Happy Valentines Day…. But remember Love is not a “feeling” it is a “Verb” a “Choice” we make each day to do or not to do…. and it is best described below….

1Cor 13:4-8

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails

Originally written for  The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Facebook Page  Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 2:36pm

So I went to check my facebook the other day, when all of the sudden I see a friend who I have not talked to since I was probably 13 years old was asking to be my friend on facebook! Of course, I confirmed her and then messaged her asking, “How in the world did you find me?”. Later on that day as we were instant messaging each other, she explained she has been looking for me for a long time! She said, “I could never find you on facebook, so I googled your name and found you through one of the articles you had written … ” I was astonished to hear those words! Why would anyone on earth, look for me for such a long time? REALLY‼ I am not that important; I have never really felt I have done anything of great importance in my life, and yet this person valued me enough that she would “Look” for me and not quit until she found me and I didn’t even owe her money! LOL!!!

I could not help but think, sometimes don’t we feel that way about God. Astonished to think He would send His only Son to die on a cross for us so that we could have eternal life with Him. The very fact we were created because He wanted a relationship with us is overwhelming to say the least.

I have to ask… As homeschooling parents how are we teaching our children that God pursues them? That He loves them with an immeasurable love? How do we make our kids realize he is more crazy about them, then even we are?

Sometimes it is hard for little ones to see just how much God loves them when they see us as their sole provider. When we realize what God has done for us, We can then begin to allow them as children to see where we have come from and what God has done for us. As parents, let’s not forget to be transparent to our kids and allow them to see the victories God brings in our lives. As we testify of God’s love for us then they can see His work in our lives and begin to look for it in their own, and, like a domino effect, then share with their friends and so on.

I realized this had happened in our lives, this year, when our 15 yr-old daughter got a small babysitting job, 2 times a month. We have always been open with our kids that as we have been financially faithful to God, He has always blessed us back. We never told our kids they HAD to tithe. But as soon as our daughter got her job, I looked over at church one Sunday to see her filling out a tithing envelope. The next thing I notice was she begins to get more jobs and, in a conversation with her, she told me that she realized what worked for Mom and Dad, was really working for her. Then the opportunity came for our family to financially assist another family during the holiday season, so they would not lose their home. Amy was the first to step up and want to help.

For generations, even going back into Bible days, the testimonies of God’s faithfulness in lives have been shared by word of mouth and action. Let’s not forget to do that with our kids, Let’s not forget to encourage them with our actions in their daily lives and allow them to see what God is doing for us through His faithfulness. I believe then it will naturally be passed on to others so they can meet this awesome Savior who we love and who so GREATLY loves us.

Have you ever felt like you wanted to just quit, and holler re-do, or just hit the reverse button on this life altogether?

I have!  It has been one of those days…… no weeks…..no months……. OK! really a couple of years.

Between finding out our youngest has some learning disabilities, a job loss ( still unemployed after 2yrs), being responsible for the care of my handicapped elderly mother, and now finding out that a 14yr  hope, dream and vision that we know God wants us to do,  appears to be on hold once again!  I have come to my wits end.

I am wondering; what’s the next step and where do we go? What do we do? What did we do wrong? My head is spinning with questions of uncertainty. What curriculum to use for my child now? Have I already screwed him up? How are we going to pay for the special curriculum? Am I really this bad of a parent? Will the next phone call I get be that my mother is gone?  What have I done so wrong that God has allowed me to go through this? The questions are endless and so are the accusations the devil flies at me.

I feel my family has been on a long journey, a wandering in the wilderness per say for the last 11yrs. All I want is a “normal” life.

So I go to the Word.  I open the bible to Joshua 5. Here are the children of Israel,  those promised the Promised Land.  They have wandered in the wilderness for 40yrs on the hope and dream of a promise their parents had only talked about.  All this generation knows is God’s provision, simply that God covers them with a cloud by day to keep them cool in the desert and provides a fire by night to keep them warm. Manna falls from the sky to feed them. All these people have known is God’s provision and that they have been promised a land flowing with milk and honey.

