"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1
Well, that's a comfort.
As you can tell by my long absence, this has been a busy season for me - and a long one. My kids are young (5 and 7) and the days just seem to get away from me. I will also admit that we have the slowest upload speeds at the house, so posting any kind of pictures takes HOURS! But even so, this season has been one of sacrifice.
But it is only a season.
The sacrifices I have made have not only been those of motherhood. I am a wife, a member of a church, a volunteer. I am a friend, a daughter, a sister, and a mentor. I am an educator and a librarian. And let's not forget that I am a chauffeur.
My kids go to a University-Model school. This means they are in school twice a week and they homeschool with me the other three days. I am a volunteer at the school and run the library, purchase and catalog the curriculum, create the yearbook, plan fundraisers, and other odd jobs. My kids are in a sign language club, a swim club, and a science club. My husband and I do ministry to college students at the university where he teaches. He is the adviser for a fraternity, a game club, and a broadsword club. I only help with two of those, but that is enough.
I thought baby season was hard. It was, in different ways. This season is not only about keeping fragile little people alive, but in training them to be followers of Christ and people of character. My children are learning who they are, their uniqueness, both strengths and weaknesses. We are opening up the world a bit more to them, a world of music, natural wonders, and community.
All this makes Mama tired. Thankfully, I have a partner.
Speaking of which, we celebrated 10 years of marriage this summer! This is us at Caddo Lake Stake Park.
When I think about the season I am in, I can look at it a few different ways. One is to think of all the things I would like to do that I can't get done: writing more, reading more, taking more classes, taking walks by myself, traveling more, etc. Another is to think of all the things I used to not be able to do due to the season I was in: I read and wrote even less when the kids were not in school; I saw my friends less, etc. But my favorite way to look at any season is not really a comparison.
Every season it beautiful in its own right. At the moment, I get to pour myself out as a drink offering to God in the lives of my children and to others at their school. I get to see friends when I take my kids to their various clubs. I recently joined a choir for the first time in over 8 years (I was afraid I forgot how to sight-read!). My kids are at an age where we can play harder games, I can introduce them to older books, and we can almost walk at the same pace (they seem to run/amble while I go at a steady rate- but it evens out in the end). I'm enjoying that they will still cuddle with me even if they are too big to hold in my arms like babies. I am so happy that they are good travelers, even though the "Are we there yet?" still happens, a lot. This is a season where my girls are learning more chores and are beginning to level up in responsibility. Both take music- in fact, last week all 4 of us made music together for the first time! Daddy on the piano, Molly and me on the violin, and Milli singing!
This season is one that I waited for when my babies were babies. Now that it is here, I long for times when I can hold them the way I once did and I miss breastfeeding.
But I'm happy in this season. I try to be happy in every season. It's a choice I make every day.
I don't know what season you are in at the moment. I hope it is one in which you can choose happiness. If it is a season of trial or pain, then I would love to pray with you, listen to your story, and hold your hand as you walk through it. And let me encourage you that this is only a season. Another will come. Soon.
