We have met great opposition. There are magnet parents who worry that their children would be forced to be taken out of magnet schools and put into these schools and wouldn’t receive the same benefits they have now. To those parents I want you to know we do take these concerns with great compassion, and it is my understanding that the board for the new district wants to build every school in the district to have the awesome benefits of the few magnet schools in the area. And I know that can happen. The magnet program is one thing the parish has done well, but stopping thousands of students from getting a quality education so 1,500 displaced students can stay in the magnet program just isn’t fair. Children shouldn’t have to win a lottery to get a good education.

Some believe it would racially divide Baton Rouge, and if you know me, you KNOW I would NOT be for something that promoted racial division. That is the direct antithesis of everything I stand for. However, combining the records of present public school attendance, population data and the numbers of white children who live in the area that go to private schools, we truly believe that the racial divide will be about 50/50 in the new district (which is much better than the 80black/20white as it currently stands).

Some people just want to give the EBRPSS more time to work it out. I can tell you that the last thing this parish needs is more time. They have had PLENTY of time at the expense of hundreds of thousands of kids getting some of the worst education in the country. Louisiana ranks 49 out of 50 states for education, and our parish is one of the worst in the state. Between the crazy fiscal irresponsibility, the changes in leadership every 3-4 years, the politics… It’s enough. Enough is enough. We are taking back our schools, our kids, and our community.

Finally, I want to tell you what the new school district would mean to our family. I can throw facts and figures out at you all day, but what matters to me most is my kids… Here is my letter to you:

I have a beautiful special needs son adopted from Uganda, a brilliant and gifted daughter, and a baby boy. My daughter needs a program that will challenge her, while my older son needs a program that will come along side him and help him to be the best he can be. Currently my family’s community school is Westminster which has a “D” rating. Even if it worked to send my special needs son there, I would have to ship my daughter to a different school to get her an education at a gifted program or magnet school that would benefit her best. Putting a five year old little girl on a bus at 6:30 am to be brought to a transfer station, to sit and wait for another bus, to finally get to two school hours later is acenine. Then her getting home at 4:30-5pm after 9-10 hours of being away from home is simply lunacy. If I am forced to send my children who are one grade level apart to two different schools, she will be forced to ride the bus because I cannot be two places at once, and this is unacceptable.

My family needs ONE school that fits all our needs, closeby our home. We need one place that will give my special needs son all that he requires to grow, my gifted daughter all that she needs to be challenged and learn, and a place my youngest can go in a few years that no matter his needs, we know they will be met. There is NOT ONE SCHOOL in EBRP that meets these requirements! This is unacceptable!!

It is unacceptable that we keep pouring our tax money into a system that keeps making the same poor choices over and over and over again, stuck in the “old school” way of doing things, run by the same ways of thinking and politics. It is time for a community school district where children go to neighborhood schools, where children can get a great education at just a regular school where they don’t have to win a lottery to gain entry. It’s time for kids to go to school with their neighbors, with their friends from right down the street. One reason schools in large metro areas like Houston are still good is because they are broken into smaller districts rather than one huge lump. It makes sense!

If a bill passed that helps just 1,000 students get vouchers for private schools, I beg you to support this one that will help tens of thousands of children get a quality education. Our only other choice is to move out of the parish and away from our family. It will be such a shame if Baton Rouge continues to lose the best and brightest kids because their parents refuse to be part of the system that no one will help us fix.

Please support this amendment, for me, my family, and the tens of thousands of other families whose kids deserve a quality education.

I would love to discuss this further with anyone who has questions or concerns. Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email at meghanmatt@gmail.com.

Also, you can check out this interview I did with a local news station here.

Check out the Facebook page here and feel free to ask any questions or voice any concerns and a member of the board will try and get back with you.

Or sign the petition to help this bill pass here:

Who are these beautiful people, you ask? Well, I am thrilled to tell you about them! Meet Nathan, Jade, Maddix, Sophie and Ezra Metz. They are a family with an unbridled passion for the Father. As parents, Nathan and Jade teach their children about Jesus with their words, but more importantly in their actions- how they serve each other, their children, and their community. They inspire me in a million ways and I feel so blessed to call Jade my friend. We met on our Ugandan adoption journey when she was there to bring home that gorgeous little hunk, Ezra. If you know my story you know that I got stuck there for 3 months and a good deal of that time was spent with my “boo boo” Jade.

