College Prep

Doesn't seem all that long ago, that this beautiful young woman was a baby in my arms, now suddenly, she's looking at colleges, thinking about her future and we are moving towards a new phase in our lives!  The past two Saturdays we've been on campus visits and it has me thinking about how those decisions affect the rest of our lives.  As a parent, it's hard to let them make such life changing decisions, while you stand by on the sidelines, but we are learning each day that the decisions she makes are rooted in what she's learned growing up and learning to trust her is a whole new phase of parenting.  After a college visit yesterday, I took Mark, Ross, and Tess rock climbing and thought about how climbing that wall is a lot like where Jill is in her life.  We still want to be the harness but instead, we are the belayer.  We hold the rope to catch her when she falls but she is the one charting her course, finding the footholds, and aiming for the top.  There are moments when she will still sit back in the harness and let us hold her.  There are moments when she may listen as we tell her to put her foot on the red foothold, but there are also moments when she will be able to see a better path from her viewpoint than we can from the ground looking up.  It's a whole new kind of faith and trust that a parent begins to experience, but just like the rock climbing we did yesterday, it's an experience I don't want to miss. 

Fireplace

It was finally cool enough this evening to light a fire in the fireplace and with it, I began to feel my stress level reduce!  Of course, that might also have to do with the fact that the homework load was light and the kids were happy!  Fireplaces bring back memories for me.  Memories of snowstorms and making refried beans over the fire with my sister, memories of it being so hot at Grammy and Dandy's because there was a fire in the fireplace that we opened all the doors, memories of laying on the floor in front of the fire at mom and dad's, memories of playing Laura Ingalls in the basement with the kids and popping popcorn over the fire, memories of the ice storm a couple of years ago and the never ending fire in the basement to keep warm for a week!  To me, the fireplace is the heart of the home.  When we sit by the fire, whether with a book, a computer, a ball of yarn, or a lap full of kiddos, life seems simplier.  So tonight, duraflame log and all-I welcome Fireplace weather and simplier life! 

Football

Kenny Chesney sings a song about the Boys of Fall.  As I write this tonight, I hear the sounds of cheering from the basement as the boys are absorbed in Monday night football.  It has me thinking a little about life.  Why is it that we can be passionate about our sports but not always about other areas of life that greatly affect either ourself or those around us?  What do we do when life throws us an interception?  For me, I try to take that ball and run with it but there are so many times when I feel like I am being run down and tackled.  I'm trying to change my perspective on that and think instead of reaching that goal line.  It used to be easy to see that goal but as the kids are growing older, the line gets more difficult for me to see.  I think I've lost sight of where the goal is because it hasn't changed.  My greatest desire is to see that my children are walking with the Lord!  When they were little the steps to the goal line seemed pretty simple.  Learn to walk-check, learn to talk-check, learn to read-check, play outside-check, pray the simple childhood prayers-check and before you knew it, we were within touchdown range!  Now that we are close to making that touchdown, the steps get more difficult, they affect the rest of our lives and I want to hold on because, not only do I not want to be tackled, I don't want my children to be tackled either.  I want to wrap them up in football gear so they don't get hurt but then I am reminded that they have something much more effective than football gear-they have the armour of God!  As long as we keep that armour on, not only do we score a touchdown, we stay in the red zone everyday because our relationship with Christ has him as the strongest Linebacker, the best Defensive End, and more importantly, if I really listen to Him and His desire for our lives, He'll call the plays that drive us towards the ultimate touchdown!  

Today

It seems as though life is speeding by at record pace and as life speeds along, we can get lost along the way.  I was inspired to start a blog, mainly for myself, to capture the parts of each day that make me step back and say, "wait a minute, I don't want to miss this moment".  There were two such simple events today but to me, they seemed as vital to me as the oxygen we breathe.  The first was we all sat down together to eat dinner and for a few short moments, we were all in the same room, at the same time.  No one was rushing out the door, gettting a text message, or otherwise disengaged.  Those moments are becoming few and far between.  The second was taking 30 minutes out of a hectic evening to put on a sweatshirt and walk in the crisp fall air, with my husband and baby girl (o.k., she's 10 but always my baby), by my side.  I'm trying to treasure these moments as they are all gone too quickly.