In fact, I didn’t have enough credits to walk at graduation, and I spent a few weeks after my senior year rushing through makeup work trying to pass alternative credit options. I did eventually receive my diploma, but I maintained a hyper-awareness of the fact that I didn’t deserve it. The trauma of my educational experience followed me since third grade, and year after year I faced one failure after another. As my middle school geography teacher once put it, I dug myself a hole I couldn’t crawl out of. I continued to fall further behind until I completely gave up on myself and accepted the fact that I was stupid.
From a young age, this version of reality settled deep in my mind and followed me into adulthood. To this day I avoid calculating simple math in front of others. I get nervous reading out loud. Sometimes I stop myself from contributing to a conversation, fearing I might say something dumb. How can someone like me successfully homeschool?
You might be asking this same question right now. With the disruption COVID 19 created, it’s scary to consider how the current chaos might impact your child’s education, and you wouldn’t be alone if the possibility of homeschooling crossed your mind. You also wouldn’t be the first person to shy away from the idea of homeschooling due to a negative experience in school. In fact, regardless of a person’s past academic success or failure, it’s normal to second guess your ability to teach.
If homeschooling is something you’ve thought about, but you’re afraid you lack the skills necessary to provide your child with a decent education, don’t give up before you give yourself a chance. I’m certainly glad I powered through my fears and decided to pursue this lifestyle, and I strongly encourage other parents to consider a number of points before dismissing their abilities:
If you had a negative experience in school, it is all the more reason to choose something different for your kids.
School isn’t terrible for everyone, but many children suffer under the system. It’s unavoidable, and parents have little to no control over finding a solution for their child as long as they are sending them into that system. You cannot dictate how a teacher instructs, and you have no say in the pace at which subjects are taught. If there is a problem, there are only so many solutions the school can try. Think back to what failed you, and instead of questioning whether or not you’re good enough for your child, ask whether or not the system is the one that’s good enough.
Schools operate under a system of labeling and dividing children into categories. That does not mean their assessment of a child is accurate.
I fell behind in 3rd grade, shortly after my mother died. However, a parent dying was not the cause of my academic struggle. The fact that I had been removed from my regular class and placed in “intervention” every day was the problem. The school meant well. They tried to help. Instead, they made an already horrible situation worse (someday I may go into detail about that in another post). I never recovered from that experience, and I now know it was a severe misjudgment on the school’s part. Over time I’ve come to terms with the fact that it wasn’t an intentional or malicious attempt to program me into believing I’m stupid. However, intentions do not matter to a failing child, and looking back I realize they were wrong on so many levels regardless of their efforts. Without fully knowing who I am, they assessed and categorized me.
If that is your experience, consider how a childhood label may not fully describe who you are. Children don’t hate learning. They are naturally curious and eager to discover the intricacies of the world. If you hated school, it’s because someone ingrained that into you. The good news, however, is that it’s not too late to reprogram your thinking. Will you ever be rid of self-consciousness? Probably not. Can you re-learn how to learn? Yes. Actually, you can. And you will.
You have resources!
Depending on individual state laws, teaming up with other homeschool families and/or a tutor is a perfectly acceptable way to homeschool. Also keep in mind that as children get older, there are online classes and even community college classes (usually for free early college credit!) that are available for homeschoolers to take advantage of. Homeschooling does not necessarily mean you are going to be the only teacher. It is what you make it. Do you have a friend who is also considering homeschooling? Team up! Your kids don’t even have to be in the same exact grade.
As far as the actual teaching…
If you haven’t started browsing the curriculums out there, let me go ahead and warn you how overwhelming it is. There are a lot. How do you choose the right fit? For one thing, you want to consider what type of learning is most effective for your child. On the other hand, you also need to consider what will work best for you. Personally, I chose curriculums that require little to no preparation on my part. I also chose curriculums that either provide most of the instruction or helped me learn alongside my kids. In the end, the important thing is to not be afraid of what you don’t know. In fact, I believe that not knowing everything is terrific because…
Homeschoolers learn independence early because choosing to homeschool automatically teaches them independence by example
It is absolutely okay to admit to your “student” that you don’t know the answer to a question. This is a teachable moment in and of itself because it allows you to demonstrate that grown-ups don’t have all the answers, and research is powerful. Education is teamwork in a homeschool. Your role is to guide them while they explore and learn, and sometimes you work together in order to find the answers. At older ages, homeschooled children generally have the capability to take a more direct role in their education. Chances are they will do a lot more independent work that will require significantly less instruction from you.
