Welcome to Daily Encouragement!
Hi, I’m Charlene Notgrass. I was born a long time before you, way back in 1953. I loved homeschooling — once I learned how to make homeschooling who our family was instead of something I carried around like a big, heavy burden every day. From the lessons God has taught me, I offer you daily encouragement.
A Convict, a Cadillac, and Great Expectations
“Jesus Loves the Little Children” was one of the first songs I learned as a child. How precious it has been all my life to know that we are all precious in His sight. When I looked for a photo…
Homeschooling: An Opportunity to Serve
While Ray and I were at Hope Lodge, we were the beneficiaries of many acts of kindness, both from people we knew and from people we had never met. One of the many blessings of homeschooling is that its flexible…
One Magnet for Adventure
On a Sunday evening a few months ago, Ray and I texted our kids to tell them about a mishap we had during the first day of a mini-vacation. Our son, John, texted back: You are magnets for adventure. After…
A Visit to the Tennessee State Archives
I enjoy my involvement with the Timothy Demonbreun Heritage Society, which honors and preserves the memory of my French Canadian fur trapping ancestor, often called the first resident of Nashville, Tennessee. The society, made up mostly of us very distant…
Lessons from Emma by Jane Austen: Kids Are Kids and Parents Are Parents
As I wrote recently, a present I’ve been giving myself is to listen again to the novels of Jane Austen. While I recommend Mansfield Park for teens, young adults, and their parents, I want to recommend Emma to parents of…
Keeping Hearts Close: Keep ‘Em Going
A mother recently encouraged me to share thoughts on ways to keep the hearts of parents and their adult children close when they can’t be close physically. Today I’d like to tell you about a family whose members are keeping…