Along with the month of May comes that time when we often must say goodbyes. It’s a time of change. A time when some chapters in our lives are closed.
Whether this is one of those real life changing transition times for your family or not, we still experience the end of a school year, goodbye to teachers we love and friends who have been with us all year. The winding down of activities and sports. And a time our schedules and commitments change.
I don’t have one graduating and moving off to college this year, thankfully not yet! But I do have one moving on from his elementary years to middle school.
We will still have one at this lower school so it’s not a complete “good-bye” for our family, but our middle child’s years at this school mark our time in this community.
He was in the middle of first grade when we moved and came to our school. My heart hurt for him, my little boy, having to go in to that big school and a classroom where he didn’t know a soul.
But God put him in just the right class with just the right teacher, who embraced him and welcomed him in. And God has continued to direct him, and us, ever since.
As he has gone through his five years at this school, I think back and realize how blessed we have been. And how quickly time goes and things change. We walked in to a place with him that was big and unfamiliar and last week he walked out of that same place which had become “home”… a place that is now a small community to us, full of friends and familiarity.
Even so, for him it’s exciting to say good-bye and move on. For me it’s bittersweet. It’s good-bye to an era in which we’ve seen him grow from that scared little seven-year-old boy to a pre-teen, 12 years old today! And as he developed and learned we have learned more about him…who God has uniquely made him to be, what makes him tick, what he needs and likes and how best to parent him.
Though part of me wants to rewind to the past as I see my boy changing so fast, the other part of me is excited to see who he is becoming. So instead of mourning for days gone by, Lord please give us wisdom and peace as we say “hello” to what’s next!
Help us Lord, as parents, stay focused on the big picture and present in the daily moments ahead.
My boy still needs me…probably more now than ever! Though teenagers typically don’t willingly admit that, I know as a mom to one teenager already his increasing independence does not mean I can check out. Quite the contrary, I must see this new next stage as the most important of callings… an Opportunity
With that said – Happy Birthday and Hello to this next chapter for my son!
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A good reminder to those of us who have grandchildren who are now teens or going off to college, to be thankful for what they are becoming and not always look back to those cute childhood years!
Thanks Kristen, I appreciate your insights.