If you’re holding yourself back because of fear, consider the example you would be setting for your children if you decided you were capable of learning.
Inspiring, isn’t it?
Homeschooling can heal.
I cannot promise you will ever recover from a negative experience with school. We are deep into our homeschooling lifestyle and I’m about to graduate college (at 30 years old) with the highest honors, yet I still feel a certain kind of hurt and self-consciousness I will probably carry for the rest of my life. However, homeschooling has restored something
in me.
A lot, actually.
Deciding not to send my children to public school has allowed me to come to terms with the fact that I was left behind in the system. While I cannot change my history, I can take control over what my family experiences. Not only does it allow me to break a cycle, but through homeschooling, I realized I’m capable of more than I assumed I could ever handle.
In fact, one of the greatest compliments I will ever receive in life is the fact that my husband trusts me with our children’s education. He knows who I am, and he understands my weaknesses. He is also the only other person who loves and cares for our kids the way I do. He will never make a decision that might jeopardize them, yet he not only trusts me but expects me to provide them with a well-rounded and complete education. That speaks volumes.
Support is also found outside of the house when it comes to home education. The homeschool community is full of other parents who are ready to offer mentorship, encouragement, and solidarity. Everyone needs it, therefore everyone is eager to dish it. You don’t have to do this alone, and before you know it you will be in those Facebook groups and on those co-op field trips ready to offer your own encouragement to the next parent who decided to test the waters of homeschooling.
Nothing that I say will ever erase the uneasiness you feel when considering the option to homeschool. However, I can assure you from my personal experience that pushing aside this hesitancy and following through with this decision is an invigorating experience.
It reshapes the way you view yourself.
It sets an example for your children.
It heals.
It’s one of those things that cannot be explained. You just need to experience it for yourself.
Originally posted July, 2020
]]>Then COVID 19 happened, and we found this summer completely turned upside down. No visits to the public pool. No karate camp. No vacations. No beach trips. No going out with friends. Even the playground is off-limits. Aside from a week-long trip to my in-law’s lake house (by ourselves), our entire summer is kept within the confines of our home, especially as a family with vulnerable health. The kids have consumed more screen time than I ever thought I’d allow, and we are all struggling with boredom.
I gave in and decided that If I’m curious about a year-round schedule this is the year to give it a try. If anything it will open up our time to enjoy freedom once we’re able to safely go out and about again. For now, it gives the kids and me something productive to do, and both “students” are excited to have the routine.
Now that I have a 6-year-old going on 7 in a couple of months, we finally filed our notice of intent with the state. That means we now have an official school name:
Salterrae Academy
.
What does that mean? How did we come up with that?
Well.
It’s Latin for “salt of the earth”, which we took from Matthew 5:13-16. Not only is this in reference to the foundational teaching of Yeshua’s (Jesus’s) sermon on the mount, but it’s the first Bible verse my kids memorize as we repeat it every Friday night at the beginning of the Sabbath. Once we came up with the idea, it felt right. It fit our family perfectly.
As far as our curriculum…
After doing this for a few years now, I’m really loving the collection of curriculums I’ve put together. I’m a modge-podge homeschooler, meaning I’ve built our classroom from a variety of sources, pulling each subject from individual curriculums specialized in their specific subjects. For those who haven’t found their homeschooling stride, I’ll go ahead and disclaim that this isn’t the only way to teach your kids. It’s also not necessarily the cheapest (though there are plenty of tips and tricks to save money), and many homeschool families get away with significantly less than this. Some homeschoolers do the “un-schooling” thing and use no official curriculum at all. Others love curriculums that are “all in one”. The options are endless. This just so happens to be our particular flavor of education.
After the first couple of weeks of school, I am truly loving my choices, and I can already see how these curriculums are going to give us a terrific year.
What exactly am I using, and why do I love them? Here’s what we’ve got:
Math U See (by Demme Learning): If there is one curriculum I swear by, it’s this one. My son adores math thanks to this curriculum, and although I grew up hating math I’m discovering a new appreciation for numbers after using this resource. I will never say a curriculum will work for everyone, but this is one I suggest new homeschoolers try if they’re in the market. The best part? There is literally no prep on my end. It’s 100% an open-and-go curriculum.
