"Thar Be Ways!'… Most Certainly!
A Tribute to Kathy Meyer
 By Laurie Coker

"This is my community, now!" I remember Kathy Meyer stating this as we were saying our good-byes by our curb on Academy Street five or six years ago. She was referring to how gratifying it had been to find such a community of friends among the home educators in Winston-Salem at that time. During this period, there were only sixty or so families on the FHE roster, and, as it always goes, the proportion of folks who consistently involved themselves in available activities was yet smaller. That made it easy to know the other families who wanted to avail themselves of cooperative educational experiences. It was a nice community then. We began having our first Mother's Nights Out, and the skating rink on Peter's Creek Parkway was usually packed with our kids one night each month during the school year.

In the years that have ensued, and especially the last three, FHE, like support groups all over the state, has seen its numbers grow phenomenally. The growth has made new issues the focus of our volunteer-leadership meetings each year. How could we keep ourselves somewhat cohesive so as to offer services and activities to a mailing list of nearly 300 families? And how do we resist the temptation to over-regulate as our denominations grow (this has happened in some support groups--for instance, would you like to have your name on a waiting list for a limited-membership support group?)?

We managed our growth because of the dedication of Kathy Meyer to her beloved community. She was brilliant and efficient. She had a knack for anticipating the trends and their consequences. She was sensitive to the heart and soul of her membership, yet she knew how to set safeguards to carefully guide our growth. She wanted to protect the independent spirit that characterized our group while cherishing its consecration to God. And, if she ever lost her enthusiasm for home education, none of us ever saw it!

It's not easy to know everyone on our group anymore, yet FHE still serves its role in keeping the masses informed and providing a directory (so you can at least locate some families who might populate your part of Forsyth County!). Mostly, it is a conduit through which anyone who wishes can have a part in enriching the educational experiences of other families. Through the years, Kathy's open invitation to create an activity and welcome your friends has been well received. This is how we all have wanted it, and because of the pure motivation of love, God has honored our wishes.

Kathy, husband Frank, and their youngest son Loren have "graduated" from holding class in their home school (reassuringly named "Thar Be Ways") to the next phase of their lives. They've bought a small farmstead in Surry County. Kathy is no longer cultivating relationships in the service of FHE. She hopes (sooner rather than later!) to be cultivating the land they are now blessed with. Anyone who knows Kathy well knows how much she loves to make beautiful things grow, so we are very happy for her. But she will be missed, her long Scandinavian blonde braids and ruddy cheeks and easy smile. One thing is to be said for Surry County now… "Thar's gold in them hills!"

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