this example to the rest of Americans.

May I respectfully offer a suggestion on how you answer questions at debates or in forums?
Continue reading “Letter to Ron Paul”

This is LONG… but if you want to listen to/watch Ron Paul speak while following along, go to this link: http://www.ronpaullibrary.org/document.php?id=571

HON. RON PAUL OF TEXAS
Before the U.S. House of Representatives

May 22, 2007

In the Name of Patriotism (Who are the Patriots?)

For some, patriotism is “the last refuge of a scoundrel.” For others, it means dissent against a government’s abuse of the people’s rights.

I have never met a politician in Washington, or any American for that matter, who chose to be called “unpatriotic.” Nor have I met anyone who did not believe he wholeheartedly supported our troops wherever they may be.

What I have heard all too frequently from various individuals is sharp accusations that because their political opponents disagree with them on the need for foreign military entanglements, they were “unpatriotic, un-American, evil doers deserving contempt.”

The original American patriots were those individuals brave enough to resist with force the oppressive power of King George. I accept the definition of patriotism as that effort to resist oppressive state power. The true patriot is motivated by a sense of responsibility, and out of self interest — for himself, his family, and the future of his country — to resist government abuse of power. He rejects the notion that patriotism means obedience to the state.

Continue reading “Who are the Patriots?”