"Homeschool Heart" edited by Denise Askelson

It was a gift; a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. The recipient wasn't exactly sure why she had received this gift until she read the inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of
their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny
bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you
spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered
by the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As
one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to
work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the
book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our
lifetime because t here is so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend
he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the
morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for
three hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I'd
built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.
And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add,
"You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're
doing it right. And one day, it is possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have been blessed to build, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the life-long prayers for our children.