It’s a beautiful and very warm Sunday afternoon as I sit
here at my desk, trying to stay cool in shorts and a tank top, while a fan
blows semi-cool air my way. I would
rather be outside enjoying the sunshine, and I was out earlier this morning to
tend to my gardens, but by 11:00 a.m. it was just too hot. If not for my own sake, I had
to finally head inside for the sake of my dog, Piper, who just can’t handle the
type of heat we’re expected to get today (around 95 degrees).
I don’t know what sort of summer we’re expected to have in
the Pacific Northwest this year, and I do hope it’s a good one, but I really
don’t want a repeat of last year with temps too high for so long that our whole
yard was burned and crispy so that it was no longer enjoyable to walk outside
barefoot. Greens were hard to come by so
that the deer were desperate for food, even going so far as to tear my tomato
plants out of the ground.
We’re about to begin a new season, and with the beginning of
summer, I’m also preparing myself for another type of season, or phase in my
life. Our youngest is graduating high
school this week and after 23 years, I’m moving on from our small-town schools,
parent-teacher conferences, school dances, sporting events, booster clubs, and
other school events. There’s a real mixture
of feelings when you actually think about the fact that all of your kids are
out of high school.
When our children graduate high school, we tend to look
backwards almost as much as we look ahead. We think about how quickly they have grown. How it didn’t seem that long ago when we felt
a mixture of excitement and fear as we handed them off to the teacher on their
first day of school. How we tried our
best to balance teaching them about life with letting them learn on their own. How much we worried about them and only ever
wanted them to always have great days and good experiences.
And we look at these amazing individuals who have grown into such wonderful human beings, and we are ever so thankful we somehow did more right than wrong so that they actually turned out okay.
Am I a bit nostalgic today?
You bet I am.
I’m also in a bit of shock when I think about the fact that
I’m the mother of two grown men.
There’s a lot to be said about the change in seasons when it
comes to our lives. From newlyweds, to
parents with a busy family life, to empty-nesters who eventually become
grandparents before moving on to retirement, there are a number of times when a
new phase in life makes us stand still for just a moment as we take stock in
what we’ve accomplished and what we’re about to move on to next. These phases bring a mixture of nostalgia, as
well as excitement in what’s to come.
I’m admittedly pretty stuck in my ways and usually change is
hard for me. But when it comes to change
as it involves a new phase in my life, I feel more excitement than fear. Usually, we fear change due to what we
believe we have to give up, rather than looking forward to what may be gained. While this change has caused me to spend time
reflecting on what has passed, I am ready for this new phase and I eagerly look
forward to the future.
Whatever phase in life you’re in, I hope it brings you more
excitement than fear.
Have a great week!