Think about it, all these people (about 2.5 million) and all but Caleb and Joshua, have now only eaten manna all their lives, they have known nothing but God’s provision for every part of their life. Every part of their day and night for the last 40 yrs, literally all their lives, has been about getting to the Promised Land. Now they have just crossed the Jordan River (on dry land, another provision of God) they can see the Promised Land and God tells them to make a camp,  celebrate the passover and get circumcised. They can see what God has promised them and the scripture says……

Joshua 5:12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

THAT YEAR!!!! Really ???? Is it saying they waited a year???  A YEAR???? Seriously??? Here they are they can see what God has promised them and they have to sit there and look at it for a year. Not to mention the fact all their men have just been circumcised, makes them kind of a vulnerable spot to be in. I mean really I am sure not too many of them are going to feel like going out to war anytime soon.  Let alone how embarrassing this might have been to them.

I wonder, how many of us feel embarrassed about something in our past. Maybe it is something that you feel like you have failed at. Is it the feelings of  inadequacy  when teaching your children?  Is it a stupid mistake you made in your past? Maybe you handled a family situation badly, or you had a business deal gone wrong?

If you go back up and read Joshua 5:9 it says….

Joshua 5:9 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you…..

Some of the definitions for Reproach are:

1. to find fault with (a person, group, etc.); blame;

2. blame or censure conveyed in disapproval

3. disgrace, discredit, or blame incurred: to bring reproach on one’s family.

4. a cause or occasion of disgrace or discredit.

Maybe you have been made to feel ashamed by other people or your family because you homeschool. Maybe you blame yourself because you have a special needs child. Maybe you’re disgraced because what you dream of as a perfect life has not come to pass. Perhaps you blame yourself for some accident  you had no control over.

God says that He has removed the reproach from you. Before any of us can enter into our Promised Land we have to accept that forgiveness. Forget the shame that has been placed on us for whatever reason.  We have to realize that the best for us is just ahead. We are not washed up and our life is not over, we have a new beginning in front of us, if we will only accept it.

We can stand up and hold our heads high, we are children of God and the truth is that we are valuable to Him, we are His children. If you had a precious diamond ring that was perhaps passed down to you from your family and it had been valued as a priceless gem, would that gift be any less valuable if you got it a little dirty? Perhaps you dropped it in a mud puddle and you had to pick it up and clean it off… is it still a valuable precious gift to you? Of course it is! The same  with us; we are God’s precious gift  and maybe we have fallen in a mud puddle, maybe we have even been rolled over or stepped on, but we are still a priceless treasure to God. In the end when we stand before Him, do we want man’s approval or His?

Maybe you have been waiting on that “Promised Land”, whatever it is for you in your life, and it seems like once again you’re on hold.

The reassuring part to this story for me is threefold. 1.  God provides. The whole time, in the wilderness God provides. So no matter what we’re going through, whatever wilderness we may feel like we are in, God will provide. 2. They do make it to the promised land. God does not leave them hanging, but He sees them through. 3. We have nothing to be ashamed of.. The past is the past,  Gods word says, forgetting those things behind me I press on…I reach forth… Basically, we keep going! God is about to bring you to a higher ground!

Whether you are in the middle of what feels like a 40yr wilderness journey , or you maybe so close, can see what God has promised you and yet you have to sit outside and wait before you can reach it. Know this …. That today, whatever your wilderness, whatever your Promised Land whatever your battle… God will provide, He will see you through to the other side and you WILL come out victorious! You are a priceless, valuable treasure to God and He loves you.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

The phone rang and when I answered, it was my son. He was in college about 200 miles away. When he says ” You’re not going to believe what just happened to me?” I respond ” What?” He replies ” Well, I just came out of Wal-mart and I found this note on my car, it is someone accusing me of denting their car with mine, and it says I had better call him right away or he is going to come after me” Wow! I was taken aback, this was the first time that our son, after graduating from homeschooling had ever faced a challenge like this and so far from home. A little bit of fear came over me, so I asked ” Well, did you call him?” My son boldly replied ” NO! and I am not going to, because obviously he does not know, who I am or who my momma is, or who my friends are.” (my son has 3 friends that are lawyers) I was amazed by my son’s boldness. He never called and nothing ever came of the issue.

Since then, it is not uncommon for you to hear anyone in my family say ” Obviously, you don’t know who my momma is”… or “Obviously, you don’t know who I am.”. with our heads bobbing and maybe even a finger or 2 snapping. We mostly do it in jest, but the point is well taken.

My son could stand there in that parking lot, 200 miles away from his greatest support system (family) with a uncommon boldness, because he knew, I had his back no matter where he was, or what the issue was. He has seen more than once his momma go to bat for him in different situations. He also knew legally he has friends in high places that could take care of him if something came up and most importantly he knew he had a God that he served who loved him and would assure the truth would come out.

