I always feel a twinge of sadness on this weekend because I miss the days of swimming at the pool with little girls, running through the sprinkler, and eating sweet popsicles. It’s so different with teenagers.
Although we still have wonderful family times, I find myself more alone in the house. Teens move outward, and they bounce from fun activity and then to work and school and this vibrant life without you–just as it should be. They land back home like hummingbirds darting to the feeder, and I marvel at their beauty. Then, they flit off.
I wait to catch those iridescent wings. If I’m still enough and wait, they always return home.
I’m thankful for the strange, quiet house. I’m thankful that Jesus is here, just like He was when the house was strange with a sleeping newborn. I’m left with myself, my husband, and Jesus, and it’s just as it should be this weekend.
And just as I rediscovered myself in each new stage–marriage, small children, and teens–I’ll find out who I am here, too.