And what a week it has been!
Nationally, it has been a week where the hand of God has been seen in the forces of nature. Our "opal-hearted" country is blackened and charred at one end and swamped by flood waters at the other. It has been a week in which heart breaking images have flooded the media and stories, both tragic and heroic have emerged. There has been a great loss of life. The official total will not be known for some time but over 80 people are still unaccounted for which could take the number to around 300. We are the "lucky" country. This sort of thing doesn't happen here. But it is providence and not luck which is at work. "It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth good to him."
On the home front, we are back into the routine of the school year and it almost seems like there never were holidays! My foot is great. Sore if I walk a lot and doesn't flex so well but better every day. Seeing some slight improvements in the boys work with phonics. One of my dear sisters came to spend time working on their reading and phonics games and they really respond well with her. I have been blessed to spend quite a bit of time with my daughters and the babies, too this week. The little guys are becoming so clever! Grabbing on to things and rolling over easily. They are both cheerful contented chaps and my girls are just really great mums!
My heart, is heavy with the sadness of the tragedies about us, yet I can praise God. He gives us so many comforts in our homes and families, in knowing that He is in control, that nothing is a random, pointless act.
"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm 147:3
Ruby,
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me (again?) what you use for phonics?
Bethany
Hi Bethany,
ReplyDeleteThe boys started off with LEM Phonics (Australianised Spalding). Now they are using a program put together by the support teachers in the School of Distance Education which we are registered with, combined with activities from the Speech Pathologist (specific to Auditory Processing problems) and I use my old flash cards and games too. My older girls learnt to read using Sam Blomenfeld, Alpha Phonics. Very different approaches. In hindsight if I had know the problems the boys would encounter I'd have stuck with it as they have struggled with the much "harder" LEM so much.