A Year in Review

Psalm 92:4, "For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy work; I will triumph the work of thy hands."

 

It seems like a good time, to take the opportunity to look back over where we've been in the last year.

 

 

But let me start with the last week.  I haven't written or posted about my most recent experience, because I didn't want to seem disrespectful to people I appreciate and am grateful for.  At the same time, I am sad, frustrated and even a bit discouraged.  I feel a bit, I imagine, like Dr. Seuss's character, The Lorax.  I feel like I need to speak for the trees, but alas, really it is too late for that.  The trees are gone.  There were three huge cedar trees just outside my windows.  I could set at my kitchen table, or on my livingroom couch, or on the porch itself, and watch a menagerie of birds, playing, eating, sitting in the trees.  Nuthatches, chickadees, downies, blue jays, and hairy woodpeckers were the most common visitors.  The trees are gone.  All three of them.  Living trees.  Yes, there are advantages.  Now a huge amount of sunlight streams in my livingroom window.  Somehow, I was willing to happily live without the sunlight to be able to watch the birds.  Part of me aches for that place where the trees are "mine".  I'm trying to find a balance, to understand the perceived necessity to remove all three trees, but still everytime I walk out the porch all I see is a big open hole, where my birds use to be.

 

Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purposes."

 

That is how the year is ending.  I'm trusting God has better things in store for the year ahead.  I've just been looking back over all that has happened.  And really, it's been a pretty impressive year, though there were many moments along the way, where I did not feel this way.

 

Through the early spring, it was a core of about 5 families that participated in our weekly homeschool group.  We averaged about 12 children weekly. 

 

In March, I was able to present a workshop at the Homeschoolers of Maine's annual convention on integrating nature study across the curriculum.

 

In April, I read about religious orders who stepped out of faith, buying property when they had no money, to house and feed those in need.  I felt that CEM needed to step out on faith a little more and begin praying and looking for a bus and property.  The bus was to take our programs on the road and the property was to have a home base.  At the same time, conflictedly, I felt that we should start where we were, and until we'd taken care in the little things God would not give us more.  These are the kinds of struggles the year has presented.  A road trip to Fort Williams caused me to fall in love with the diversity and possibilities for doing regular nature study there.  

 

We added two online groups in the spring as well.  Maine-ly Monarch's, following the plight of the iconic symbol of summer and childhood.  This group has 20 member families from 4 states participating.  It continues, even during the cold weather, with sharing of information about Monarchs, growing milkweed and how to help in the coming season.  The other group was Let's Explore Creation Week.  We had 14 member families from 5 states for this group.  

 

In May, I asked several folks to join me in prayer for God's provision as we stepped out on faith, for a van/bus to take CEM on the road and for property to operate from.  That group currently has 19 members, and continues to pray with and for us.

 

In June we held a nature exploration at Fort Williams, with about 12 families and close to 40 children.  I decided that is just way too large a group for me alone, or even with one helper.  I came away wondering if I'd even come close to accomplishing what I believed God wanted me to do.  I felt as if I'd had little to no time with individual families due to the size of the group.  And yet, several families in attendance have become regular active families in other CEM events.  Something must have been accomplished.

 

In June we also took part in Homeschoolers of Maine's Family Adventure Weekend, hosting a day long camp for the children of parents attending a Leadership Training seminar.  Again, the crowd size spoke to me as being too big for me to be effective.  Again, there were about 12 families present.  And again, several families joined in being regular participants.  One mom even ended up becoming a nature study group leader.

 

Somewhere in between we did an exploration with a group of homeschoolers in Livermore.  I learned that I don't like going into a site cold.  It was, however, quite successful, with parts of a rodent skull being found.  There were about six families.  This number is far more managable for me, in terms of comfort levels.

 

I felt we should just claim the small field and pond adjacent to our house, to use for CEM until we were able to procure some place else.  Thus, I began to feel like we had space to work.  And what a great space.  The old farm pond has provided a constant source of study for us.  Just when I think the children will grow bored with the pond, seasons change or some new discovery is made, reviving any waning interest.

 

I spent a lot of time during the summer walking with an older neighbor, through the woods and then sitting on the dock on the lake.  I felt like in a lot of ways, this was part of the ministry, too.  Though, it certainly wasn't a part I'd ever planned on doing.

 

In August I held my first day long nature coaching class with two families.

Additionally, God seemed to answer prayer with start where you are, and after talking with our landlord, the use of an out building became available to us, to house CEM and some of our activities!  

 

In September we added two new classes a monthly Forts and Fires for boys to explore, relatively unsupervised, the building of natural shelters and fires and Pond Ecology, exploring the local watershed.  The numbers in these classes started strong, but have shrunk to the usual core 2 or 3 families.  We've taken the holidays off and will be starting them again in the January.

 

In October, I added Monthly Meet Up, once a month, usually on a Monday,  for families who've been interested, but live too far away to come regularly.  It's a chance to meet families and talk nature exploration one on one.

 

The year is ending/beginning with (and I can't share too many details yet) the opportunity to write a proposal to work with another program.  This is where the prayers and energy are focused presently.  The proposal needs to be ready for submission on Jan. 24.  It's drafted and I need to make a couple of revisions.  I'm more than a little nervous as this pushes me way outside my comfort zone, in spite of the fact that it is something I think I would love to do.

 

I'm sure I've missed a few things along the way.  But this is really a lot, considering a year ago, we really were only doing our weekly homeschool group and nothing more.

 

And so we now put 2014 to rest, and prepare to move forward and see what God has in store for me and for CEM in 2015.