That experience has interlaced our lives together for eternity, and now her family is on another journey of adoption- though this one is quite different. She tells the story so well I would rather you just hop over to her blog and read her post from yesterday (April 22)… But a quick version is that they have been matched with a birthmom and the baby will be born May 2! Almost all of their expenses this time are taken care of but they have about 3 days to raise the remaining funds.

Would you consider partnering with them through prayer, and possibly financial donation? Honestly, this baby could not be going to a better family and I am so excited about all God has in store for him/her. You want to be part of this story! Check out her blog post from yesterday, but read through some of her other posts and be ready to be floored by this sweet, amazing, beautiful family who lives to bring Christ praise!

Since today is the big launch (woooo!) of the e-book, I thought it would be fitting to write another letter knowing what I know now. Here it is….

Dear Mother,

You must be exhausted. Mothering is hard work! I want to encourage you today that no matter how tired you are, no matter how bad the day was or how many times you didn’t do things like you planned, God’s mercies are new each morning. Put your failures to bed with the kids, ask for forgiveness, and wake up renewed, refreshed and redeemed. Between the laundry, housework, home work, diaper changes, grocery runs, after school activities, lunch packing, dinner making, and husband pleasing, its nearly impossible to feel like the amazing and hot mama that you are!

Remember, you were created with a purpose! Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a career mom juggling an office and kids, your purpose remains. It’s daunting, yes. It seems nearly impossible some days. Those moments you break down in tears and just wonder if it will ever pass, it will.

I promise, it will.

The baby will stop screaming. He will eventually sleep. The child will one day be sweet and obedient. The house work will get done. You will get to take a shower.

Sometimes Murphy’s Law kicks in and everything you don’t want to happen will happen. On those days, find laughter.

Choose joy.

Remember that there are women all over the world that live on pennies a day, without a car to complain about driving kids in, or a home to complain about being messy. Those women find their joy in the Lord and that joy spills out over their families. I have witnessed moms with almost nothing that we consider “necessities” yet they were so much happier than we are. I often wonder if a simpler life makes for an easier, less complicated life…

But at the same time, don’t discount your hard times and your feelings. They are real and they matter to God. Your tears matter, your situation matters, every moment matters.

So love those babies of yours with every fiber of your being. Give them your everything and let Jesus fill you back up. Take time for yourself when you need it and don’t feel guilty about it- not one tiny bit. And if you’re in a season where you can’t leave the kids much, find a book or tv series you love and escape to it when you need a break… Let your mind do the wandering even if your body has to stay put.

On the hardest, most trying days I think about the women who have lost children. I think about how so very blessed I am to have three beautiful, healthy kids whose biggest problem in life is what they’re going to choose to eat out of all their various options in our nice, cool, comfy home. And when I lay the last baby down for bed at night and kiss their little forehead, I thank God that He trusts me with them. And I bet that in their own little way they thank God for us, too.

Your children love you. They love you passionately. They love you unconditionally. They love you with grace that you probably don’t understand (I know I don’t). Don’t ever let yourself believe otherwise.

Motherhood isn’t easy, but wow… It is worth it. It is SO worth it. It is worth it in ways only mothers can understand. So love them today and let them love you back.

Sincerely,

Meghan Matt- a mother on a mission of love.

Now all of you who are reading this, click on the little Mother Letter graphic on the top left of my page and buy the e-book! Or click on the below picture… Please buy it through these links so that i can get my affiliate credit It is only $6.99 today and will make an excellent Mother’s Day gift for all the mamas in your life! There’s a letter in there for everyone, I assure you.

Get to reading

The last scene was the perfect ending, and the words they spoke were so good I went back and typed them up. I feel like the last few months God has been stirring something up inside of me, and as I have gone through a dry season it has been preparation for a season of His breath on my life, of harvest, of reaping.

So these words really hit on that, and I wanted to share them with you:

It’s the oldest story in the world. One day you’re 17 and planning for someday, and then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life.

