All of our lives are all full of screens at the moment. Many of us are spending hours on Zoom or Teams or social media. What is a parent to do when our children’s lives are ruled by screens?

Our family’s solutions have been hobbies, as well as our normal family mealtimes and going outside for as much fresh air as we can manage (the recent snow was very motivating for sledging and snowman building).

It is only Jonathan and Madeleine, who are doing online school and who spend many hours every school day on a screen, so we tailored our solutions to their unique personalities. Jonathan has turned one of our stables into a worskshop, where he has been busy creating mobile phone stands and working on his GCSE Design and Technology project.

Madeleine has set up an online business, making headbands, which is developing her business and sewing skills simultaneously. Although this initially required a little screen time to set it up, it is now up and running and her time is spent sewing and coming up with new product ideas.

It was through reading an article in the papers today about the toxic effects of screen time and the potential long term damage that got me thinking about this subject. I was inspired to write the following poem.

LOOK UP!

Screens control us,
They shape our lives,
Without our screens,
Could we survive?

Our minds are ruled,
By pings and apps,
As all day long,
Our fingers tap.

Our children watch us,
Learn our ways,
We must look up,
Without delay.

Turn off the tech,
And take a walk,
Spend time together,
Make space to talk.

Our journey towards self sufficiency has recently led to the conversion of our heating system. Our oil fired boiler, which was at least 30 years old has now been replaced with ground source heating, (Phil’s planning to do a separate, more practical post on this subject 😊).

We do have a lovely home, but it is one which rather leaks heat. We do plan on fixing this problem over the next few months, but in the meantime I am becoming a huge fan of thermals! The children and Phil don’t seem to feel the cold though, I think I must just have poor circulation.

Today was a turning point towards that much dreamed of warmer house, as our log burner was fitted. In the space where our old boiler dwelt within a 1980s kitchen cupboard, was a space calling for renovation. Behind the cupboard front was an alcove, with a chimney directly above it, just waiting for a log burner. I suspect, thinking back to the original building, it would have been used for the stove. In a way we are taking the alcove back to its original purpose, especially as we have a cooking plate; tonight it was used for curry, but we have plans for porridge, pancakes and maybe a wood fired pizza?!

When we ripped out the old boiler we uncovered the beautiful tiles which had been hidden for decades, since the addition of central heating to the house. We both agreed that we didn’t want to replace them, as we wanted to keep part of the old farmhouse. The wall tiles were just in need of a clean, but the floor tiles were covered in thick layers of paint that required chemicals, a wire brush on a drill and a knife to chip off the last of the paint.

What we have uncovered and restored has brought beauty and warmth to our home. We have created a place where people can gather and breathe deeply, as the warmth draws them in; but this was not achieved without painstaking work. Chipping the paint off the tiles was a slow and sometimes painful job, but the end result has made the effort all worthwhile. It reminds me of how God wants to uncover in each of us, the hidden beauty within. He helps us to remove the facade, that we put in place to convince the world we are worthwhile, and he reveals our inner beauty. This is not an overnight process, but it takes a lifetime of God slowly and lovingly, often through our discomforts, ‘chipping’ away our old self to reveal the people he created us to be; people who will be carriers of his light and his warmth into people’s lives.

I want to share with you all, a true story of a life once broken and yet beautifully restored by the Master Craftsman himself. It’s a story which culminates in a particular testimony of his provision, but which first needs a framework of a life offered into his hands. Grab a cuppa and settle down to hear the testimony of a girl who gave her life to Jesus.

I have known our living God, Jesus Christ for nearly 30 years and knowing him has revolutionised my life. The more I have laid my life in his hands and trusted it to him, the more he has entered into my life and filled it with his plans, his love and his peace.

There was a time when I dreamed of an easy, safe life. A life without risk, a life I could predict, a life where my heart could not be broken. You see Mum died when I was 14, my heart chose to stop feeling; when pain is that great it is hard for a child to process it, and so I locked away the pain, along with my heart. Eight months later I met Christ. I was alone at home and in my brokenness I found a booklet left out by my sister, who was a Christian. The booklet explained the way to Christ. The words jumped out of the page and I knew them to be true. At that moment I gave my life to him. From that time on, Jesus and I have ridden a rollercoaster together; he has held my hand through the highs and the lows, sometimes I have closed my eyes as the ride has taken my breath away, but he has never left me.

