With 3 school weeks under our belt, our family has settled into a season of organized chaos. Just last week, after a full day in kindergarten, I barely made it to a middle school volleyball game in time when my oldest called from her tennis match and asked me to take her to get her car, so that she could make the first home football game. By the time I got to the tennis courts (at another high school), she had finished her match and was already in route to the game with friends (due to a communication break down) with her car left in the school parking lot. Naturally, her Dad and I picked up her car. After dropping Kyle at the high school, I drove through the take out line at Golden Chick on my way home. Having left the house at 6:30 in the morning, I found myself sitting in a long drive through line behind assorted pick-up trucks at 7:30 p.m. As I considered the lifestyle of a modern day family with two parents working outside the home, I found myself amused, while also exhausted. Many days, it's just not pretty, but from the world's perspective, we are living the life! This typical Thursday is not an unusual scenario for our family, let alone a great number of families in the midst of a teenage season of life. Now that we have a third driver, strangely, there are evenings when I have no idea of the whereabouts of our oldest daughter. From school to sports to babysitting to social outings, her presence in our home has become a treasure!
Several years ago, I was a stay-at-home mother with little girls constantly underfoot. I tended to nag and complain about too many hours of TV and too little family activity. Often, I bemoaned a mundane lifestyle where I put less than 5,000 miles on my car annually; we just stayed home. We didn't send our girls to "Mother's Day Out" or preschool, so we were always together. An exciting family event was pizza/movie night. Now, with the girls constantly scattered here and there, I find myself savoring the times when everyone is gathered around the television. While I can count on one hand, the number of date nights Kyle and I shared during the first 5 years of parenting, the teenage years include an abundance of time with just the two of us together. This Friday night was one of those occasions and we chose a busy, family friendly taco place. We were entertained by the adorable chaos surrounding us. A chatty 3 year old charmed us with friendly words and her sweet smile. A curly headed baby in a plaid button up, maybe 10 months old, sat behind us and screamed/babbled through the family dinner. A sweet 4 year old girl (with bright eyes, neon pink tennis shoes, jean mini-skirt and blond ponytail of curls on top of her head) captured our attention as she followed her Dad to their table-- straw in her mouth and purse on the arm. I'm guessing those parents were not quite as enamored with their adorable little ones during their busy family dinners. I certainly found eating out with our little girls to be a beating!
The following morning, (Saturday) included a baby shower to welcome two little babies to our church family. There were mothers from all seasons of life in the room: empty nesters/grandmothers, new mothers, ladies homeschooling and women who consider being mothers. I was caught off guard and brought to tears as I stumbled onto a conversation. "Women tend to read in blogs things like: .... I would not worry about the dishes; I would play with the kids more." While I mentioned I don't regret keeping a home where comfort included well ordered surroundings, I strongly relate with the sentiment of looking back and realizing I didn't treasure various seasons, chaos and all. With two girls in high school, this moment caused the tears to flow unexpectedly. Thankfully, in the midst of this crazy busy season for our family, I'm savoring the insanity of it all. Lately, my prayers include thanksgiving to the Lord for lifting my eyes to him and for the peace, joy and heavenly perspective that come through his presence and by his spirit, no matter the season or schedule of life.
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