RememberingWendiAO

[Donna-Jean]

On March 30th, which would have been Advisory member/co-founder/co-creator Wendi Capehart’s 60th birthday, we would like to honor her in a special way in the AO Community.

We will have a #RememberingWendiAO Day, and our plan is for it to be a day in which we encourage you and your families to do one of the things that mattered to Wendi.

We suggest that you:

-Read a Psalm - alone, out loud, or with your children. And try your hand at writing it out!
-Sing a hymn.
-Sing a folk song.
-Go outside! And bring a child with you.
-Seek out a child to help, especially a child in need. Find a foster family that you can help! -Read a book about another culture.
-Send a note of encouragement to someone (maybe with the written-out Psalm, as Wendi did!).
-Pray for one another.

And we suggest that you share what you are doing on that day, with a comment, photo, or video, that has the hashtag #RememberingWendiAO. You can share this on here on our AO forum, on our Facebook page, through our Instagram page, on MeWe, or on your own pages with the hashtag above.

We will also share our own Advisory video that day, in which the remaining five of us talked about our deep love for Wendi, and what she meant to us and the Charlotte Mason and AO Community worldwide.

Mark your calendar


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Subversive Gardener]

We have had some upheaval in our family schedule and singing hasn't been happening lately so I made a special effort today (it's nearing the end of the 30th, here) to sing some folk songs and a hymn together.


Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on

When we shall be forever with the Lord,

When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

[Rondalyno]

When our daughter was born and I knew we would be overseas most of her school career, I knew that I wanted to include the American folk songs I grew up with. The lists and links that Wendi curated are so much broader and richer than that,  and I am thankful for that gift. I've heard my dughter singing "The Wellerman" off and on all day - one of many songs I would never have been aware of if it weren't for AO Folksongs.

[EchoOfJoy]

Hymns we've sung so far today: Holy, Holy, Holy upon waking and All Glory, Laud, and Honor during morning time (prepping for Holy Week). Coming up: the Doxology at naptime; Beneath the Cross of Jesus and Abide With Me at Lenten worship tonight; Children of the Heavenly Father at bedtime. We love hymns and are so thankful for Wendi's advocacy of their value!

We sang a couple folk songs this morning from Wendi's Year 0 YouTube playlist. Our whole approach to "preschool" was heavily influenced by her blog posts about early learning at home.

I read Psalm 121, one of my favorites.

My little guy is headed outside to play in the new, wet snow with Daddy.

Chances are high that other kiddos will cross my path today needing some form of help or encouragement, and I'll be on the lookout.

I will be in prayer for the well-being of the AO community and each of its members, and in gratitude for the incalculable impact Wendi had in our life and the lives of so many, many other families around the world. So very thankful for all the gifts she shared.

[emcclellan]

My daughter read her favorite Psalm (Psalm 18) to us. We each copied a favorite passage on a note card to send to family members while we listened to our hymns and folk songs playlist for this year. I chose Psalm 119:10-16 and she chose Psalm 18:28-35.

Wendi greatly impacted my life and how I implement AO in our home. There was a thread on FB earlier this week, one which I believe she would have commented on and I really, really missed her at that moment. I know she would have answered with wisdom, passion, and compassion. It was the first time this has happened, and I'm sure it won't the be the last. I feel like, in many ways, she was my AO teacher. Happy heavenly birthday, Wendi.

[CrazyMama]

Happy heavenly Birthday Wendi! I was so happy to watch that video that you, advisory, put together. Thank you for seeing us and sharing your grief with us. Your words were full of so much wisdom, even how you guys grieve is a testament to what God is doing. I loved all of what the advisory shared, especially God's Will is perfect and His timing is too, so hard to hear for me and yet life giving. I know it was hard for you guys to do this, thank you for doing it.

To celebrate Wendi on Facebook, I said I would reach out to a foster child that I know, (it is actually an adult person that married into our family) I had judged them and I sort of hardened my heart toward them in an unloving way, so I am confessing that and sending love and encouragement their way today.

To celebrate Wendi from the forum I will do anther Wendi inspired thing. I also set up a time with a friend it go to their house and do one AO day with their kids so they can see how AO can fit for them, this family feels like they can not afford homeschooling and that they are sure they can never be able to get their act together enough to homeschool. They live in trailer and space is an issue, their kids are outside all the time and they just do not see how homeschooling can work for them at all and they had to take their kids out of private Christian school because of cost. I can see how much AO could bless them, so I will go and show them what I can see and see if AO can bless them the way it has my family.

[Elissa]

Today we talked about Wendi and Angel, and said a prayer of thanks for them as well as for comfort for the family. We sang a hymn and some folk songs, and finished up our read-aloud about South America. I am so thankful for Wendi. We love AO and are thankful for all the advisory ladies!

[Esmereld12]

We are remembering her today by singing folk songs. That is my favorite riches to do with the kids. This year I have printed gutair chords and we are learning how to play and sing them.

[kntrly]

I started today watching the video that Advisory had posted. My heart was once again filled to overflowing with gratitude to the original six and the many hands God has used to create this community and curriculum. When I called my daughters for Riches- it's how we start our day- my youngest (Y3) said, "I love riches. It's my favorite time of the day." I used that comment and space to share with my daughters the story of how AO came to be. I showed them a picture of Wendi and we sang "Blessed Assurance" followed by "Revolutionary Tea". We studied some art and learned about how Daniel's choices as a young man helped him remain faithful to God as an older man. Then I set them to work on math and went outside to cut some daffodils and lavender to grace our table and for a special dissection nature study. We've been talking about plants and enjoying watching the early spring growth. I've wanted to do a flower dissection for years but never made time. Today I did. Tonight, I'll be spending time with dear homeschooling sisters sharing our favorite things. Mine have the theme of nourishment- physical, mind and spiritual. After all, Wendi from all the words of her's I've read and the way others have spoken of her was a nourisher. Wherever she went, whomever she met she nurtured, pointed them to sustenance and promoted their growth- mind and spirit. Happy Heavenly Birthday Wendi!

[MommyGirl]

Wendi touched my life in so many ways. About 20(?!) years ago, we were blogging friends. We were living overseas and I always felt much understanding from Wendi. I was delighted when we were able to meet IRL at the AO Camp Meeting. And I loved the folk song she taught us there -- it was perfect for our family and our next move.

Wendi was always an encouragement in my faith, an encouragement to look to God. And she was an encouragement that my imperfections were okay and that God would use them anyway in the way my family needed them.

There are so many things she has written through the years that shaped me in subtle (and big!) ways, that I don't even know all that is from her influence by the leading of the Holy Spirit. I still send links to things she's written to new homeschool friends to share her encouragement with them.

I will always be #RememberingWendiAO until we meet again and it is no longer just remembering!