Nov 15, 2005 at 01:47 o\clock
Mood: guided!
I just want to add as this post script to todays blog. This is the 'spiritual' bit! Whilst we were making this decision we really felt God's hand in it. The sermon on the Sunday just after I had made my phone-calls I was feeling as if I had failed Jacob and I was giving up too easily (not exactly the first hurdle, but still...). I love collecting resources and relish planning for the forthcoming year - I was grieving the loss of that and the resources I have that will go untouched for another two years now (until Joel needs them). The sermon was about 'giving up your Isaac' - a different slant on the Abraham & Isaac story, but basically the gist was that there are times when God does call us to give BACK to him the blessings, promises, giftings, ministries, etc... that he has given to us and WE should not hold them too tightly. SOMETIMES He then chooses to return them to us again, other times he chooses not too - that's His prerogative. Schooling is definitely my Isaac!! I am hoping that Jacob will be ready to come home again by the time we reach Senior years (yr7), but I leave that to God's prompting. In the meantime I KNOW this has been the right decision for us here in the Hampton household - for Jacob, for myself and for our other children it has brought freshness back into the house. I also know that it is right to continue h'schooling my other children and this is a decision made purely for Jacob - treating each child as an individual is sometimes tough! God has seen to all the finer details of this change and I can honestly testify to his faithfulness in this had decision. Now I have to stick with it for the next 2.5 yrs! We have made it clear to Jacob that decision made it sticks and it's up to himself, us as parents and the school to make it work. We are not chopping and changing. He is there now until the end of Yr6. And if school can't work for him where he is it's not likely to work anywhere else any better - it's a small village school of less than 90 children. There is a classroom assistant and a special needs assistant in every class and then student teachers aswell at times! 
I took a big deep breath......
TBH I\'d prefer him not to be there, but that is more my personal prejudice and whilst he is happy and doing well, then that is what matters.
It\'s good to hear that Jacob is settling well!
On a slightly different note, how do you qualify for the taxi?(that isn\'t meant to be a slur of any kind!) I have a friend who is a single mum and is having chemo for breast cancer. She applied for a taxi service for her two children but was told no as she wasn\'t ill enough to qualify. Can you give me any advise on how she can get this as it is so difficult for her and her mum is about to give up work so she can do it. Does it depend on where you live? I know nothing!
HTH
Cx