Science In The Ancient World (by Berean Builder’s Elementary Series): I wanted a simple, hands-on, and fun science curriculum for the early years. This is definitely everything we needed. I also love the unique structure of the series, which explores the chronological development of science over time. The first book focuses on the order of creation, with each of the seven units concentrating on the theme of each day (unit one explores the science of light, unit two water, unit three botany, etc.). From there you go through history. This year our focus is science from ancient periods, and next year we will move into the era of the scientific revolution. The best part about this curriculum is the fact that each lesson has a simple and stress-free experiment designed to use materials a household typically has on hand (or can easily get a hold of). Once again, very little prep on my end aside from looking over the experiments and making sure I have what we need.
ARTistic Pursuits: I wanted to include more art this year. My kids loved our visits to the art museum, and they especially love creating. Not only am I looking forward to a year of fun art projects, but this series focuses on art appreciation as well. And one of my favorite things? They give you a list of supplies necessary for the entire curriculum (or you can buy them in a package through the store). Once they’re purchased and set aside, I’m done with any preparation the lessons require.
Our 50 States (by Notgrass History): In the past, I was committed to Tapestry of Grace. I wanted to love it, but it’s just not the right fit for us. In a way, I felt relieved when I gave up on TOG because that left us open to Notgrass. We originally found them at a homeschool conference a number of years ago. Of course, as a history buff, I fell in love with their stuff, and I should have known we’d end up using their curriculum. It definitely has my mark of approval so far. We’ll begin our Notgrass journey with US geography starting in August. They just released this brand spanking new curriculum and we are one of the first to give it a try once they ship out! It looks very promising.
Before Five In A Row/Five In A Row: We are glued to this curriculum. I just can’t get away from it. In the earliest years, it provided most of what we needed, and now it remains a foundational aspect of our school even while we gather other curriculums on top of it. The concept is simple: each week is designed around a particular children’s book. Every day you incorporate a lesson from any variety of subjects based on a concept pulled from these stories. I love this curriculum in a way that will resonate with me forever. Does this curriculum require a lot of prep and setup? Well, that depends. It can be as little or as much as you prefer. Sometimes I contribute zero prep work, while other times I plan fun activities that require a little time. But that is completely up to your discretion, and it can change from one day to the next.
Evan-Moore workbooks:
These are great for a variety of ages! My daughter wanted her own set of workbooks for schoolwork, so I grabbed an alphabet book by Evan-Moor. They have a large variety of workbooks in any subject you can think of, and so far we’ve had a good experience with everyone we’ve tried.
Stick Figuring Through The Bible (by Grapevine Studies): For our Bible studies we use a simple curriculum that focuses on familiarity with Bible stories. As we go through the Bible, the kids illustrate the scenes through stick figure drawings. My favorite part about this group, however, is their focus on biblical holidays and the Jewishness of the Bible. I love using their curriculum, I love supporting them, and having spoken to them at a conference I’m excited about future developments they have in store (such as a PaRDeS program).
All About Spelling (by All About Learning Press): I’ve struggled with finding a stress-free yet effective way to teach spelling. However, as I researched these resources, I fell in love with the All About Learning programs. The curriculum dives into the intricacies of the rules which govern phonics and spelling (in fact, by middle school students using this program are expected to understand the Latin, Greek, and Germanic roots of our language). Yet the lessons are fun, interesting, and hands-on. I’m interested to see how much my son improves in spelling. And of course, I should mention that this is yet another curriculum that requires little effort on my part.
Handwriting Without Tears (by Learning Without Tears): I feel like every other homeschooler uses this curriculum. I ended up adding it last minute when I decided I wanted to include something that specifically developed handwriting. So far it’s been great! The lessons are simple and there really are no tears! (As you can guess, this is another open and go!)
GUM (by Zaner-Bloser): Of the curriculums we have, Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics is the curriculum I’m least committed to. That’s not to say we won’t find success with it. For the most part, I think it will work just fine. It’s a workbook, which my son actually enjoys, and it has a lot of depth I’m hoping he will pick up. We’ll see how it goes!
All About Reading (by All About Learning Press): Similar to the spelling curriculum from the same company, I adore All About Reading. From phonics to comprehension, this curriculum teaches all the important components necessary for effective reading skills. Also similar to All About Spelling, the lessons are hands-on and fun. So far my son has had a blast with the activities. And of course, as if you haven’t figured out by now that I prefer “open and go” curriculums, this one requires no preparation on my part.