As I have pondered that conversation, I have asked myself “How often do we take that same stand, when trouble comes our way?” or when we are challenged with a new issue concerning our child?

Maybe, we suddenly find out our child has a learning disability or illness comes into our lives that we do not answers for or there is just some subject that our child is not understanding and we have tried all we know to do and they still are not getting it. Maybe our husband has been unemployed for months and we’re not for sure how were going to pay the bills.

As homeschoolers we are typically very independent. If there was not some independence in us, most of us would not have had the guts to even start homeschooling. But what we have to remember in everything we do, we are children of God, our Heavenly Father owns cattle on a 1,000 hills.

John 1:12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of GodRomans 8:17Now if we are children, then we are heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

And as much as you love and care for your child, God cares for your babies even more than you do. (no matter what their age) He has a plan for those children and even when we do not understand why God would allow these learning or physical challenges to happen, we can’t see the purpose in any of it and the thought of what will happen in the future for them overwhelms us with fear. It is at those times, we need to tell the devil. “You obviously do not know who my Heavenly Father is!.”

Jer 29: 11 Says. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. He promised that before we were even born he knew us and has great plans for us.   Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

The question is who are we trusting? My son trusted enough to know that no problem could come his way that was too big to handle.  So if a 20 yr old kid 200 miles away from home can stand with that kind of confidence and faith, so can we!

We may not have all the answers, we may not be able to figure out what the future holds, but we know who holds the future, and that is Jesus Christ our Lord and Heavenly Father. A father who is not just a “father” but he is our “Daddy”.  He is in control and we can have the faith and confidence to know that there is nothing that is coming our way that he doesn’t know already about and  he has already figured out a way to get us out of it!.

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

So remember the next time the devil tries to control you by bringing thoughts of fear and uncertainty to your mind. Just stand up boldly and confess,

“Obviously, you don’t know how my Daddy is!”

Ok! We have all had those days where nothing goes right! The house is a disaster, the yard needs tending, the children are all sick at once, and company is on their way over for dinner…. Or maybe it does not even need to be that extreme for you, perhaps just simply dishes left out on the counter or the laundry not put away. What does it take to set you off?

My family has seen me at my worst and at my best. My worst being when my head spins around on my neck and I talk in that deep angry, sort of scratchy voice that sounds like it came out of some horror movie. OK! Maybe it’s not that bad, but bottom line is we all have our buttons that when pushed, can send us over the edge.

I remember an especially bad day when all 3 of my children were still living at home, (I have 2 left at home now) I was going off on my children in that voice from out of the horror movie when the phone rang. I immediately picked it up and turned into that loving wonderful person that everyone sees when I am outside my house and said in the most pleasant voice, “Hello this is the Miller residence, how can I help you?”

Boy, how quickly we can turn it on and off? Oh! we blame it on PMS or maybe being of some ethnic race that is known for a bad temper, and worst yet… if my family would just ______! You can fill in the blank of the unmet expectations. But yet we have the power when it might be embarrassing to us, to turn it off, to present a pleasant family atmosphere in the presence of others.

We have all heard the saying “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”. That famous saying alone should make us realize how powerful we are as women in our homes.

We have incredible powers that can be used for good or evil.

We all have had the days like described above, (unless maybe your Mrs. Duggar). But if you think about it, we also have the power to change our atmosphere with the words we speak. We are atmosphere changers!

I dare you to just be aware of the mood you are in, in your house and watch what happens.

Proverbs 31

25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “ Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

As woman we are amazing, we can cook a meal, do laundry, care for 6 children, clean the house and change the oil in the car, all at the same time without blinking.

God has given most of us the ability to multi-task, we are like the latest and greatest computers that can handle 15 different things at one time, where most men are more like filing cabinets and can only focus on one thing at a time.

I realize sometimes under all the hats that we wear, we are bound to feel the stress and pressure. What I want to purpose is how we handle that pressure. I believe if we put the scripture to use and follow what it says. Take a deep breath and think before we speak. We can have a more pleasant home to live in. OK! Maybe we will never be the “June Cleavers” of our day. But, personally this is something the Lord has been speaking to me about and as I have practiced this concept over the past several months with my family, I am amazed as I have seen the tension in my moods reflect to my kids and my husband. But when I approach something in a pleasant and calm matter it reflects to my family as well. I want the new saying in my home to be, “Because Momma is Happy, Everybody is Happy”.

