Thank You

Last week, I published a post detailing the struggles that my father and I have gone through over the past few months. I shared this post with hope that it would mean something to at least one person out there.

In reading through several hundred responses that flooded the comments section, our facebook page, our general inbox, and my personal e-mail account, I am left with a number of feelings.

First, I am thankful to each of you who understood that my intent was not to vilify my father, but to share how I processed the mutual hurt that surrounded our disagreement over homeschooling. My post was a chronicle of my attempt to find peace and to understand my father. I am certain that my father sees our recent experience with a mostly different viewpoint than mine, and though I hope that he has come to a better understanding of me, all I can ultimately wish is for him to find peace.

Second, I am deeply moved by those of you who shared your stories. I'm elated for those who found a way to reconcile with loved ones. I feel badly for those who haven't been able to mend a broken relationship and are not at peace. I feel fulfilled in knowing that some of you found comfort in realizing that you are not alone in your struggles - your responses provided this very comfort for me. And I am greatly inspired by those of you who felt moved to take a step or two toward finding peace within a fractured relationship that continues to affect your well-being on some level every day.

I have long believed that struggles within our closest relationships have a greater effect on our health than any other factor. When we are depressed, frustrated, or outright angry because we feel violated by a loved one, we coat our insides with hormones and neurotransmitters that are designed to help us respond to stress, but that accelerate aging. Stress-response chemicals are helpful for survival when we run into a big brown grizzly bear in the mountains, but most unhelpful in maintaining long term wellness.

Heartfelt thanks to those of you who shared encouraging thoughts on the decision to homeschool our boys for now. For the few who expressed curiosity on what our boys want, having tried conventional schooling, both are thrilled to be homeschooling. They are developing beautifully in so many ways, and share a brotherly love that brings Margaret and I abundant joy. They may attend a conventional school one day - if they express the desire to go or we feel that they could stand to benefit from conventional schooling, we will send them. But for now, given that they are healthy and well on their way to being emotionally intelligent people, we are grateful for the opportunity to homeschool them.