In 1982, we remodeled a kitchen. Steve bought me a microwave and a microwave cart. When we moved to Kansas in 1990, the kitchen had a peninsula with room for the microwave and no room for the microwave cart.
What we needed then was homeschool material organization help. Losing homeschool books when we needed them for school and then the time spent looking for them was frustrating and wasted our time we should have had for doing school work. Keeping the in-use homeschool books in a central location and teaching the children to return them there each day at the end of school was the solution to the organizational problem.
At that point, we started using the microwave cart to hold our homeschooling books. Then it became the school cart. One year, I remember talking to Steve about the problem of the books in it falling over when the children took their books out and it wasn’t full. He had a great solution; he put wooden dividers in the cart.
The school cart has resided in our living room for the past twenty three years. It housed school books inside while the top was the resting place for the phone and nicknacks. Steve also built a little shelf on its side where I could put my Pepsi during my Pepsi-drinking days.
For many years, the school cart was so maxed out with books because of the number of homeschooling students that we had two children who had to have their books in a dining-room cupboard. However, year by year, we have graduated children from homeschool. Now we are down to only one homeschooled child. She keeps her books in a basket by the chair where she does her school work. That meant that the school cart no longer had a school purpose.
A few weeks ago, when Mary and I rearranged the living room furniture, Mary asked if the school cart could be moved to another room. At first my heart clutched. That school cart had been a faithful servant to our homeschooling organization needs for twenty-three years. I couldn’t imagine not seeing it in our living room. However, I knew she was right. We now needed seating space more than a school cart.
Our faithful servant would be happy to serve in a new spot. Now he sits in the music room. He still holds a phone and nicknacks plus Mary’s art supplies. As I have thought about that microwave cart – turned school cart – turned end table cart, I thought of these words of the Lord Jesus to his faithful servants, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.†(Matthew 25:21). I pray that I can be faithful servant to my Lord like our microwave cart has been to us.
Teri
“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Deuteronomy 6:7
I LOVE this. What a great (Providential) solution to our same dilemma. Thank you for sharing. :O)
The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Amen!
I must admit, your story of no longer needing the cart for homeschool is a bittersweet one for me. Like you, I am looking at the “homestretch” as a homeschooling mother. I have loved every moment, and am not eager to quit! But, like the cart, God will still have much for me to do for Him, for which I am very thankful.
Several years ago I was praying about what we should do. I was toting all my things around in plastic boxes. Because of pregnancies I didn’t always do school in the same place. I prefer the table but often gravitated toward the couch. The Lord gave me the idea to use a book truck like you find at libraries. It has been my absolute favorite organizational tool!!! I can easily push it to wherever we are working on school and when we want it out of sight for company we just push it into the office! 🙂
Saw this picture and remembered loving it when I read about it in your book! Such a great transition for it through the seasons. Know it must be bittersweet, but what a job well done, Teri!
Teri, as I read your post I found myself attached to your microwave cart! It’s faithfulness to your family was attractive to me. It goes without saying that in that many years it withstood a lot of use. As you said, may the Lord find us as faithful . . . and as we must move through different seasons in our life, may we find new purposes and usefulness to serve him. Just like my attraction to the faithfulness of the cart, may others be attracted to the Christ in us. Thank you for such a wonderful and practical post. Hope everyone is doing well. Mary (and the rest of the T family)
Lol. I love the Pepsi-holding side shelf. Too funny. 🙂 It will surely feel strange when all your homeschoolers are graduated. Donate the cart to Melanie?? ha!
I have been awaiting your post about your new product that you said was coming and when I saw this most I thought, “Hmmm…interesting. They are going to start selling carts for homeschooling books.” 🙂 It is a neat story though, Teri. I am in the stage of life where books are overflowing, but I am so incredibly thankful for that and with my oldest, I am seeing that I too will be having students graduate in the near future. Although, when my oldest graduates from our homeschool, our current youngest will be starting Kindergarten.
I love the wheels on the cart that it can be rolled up to the students desks at school time and stowed when lessons are done for the day.
Lfe is full of many seasons. It sounds like it is time to pass the batton on to Nathan for Melanie to use with their girls.
We have a world map hanging in our hallway. It’s been there since 1997 when we began homeschooling. Our children have all graduated and moved on, but I cannot bring myself to take it down. It is actually still useful. My husband and I use it from time to time. So do other family members who drop in for various reasons.
I love seeing how household items hold so many stories…your microwave cart turned homeschool central now moving onto its next adventure; my end table that was in my Grammie’s house; my great-grandmother’s treadle sewing machine which is no longer in use but makes for a wonderful place to display my african violets in the window; my daughter’s cast iron bed which was handed down from my Grammie and used to be mine and is where all of my great-aunt’s children were born so many years ago. My great-grandmother’s Bible which, although worn, I still use. My Daddy’s tools which will be divided up amongst us kids and my own children.
Such a wonderful way to keep memories alive and families connected to their roots.
Love you very much, Sweet Lady!
Lori
This has been such a blessing to me today. Our youngest will complete a curriculum set tomorrow that we purchased for our oldest son 12 yrs. ago. It is stored in a blue rolling cart that I will repurpose in a few weeks. At the same time our oldest son has been given an opportunity to begin working on his studies to be a pastor. I will not be homeschooling him next yr. This has been so much change for me. The Lord used you to bring a new perspective. Just like the carts new seasons bring new ways for me to serve my Savior.