Well, folks, tomorrow marks the third Wednesday since My Hero left. Why does it matter that it’s Wednesday, you ask? I’ll tell you.
Wednesdays are insane.
Really.
Wednesday Madness actually starts Tuesday evening with a mad dash to finish our English Essentials work for Classical Conversations. Yes, we end up doing it on Tuesday nights. Don’t judge me. (Last week, my poor Ballerina was up until after 11 working on her poem. It turned out great, but boy, was she tired). Then I stay up another hour or two making sure I was ready to tutor. (Did I mention that I volunteered to tutor Foundations for Classical Conversations? And that I knew My Hero was deploying when I volunteered? I also knew I was going to be coaching nearly 20 hours a week. I’m not quite sure where my brain was when I decided this was all a good idea…)
Wednesday mornings, we all run around half in hysterics TRYING to get out the door by 7:45. We’ve yet to make that cut-off. So we show up at the church for our Foundations class 15 minutes later than I want to be, which only gives me about 20 minutes to get all set up and ready for the day before we (the tutors) pray and start the day.
We finish the morning classes a little before noon, then we get about 30 minutes for lunch before we have to head out to another church for the afternoon classes. We stay there until three, at which point, The Gymnast and I rush off to the gym for a three hour workout. So far, I have failed every week to remember to bring our workout clothes, so in our mad dash to get to the gym, we have to make a detour to the house to get gym clothes and oh yeah, the Idiot Brigade needs out… We have 45 minutes to get from point A to point B with a stop at C. So far, we’ve managed to scoot in just under the wire every time.
Finally, we finish at the gym around 7:30, then zip on over to pick up The Ballerina from a friend’s house. By the time we get home, all three of us are ready to collapse.
For all its craziness, I really do love it. Sort of. I don’t love how tired it makes me, and I don’t love how stressful it is to try to get everywhere on time. But I love what I do.
When I start to teach, it’s like everything else just fades away. I love teaching the kids in my CC group. I love how excited they are when they realize they really can memorize everything I’ve taught them. I love knowing that I am assisting in helping them to grow in the knowledge of man and the knowledge of God. I love it when they encourage each other to keep going.
And I love coaching. I do. I can’t seem to walk away from it. I’ve tried, really I have. But I love it. I love being in the gym. I love the way every gym feels like a second home to me. Most of all, I love impacting the kids. I may not get to preach the Word of Christ to my gymnasts, but I am witnessing to them all the same. Every time I encourage them to try harder, every time I show compassion for their fear of a new skill, every time I correct them, I am (I hope) reflecting the light of Christ. Being a competitive gymnast takes up as much time as a part time job, and many of these kids are competing by the age of six. That’s a lot of time with their coach. Every day, I get to go in there, and pour a bit of myself into these kids, hopefully teaching them things beyond just gymnastics. Like how to be kind to each other, and to encourage each other in all things. And how to be disciplined and respectful. I firmly believe that these lessons are just as important for me to teach (and more important in life) as the skills that I teach them on each of the events. I think these are lessons that keep me from being able to walk away. Well, that and the chalk bucket.
So while I may whine from time to time about how crazy our schedule is, I wouldn’t change a thing. I love home schooling. I love tutoring. And I love coaching. Which of those things could I possibly give up? At least for now, I don’t have to give up any. And, of course, I am one day closer to having My Hero home to help me shoulder the load.
onedayclosertohome 