My child

I suggested he get a notebook and take notes during church. At first I suggested he write three brief sentences. I didn't think it would be too painful. I hoped it would relieve me of having to hear a single dollar bill get crunched around a hundred times, folded and refolded so tight you could smoke it, or watching him out of the corner of my eye scribbling on the bottom of his shoe for half an hour. Sitting beside him, even with an empty seat between us, when he does that it makes me wanna jump clear outta my skin. I bought him a little red spiral notebook. Talked it up. But he didn't want to take notes, and in time the little red notebook got beat up and ripped from bein' pushed around on the bookshelf. It got no love.

A month or so later I was talking about how I had to buy a second notebook because I filled my first one and oh how nice it was to have all my notes from the previous year to look back on when I needed them.

Then he said he wanted to buy his own notebook. I shrugged, well, go ahead, get one. He bought one. He picked a black one from Wal-Mart, small, with an elastic on it and a ribbon place marker in it. He used his own money even though I said I'd buy it for him. And he began to take notes - not three sentence notes. Tonight he invited me to look at his notes and they were nearly as thorough as mine. What changed him? I admit, I saw him peeking at my notes but I pretended not to notice.

And last night I offered to read the Bible before we went to bed and he was practically jubilant about the idea. I declare. What's got into our boy. I don't know, but I'm not complaining.

I'm teaching my husband about Gideon tonight and tomorrow night. He's my student guinea pig. I pretend to expect the best out of him and often I do get the best out of him! Aw, he could tell me to stop but he's good, he's been kind, about listening. Gideon is in the book of Judges in chapter six and seven. I read chapter six tonight and all the good parts are in chapter seven which I'll read tomorrow night. I cannot do two chapters in one night because my husband can't sit still that long. My son and I good naturedly josh him for not being able to focus too long on devotionals. It's okay. I am not discouraged. I'm a homeschool mom and anyone who's homeschooled a boy for kindergarten and first grade can teach a gruffily old husband too. Faith comes by hearing and I have to see to it he hears a little bit every day. You can't take anything to heaven except the souls you help save. It's a thing I'm working on little by little.