Tiyulim: Journeys A Hebrew Primer (by Torah Aura Productions): In our family, we want to continue improving our Hebrew. This workbook is a gentle way to practice reading Hebrew while also building vocabulary.
I’m grateful that despite current events, our new school year is off to a great start. It feels good to have something normal and routine keeping us busy as we get through a tough time. For us, homeschooling was a decision we made before having kids, so the disruption COVID caused is minimal with regard to education. However, for many parents homeschooling is suddenly a rushed decision they are attempting to understand within the next couple of weeks. And honestly, I believe people are going to find they love it way more than expected.
I’ve received a lot of messages from friends who are considering homeschooling, and I’ve had many questions thrown my way as parents weigh their options. Now that we’re in the swing of our new school year, and I’m feeling refreshed and ready, I’ll share a number of blogs explaining my perspective of questions and concerns parents have asked with regards to homeschooling.
Originally Posted July, 2020
]]>Our final itinerary ended up looking like this:
Cherokee, North Carolina
Mammoth Caves, Kentucky
Hodgenville, Kentucky (Lincoln’s birthplace and childhood home)
Nappanee, Indiana (Amish Acres)
Chicago, Illinois
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Badlands, South Dakota
Black Hills, South Dakota
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming
Little Big Horn Battlefield, Montana
Yellowstone, Wyoming
Salt Lake City, Utah
Las Vegas, Nevada
The Hoover Dam (which is in both Nevada and Arizona)
The Grand Canyon, Arizona
Santa Fe, New Mexico
San Antonio, Texas
Houston, Texas
New Orleans, Louisiana
Atlanta, Georgia
Charleston, South Carolina
It was every bit as wonderful as I imagined, and we now have lovely memories to look back on. I also have a number of tips and tricks for lengthy car rides we might take in the future (though after living a month as a nomad, I think “lengthy” is relative).
So, how did we pull off a month-long road trip? Here are the things I found most helpful…
Packing
Packing is perhaps the most frantic part of any vacation. I’m a procrastinator, and I’m always aware of the fact that I’m most likely going to forget something. I’m also a dreadful over-packer. Packing is chaos.
This time around I started preparing early without actually packing. The first step began about a month before we left (we didn’t even have our itinerary worked out at this point). My mind isn’t organized enough to make a list in one sitting, so instead, I kept a running list using a note-taking app on my phone. When I randomly thought of something we needed, I jotted it down on my list. By doing this I removed the stress of trying to recall important items in one sitting, and I had a way to stay organized while I packed. Also, I constantly reminded myself that if we were to leave anything behind we can take comfort in the fact that Walmarts are everywhere. Remembering that bit of information can bring a little calm in the storm.
Besides the basic clothes and toiletries, there were a number of items I wanted to make sure we had on hand. When packing for a road trip, I would suggest keeping these in mind for a safer and easier vacation:
Plastic bags. We took a huge bundle of them, and they proved to be useful for a number of purposes (for example they make excellent car trash bags).
Paper plates, cups, and cutlery. We picnicked a lot, so these were pretty necessary. I skipped out on plastic bowls since cups could be used as both cup and bowl.
Lunch boxes and picnic blankets (you can find really convenient picnic blankets that fold into a neat portable carrier)
Paper towels. Whether it’s a spill, general grime, or car sickness (something we did not have to deal with, thankfully!), these will come in handy.
Wipes. I carry wipes with me at all times now that we have a baby again, but keeping a spare bag in the glove box is generally a good idea, as they are useful when the car is getting a bit grubby. Also if you’re traveling in a particularly secluded area (which is a huge chunk of western United States), you may need to pull over in order to let your small child use the side of the road as a rest stop. Wipes could be a necessity in those cases.
Placing a plastic bin on the floor of the back seat really assisted in keeping our car tolerable. Lining it with a plastic bag made it a very convenient trash can that we emptied whenever we pulled over for gas. I am particularly glad I remembered this.
Thermometer – Just in case someone gets sick
First aid kit (band-aids, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, etc.). Getting a kit from the medical section of a grocery store would be the easiest way to ensure you have the majority of what you might need. I keep one in the car at all times, and it just so happened that we needed to open it for the first time during our trip (a bandage for a skinned knee).
Basic medicines such as Tylenol (both for adults and kids), allergy relief, and Dramamine. Thankfully we had no need for any of these medicines, but it’s good to have them on hand just in case.
