Summer Plans

After spending four days with a friend going through a difficult time, I started my day early. My hope was to get some work done before any of my children awoke. An early morning radio interview was also on my agenda. After the short interview I settled in to start the catch up, when a blanket-draped son stumbled down the stairs at 6:15.

I was immediately taken back to the days when my children were very small. I could NOT get up before them. No matter how early I awoke, it seemed they had a Mommy-alarm clock that went off. I'd tip-toe through the house, quietly make the coffee and just be ready to settle in for some quiet time, when I'd have a little visitor climbing into my lap. My kids aren't the quiet kind either. My boys woke up in high gear, and continued at full speed until they collapsed at night.

This morning was a repeat of those early days. How does a teen age boy wake up at 6:15 in the summer, I wondered. I knew I could turn on the tv and keep him occupied while I returned to my work. But I looked at that sleepy 14-year-old face, and tossed my work plans out the window. I wrapped my arms around my boy and we snuggled up on the couch together.

Then I made us both egg sandwiches (our favorite: scrambled eggs, catsup on white bread) and we ate them side by side. Put our plates down and snuggled some more.

It seems as my kids get older, I treasure our time together more. When this son was three, I intellectually knew our time together would soon be over. Now my heart pounds out the reality of that knowledge. It's scary when you can count on one hand the number of years your child will be at home.

Today I have a devotion running on Crosswalk and Proverbs 31 about being a mom who keeps her promises. I wrote it a few years ago, but the truth of it speaks to me today. As a work-at-home mom, I have work to do all day long. It's always within reach, and it just keeps coming. And yet my children look to me to fulfill my spoken and unspoken promises, such as to be fully present when we are together, to enjoy their company, to have fun together, to teach them things and to model God's love.

It's always a treat when God uses something I wrote a long time ago, to speak to me today. So today, I'm reminded to revisit some of the unspoken promises between me and my children.

May God bless you today my friend.

In His Love,
Glynnis