I, like every mother, counted all the toes on each baby, smelled their soft little fuzzy hair, and wondered who they would grow up to be. Twenty-plus years later, it is only now becoming a little more clear.
Sarah will one day be a missionary, with her great love, and soon to be husband Jonathan. Hannah works in the medical-clerical field, and is leaning towards serving the local church in ministry. Her husband Justin will graduate soon with a Master's degree in mathematics. He has a teaching gift on his life, as does Jonathan. Josiah is an excellent musician, and is also swearing in as a Marine this Monday....and the question mark (?) is the baby...the almost 17 year old "baby" of the family.
He hasn't picked any field that starts with "M". Although he does lean towards physical therapy/sports medicine. Only time will tell if he actually does become a therapist, or becomes a dynamic preacher, or a basketball player, or whatever. (?) We have tried to expose them to a great variety of input, many, many things to dream about and lots to do with their hands....building, repairing, painting, yard work...a home has to be full of possibility for a wide range of training.
"Given a tiny new human being, how can you know what encouragement to give? Is this a musician, painter, writer, mathematician, or zoologist who will do something magnificent in one of these areas, given the right beginning? The knowledge of what talents lie within the seed is hidden, but an atmosphere can be conducive to developing in many directions, until later one or another becomes obvious as some special talent. The environment in a family should be conducive to the commencement of natural creativity, as natural as breathing, eating, and sleeping."
--Edith Schaeffer, What Is a Family?
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