Two whole weeks into school and so far so good, which means the shoe should drop ANY miiiiiiiiiinute now.  Although, with the long Labor Day weekend, perhaps this is the PERFECT timing for a little time off, recharge and roll back in to our new schedules.  Time will tell and I am not counting my chickens–that is for certain!

With a senior, sophomore, 8th and 7th grader this year I can’t help but to look back and wonder, where the hell time goes.  Not to mention, that now we are at a pivotal “life event” of senior year and graduation……we are on an every-other-year trip with this!  Crap.  Just when I was getting over the physical exhaustion (some days) of parenting littles and coming to grips (some days) with the emotional exhaustion of parenting bigs, they are going to grow up and go.  I’m still processing this.  But for now…right this second…it’s good.  Because they never really were “our” kids anyway, right?  They belong to God and we are amazingly enough, given the task to raise them up, hold them close and take care of them and set them free…..crossing our fingers and praying all the prayers every second that we prepared them well and gave them every tool they need.

In the meantime, we will take a few deep breaths when that motorcycle roars out of the driveway to work/school/play.  Say a prayer of thanksgiving for sweet people when the boy asks to be picked up at the girlfriend’s house after dinner.  Again. Smile at the sight of your youngest as you pull away from the high school football game and she’s surrounded by her girls.  Chuckle at technology and the gift of “snaps” during the day from your oldest girl at the shenanigans and fun in middle school.  We’ll hold tight to those moments.  Try to be present in all the moments.  Knowing that all may not always seem to be well…..but we are given what we need.  Our task is not to control each moment, but to guide, to trust and to make the most of what we are given finding contentment in what we have.  In this we will know we genuinely did our best and let God take care of the rest.

Happy Saturday, all.

I’m off to make the most of my day and start it out by getting my hair did!

PEACE!