When I started writing here in 2008, our children were 5, 3, and 1. I used this space to share precious pictures, tell funny stories, and find ways to link them all with God and His Word. It was a way to share these things with friends and family that wouldn't have seen them any other way. Very quickly, it turned into a space where I could process what the Lord was doing in my heart and mind through my children and our world.
This past weekend, I took that five-year-old to college and left him nine hours away from me. Goodness, I have some processing to do. Naturally, I've come here to do it.
When Caleb was in PK4, he had a precious and knowledgeable teacher. Her name was Ms. Ruth, but Caleb called her Ms. Roof. (I could write for days and days about all of the ways my children said certain words the wrong but better way.)
Ms. Ruth had older children. Therefore, any time she gave suggestions or parenting tips and hacks, I was all in. I am a teacher, but I'm also a pretty good student. As a new parent, I was always looking for best practices from those that parented well.
Around the time of PK Graduation, I was talking with Ms. Ruth at her door about my "sadness" that Caleb was already going to Kindergarten. I said something like, "This is so sad. He's already off to real school, and he'll be graduating before I know it." I'll never forget how quickly Ms. Ruth said,
Don't be THAT parent, Amy. Enjoy every season as they come, because they're all wonderful. Otherwise, you'll get to Graduation sad that you hadn't enjoyed a single one out of anticipation of it being over.
I was stunned at the harshness. She put me in my place in a hurry. Ms. Ruth wasn't being mean. She was actually being quite kind. I'm just not sure many would have been bold enough to say what I needed to hear.
I'm so thankful she did. And, if you've ever been in a Bible study with me, you've heard me share it over and over. It was meaningful to me. Her words stuck like glue to my very soul. I remembered them at every milestone, and they caused me to pause and enjoy the moment.
Ms. Ruth wasn't disagreeing with the thought that time would fly by, or that Caleb's Graduation would happen way too fast. That part is true! There's no way around it. The tiny baby I held in my arms in 2003 became the man I hugged for dear life in the parking lot of a college dorm in the blink of an eye!
But, the moments in the middle have been pretty special - precious, joy-filled, hard, beautiful, exciting, difficult, and a million other adjectives. I feel like I enjoyed them all! I'm just not sure I would have if a PK teacher hadn't cared enough to tell me what I needed to hear. I didn't love it in the moment, but it impacted my life for good.
So, on Saturday night, we hugged our Caleb, got in the car, and didn't pull out of the parking lot until the door to his dorm closed. And, we cried! Then, I made my mental list of things I want to enjoy about the moment. Thankfully, this list is long.
Our next season will look different, but we are still here to enjoy it. I had my moments with Caleb as a baby, toddler, adolescent, and teenager. I'm thankful for them, but they are done. Now, I get to learn how to enjoy new moments. I feel certain the Lord will lead me, because this was all His plan anyway.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven,
Ecclesiastes. 3:1
No comments :
Post a Comment