Cash
Flashlights
Umbrella
Bug spray
Suntan lotion
1 out of season outfit per family member (surprisingly we needed this!)
I personally found that maxi skirts and dresses were the easiest pieces of clothing to pack for this vacation. While I normally prefer trips that require hiking boots and a t-shirt, we were traveling with small children and therefore couldn’t do anything too strenuous anyway. Maxi skirts provided casual and comfortable clothes to wear while out and about, and yet they could easily be made into a nicer outfit if you wanted to do something slightly more formal, such as going out to dinner. Just throw on a necklace and put your hair up. A maxi skirt/dress could easily work for two different settings.
A good rule of thumb for packing children’s clothes: Take the number of days you’ll be gone and multiply it by 1.5. That will give you a rough guess as to how many tops or onesies you should pack. For pajamas divide that number by two.
A laundry bag and laundry pods (your laundry bag could be a roll of garbage bags. Just something to separate your dirty clothes). If you’re going on a particularly long trip, you might end up using a hotel’s laundry room. If that’s the case, pods are significantly easier to carry than a container of liquid detergent.
Food
We did hit a number of great restaurants.
Ri Ra Irish pub in Vegas, Gabriel’s in Santa Fe, and Medieval Times in Atlanta were places we splurged on (and they were all fantastic). However, in order to make this road trip affordable, we did try to avoid eating out for the most part. That meant I had to consider what meals we would bring with us in addition to the snacks we munched on during the drives. Bringing a cooler gave us more flexibility in what we could prepare. It became routine to empty the water and replace the ice every morning, which wasn’t too much trouble at all, though next time we are investing in an electric one. Many hotels these days provide a microwave in some way. Most places we stayed had a microwave in the room, and when we didn’t there was usually one available in the lobby. That helped us significantly.
Our ideas for food include:
Snacks:
Dried fruits and veggies
Mozzarella cheese sticks
Hummus (as well as carrots, pita chips, and anything else to dip)
Popcorn
Pouches of yogurt
Chocolate and/or cookies (something to settle the sweet tooth cravings)
Granola bars
Apples/grapes/clementines
Horizon milk boxes for the kiddos
Crackers
Pretzels
Animal crackers
Breakfast:
Baked goods. I simply grabbed some frosted rolls from the bakery section of the grocery store, and that was breakfast for the first few days.
Nature’s Path toaster pastries (especially good if you have a microwave in the hotel room, but also good enough unheated)
English muffins. Prepare them by adding turkey and cheese before popping them into a microwave.
Yogurt
Oatmeal: use the coffee maker in your room to heat up the water
Fruit
Bagels and cream cheese
Lunch:
Sandwiches are an obvious choice. Find different ways to change the flavors you’re eating throughout the trip so as not to burn out. Every time I went to replenish supplies, I choose a different type of lunch meat (turkey, shredded chicken, and then roast beef). Play with different ingredients to liven up the taste. Ideas for more interesting sandwich toppings and spreads include sprouts, guacamole, hummus, salad dressings, horseradish (especially with roast beef), and herbs (such as fresh basil leaves).
Salads. To be completely honest, I simply grabbed pre-made (and pre-washed!) bags from the produce section.
Turkey rolls: Hawaiian bread with turkey, cheddar, and mayo (or mustard)
Tortillas give you the option to make various sorts of wraps if you want to change things up from sandwiches. It can be as simple as turkey and cream cheese, or you can spice it up by making even more complex rolls (using the same ingredients as you would a sandwich). These are also easier for road trips since you wouldn’t need to worry about squishing bread.
Bagel pizza: Squeezable pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, and turkey pepperoni. It’s a family classic for us.
Dinner:
For dinner, we ate a lot of very cheap food to avoid going out. Most of the time I ended up using something from the lunch category, but I also had a number of foods to heat up in our hotel rooms:
Macaroni and cheese
Hot dogs
Soups that can be microwaved in their containers
There are a variety of microwave meals you can bring along if you’re willing to take a cooler with you. Organic sections of grocery stores tend to have more interesting varieties (and more healthy options).
