By Sally Clarkson

3/2/23

Review by: Ashley Davis

Are you a homeschool mom looking for some encouragement to make it through the end of the school year? If you responded with a wide-eyed, desperate, coffee-sloshing nod, then grab yourself a copy of Seasons of a Mother’s Heart.

One of the wildest things about this book is that it was written in 1998; that’s 24 years ago at the time of this writing. The world has shifted quite dramatically in the last couple decades, yet the truth, encouragement, and ideals that Sally Clarkson shares in this book are withstanding the test of time! If you know me in real life (whatever that means! Lol) or if you’ve read my other reviews of Sally Clarkson’s books, I tend to describe her as an extreme idealist, overly-optimistic, almost Polly-Anna type person. She has some very picturesque ideas of what motherhood, ministry, and homeschooling can look like, and I tend to feel like she “should-ed” all over my life when I read her books. That was not the case with this book. I think that’s because this book was written when she was in the thick of motherhood and homeschooling; she still had children in the home during the writing of this book. Many of her other books that I’ve read were written after her children had already turned out to be successful, Christian adults. It’s easy to look back with rose-colored glasses when you’re made it through. But this book was written in the middle of this season in Sally Clarkson’s life and you can tell, and I like it!

Seasons of a Mother’s Heart is broken into four sections, each with three chapters, that mirror the seasons of the year: Spring – the season of renewal; Summer – the season of response; Fall – the season of resolve; and Winter – the season of reflection. Sally takes homeschooling moms through a journey of celebrating the life God has given, submitting their will, and walking beside still waters with Christ. By the end of the twelve chapters, readers will have learned how to be more sympathetic toward their children, be free from guilt, how to endure with grace, and so much more. There was a great combination of personal anecdotes and scriptural influence in this book. The rich content here is best absorbed with a pen, highlighter, and Bible at hand!

Each chapter concludes with some “Thoughts from the Living Word,” scriptures for referencing, journaling prompts and questions, space to write some thoughts, Sally’s personal “Thoughts on the Living Word,” a personal application, and a family application. This book could easily be adapted into a full-on curriculum for the homeschooling mother. Readers could get A LOT out of it. Sally’s conclusion questions are thorough and thought provoking.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Seasons Of A Mother’s Heart

“Contentedness is learned in the process of daily accepting life as God gives it to you and adjusting your expectations to life's limitations” (11).

“We are encouraged to transcend the ‘limited’ role of homemaker and mother to reach for ‘something higher.’ Yet, no matter how good that ‘something higher’ might appear to be, it ultimately will leave the one who reaches for it empty-handed if it violates the will of God” (22).

“The joys get lost in the blur of too many activities, and dimmed by a nearsightedness that sees only the housework that must be done, the educational goals that must be achieved, and the needs that must be met” (87).

“We lose sight of the sovereign God who shepherds our children, and we focus narrowly on what we are or are not doing, worrying unnecessarily and vainly, ‘It's all up to me!’ We inadvertently begin to think we are just as important as God in our children's lives” (163).

“Waiting on the Lord is an active, involved process during which the one who is waiting prays, obeys, and trusts God. We would have no reason to seek God if we always got what we wanted when we wanted it. God graciously makes us wait, though, so we will seek him and find him. We sometimes need that extra time to realize he is what we really need” (186).