That doesn’t mean that we are not going to have times of discipline and disappointment, but I think what I have had to do is ask myself in what attitude am I going to respond in. A firm hand can still be given in calm voice. It is all about the attitude in which we approach an issue.

Proverbs 15

1 A soft answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
5 A fool despises his father’s instruction,
But he who receives correction is prudent.
6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,
But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
18 A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
28 The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.

We’ve got the “POWER” the question is “How are we going to use it?

The best part of Homeschooling Part @ : Team Spirit

In April I talked about the best part of homeschooling being family unity and how important it is to remember to love one another like the Bible says and not to forget that it includes those inside the four walls of our homes.

Our church recently finished a sermon series called “Stop Monkeying Around” which focused on do no evil, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. After some really silly and fun monkey song we used to introduce the sermons, it got me thinking about how important those basic concepts are for our families and how by following those concepts in our homes we can keep a “Family Team Spirit “.

I mean think about it, if your family isn’t a team what is the alternative?

I don’t believe the team concept happens automatically. You need to build that concept as early as possible. In fact the opposite is true. If you do not make it a focus and priority the devil will do everything he can to destroy our families. The Bible warns us of this, in John 10:10 “ 10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.—1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

I have found there are some simple ideas that I believe have brought a more abundant life to our family. I like to call it a “team spirit attitude.” Today I will share them with you.

Speak no evil…..Pray together: we have all heard that the family that prays together stays together. An increased amount of unity in our family can happen if we pray together and it does not have to be a long one, a simple gathering together 5 min before you go to bed, or before you start your day at school or maybe even before daddy walks out the door to work. Whatever works for your family, you can make it happen.

Laugh together! Learn to laugh at mistakes and through the trials. I am sure you have at least one member of your family who can keep the whole family laughing. When we learn to take ourselves less seriously ,life becomes a lot easier.

Be careful what we speak-We have to be sure not to allow our children or ourselves to speak evil words or negative thoughts to and over each other. In our family the words stupid, hate, dumb or foolish are banned period!
There is a clip from one of our favorite movies “ Cheaper by the Dozen” that goes something like this… as an older sister tells her little brother “ Yes, there are days I want to kill you…… but there is not a day that goes by I would not kill FOR YOU!!”

Making your family more focused on the team spirit concept and a attitude that strives to honor God does not assure they will not have conflict but it can assist in a quick resolution. Hopefully without the lasting effects of hurt and bitterness to remain for years to come.

My children have been told more then once “ This is the only brothers/sister you will ever have so you need to get along.” As parents we have to guard ourselves from pitting the children against one another, by favoring one child over another. When you are with your kids, be with your kids and try to give each some time that they can have all of Mommy each week. It is equally important to be an encourager to all your kids. Let them know they are the single most important person in your life. I have a saying I tell my kids; for my only daughter I tell her “ You are my most favorite little girl in the whole wide world.” I can get away with that because she the only one. For my 2 boys I had to become more creative so I shook it up a bit and said “ You are my most favorite 8yr old in the whole wide world” (then just change it with each year they are old).

Hear/See no evil….Watch what goes in because it will come out! Have you ever heard the story of the frog in the pot of boiling water? Well the story goes something like this, the easiest way to cook a frog is not throwing it in a pot of hot water, but placing it in a pot of nice warm water then slowly turning up the heat until you cook it. In the same way we need to be aware of those so called innocent TV shows, dvds and movies we allow our children to watch/listen to. It has become the norm in our society for kids to talk back to their parents and be downright mean to their friends and siblings while it is all taken as socially acceptable.
If we allow our children to watch these shows or listen to music that promotes such things without guidance and direction we are shooting ourselves in the foot.

Do no evil: “honoring others??”
This concept was never so well played out as when we do service project together. When Katrina hit the gulf coast several years ago, our family collected several thousand pounds of food and several hundred dollars from our community. Then our family took off for a 14 hr trip to deliver the food to those in need. My kids still talk about that trip. One special memory we have is when we met a family at a hotel along the way who was taking refuge in there. Together we went and bought items that they had expressed a need for. We have regularly served at the local community food pantry and have often organized food drives in the community with the help of our homeschool group. Whatever your niche is I encourage you to find it and get your family involved. When we focus outside ourselves it bring us to a level of humility. Then we learn to put others first above ourselves.

