Seasons Change

In days past, Sunday afternoons were not relaxing. They were spent entertaining, chasing, and corralling 3 young girls. I would watch those families in church who had older children with envious eyes. I dreamed of the day when my kids would be old enough to come home and entertain themselves, clean up after themselves and even feed themselves.

I looked around today and realized that I am here:
Some sleeping, some playing a Nintendo, me reading the newspaper. Seasons have changed.

In my days of wishing away the time until they were older, I always thought that once I arrived where I am now, it would feel momentous. I thought this time would arrive with grand splendor. But yet, as I look around, I realize that this season has emerged as all the others do--as daily life on a slow trickle upward.

Life is just that...life. It evolves and changes and tries my patience. And somehow, without my knowing, I arrive into a season of life that I thought would never come. And guess what? This season is the same as all the others that I have passed through. There are pros and there are cons. Having the freedom now to leisurely read the Sunday paper is hands down a bonus compared with the constant care required by babies and toddlers. But on the flip side, I have listened to constant sibling fighting today. I have had an attitude battle with a teenager and I've had a 7 year old sit in time out and kick the wall. Compared to that, feeding and holding a baby that smells oh-so-sweet, seems downright heavenly.

Maybe seasons don't really change at all. Maybe we simply evolve to fit the different rhythms of our life. We grow and change, and so do our kids. And life continues to move. Some days it's a snails pace, and others pass so quickly I want to reach out and hold onto it. At least for today, I'm in a season where naps are an option. And that's a pretty good place to be.