We spent so much time wanting, pursuing, wishing. But ambition is good. Chasing things with integrity is good. Dreaming…

If you had a friend you knew you’d never see again, what would you say? If you could do one last thing for someone you love, what would it be? Say it. Do it. Don’t wait. Nothing lasts forever.

Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want. Everything you want.

Do you have it? Good, now believe it can come true.

You never know where your next miracle is going to come from.

The next memory. The next smile. The next wish-come-true.

But if you believe that it’s right around the corner, and you open your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it…

You just might get the thing you’re wishing for.

The world is full of magic, you just have to believe in it.

So make your wish.

Do you have it?

Good. Now believe in it.

With all your heart.

It was the most incredible little girl birthday party ever and I am so happy with how it turned out and how much fun my princess had. Here’s a glimpse…

But we had three major moments with Moses yesterday-

1. After years of traumatic experiences with doctors in Africa and being TERRIFIED of anything related to doctors, hospitals, etc., we brought him to the doctor yesterday and he was happy the whole time! There was a lot of coaching beforehand from us, his teachers and therapists. His OT even made him a “social story” book all about it and his teachers involved the class and read it to him and talked all about going to the doctor. Presley was a super helpful sister and let the doctor do everything to her first so he could see it wasn’t scary. And our pediatrician is absolutely amazing… He works with us every time to make it easy for Moses and is always so kind and gentle and patient, and yesterday it finally went well with him. Win!

2. Moses pumped his legs on the swing! We have been working on this since he got home and he finally did it for  more than two seconds. It’s the little things around here, people Moses turned six last week but socially, emotionally, physically and behaviorally he is about 2-4 years old. So many people don’t “get” that but it’s something we all have to realize. Things like pumping his legs on a swing, understanding what that does- the action and the reaction… This is a major accomplishment for us.

3. Moses pushed the pedals on his bike and made it go all by himself! Many people don’t understand that this child has such little muscle mass that even holding a crayon takes every bit of strength in his little body. We and his therapists have been working so hard to build up his muscles, so his being able to push the pedals and propel himself forward is HUGE. Huge huge huge huge huge! I was literally screaming and jumping up and down in the driveway like a maniac and the neighbors probably thought I was crazy, but I don’t care.

A friend posted something on Facebook yesterday and I wanted to share it here, too:

“People often commend us for having “special needs children” and tell us how “hard” it must be….you know the truth? The really HARD stuff is not even related to the child, it is holding people accountable-agencies, services, schools, doctors, it is never being heard, it is the lack of understanding by family and friends, it is the endless paperwork and insurance……The playing with them, watching them learn, witnessing miracle after miracle, and being taught a whole new way to see life- that is NOT the hard part.”

Special needs children and parents are some of the most misunderstood people on the planet. People think they know things because they watched a tv show or read an article online… They spend an hour with the child here and there and think they know better than the parents who spend every minute of every day either with the child or researching ways to help him. IEP committees and principals and boards and other adults of influence try and force their opinions. Insurance companies protest things that are necessary. People are disrespectful and rude when you try to explain things they just don’t understand. Hours and hours and hours and hours are spent going over the same concepts over and over and over and over and it never clicks.  It’s enough to make you crazy… And then you have a marriage and other children to pour into and you feel guilty when your emotions go wild.

But then you have moments like the moments yesterday… They are things most people don’t think twice about. I don’t remember ever cheering when Presley figured out how to pump her legs on the swing… But these little miniature miracles bring so much purpose to all the pain we experience as we fight for our sweet boy and as we learn to love him through all the challenges.

Adoption isn’t easy and it isn’t the easy picture painted by movies and the media when celebrities bring home babies. (Though I find it absolutely.freaking.FANTASTIC that adoption has gotten so much press lately.) But it’s worth it. On even the hardest of days, it is worth it.

Because you get to experiences these little miracles that all the rest of the world would miss. And because God adopted us ALL into his family and sent His only Son to die for us in all of our messy, ugly, disgusting sin. And THAT is beautiful, my friends. That is beautiful.

