We were walking to the playground to spend an hour while we waited for their sister to finish choir practice.
And when we got there – to that place I’ve been going for about 12 years – we ran into an old friend we hadn’t seen in awhile. She asked me what I’ve been up to.
I wasn’t sure what to say.
Day in and day out, not much changes, but over time, everything does.
This thought came out in a strange way.
“I take a lot of pictures, just to document the fact that they are growing.”
She smiled and said she knew exactly what I meant.
My husband and I try to give our kids myriad experiences and opportunities to try out life. A good school. Sports. Music. Days with friends. Family trips. Time alone with each of us.
I’m always checking my motivation for these gifts – many of which are expensive. The money and time we spend are investments. And although we live comfortably, we also make sacrifices.
There are bright, sunny days. And rainy, worrisome ones.
Would I change any of it?
No.
We give to our children as parents typically do – to the most of our ability and with the limited wisdom we have.
There are so many questions – about which choices will have the most impact on their lives. No one can say for sure.
But parenting is the call of our hearts – a calling we could never ignore. Love demands that we help our kids grow up.
And they do – moving slowly away from us, a little every day.
I pray they will want to come back, to just look at us with love, when they are fully on their own.
If we feel this way, imagine how God does. Because what He gives us, He gives with perfect wisdom, and without restraint.
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
-Romans 12:29