Throughout my teenage years I gave my love to Christ, but not to any other, so afraid was I of losing anyone else whom I loved. Then I met the man who was to be my husband and everything changed. Step by step I learnt to love and as we fell in love with each other, we fell deeper in love with God. God was drawing us together as he had a very special plan for us. He took two sinners with plans of their own, he ripped those up and asked them to trust him. Day by day we are learning to trust, to step out in faith, and he continually proves to us that he is more than able to make our offering into something beautiful.

We never planned on having a big family, four children was the most we ever talked about, but God had other plans! He gradually opened up our eyes to the beauty of trusting him with our family size and, baby by baby, we learnt again that he has the best plan. We sent our first two boys to school, but again God intervened. I first caught the vision for home education and shared it with Phil, who promptly reminded me that we were conventional and would not be doing that! I persisted with my request for a while, but eventually he asked me to not bring it up again, and so I just prayed. I asked God that if it was his will that we should home educate, then please could he get Phil to ask me if we could home educate. Miraculously, two months later, with hardly another word from me, that’s just what he did. Twelve years later and we have never looked back. On the hardest days we know that this is God’s will for us. I did not have to pressure Phil into it, the Holy Spirit is far stronger than me and any nagging I would have done would have been counterproductive. I was learning to surrender to God’s ways.

Eight babies later and our 1500 sq ft house was bursting at the seams. We do not have quiet children; they are energetic and immensely creative and practical, they needed space to move, explore and create. God knows them better than we do though and had a great plan, but this was to be our greatest test yet. Oh how we struggled through this one, but oh what a testimony we have to share!

From the time we decided to move house until we finally moved into our new home, was 2 years. That was 2 years of God reassuring us that this was his plan and even when it looked completely unlikely that it would work out, we were to hold on. Often Phil would ask me what I thought God wanted us to do and all I could gather was that he wanted us to wait. It wasn’t much to go on, but we held onto that word.

We found a house we thought could be right, but that quickly fell through. God did not waste this disappointment though. During our visit to the property, God had given me a vision, a vision of a courtyard with different rooms off it, a barn for community activities and workshops for woodwork, clay and sewing, I saw other people using our property – a sort of refuge from the world. As God closed the door of that property, I stored up that vision in my heart. Seven months later the property which fulfilled that vision was revealed to us.

We had decided that the best way to choose our new home would be to find a church first and then find the house. As I was browsing the Internet one evening I happened upon this property for sale, only 4 miles from our chosen church. My eyes were immediately drawn to the barn complex and I knew this could be the property God was calling us to. We immediately arranged a viewing. With eight children in tow and a 4 hour journey in the minibus, we visited the house. It seemed to me like a house in waiting, a house not yet fulfilling its created purpose, in fact even the owner caught our vision and understood our heart’s desire to fill this home with love. I knew this was what God had shown me 7 months earlier and so our focus became greater for selling our property to buy this one. We thought this was it and we would now be released to move, but God, as ever, had other plans.

In the meantime we had our ninth baby. Our daughter was born safely into her Daddy’s arms, in our living room, as she arrived before the midwife did! With a newborn baby we continued to tidy our house for viewings, each time building up our hopes and each time being told no, it was not for them. The house we had set our heart on was still for sale and so we held on in hope. We contacted the sellers to see it they had had any other interest in their property and they told us they had turned down four other offers because they believed we were the right family for the house, wow! It was amazing because they didn’t share our faith and yet God had touched their hearts.

As weeks rolled by we continued to drop the price of our house with the hope of a sale, but only to be continually disappointed. Why had God given us such a vision if he was not going to fulfil it? Now we understand, but at the time we were walking blindly by faith, trusting that we were not wasting our time or our emotional energy.

Finally a family walked through our door who immediately fell in love with our home and the deal was done, but the battle for our new home was just beginning. We discovered, after the survey, that the house had multiple problems, each costing more than we could afford, especially now that we had had to drop the price on our home to gain our sale. We had to ask the vendor for a reduction on the price, to reflect the extra work required. He was not happy and refused to agree to our request. Three weeks of bartering began and 2 years of waiting hung in the balance. We eventually decided that we would agree to walk away from the purchase if necessary, and it was then that release came and the ball started rolling and an agreement was reached. We learnt that God sometimes wants us to let go of things in order for him to give it back to us and nothing should ever become a greater goal than following Christ, even to something we think he is calling us to.