Work on family projects together… 2 yrs ago we decided to tear the siding off our house and strip it down to the original wood siding . This required a ripping off the old siding, then going back around the house pulling out all the nails, then back all around the house to fill up the holes the nails left, then back around power washing the house to strip the old paint off the house, then back around to be painted with primer and again to paint the house. Together as a family we tackled this project assigning each family member a job.
No matter what the ages of your children are you can make them feel valuable by assigning them responsibilities around the house. Younger children can put away the silverware after the dishes are done or fold clothes.

.
I recently heard a radio talk show host talk about the importance of teens having a purpose in the family, because otherwise the children become self absorbed thinking they are self deserving of things rather then working for them. I don’t believe that concept just magically starts when they are teenagers. If you begin this concept at early ages it will be much easier than waiting till later.

At our house each child has responsibilities such as cleaning up the kitchen or living room, by about 10 yrs old each child is responsible for doing their own laundry.

I think these simple concepts of do no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil, are basics we as families should know and remember.

Don’t Look Back!

Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:62

Recently this scripture has been coming to my mind and I have pondered what the Lord might be trying to say. I am sure some commentaries would say ” Once you have decided to follow Christ if you turn away or go back to living for yourself, you will not go to heaven.” and I suppose that is one way to look at it.

But what I am getting out of this is not the looking back part, but the encouragement to keep looking ahead. Not to get distracted by the things in our past.

So many times we forget to look forward because we are so busy looking at what mistakes we feel like made in the past. That we are scared to take a step toward the future.

We forget that how we handled the mistakes made, define our character for the future plans God has for us. We forget the only person who has never made a mistake is the person who has never done anything. God is looking to take all of us higher, higher in His plan for our lives, higher in His calling to us.

God has a greater and bigger plan for us then we could ever imagine, if we will only take that step toward the future. We can’t give up we can’t give in. It would be easy to crawl in a hole and let the world pass up by, but God called us to “Go into the world” Not run from it! Everything that we have seen and done in our past has prepared us for the future. There will always be challenges in life. It is up to us if we tackle those challenges with all our might or we let those challenges tackle us!

When we realize we do not walk this life alone but God is walking it with us, we can know that whatever comes our way. God is in control.

It was almost 11 yrs ago when I called a homeschooling friend of mine and mother or 5 just to see what she was up to? When she announced to me ” Well, I just told my kids that I have breast cancer” You could of knocked me over with a feather. I could not believe this was happening! It was less then a year later that. as I walked to her graveside I walked pass 2 other graves that made a huge impression on me. See I had two giant question in my mind how could a God of love, take this mother of 5 who’s ages ranged from 2yrs old to 16yrs old. Why would he take these children’s mother and what would these children do??? The questions whorled through my mind. But as I passed the 2 other graves next to where my dear friend was buried, the answer was clear. God had not left these children alone, God had placed them with the most experienced person these kids could have that would teach them how to deal with lost and make it. That teacher would be there grandmother because as I walked to Fran’s grave, I walked passed two of her siblings graves as well. These 5 kids grandma who had always been instrumental in their lives would now be the teacher to her grand-kids and the greatest lesson taught would be how to overcome lost and keep on going. This lady had a wonderful heart for Jesus and although 3 out of 5 of her children had been taken from her, she displayed the character of Christ and I had to ask myself then, who else would be better equipped to take care of these children in this time of need. So at that point I realized that if God needed another Angel in heaven Fran Mc Collum was the best Angel he could of choosen because he knew her babies would be in perfect hands!

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, (NASB ©1995)

As our summer started with Memorial Day weekend a time we remember those who have served us and our country it is a time to reflex on the past. But do not linger there long, do not stare at the past but glance at it quickly because looking forward is what God has called us to do. Follow Him, reach forward not backwards and reach high in the goals He has for you. No matter what your past may hold, a lost or victory, a mistake or glory. None of it really matters what does matter is we can know that through it all God had his hand on us and if we follow Him, He will not leave us but He will lead us into the great plans He has for us. We may not understand why or how things have happened but God does. God promises that all things work together for those that love Him and are called, According to His purpose.

Don’t Look Back! Keep reaching for what lies ahead! God is right here waiting to go with you!

One day, a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well.
The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.
Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway.
It just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.
They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.
At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.
Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the
well and was astonished at what he saw.
With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up.
Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt.
The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.
Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.
We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up!

Shake it off and take a step up!

Author Unknown