Roots and Relationships

Taken from Lori’s Legacy Library - Originally posted in 2016

My heart was full.

In fact, it was overflowing.

It was our final Choir Concert and Conservatory Showcase for the 2015/16 school year.  It is one of my favorite events of the year.

Why?

Because this event always seems to showcase the growth that students experience over the year.  But in many cases, I was able to watch students who have been a part of the Artios of Littleton program for four or five years.  (Artios of Littleton was celebrating it's fifth anniversary that year)

What's so significant about these observations?

Seeing these students not only display growth in art, music, theater and more....but also seeing them display growth in relationships, teachability, attitude, flexibility, teamwork, developing a Biblical worldview, overcoming fear and anxiety, displaying courage, and so much more, made last night all the more significant.

SO what does this have to do with "If I Could Do It All Again....?"

Dear Homeschool Mama, Investing in a true COMMUNITY for you, your kids, and your family is critical!

I'm SO glad we stuck it out with Artios all those years ago as we started in Atlanta.  I'm glad we sacrificed to drive down from the mountains of Colorado each week to be a part of the community at Artios of Littleton. When you consistently invest in community over an extended time, the rewards have eternal significance. I'm thankful for those families who have been a part of that community for one, two, three, four and five years and now….eight years.  I'm thankful for those families whose students have been allowed to be influenced by godly, gifted, and skilled teachers for extended periods of time, to be immersed in a true scope and sequence of instruction in the arts and academics, and most importantly, BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW.  I have seen true transformation take place time and time again.

Now, I know this is probably a bit of a soapbox for me, so if you need to take what I say with a grain of salt, please do so.  That's certainly your right.  But one of the choices I do NOT regret over our homeschooling years, is choosing to be a part of a community and to stay a part of that community.  I know we each have to find the right "niche" for our community and that sometimes that can be a journey.  However, I also see homeschool families hop from one thing to another hoping to find the perfect program, curriculum, or community.  Well, I hate to disappoint you, but you won't find one that is perfect.  You must find that community and program that most closely matches up with Biblical principles and with your priorities as a family, and then, invest in that community.

You will gain from a community that which you give to it.

Staying and investing in a community, allows your children the opportunity to build long term relationships with mentors that you trust, to build upon skills and experiences from year to year, to actually build long term friendships that will last a lifetime, and to develop the roots and wings that community brings.  It allows you as a family to develop relationships that will stand the test of time and that will serve to encourage you along life's journey.

You won't understand the amazing power of a community, until you invest in one!

As we attended the end of the year concert and showcase for Artios of Littleton this particular year, it had special significance for us.  It was our fourth and final son's FINAL group performance with this community. As I looked around, I saw a choir teacher that had directed him for five years, a voice teacher that had taught him for almost four years, a conducting teacher that had developed his skills enough to lead the MS Chorus in two songs, a theory teacher that has seen and developed his talent in musical composition, a Worldview and Arts History teacher that has poured his heart out and shared Biblical principles with him week after week, friends that he has literally grown up with, other families that have loved on him and encouraged him on his journey, a community of relationships that will always stay connected in one way or the other because of their shared experiences and values, and I saw an entire community that has worked together to give him, and many other students, this same experience.  I saw how those instructors and students recognized and tailor made experiences for my son to develop areas that I KNOW would have been overlooked in other settings.  I saw a community that had worked together through the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly, to maintain itself in a way that mirrored the body of Christ to those around them.

I have been blessed. My family has been blessed and my son has been blessed by this community and its individual members.  So, if I could do it all again (after 23 years of homeschooling)...and if I could give you a word of advice......

Don't look for a perfect community or the perfect program!  Find one that best matches Biblical principles and your own family's priorities, and then invest.  Deep relationships and benefits don't happen overnight. They happen by repeated and consistent investment into the lives of those around you. Don't deny your children the opportunity to truly see the body of Christ at work in their lives.  

Community isn't an abstract concept.  It is made up of individuals, relationships, experiences, and shared values. Don't miss it by looking for something pre-packaged that requires little personal investment.

I am so thankful God didn't let us quit.  We certainly wanted to at times.  Driving two hours one way at least once each week while we were involved in Artios in Colorado, was not been easy.  But looking back, we have no regrets!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "He who loves community destroys community; he who loves the brethren builds community"

 We need one another, and we need one another individually and consistently.

 Find "your people" and invest in them!