As the packing then began in earnest, Phil started to speak of the animals we could keep and the smallholding we could develop. This had not been part of my vision, although I fully supported it, as I was aware of our lack of experience in this area. So I began to search for local courses, near our new home, which could teach us the skills we would need. Whilst looking, something caught my eye. It was an advert for a new TV programme about moving to the country, including an offer of help to get started with livestock. Was this what God was calling us to next? We prayerfully pushed the door and God quickly opened it and our journey to make a programme about our new life in the country began.

We are so thankful for this opportunity, as it has opened so many doors to share the gospel, share the joys of large family living and speak about our God who provides. The timing of our programme’s airing coincided with the UK’s first lockdown. Everyone in Britain was suddenly plunged into a world of home educating and many were developing a strong desire to escape to the country, so our programme, which focused on our desire to teach our children through a more practical lifestyle, was perfectly timed for the situation. God’s timing for our house move was perfectly orchestrated and this was further evidence of his hand.

The programme supported us as we started our self sufficiency journey. Due to this support we were perfectly prepared for the lockdown. We had chickens for eggs, a cow who had recently delivered her calf and was producing 15 litres of milk a day and pigs who went off to the abattoir the day before lockdown was announced, and thus we had a freezer full of pork. What provision from our Lord for our burgeoning and hungry brood! He truly is Jehovah Jireh, our God who provides.

We have given this property into God’s hands and have already been given multiple opportunities to use it for his purposes. During the summer months, when the lockdown was temporarily lifted, we were able to host many families, in our separate accommodation, for their ‘alternative’ summer break. How lovely it was to have a place for fellowship during this crisis. We were even able to have campfires and, while churches were banned from singing, we were able to worship God with other believers, outside in the beauty of his Creation. We also share the produce we grow and have managed to exchange milk for our Christmas turkey, who was free ranging at our neighbours!

At the beginning of our house sale journey, I had asked God to give us an opportunity to share the testimony of our move – what opportunities we have been given! We have shared our story of God’s provision and perfect timing at church, a home education conference, on National television and in the National press. I just thought maybe God would give us the chance to share our testimony at our new church, but I have discovered that when you ask God for something, he loves to give, in abundance!

As a world, we are all currently walking through the strangest times and yet I know that God has been busy preparing each one of us for this moment. It is not just us who have been called by God. Each of God’s children has been called to unique locations, for such a time as this. Whether we live in the town or the country, God has a mission for each of us. We just need to pray and trust that each journey is unique and perfectly planned by the One who knows best. As Jim Elliot, the missionary, famously said, ‘God always gives His best to those who leave the choice to Him.’

When I was 14 I could see no way forward, only the brokenness left by grief. God took that brokenness and brought from it a beautiful story of his love for me. He wants to do that for everyone, we just need to reach out and trust him.

We didn’t come to this house planning to own a cow. We thought of pigs and chickens, but a cow seemed a step too far! Then we were informed by our eldest son that his boss, at the farm where he worked, had a cow that would be just right for us, and she was in calf. It seemed that maybe we were being led in this direction? Months past and we prayed about whether or not this was a good idea.

Phil was particularly keen because he had read that the cow was the centre of the smallholding. We understood that the cow provided the milk, butter, cream and cheese as well as surplus milk going to the pigs. Her manure would go on the vegetable garden and we could raise her calves for meat. In theory we could see the advantages. The disadvantages were ever present in our mind though. We were very conscious of the extra work and responsibility that owning a cow and her calf would bring.

As the time for the calf to be born was drawing nearer, we had to make a decision. Mary (as she was already named), could be sold for beef, or could come and live and work with us. Christopher, our son who farms, held our hands throughout the decision. He volunteered to build her pen, fix the fences, bring silage over from the farm where he works and teach us to milk her. This son to whom we have taught so much, has now taught us! With the decision agreed upon Mary came to live here.

