A bit ago, I shared with you that we're making some changes this fall. If you missed that one, click here if you'd like to catch up. No really, I'll wait.
We've been blessed to have a wonderful addition to the family for the past four or five years. She came for help with her colorguard audition in 8th grade, and has been hanging out here ever since. And you know what hit me last spring?
She's a senior.
Our sweet J will soon be moving on to her own wide open spaces. Oh man, where did the time go? The clock and calendar are stoic, harsh taskmasters, never relenting. They march right through whether or not we agree. They do not wait for our hearts to be ready, which is probably good. If they didn't... if they waited... sentimental folks like myself would be stopping time so much that nothing new would ever happen. And to tell the truth, it would get frightfully boring.
So what are we to do? I'm not ready for this particular kid to grow up and take off. Then I look around my own house, and see that the wee ones in my house will all too soon be off to school, off to college, and the rest of life as well.
J's graduation date inspired me. We're going to start living like the band director's family I wanted us to be. We'll put our own spin on things. We will have as much fun as we can. We will taste all that is offered us, because we're supposed to. After all, Christ came to give us life more abundant!
Have you ever watched kids blow bubbles? They dance around, chasing those things, drinking in their wonder. They don't sit around sad, thinking that if they waste time enjoying these, they'll just pop and be gone. I've spent far too much time fearing what might happen. Far too much time believing it's just too hard, and that maybe we just weren't meant to be what I thought.
In some ways, we weren't. But in the ways we were called to be different, we're also called to the challenge of embracing and reveling in life in the different.
To tell the truth, when I dug out my old Pride of Oklahoma CD to play for the kids on the way to take Ryan to school this morning, I was planning on coming back home. I have laundry to do in great amounts, and a promise of cookies to keep.
Thanks truly be to God for the reminder this morning that we are allowed to love what we love. He who knows the desires of our hearts delights in our enjoyment of them.
We will again strike out to "blow some bubbles" again tonight as I take the kids to a football game. All three kids by myself is something I haven't yet been willing to try, and although I know everyone understands and I had good reasons for not doing this in the past, it's time.
It's time to stand up and reach out and share some Friday night lights with my sweet babies. We are stepping out to try a new thing. If it crashes and burns, so be it! But we will try. You have my word!
Stay tuned!
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. ~Isaiah 43:19
We've been blessed to have a wonderful addition to the family for the past four or five years. She came for help with her colorguard audition in 8th grade, and has been hanging out here ever since. And you know what hit me last spring?
She's a senior.
Our sweet J will soon be moving on to her own wide open spaces. Oh man, where did the time go? The clock and calendar are stoic, harsh taskmasters, never relenting. They march right through whether or not we agree. They do not wait for our hearts to be ready, which is probably good. If they didn't... if they waited... sentimental folks like myself would be stopping time so much that nothing new would ever happen. And to tell the truth, it would get frightfully boring.
So what are we to do? I'm not ready for this particular kid to grow up and take off. Then I look around my own house, and see that the wee ones in my house will all too soon be off to school, off to college, and the rest of life as well.
J's graduation date inspired me. We're going to start living like the band director's family I wanted us to be. We'll put our own spin on things. We will have as much fun as we can. We will taste all that is offered us, because we're supposed to. After all, Christ came to give us life more abundant!
Have you ever watched kids blow bubbles? They dance around, chasing those things, drinking in their wonder. They don't sit around sad, thinking that if they waste time enjoying these, they'll just pop and be gone. I've spent far too much time fearing what might happen. Far too much time believing it's just too hard, and that maybe we just weren't meant to be what I thought.
In some ways, we weren't. But in the ways we were called to be different, we're also called to the challenge of embracing and reveling in life in the different.
To tell the truth, when I dug out my old Pride of Oklahoma CD to play for the kids on the way to take Ryan to school this morning, I was planning on coming back home. I have laundry to do in great amounts, and a promise of cookies to keep.
As I cranked up the same old CD I've loved ever since I bought it on the OU campus during All-Star Band one summer in high school, I caught myself choking back tears again. Who cries at marching band music? Good grief!
Then it hit me. If something means this much not just to me but to my husband as well, why not do everything I can to immerse the kids in it?
So after dropping Ryan at school, I found myself going straight instead of turning at the light to go home. This is where we wound up.
As we rounded the corner to the field, I reminded the kids that this is what Daddy does, and what Mommy used to do. I explained that this is something that we love, and we hope they'll think it's pretty cool, too.
So far, they do!
We watched the band rehearse for a few minutes, picking out Daddy helping the pit and J in the guard line. We got to visit with someone who is instrumental in the lives of a lot of kids... one of the life skills aids. For years, she's helped special needs kids participate in band as a part of their day. And today was no exception.
Maelynn and Richie loved getting to watch Daddy work. As they wrapped up rehearsal, we gathered ourselves and began to make our way back to the van, stopping to say good-bye to that sweet aid I was telling you about. As we left, she said, "Y'all going to the pep rally?"
I forgot! We can do that! I asked the kids, and they thought this foreign thing sounded pretty cool.
So here we were. As you can see, Maelynn loved it! She danced so joyfully with her Daddy to the stand tunes that I couldn't get a good shot of her, even with the flash!
We will again strike out to "blow some bubbles" again tonight as I take the kids to a football game. All three kids by myself is something I haven't yet been willing to try, and although I know everyone understands and I had good reasons for not doing this in the past, it's time.
It's time to stand up and reach out and share some Friday night lights with my sweet babies. We are stepping out to try a new thing. If it crashes and burns, so be it! But we will try. You have my word!
Stay tuned!
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. ~Isaiah 43:19
No comments:
Post a Comment