Frozen burritos
Frozen veggies
Activities for kids
One of the biggest struggles parents face when traveling is, of course, keeping the kids entertained. I’m not going to lie about our use of electronics. The tablet definitely kept our driving easy and peaceful. However, there were other things we did to try and keep our son entertained throughout the trip. In between the two car seats I provided a basket with various activities he could access, which he was involved in helping to put together. Rest stops provided space to run around. Walmarts and grocery stores can be an excuse to get out of the car and walk around during longer stretches of driving. Public parks can be a wonderful release of pent-up energy, and most major cities have some sort of children’s museum (we visited the Salt Lake City children’s museum while passing through).
Our activity bin included:
A cookie sheet with magnetized puzzle pieces. The preparation was simple. I stuck magnet strips to the back of puzzle pieces and threw them in a baggie with a cut out of the completed picture for reference.
A lego baseplate (also with magnetic strips on the back) with a small container of legos.
Rubix cube
Sticker sheets along with a small notebook to decorate (though most stickers ended up in various spots around the car)
Mess-free coloring sheets (Crayola color wonder) with their markers (markers were stored in a pencil bag)
An activity binder I put together. I printed worksheet activities and slipped them into page protectors inside a binder. I also included a pencil bag with dry erase markers, which could be wiped off of the page protectors for reuse. Ideas for pages included: Activities from letter and number writing workbooks, a map of the United States so my son could follow along and keep track of our journey, various puzzles and maze activities I found online, and coloring sheets.
Glow sticks – they were a hit when we drove into the night
Books. Of course, we brought a ton of books
Calculator. I grabbed a cheap one at the dollar store (a wonderful resource!) before we left, and it turned out to be incredibly entertaining for my 3-year-old. Particularly when his imagination turned it into a phone.
While road trips take time and require some preparation to pull off, they are amazing experiences. These little details helped get us across America smoothly, with only very minor hiccups we can laugh about as we look back. We returned home safe and sound, and we now have amazing memories to remember. I can’t wait to see how our next adventure goes!
Originally published 7/6/2017
]]>Tsipporah, which means “bird” in Hebrew, was a name on our minds for many years. Back in the early days of our relationship Jonathan and I, like most young and in love couples, would often talk about our plans for the future. I insisted that our future son be named Yehudah.
I remember the moment “Tsipporah” entered the picture rather clearly. We sat in a diner waiting for our food and having another discussion about our future (I was about 19 or so). After talking it over for what was probably the 100th time, Jonathan asked what we would do if we were to have a daughter someday. Up until that moment, I hadn’t put any thought into the possibility. I had been so wrapped up in the intuition that we were eventually going to have a boy, I had no idea what girl names I preferred for a daughter. Since I had nothing to say on the issue Jonathan simply stated that he had always liked the name “Tsipporah”.
And that was that. I figured I would think it over later and come up with my own preferences to debate over, but as we left the diner that night her name settled rather nicely in my mind. From then on further conversations about our future kids always seemed to include the idea of having a Yehudah and a Tsipporah. We were simply waiting for the right time to meet them.
The name “Ruth” came to me shortly after our diner conversation. I was observing Shavuot (equivalent to Pentecost) for the first time with the Messianic congregation we were beginning to call home. The traditional reading for this holiday is the Book of Ruth, which up until that point I had never read in full (for those who don’t know, growing up I had to journey outside of my home for religion. I didn’t have my own Bible and relied heavily on what I could pick up from youth groups and visiting the churches of whoever wanted to invite me). As I got to know Ruth during the study, I connected deeply with her journey throughout the text.
So I mentioned to Jonathan the possibility of “Ruth” as a middle name for our future Tsipporah. From then on she was (going to be) known as “Tsipporah Ruth”. When we became pregnant for the first time I fully expected a boy. The night before we were scheduled to find out the gender, Jonathan and I sat down to make our final decision on names. We sifted through both boy and girl possibilities, but the reality of the situation was I only had “Yehudah” in mind. When the ultrasound confirmed we were having a son, I wasn’t surprised in the least.
With baby number two I was less sure, but held a sneaking suspicion that we were going to have our baby girl. After all, isn’t that what we had naturally planned? At least I did. When the ultrasound confirmed her gender, I was once again not surprised. I did, however, begin to have a wave of doubt about our name choice.
When we last tossed around baby names (in our first pregnancy), we still came to the conclusion of “Yehudah Yishai” and “Tsipporah Ruth”. The same names we always talked about. Part of that had to do with the fact that I wasn’t fully committed to finding a girl’s name at that time. I was too (rightly) convinced in my mind that we were having a boy, and he was going to be our Yehudah. This time around we hadn’t revisited possible alternatives, and I began wondering if we should at least pay some thought to other names. Just in case she was meant for something we had never considered.
