Today you can find me nestled deep within a mound of old quilts. Quilts, tattered and torn, patches of faded colors, passed down from my grandmother. Years of love are wrapped around me.
I look down at the quilt laid before me and touch each stitch, admiring the lines of precision and perfection. My mind wanders, imagining the graceful movements of the human hand. “Beautiful,” I whisper to myself. I greatly enjoy seeing beauty in the simplest things.
Motherhood is like a homemade quilt. The thousands of stitches that bond the fabric together were connected with hours of work. I am sure my grandmother’s hands would have gotten tired at times. At times her fingers might have grown numb with the endless in and out of stitches. Yet, she persevered. She saw the end goal and for her efforts made something beautiful. 
We, as mothers, need to remember that our efforts with our children will not go in vain. It is our vocation. Our task from God is to work hard, to strive to be holy, and to love our children. Many times we cannot see how beautiful life really is when we are only looking down at our tiny part. We can get discouraged when all we see is the moment that we are in, whether it be the meltdown our toddler just had in the grocery store, the strong willed teenager, or the piles of unfolded clothing.
I challenge you, and myself, to step back, take a deep breath, and consider the virtues that you are instilling in
your children. You are helping to shape them into a beautiful and glorious tapestry.
If you are diligent to teach your children Godly virtues, your hard work as a mother will be rewarded. I witnessed this type of reward in my own children. Our 2nd daughter is a picky eater and beans are not her favorite food item. Alas, one night we were having beans with our dinner and I knew that the eating issues would arise again. I set the beans on the table and watched my little girl’s face. When she saw the beans, she wrinkled her nose, frowned her brow, and stared at her plate. I said nothing. When she looked up at me with diligence in her eyes, I was preparing myself for her strong will, but, instead, she took a deep breath and simply stated, “Beans are not my favorite food, but I will eat them! I will be brave and show courage! I can be courageous like Joan of Arc!” I was shocked. Who was this new little girl? In amazement I watched as she took a deep breath and gulped down her beans, slightly gaging. Over the last few weeks we have been learning several different types of virtues, and here in this moment she took what she had been learning and practiced it.
Connecting the Dots: The Virtue Program of Schola Rosa: Co-op & Home Curriculum brings the beauty of God in everyday life into the student’s weekly lessons. The Schola Rosa Virtue program provides 28 Virtue Training Guides gives parents the tools to help their students practice and learn virtues. Schola Rosa encourages parents to train their children not only in the typical educational subjects but also in virtue.