Her calving was thankfully easy, and Martha the calf arrived unaided. I did need to give a little hand though, to help the calf to begin suckling. My breastfeeding experience came in handy, as I understood the need for Lansinoh, the dangers of mastitis and the need for mum and baby to get off to a good start 🙂. Within a few days the early feeding glitches were ironed out. Next it was time to learn how to milk her. We had been lent a portable milker. This proved to be invaluable, as we weren’t very efficient at hand milking! We now have bought one of our own.

In the early days we milked Mary twice daily, but after a while reduced it to once, as her calf’s needs increased. We now milk once a day in the mornings, around 8.30 am.

At first we got ALOT of milk, around 15 litres, we didn’t know what to do with it all. Her cream was like pure Cornish clotted cream for the first couple of months, and then as her calf grew it changed to something more like double cream. We have had a go at making butter and mozzarella and regularly make our own yoghurt.

Once her calf grew to about 6 months, we noticed the amount of milk we were getting was dwindling. Her calf was filling out and not leaving us with much. We asked some farm friends and they recommended trying a nose flap, to encourage her to wean. In the dairy industry the calves are weaned at about 6-8 weeks, so we knew that she was able to move on without causing her any harm. This plan was thwarted though, as Martha expertly figured out how to feed with it on, so it was back to the drawing board. Next we were recommended a weaning spike, but this was no deterrent and a tilt of her head meant easy access to milk was resumed! Our last hope was separating them over night. So once we began to feel the cooler air of autumn we knew it was time to bring them into the covered pen. Christopher built an addition for Martha to sleep in at night, with a gate between the two of them. This technique proved successful. Martha has continued to feed all day and then at night she sleeps in the pen next to Mary. Mary has a peaceful night’s sleep and the following morning she is ready to be milked.

We get between 4 and 7 litres of milk now each day. This is the perfect amount for our family’s milk and yoghurt needs, with some left over to share with our neighbours from time to time. We have chosen to pasteurise the milk, although, once we no longer have young children we might leave it raw.

The work of milking, washing up the milker, pasteurising, feeding, bedding and bottling takes about one and a half hours a day. Phil, who had previously only owned one gerbil, joyfully takes on the bulk of this work. I often stand amazed at the changes I see in him. I married a man who was very happy to sit on a commuter train every morning of the week, and now he spends his mornings milking a cow! He has really embraced everything about this life, but I do feel a particular warmth when I watch him pat Mary, as he wishes her good morning. There a respect between the two of them. Mary is very strong, but she understands who’s boss. Phil is equally respectful of her hormones and natural instincts and gives her space when she needs it. (He has obviously learnt much from being married to me😉.)

We love owning Mary and Martha and are very grateful that God has provided all the support we have needed to learn to care for them. Our next task is to help get her back in calf. Phil is now learning about the hormonal cycles of a cow and has the AI (artificial insemination) man on speed dial. Hopefully next month we’ll time it just right. We’ll keep you posted.

Nineteen years ago, in the quieter days before children, I joined a local quilting class. We were taught all we needed to know to hand make the above twenty square sampler quilt. Before we were quite finished the quilt the shop shut and our quilts remained unfinished. Shortly after this I gave birth to our firstborn and my quilt was popped in the back of a cupboard.

It got its next outing when our second child was waiting to be born. During those cold winter nights, when waiting for a baby seemed to go on and on, I would quilt a square or two.

Somehow, without intention, a tradition began. In the third trimester, of each subsequent pregnancy, I would begin to nest and out would come the quilt. Twenty squares were made and bound, but each needed ‘glueing’ together with tiny quilting stitches. These stitches aren’t just the glue which binds the quilt together, they are woven with care to form a pattern on the front and the back.

Nine babies on and my quilt is nearly complete. Each stitch has been sewn with a prayer, that our family would be ‘glued’ together by our love for God and for one another. I have prayed that each child would know that, just like the squares on the quilt, they are each different, but each beautiful and each made for a purpose.

It’s been nearly two years since our last baby, and with no signs of any more blessings at this point, I am wondering whether it is time to finish the quilt. The edges need binding and some squares need a bit more work. It reminds me that our family will always need my prayers, always need a little more work and always need to be bound together in love for God and one another.

I think I know what I must do now with these cold winter evenings. It’s time to finish what I began, and simply enjoy the gift of creating something, made with love.

