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.
Free At Last: A Story of the Underground Railroad, Part 4
On a Cincinnati street, slave catchers talk about why slaves keep coming when so many get sent back. They also discuss the $500 reward for a man and a boy who have run away and the $3,000 reward offered for the…
Free At Last: A Story of the Underground Railroad, Part 3
The lights come up dimly at the beginning of Act II of Free at Last, revealing slaves laboring in a field. While they work they sing a song with a double meaning: Steal away, steal away, Oh, steal away to Jesus. Steal…
Free At Last: A Story of the Underground Railroad, Part 2
Cynthia Collins sits quietly in her parlor while her daughter Mary runs screaming into the room because her little brother Frank wants her to kiss a frog. Cynthia tells Frank: Frank drawls, “Yes, Mother,” and reluctantly obeys. As Mary and her sister Elizabeth discuss the tardiness of their…
Free at Last: A Story of the Underground Railroad, Part 1
World history resources written from a godless perspective tell a story that begins with “primitive” people and continues to the “advanced” way that people live today. I don’t believe this tells an accurate story of history. I sometimes wonder what archaeologists might surmise…
When Children Beam
I will miss these 100-plus kids and their families when Free at Last closes tomorrow night! I love the beam on a child’s face when I say what a good job he or she is doing. I love the beam on a mother’s face…
Mothering and Grandmothering For a Lifetime
The other day a fellow grandmother (I’ll call her Jane) talked to me about some conversations she has had with homeschooling mothers. She was sad to learn how little support some of them receive from their own mothers. I was reminded of stories I have heard myself. A grandmother…