A Piano Day
Rebecca Prewett
By 7:50 in the morning, we're out of the house---Miriam, Benji, and I heading for the piano teacher's home. I enjoy the drive. Recent rains have made the hills lushly green.
While they have their lessons, I go to a local coffee place. I have realized, after years of being a homeschooling mother of a large family, that mothers need this sort of retreat time on a regular basis. Various family "experts" often proclaim the importance of "couple time" in order to maintain the marriage. Few advocate maintaining the mother, who is often so busy maintaining a home, a family, a marriage, and who knows what else that she feels overwhelmed and spent.
So I cherish my weekly visit to this coffee place. I walk in and nod with a smile at some of the regulars. It's a cozy, friendly place. I feel pampered, especially when I order what I call a "frou frou" coffee and a fresh blueberry scone. I select a table and sit down. I used to just read the newspaper or a magazine. Now I'm much purposeful about this retreat time, this time of maintaining myself, this time of "re-creation".
I open my Bible and my devotional journal. I read whatever passage I've selected for that day. As I write in my journal, I plan the week ahead. I might pull out my Handspring and check what is on my agenda. I set some personal goals. I review important prayer requests. When I'm done with that, I open my homeschool planning notebook (I splurged this year and bought one that is like a slim, small briefcase) and I do some planning, reading, and contemplating. (My major lesson planning is done on Saturday or Sunday night; this is mostly longterm planning or tweaking of the week's plan.) On this day, I spend time writing down ideas, some of them little more than dreams...someday...maybe...
I drive back and pick up the piano students. Since we are "in town", we run some errands---buying feeder fish for the snakes and bird food for, of course, the birds. I feel refreshed and ready to face the rest of the week.
Once home, we start school. Since we get a late start, we end later. Bible...history...a grammar lesson...logic...then lunch...Math...literature...phonics instruction for the younger set...spelling tests...piano practice...some chores...a science project...play time...and the day is pretty much spent. Time to cook dinner!
copyright 2003 by Rebecca Prewett
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