As I’m leaving Facebook I am finding my favourite, relevant posts and moving some of them over here. I don’t want the negatives that come with social media, but I also don’t want to lose so many memories.

As this blog is our story I will selectively share those special memories, for my own record and for anyone who is joining us who was not on Facebook when I shared this.

November 17th 2020

20 years ago today Phil made me the happiest girl in world. He got down on one knee in the grounds of Scarborough Castle, overlooking the sea and asked me to marry him. After telling me how much he loved me, and made him happy, for 40 long minutes, I was thinking, now would be a good time to propose, but never once did I think he would have organised it and had the ring in his pocket. Phil always had a rule that if I mentioned marriage he wouldn’t propose for at least 6 months, as he wanted it to be his idea, so I kept quiet and waited! He was definitely worth waiting for. He has made me happier than I could ever imagine. Just like this frame, which has sat on our mantelpiece for 20 years, our life isn’t all neat and tidy, but like the smiling faces in this photo suggest, we are happier than ever, adventuring through life together. I thank God for that day, at the Norland Ball, when I landed on Phil’s lap and told him he was lovely, he still is the loveliest person I know. 🥰

I’ve been feeling rather weary lately. The state of the world has consumed my thoughts and I have felt my stress levels rising. I called out to God for an answer, because I know he has called us to live in this world, but he also promises us joy in all circumstances. How is that possible when the world looks such a mess? I think there are many answers to this, but each begin with doing what Jesus did, that is going to the Father first. The first thing he has done is called me to leave behind the world of social media. It’s fast paced and never sleeps and it was leaving my mind whirring. I am sure some people can handle it with discipline, but I’m not a creature of moderation and it was starting to not be good for me.

Within hours of me deciding to leave Facebook, God led me to start looking at what he had given to us and to share his goodness with others, to tell a story of his creation and how he speaks to us through it.

This poem below was inspired by a walk in the garden yesterday. Jonathan is doing online schooling and his mind is too full of screens, so I have decided to take a walk with him each day, to chat and to take a break. As we walked, I saw our garden starting to wake up from its winter’s rest, signs of new life were everywhere, green shoots of hope. It reminded me, that as we seek to live in this world, we can look at the current state of this world and be aware of it, but also to balance that with taking time to meet with God in his creation. His creation has rested and is now ready for Spring. We too need to take time to rest. I am trying to learn, feel free to follow our journey, as I learn to rest in Him.

Everything Must Rest

Beneath the ice cold frosty glow,
Signs of hope begin to show,
Green buds, like arrows, seeking light,
Break the soil, prove their might.

Their strength lay hidden in the ground,
Whiles winter’s fingers moved around,
Touching everything with cold,
The frozen landscape’s story told,

Of a sleeping earth at peace to wait,
Not waking up a day too late,
It knows the cues God put in place,
To give each plant a time and space.

All living things have times and seasons,
God gave them to us for a reason.
They’re there to show us when to pause,
It’s written into nature’s laws.

We ignore the rhythm and pay the price,
Our bodies pay the sacrifice.
We sacrifice the gift of rest,
When we rush ahead as we think best.

We need to stop and hear the hush,
For God is never in a rush,
He knows that rest for all is needed,
It’s good advice, if it is heeded.

If we want strength like the growing bud,
We need to rest like we know we should.
How much more can humans take,
When rest is something we forsake?

Can we now stop and and have a thought,
For all our precious Father taught?
He showed a little glimpse of Heaven,
When he said rest, one day in seven.

Earlier this week the vet turned up for Mary and Martha’s (our cows) TB test. Today he came back for the second part of the test, to see if they had reacted to the first test which would tell us whether they were positive for TB.

My nerves were quite on edge. I paced the landing, every now and again looking out of the window to see when they would be finished. Now any farmer would probably wonder at my overly emotional response to this test. To us though, Mary and Martha are our first cows, they are our responsibility, we love the task of caring for them, but are also sometimes a little daunted by it.

If the TB tests came back positive our cows would have to be destroyed and although the government would give us compensation, this wouldn’t replace these beautiful animals we are raising. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not overly sentimental, but the thought of them being destroyed was not something I wanted to have to go through, nor have to explain to the children.

