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Like dealing with the anguish of grief, we somehow roll out of bed and walk through the familiar numbly. Somehow, slowly, meals are made, clothes washed, tables cleaned. We force a smile, a word of praise. All the while drowning in a sea of tears and hopelessness.

I don't know why some of us face the blackness of depression. Perhaps it's what St. John of the Cross refers to as the "dark night of the soul". But I do know one thing from experience. Even though far from feeling it, we can know perfectly that Christ holds us closely and that the darkness will dissipate in its time.

Author and speaker Jim Rohn often talks about seasons. Life is not all winter, all spring. The time we face now is a passing season. Depression is not permanent. It lasts only for a season.

So what do we do? Winter is hard. Do we pray for a quick end to this process? That the groundhog won't see its shadow and warmth is just around the corner?

It's hard enough to be a parent- but home schooling during this time? Are you kidding?

Sometimes it's okay and even necessary to let go of our schedules and relax our efforts. And for those folks who worry that the kids in public school are leaving you in the dust, there are plenty of times public school teachers have to relax their efforts as well.

For instance, December and May are typically infertile learning seasons! Kids, excited about Christmas and the summer break, function on a different level during these months. Perpetual Friday mode!

Teachers try to maintain the basics and hope something sticks. New material seems to go in one ear and out the other!

And I remember six years ago watching my mom linger with a rare kidney disease. Doctors estimated the rest of her life in weeks. No amount of medicine seemed to deaden her pain. I remember my panic while listening to her mantra, "Take me, Jesus."

On May 21, 2001, Mama saw His face. My third grade class did not have a dynamic teacher. Some days were just going through the motions. In all, nearly two months of the year my class had a substitute.

Do you know -- those kids learned anyway. They tested no higher or lower than other students. As educator Charlotte Mason emphasized, kids learn remarkably well without our intervention.

If you are facing the night 24-7, I can promise you
1) God hold you close, aware of every heartbeat, of every numb and painful thought
2) The sun will come out again. This depression is only a season. In time it will fade away.
3) Your children will make it. They'll learn without our best-made plans.

Pray for God's wisdom and for complete surrender on your part. He may provide for you through medical intervention. Several medications exist to help balance the chemicals in our brains that can become so out-of-sync. Please be open to visiting your doctor.

You may enter a season of just workbooks, independent reading, and educational videos. Remember, it's only for a while. And your children will learn. (Especially to appreciate you!)

Perhaps another family member can shoulder more of the load for awhile. Keep praying, my friend. God hears and responds to numb prayers as easily as He does to vibrant ones. Let us pray that He will help us and our families to love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. He can and will answer.

Even in the dark.