Lent with St. Francis, Monday of the 4th Week of Lent

Try to realize the dignity God has conferred on you. He created and formed your body in the image of his beloved Son, and your soul in his own likeness (Gen 1:26). And yet every creature under heaven serves and acknowledges and obeys its Creator in its own way better than you do. Even the devils were not solely responsible for crucifying him; it was you who crucified him with them and you continue to crucify him by taking pleasure in your vices and sins. - St. Francis, The Admonitions

Lent with St. Francis, Saturday of 3rd week of Lent

I did not come to be served but to serve (Mt. 20:28), our Lord tells us. Those who are put in charge of others should be no prouder of their office than if they had been appointed to wash the feet of their confreres. They should be no more upset at the loss of their authority then they would be if they were deprived of the task of washing feet. The more they are upset, the greater the risk they incur to their souls. - St. Francis, The Admonitions

Worrying About Homeschooling

I don't know if all homeschoolers worry, but I know I do. Something about taking the road less traveled makes it feel inherently risky, even though I know without a doubt that the well-worn path was not the right road for us. With homeschooling, there is no one else to blame if your children are uneducated or not successful. You can't point your finger at the local school system or a "bad" teacher. It's all you, and the choices you've made.

The internet and social media is both a blessing and a curse for homeschoolers: A blessing because you can reap the collective wisdom of many homeschoolers and know you are not alone; a curse because you can see all the things the "perfect" homeschoolers are doing and know you don't measure up - not even on your best day. 

I admire mothers who have children who have completed homeschooling and gone on to do well in high school and/or college and/or adult life. They can breathe a sigh of relief. Somehow, even if they made some missteps along the way, they did it right. They succeeded. When you are in the midst of the journey, there is no guarantee you will successfully reach the destination. It is just one step at a time, taken with prayer and hope.

Unlike a lot of homeschoolers, I don't adhere to a formal curriculum. I'm eclectic, picking from here and there. I standardize test the kids in math and English so those subjects are more formal. With the others, I'm more unschoolish. I'm certainly not a true unschooler in that we follow a schedule and I make them do all the subjects, but they have a great deal more freedom in what they study for them. I let them follow their interests. The library is our best friend. We use iPad apps and watch YouTube videos. "School" probably takes 2 - 3 hours a day, four days a week. The rest of the time, they pursue their own interests. I want them to be invested in what they are learning, instead of learning for a test and then promptly forgetting the information. It works for us.

And yet, I worry. Which is why I can take comfort in this post from Karen Edmisten: Nine Worries About Unschoolish Ways that I Shouldn't Have Worried About

Lent with St. Francis, Friday of 3rd Week of Lent

And so it is really the Spirit of God who dwells in his faithful who receive the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord. Anyone who does not have this Spirit and presumes to receive him eats and drinks judgment to himself (1 Cor. 11:29). And so we may ask in the words of Scripture, Men of rank, how long will you be dull of heart? (Ps. 4:3) Why do you refuse to recognize the truth and believe in the Son of God? (Jn 9:35) . . . He shows himself to us in this sacred bread just as he once appeared to his apostles in real flesh. With their own eyes they say only his flesh, but they believed that he was God, because they contemplated him with the eyes of the spirit. We, too, with our own eyes, see only bread and wine, but we must see further and firmly believe that this is his most holy Body and Blood, living and true. In this way our Lord remains continually with his followers, as he promised, Behold, I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world (Mt. 28:20). - St. Francis, The Admonitions

Lent with St. Francis, Thursday of 3rd Week of Lent

Those who do not know how to work should learn, not because they want to get something for their efforts, but to given good example and to avoid idleness. - St. Francis, The Testament of St. Francis

The NonPareil Institute - Helping People with Autism Succeed at Work and Life

One of the hardest things about parenting is wondering where your child's place is in the world. Will your child be able to find meaningful work and contribute to society? For those who are parents of a child with special needs, that question becomes all the more acute. My son is pretty high functioning on the autism spectrum, and for that I am thankful. Maybe 90% of the time he can pass for neuro-typical, a.k.a. "normal," until he can't, at which point it all goes downhill very quickly. That 10% of the time definitely presents an issue. In addition, he has very real learning challenges. And so I wonder, what will he do with his life? His plans at the moment involve living in our basement on a permanent basis (Aspies are not big fans of change), and I'm OK with that, but I keep telling him he needs to have a job while he's living there. But, what can he do?  That's the question that remains to be answered. For that reason, I hope the NonPareil Institute, and places like it, succeed and expand.


From http://www.npitx.org/About.htm

Dan Selec had been thinking about his son's future for a long time. Having a child on the autism spectrum, he asked the same question so many parents ask; "What happens when my son grows up? What is out there that can help him today, in a practical and predictable way?" Dan recognized the interest, ability and passion many like his son seemed to display, especially in regard to PC’s and game consoles. If this passion could be harnessed in the form of technical ability, an entirely new method of communication, expression and productivity would be possible.
The culmination of Dan's thoughts resulted in the foundational nonPareil whitepaper, Technical Training for the Autistic Mind written in July 2008.

Shortly after, Dan met Gary Moore, a parent asking the same questions. Gary is also the parent of a child on the spectrum, and understood the challenges ahead, and also recognized his son’s similar interest in computers and video games. It was at this first meeting that Gary committed to helping Dan take his vision and make it a reality, and in September 2008, they founded Nonpareil Institute.

Dan began training the first student in his kitchen in July 2009, then added a second and third quickly thereafter, due in no small part to the efforts of J’Lynn Anderson who conducted the early student recruiting efforts. The nightly training in Dan’s kitchen quickly grew to 8 students and five nights a week, for over a year. As his wife says today, “It was just our new norm…”

Gary’s efforts during this time were largely directed at building a network of supporters, partners and donors to help fund the young, fledgling company, as well as finding a location for nonPareils’ first training center. Through a mutual friend, an introduction was made to the Executive Director of the Guildhall at SMU-in-Plano, which led to a meeting with the Campus Director to consider space for nonPareil.

The culmination of the efforts of this team resulted in the opening of the first full-time nonPareil operation on the campus of SMU-in-Plano in September 2010. This site, which opened with 8 students, quickly grew to 52 students in the first 8 months. One year later more space was acquired, and the program grew to over 80 students. The program now has over 130 active Crewmembers.

Today, 5 of our students are full-time employees of the company, with 25 other students being part-time staff.
As of October 2013, we have 5 apps in the iTunes store, and 4 in the Android store, as well as many free to play maps and campaigns for various popular games. Students have moved from around the country to enroll in this leading edge, ground-breaking, practical solution for adults with autism spectrum disorder which includes technical training, work, and eventually, a residential campus.

Lent with St. Francis, Wednesday of 3rd Week of Lent

Nothing, then, must keep us back, nothing separate us from Him, nothing come between us and Him. At all times and seasons, in every country and place, every day and all day, we must have a true and humble faith, and keep Him in our hearts, where we must love, honour, adore, serve, praise and bless, glorify and acclaim, magnify and thank, the most high and supreme and eternal God, Three and One, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Creator of all and Saviour of those who believe in Him, who hope in Him, and who love Him. - St. Francis, Rule of 1221