Reflections on 2009

New Year's is my favorite holiday. Something about turning that new calendar page brings out the optimism in even someone like me, more known for melancholy thoughts. It seems no accident that there is usually snow on the ground in Ohio for New Years, because there is a connection between that clean, fresh appeal of newly fallen snow and that sense that the New Year is brimming with possibilities.
So now, before the lovely blanket of snow melts and my optimism is driven away by the dreary days of February, is probably the time to reflect on 2009 in the Butecamp. Once of the exciting things about raising a large family is that things are always changing and new challenges are always on the horizon. What has 2009 brought?
One change which is of monumental significance to me is that for the first time in a decade I am regularly getting enough sleep. As much as I feel blessed to have six wonderful children, I feel that I have passed a significant part of the last 10 years in a fog, due to the fatigues of pregancies, night feedings and early rising toddlers (my children really should have lived on a farm, Butes1-5 were ALWAYS up before 6AM, a real trial for me especially when I was pregnant). Amazingly enough Bute6 is a fantastic sleeper and I find myself waking her up in the mornings. Something that was previously unimaginable. The mental and physical energy which has come about with this change of events has resulted in new opportunities for me. For the first time in a long time I am routinely waking up before anyone else in the house and enjoying some quiet time with my Bible and a cup of hot tea. I also have discovered a lot more energy for other tasks. I have actually finished a couple of knitting projects (small ones, a scarf and hat), taken up scrapbooking and journaling again, and am working on creating a multi-level Bible curriculum for my children. And yet, as much as I am enjoying this new found productivity in other areas of life it has also served to remind me of how uniquely productive the past 10 years have been. No amount of knitting or scrapbooking or writing can possibly add as much to the world or to my life as my children. The opportunity cost of these other fruitful activities is the awareness that there are not likely to be any more new Butes.
While we are not anticipating any new Butes, the existing Butes keep getting older. Bute1 is in his last month of Cub Scouts and getting ready to make the transition to Boy Scouts. For us this represents a fairly significant rite of passage. Cub Scouts is a very family oriented activity. The parents and siblings are part of most of the things the boys do, and especially in our case, since Jeff and I are both leaders. But Boys Scouts is scout -led and has much less parental involvement, so this will represent a significant step forward in his independence. When I looked at the Boy Scout schedule and saw lists of campouts and weekend trips and realized that we would not be part of them I felt a significant tug at the proverbial apron strings. And yet, I feel like I can clearly see God's hand in this opportunity for him. There are two other boys in his Cub Scout den who are also homeschooled and whose families attend our church. These two friends with similar family backgrounds will move with him into Boys Scouts and so he will start out with a good support system in place.
Another important transition in 2009 occurred in our church. We belong to a large church which relies heavily on a network of smaller home churches for fellowship and equipping. For several years know we have been attempting to pioneer a new format for the home church we lead, which would encompass entire families, rather than segmenting our family into separate age-segregated church groups. Will be have met with a fair amount of success in the Bible study part of our home group, we have long wanted to find some sort of service opportunity which could include the whole family. This year a our church entered into a partnership with an organization which is settling a large number of refugees from Bhutan in the Columbus area. These refugees come in large patriarchal clans including grandparents down to babies. They have been very responsive to meeting new people and some have been interested in studying the Bible. In all it has been a fantastic opportunity for our family and for the rest of our church. There are many practical and relational needs which we can be involved in meeting and we have enjoyed having our new friends over to our house a couple ot times a month. It is amazing what an icebreaker a toddler can be when we are struggling to communicate with people over a significant language barrier. Not only has this service opportunity been very energizing for our church, but I feel that it has also been a fantastic opportunity for our kids to broaden their horizons. If they are going to spent their entire childhood living in the Midwest it is an answered prayer of mine that they can be exposed to different cultures even while living here.
Homeschooling has been a transition this year as well. Bute1 is moving into middle school material, while Bute5 is just starting preschool. I have definitely found the larger age spread to be more of a challenge and it has forced me to do a little less improvisation and stick more closely to an organized curriculum. But homeschooling is still a tremendous source of joy and satisfaction to me. The thrill of having Bute5 just sounding out his first words, while Butes1 and 2 are beginning to be capable of very intellectually stimulating conversation makes me feel that I have the best job in the world. True, there are tears over multiplication tables (mine and the kids), crayons crushed into the carpet, lost library books and other aggravations, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
So, the forecast is supposed to reach 40 tomorrow, our snow will melt, but I now have a record of the many good things I can see happening in Butecamp in 2009