It was a printer.

I hung up the phone and fiddled with another laundry pile, processing what had just happened. I felt the Lord whisper, "I know your dreams don't end in laundry piles. I gave you those dreams." It was as if the Lord was showing me that as I followed Him in obedience and homeschooled my children, He was going to take care of the rest.

For the next several years I wrote very little, other than in my journal and annual holiday letter. Another little boy came quickly on the heels of the baby I'd been carrying when I decided to homeschool. I was thrust again into a world of diapers, sleepless nights, and bath time. Somehow, the older two children learned to read, write, add and subtract, while I nursed little ones. It all seems rather miraculous looking back--that school happened in our house as babies were nurtured and toddlers chased. Eventually, everyone was potty-trained, dressing himself, and tying his shoes.

And then one day, seven years or so after the day the Lord gave me a printer, I sat down at my computer and started writing. I kept writing in stolen moments--when my husband took all four children to baseball practice, or after the children were asleep. And before I knew it, I had written my first book. I began attending writing conferences and a critique group. Opportunities to share my writing came.

And through it all, we homeschooled.

The oldest entered highschool. The little ones, too, learned to read and write--and today, we continue. I shuttle the kids to hockey, debate competition, and Boy Scouts. We read books and crunch numbers.

I write when the Lord gives me the time and I walk through whatever writing doors He opens before me. Today, I write from the wealth of experiences and spiritual growth He gives me while I homeschool. And I trust Him with the future.

I'm learning an important truth: God is the keeper of a mother's dreams. He is the only one who knows how to weave her unique talents and gifts into the landscape of her mothering. He knows the seasons she can reach beyond her family, and the seasons she can't. And He will bring into fullness the dreams He has placed within her in His time and His way. All the Lord brings her through as she is obedient to the call to her children will provide training and a deepening of character that will translate into her other gifts and callings.

Our God can be trusted to take good care of the dreams He has given us. When we lay down our personal goals and sacrifice our time choosing to pour into the lives of our children, we aren't leaving our dreams in the dust. We are simply placing them in the Father's hand and giving Him permission to shape them as He sees fit.

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A home schooling mother of four, Paula Moldenhauer is passionate about God's grace and intimacy with Jesus. Her website offers home schooling hints, book reviews, and a free weekly devotional, Soul Scents. Subscribe to Soul Scents at www.soulscents.us. You can contact Paula at Paula@soulscents.us.