The ties that bind <3

At some point in the early stages of all three of our children being grown and flown, I found a study called “How to Thrive in the Empty Nest”. I ordered it immediately.

Having been mostly a stay-home mom; the blank calendar, decreased laundry load and table for two each night for dinner had displaced me and I knew I needed to refocus on this next phase of life. 

It was a good study and so I offered to teach it during one of our Wednesday night series we had seasonally at church. I didn’t expect, nor did I have, a large crowd sign up. It was a sweet collection of a few couples who were just entering this time of life. 

It was about what I anticipated our class would look like until an older couple entered the class. The parents of friends my own age, I thought at first they were in the wrong room. But no, they had signed up for the Empty Nest class. 

With tears they explained that having lived next door to their daughter’s family and actively involved in the daily life and activities of their grandchildren, they were struggling as the youngest had headed off to college. 

Anyone who teaches will most likely tell you, we teach because we love to learn. I always receive much greater lessons than I am ever able to impart to my students.

We had a good few weeks together, sharing and growing. But the grandparents and the reason for their coming impacted me and I have not forgotten the glimpse into the future.

It has inspired me to invest as much as I can into the daily lives of our grandchildren, knowing full well that when we love much, we grieve much. 

As our first grandson winds down all the “lasts” of middle school, I am reminded how high school passes at the speed of light. 

Every time I see that face chiseling even more into a man’s features and hear the cracks beginning to give way to deeper tones in his voice, I totter between enjoying the moment and anticipating the inevitable distance in the daily contact that lies around the corner. 

Each day is a gift. 

And so I embrace every moment tightly and lightly at the same time.