Our ministry is learning to take immense pleasure in being with our children, laughing, working, talking, praying, learning and playing—no matter how old or young they are. The other stuff of life doesn’t matter nearly as much—others are out there doing those things. 

My dad once shared a poem with me written by Charlotte Fiske Bates. I’ve never forgotten it:

Duties are pressing upon me,
And the time for work is brief,
What if with purblind vision,
I neglect the very chief?
What if I do with ardor
What a thousand could maybe,
And leave undone forever
What was meant for only me?

No one else named “Mom” lives in our homes and holds our children’s hearts and lives like we do. Let’s not miss our greatest ministry! 

Kari Lewis is the mom here at Home School Enrichment. She and Frank have been married for 31 years and homeschooled Matthew and Jonathan from their early elementary years through their high school graduations. Together, the four of them started Home School Enrichment in late 2002. You can reach her at kari@HomeSchoolEnrichment.com

This article was originally published in the Sep/Oct ’08 issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine. For more great homeschool help, download our FREE report—The Secret to Homeschooling Freedom! Click here to download: http://HomeSchoolEnrichment.com/resources/report.htm