It Happens All Too Fast

The Bible says "Children are ah heritage from the Lord" and I believe that to be true.  Two parents are blessed with a new baby for the first time and life comes to a screeching halt from the direction it may have been headed, only to assume a new destination filled with hairpin turns and gut wrenching twists of fate sovereignly decided by God.
The baby years I miss very little, as both our children were quite ill during that phase of life.  However those years from ages 3-10 I fully cherish and often reflect on the memories of days gone by. 

First tricycle ride
First lost tooth
First day of school
First time being able to "read" a story
First "big" disappointment
...and the list goes on and on. 

Smiles of innocence mingled with a pure trust in those parents...seeing them to be heroes able to do anything, fix any problem, provide, protect and nurture.  (If they only knew how inept, vulnerable and alone at times all parents feel, not to mention overwhelmed and at a loss of what to do next or how to proceed!  Their day is coming of course.)  :-)

Time marches on at its own pace and before you know it, you have little tweens struggling whether to play dress up and tea party or to go see a movie with friends and delve into the new and fascinating art world of wearing makeup!  Soon they are teenagers challenged by peer groups and working toward finding and defining their own identities.  Then that fateful day arrives where they become "curiously interested" in BOYS!!  Blech! 

Now the life challenges become more complex, involving emotions, physical and social changes, and an up and coming view toward the future..."what am I going to do with my life?"

Today I dropped my "babies" off for their first day of school in a new place, surrounded by different people of whom they know very few, in a different culture.  Sensing the feelings of fearing the unknown and a longing for the familiarity of the past, I felt badly, like I had done something wrong to them!  Watching each one take their individual lonely walks from the car to the entrance of the building, I couldn't help but see in my mind's eye two little girls with "Barbie" and "Blues Clues" plastic backpacks, dressed in pretty new dresses and bobby socks, hair in braids or tails, making that same sort of walk just a few years ago. 

I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat as I drove off, saying a prayer for each one, and somewhere in my mind hearing an old movie song, "Sunrise, Sunset...Sunrise, Sunset...swiftly go the days..."

All this to say...yes, children are indeed a gift from the Lord; however, the time to enjoy the gift is only for a while before the reality of "letting go" looms on the horizon.  And THAT I know I'll never quite be ready for.

Thank the Lord for your children today, hug them tightly and assure them of your love for them.  The time passes all too fast before all we have left around home are the memories of those Wonder Years.  :-)

I finally made it!

After years of only dreaming about being able to have a regular working blog site, I finally am here!  Not sure how often I'll be updating posts and such, but for now, it is a work in progress.  Please keep checking back every so often and enjoy my musings.  I welcome your comments all in the context of friendship, spirited debate, and stimulating conversation.