Inspiring people in my homeschooling journey

I knew that I wanted to homeschool long before our oldest was "school age" and it was because of my aunt and uncle. They truly were the only people that I knew that homeschooled, but it just made me want to be involved. They lived across the country from us, so we rarely saw them and I only heard how they homeschooled through phone calls and letters. When our oldest was about 18 months we went to spend Thanksgiving with them. I remember going to the thrift store and my aunt showing me a cassette tape from Rafi that she thought we'd just love. We bought it and were never disappointed. The way they introduced learning into everything they did truly inspired me. Just those type of things inspired me to reach out to my husband about homeschooling our oldest. We are about to graduate our second child and even though my aunt and uncle live so far they have always been huge supporters for us.

When we actually started homeschooling we joined a charter school in California because it seemed like such a great idea. Within a few weeks of joining I realized that with this place being so new it was not a great fit for a new homeschooling family. I was at a mom's night out dinner and was telling the other moms and they told me they had just the person I needed to talk with about our issues. She was a teacher for another charter in our area, but she was also a homeschooling mom and gave great advice. We got together and she was so easy to talk to and was able to help me with some of my struggles. I ultimately switched to the charter school she worked for and she was our teacher until she left to start a new career. All those years that she worked with us was not only a teacher/parent relationship, but a friendship. I could talk to her about anything and keep up with her to this day even though we live in opposite sides of the states.  She truly helped shape and guide me in some ways during those early years and I'm so thankful for her.

Another lady that I think has truly inspired me I didn't meet until we moved back here to NC. I saw a post on a local group where she was starting a co-op in our area. It seemed a great way to meet other homeschooling moms and let the kids be around other kids. From the day I met her I was totally at ease with her. She's such an amazing person who truly would give the shirt off her back to anyone that needed it. She'll invite you into her home, hang out with you for hours, yell at your kids if they need it, and start and run any new programs the kids want. We graduated our first kids together and this year are graduating our second kids together. Even though I met her through homeschooling an amazing friendship came from that as well. This lady is truly the lady that when she walks in the room everyone is yelling her name because they love to see her.

There have been so many people that I've met and friendships that have been formed over the years of homeschooling. I feel that I learn something from every single one of these people. Some I haven't seen in years and some I have the best memories with and wish that I could turn back the clock.  I'm so thankful for our years of homeschooling and feel sad to thing that we are closer to the end of our journey than the beginning. I wish I could turn the clocks back and do it all over again. There are so many things I would change and do different, but at the time I was always doing what I thought was best.  I'm truly thankful for all the wonderful people that I've met on this journey and thankful for all their love and support.