After leaving our appointment Jonathan went back to work, and I went back home. The more I thought about it the more bothered I became over the fact that we never gave other names a chance. Once I got home I began searching and making lists. I went through dozens of names, researching their correct pronunciations and meanings. I made a narrowed list I approved of and sent them to Jonathan, who was too busy with work to respond to my text messages.
To further my frustration I had to pause my obsessive investigation when the mail arrived. Packages are a big deal to Hudi, so when he found a box on the doorstep we both had to stop everything and see what was inside. I tore myself away from the list of names I had been playing with and begrudgingly sat in the foyer with him to open the box. As I expected, the package contained used children’s books (I emphasize “used” here). As always, when books come in the mail, Hudi and I read them immediately, so naturally he crawled into my lap and we opened up The Carrot Seed.
I already felt irritable that my attention was being drawn elsewhere (I was anxious to figure out the name situation right that moment), and almost as soon as I began reading my disgruntlement increased. I specifically choose a book marketed as being in “very good” condition. Yet there, on the second page, some kid before us had written in the book. I was trying to calm the building hormonal nerves, when I actually looked at the writing:
“Zepporia”
The writing in the book said “Zepporia”.
I was frozen and in shock for a moment. No, it wasn’t the same exact name we had been planning all these years. But it was close enough to completely halt my baby name search. “Zipporah” is the more common transliterated spelling used in English Bible translations. “Z” is the closest single Latin letter to the Hebrew letter “Tsadi” (צ), which more accurately transliterates into a “TS”. And no, we weren’t planning to add the extra “ia” at the end of the name. But, what were the chances of this? Whether the spelling is “Tsipporah”, “Zipporah”, or “Zepporia” it is not a common name here in America (none of them are listed on the social security’s top 1,000 names for 2015. I checked out of curiosity). Yet of all the used copies of this book for sale, we received the one that had a variation of her unique name scrolled across one of the pages. On top of that, the timing of this find was perfect. We just found out we were having a girl and needing confirmation on our decision I was literally pulled away from my search and redirected to our original choice. The one G-d had put on our hearts so many years before.
To add extra spin to the circumstances, I also noticed that The Carrot Seed was written by a woman named Ruth Krauss.
Snapping out of my shock I immediately messaged Jonathan with a picture of the book. There was no question from either of us that Tsipporah’s name was set in stone at this point. After my moment of concern had been followed by something I perceived as confirmation, I was finally able to settle on what the name “Tsipporah Ruth” means.
She is named after the Biblical Tsipporah and Ruth. Tsipporah, who was the wife of Moses, is a woman I find intensely fascinating and admirable. She saves Moses’ life on their way from Median to Egypt (Exodus 4:24-26), and I tend to see her as an example of strength during a hopeful, yet intimidating time.
While Tsipporah, to me, is a woman of fierce bravery and fortitude, Ruth is an exemplary woman of a patient and loving faith. When we first meet her in the Biblical narrative, she is a Moabite who was the widowed daughter-in-law of Naomi, a Hebrew. After her husband dies, she refuses Naomi’s demand that she return to her Moabite home, and declares one of my favorite verses in the Bible:
“Where you go, I go. Where you stay, I stay. Your people shall be my people, and you’re god my god“.
The magnitude of determination in that stance carried Ruth to Bethlehem with Naomi, where G-d blessed her with Boaz, an honorable and godly man who takes her as his wife.
The lives of both these women have played a crucial role in G-d’s ultimate plan for the world. Tsipporah is partly to credit for the eventual reception of Torah, and the establishment of Israel. Ruth’s commitment to Naomi, and Naomi’s G-d (our G-d), brought her into Bethlehem where she met Boaz. Together her and Boaz created a lineage that lead to King David, and eventually Yeshua (Jesus).
Whatever impact our Tsipporah Ruth has on this world, it is our hope that she establishes it through a faith that reflects something similar to the example of her namesakes. I pray that she remains a pillar of righteousness as she stands against adversaries throughout her life, just as Biblical Tsipporah stood against Pharaoh. It is also in our prayers that her relationship with Yeshua (Jesus) maintains a grounding of commitment similar to that of Ruth. Wherever He goes, she will go. Where He stays, she will stay. His people shall be her people, and may He always be her G-d.
Originally published 3/5/2017
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