All Will Be Well

Kate Taliaferro shares two sources of encouragement she recently experienced amidst the stress of beginning the school year.

August is an interesting mix of staleness and the excitement of change. In the Northern hemisphere, it is hot, and often sticky. Summer break is winding down, but it isn’t over yet. The outdoor toys are sun bleached, the sidewalk chalk is looking stubby, bathing suits are stretched out. The commencement of a new school year looms. No matter whether we are traditional schooling or homeschooling, regardless of the extraordinary circumstances of the last two years, the start of school is met with both joy and trepidation.

A dear friend of mine just sent her oldest to his first day of kindergarten. The night before she texted our friend group fears like, “Will he have enough time to eat?” “Will he get on the right bus?” “Will he have fun or be shy and hold back?”

We all quickly flew to her aid, reminding her of what a fantastic son she had, how this isn’t the school’s first rodeo, and most importantly, how much kids can surprise us. He has had a successful first week and both he and his mom are doing great!

Our family happens to homeschool. A great source of my stress and concern revolves around questions like, “Did I choose the right curriculum?” “How will I juggle all the subjects plus the 2 year old?” “Will the house ever get clean?”

I am thankful that I found she different sources of encouragement. First, the Holy Spirit quickly dispelled my fears by reminding me of the successes our homeschool has had during our bedtime routine this week. It was in this picture that I saw our progress: my oldest reading aloud while his siblings clustered around him. Even though the floor wasn’t completely clean, the relationship we have helped to foster in our children is more beautiful than anything.

The second source of solace and encouragement came from a small Catholic Etsy business. Lindsey Trezza of Just Love Prints has these awesome temporary tattoos! I am especially enamored with one that has the theme “Born to Do This.” It features quotes by St. Joan of Arc and Julian of Norwich. This week, I put Julian’s, “All will be well” on the inside of my wrist.

All will be well. If we seek to follow God’s Will, all will be well. If we pause to remember how our priorities stack up and work according to their order, all will be well. When we trust that in all things, God is present, all will be well. I love that I was too impatient for it to dry and the edging got smudged. Even in our impatience and disarray, all will be well.

Click to tweet:
If we pause to remember how our priorities stack up and work according to their order, all will be well. #catholicmom

If the upcoming (or already begin) school year is stressing you out, talk to someone about it. Also consider praying with a few of the phrases from Lindsey’s tattoo booklet:

All will be well.

Go forward bravely.

Fear not.

Copyright 2021 Kate Taliaferro
Images: Pexels (2016); all others copyright 2021 Kate Taliaferro, all rights reserved.