I hope that you will visit the website (motherletters.com) and buy the book when it is released, either for you or for a mother in your life. A portion of the proceeds will go towards the Mercy House in Kenya! And while you’re there, read the story of why Seth did this for his wife- it’s way cool!

They’re also doing a photo contest that starts today that anyone can enter. Read about it and get to tagging with #MotherLetter.

I love all this mother love. Now go hug a mama… She might need it.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way I can say what’s been bothering me for a long time now. As a stay-at-home mom, I rarely ever just sit in front of the TV and veg out, but it is often on at my house as I go about my daily activities. It is concerning to me how anyone who speaks out against Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, agnostics, etc. is so quickly referred to as hateful and they are condemned for feeling that way. But God help a Christian who speaks out or simply answers a question about their beliefs because they will basically be hung in the town square for going against what “society believes.”

Furthermore, Proposition 8 was voted on by California voters and the majority ruled in favor of it. How does one judge- one man- have so much pull that he can overturn an amendment that so many people were in favor of? Didn’t “society” show how they felt there? (Once again, I am not stating how I feel one way or the other- just the hypocrisy.)

The double standard is disgusting. I will not speak to whether I agree or disagree with Kirk Cameron and the comments he made about homosexuality. But what bothers me is that he was asked a question on something and he answered it in accordance to his beliefs. He did not bring it up, and he was not shouting about gay people going to Hell or anything vicious. Now he is being crucified in the media and by former “friends” for simply stating what goes along with his religious beliefs. Isn’t America a nation of religious freedom? What if Piers Morgan had asked a Jewish rabbi? Wouldn’t the rabbi have said something along the same lines? Would the media have freaked out on the rabbi for his beliefs? NO! What if an atheist was asked what he thought about Christianity? Would he have been persecuted for simply stating his beliefs? NO! So why is it that the Christian is always the one getting the verbal lashing all over the media? Why is what Christians think “hate speech” but anything against Christians perfectly fine?

Once again, NOT stating whether I do or do not support Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, etc. (you’d be surprised at my political beliefs) but anytime they speak on their Christian views they are relentlessly harassed and made fun of in the media. Things they say are taken out of context and twisted all around in political rhetoric that makes me want to vomit. The same thing was done to Bush. But President Obama- a member of the “United Church of Christ”- can talk about God all he wants in his prayer meetings and speeches to Christians and it doesn’t matter, because he is still pro-abortion and for “women’s rights.”

On a side note, I will say I don’t believe ANY person has the right to choose whether another person should live or die- from the MOMENT of conception or any other way. And I do believe each life matters- those in the womb, those in the ghetto, those in Cambodia, those on Wall Street. Every life matters. But that’s for another day.

Getting back… I know the Bible speaks of how Christians will be persecuted and abandoned, and that’s been happening since the beginning of time. What I do not understand is why in a country where religious freedom and expression is so fiercely defended, and where we celebrate differences, why then is ok for people to bash Christians and their beliefs, but not ok for Christians to disagree with things non-Christians believe. What’s the difference?

(I am NOT talking about the Bible beaters who scream at people that they are sinners and will burn in Hell. Those people ARE hateful and in no way exemplify the Jesus that I serve. I am referring to those who simply state their opinion on social matters related to the world today.)

Why is it not ok for Christians to disagree with a gay lifestyle, but perfectly ok for the media to bash a Christian belief system? Homosexuals state that this is who they are, it’s how God created them. Christians believe homosexuality is a choice. Christians believe that Christianity is who they are, and how they were created to be. Perhaps homosexuals believe Christianity is a choice. I just don’t get the double standard.

Personally, I know that Jesus loves all people. Gay people. Straight people. Prostitutes. Drug dealers. Stay at home moms. Working moms. Drunk people. Judgemental people. Christian people. Muslim people. ALL people.

I also know what the Bible says about homosexuality, abortion, gossip, judgment, hateful speech, creation, etc…  I can’t explain it all and I don’t want to be able to. If I had all the answers then I wouldn’t need God, and goodness gracious- I need God!

I just want for Christians to receive the same respect that non-Christians do when they speak their mind.

Is that too much to ask?

I’d love to hear from you on this as long as we can keep it kind. Any vicious or mean comments won’t be tolerated here from EITHER side.