The thing is though, EVERY experience here is part of a learning curve, it’s part of the children’s education. How will they learn about veterinary care unless they see it and hear about? How will they learn how to handle loss unless they experience it and are gently supported through it? I would by choice choose to protect my children from all harm, but that would not help them to grow in life. In much the same way, God allows his children to go through difficulties, because it is during those times we grow in faith.

The life we lead here is full of real experiences, some of those beautiful and some which are harder. We come across these experiences each day. For example, we see the chickens waiting by the door of their run every morning and yet we not able to let them roam free due to the current laws about avian flu. Stephen, our champion egg collector, goes to get the eggs each day and has to persuade the chickens back from the entrance with tasty scraps. To him it just makes the job harder, but to me and the more sentimental children it is sad to know that they too are in lockdown.

Some experiences are filled with joy, like the birth of our beautiful calf. This is one joyful experience which has made a indelible imprint on all of our hearts. Nearly a year ago, after a night of waiting, seeing signs that Mary was imminent, (I recognised, from personal experience, the signs of a creature ready to pop!) and popping out to check on her, her calf arrived calmly at 9am. Madeleine was the first to spot her arrival and Christopher was soon on hand, having delivered calves before, at the farm where he works. He helped Mary’s calf round a bit to help her to start licking her. The children watched in amazement as the afterbirth came away and this tiny calf, almost deer like with her gangly legs, rose to her feet and attempted her first steps, before falling and trying again. This was a great way for our children to have their first lesson of the day.

There’s book work, I’ll tell you more about that another day, but then there’s moments like this, moments that can never be learnt from a book, moments that you have to see to understand. A book can tell you how a cow gives birth, but a biology text book can never explain how it feels to see life outside of the safety of the womb begin. Once that feeling has been unveiled, the moment of learning gains a positive emotion which enables the brain to hold onto that information in more than one way. Learning, especially when you are young, needs to be multi sensory. Hands on farm life evokes all the senses at once.

Now, 10 months later, our lovely cows were to be tested and their lives depended on the results of this test. Would today be a peaceful school day, or one filled with hard painful lessons?

Praise God, the tests were negative and our cows are safe for another 6 months. Honestly my relief was palpable! The children on the other hand took it all in their stride. They don’t worry, they don’t think about the future and what might be, they live in the moment. I have much to learn from them.

Our children’s peace in the face of uncertainty and freedom from worry, reminds me of Jesus’ advice to us all, when he says, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?’, Matthew 6 25-27, and again he says, ‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ Matthew 6:34.

In these days that we are living in, everything seems uncertain. We could fill our days with fear or faith. We could look at the things which might be, or focus on the present moment. I say these things as a lesson to myself. Worrying is something I could do as a profession, but I fight that urge and choose to walk by faith. When my stomach starts to flip, I reach out to God and ask for peace. He never fails. Sometimes I need to reach out multiple times a day, but he’s always there and he always will be.

This is for all parents who are currently ready to tear their hair out with children at home all day and struggling with home schooling.

I wrote this poem 11 years ago when I had little experience home educating and 4 children 7 and under, and no big children to help me. Some days still feel like this, but now I know that they pass and that God is refining me and growing my patience through every trial.

Remember to Pray

I feel the fight
From the start of the day,
I don’t want to get up,
I try to delay.

Then the children descend
In great one big heap,
It’s not fair I cry,
I just want to sleep.

I feel in my soul
There’s a battle within,
And prayer is my weapon,
With which God can win.

The battle continues,
As schoolwork commences,
My son has a strop,
He puts up his defences.

‘I don’t like this work,
I won’t do it today,
This is too hard,’
I hear him say.

I know he can do it,
It’s just so frustrating ,
What more can I try,
To be motivating?

Every day I wish he’d
Work on his own,
But he just isn’t ready,
To do it alone.

So once I accept
He wants me by his side,
My frustration and anger
Begin to subside.

A new challenge arises
As toddlers unite,
They’ve been making a mess,
I’m not up for the fight.

There’s dolls, clothes and puzzles,
There’s pens, books and toys,
I can’t hear myself think
Above the noise.

So I call out to Jesus,
Turn frustration to prayer,
And the day turns around,
As He carries my cares.

So tomorrow I’ll learn,
And remember to pray,
For the strength and the patience,
To do it God’s way.