A new chapter

"holding the banner of family"

Numbers 2:2

Man, it's a beautiful day.  Feels like Autumn.  Sunny, but hazy.  A refreshing and cool day ~ not cold, but sweater comfortable.  And the sun shining through the haze seems to accent the trees whose leaves are turning.  There seem to be more this year.  More red, gold and orange than I remember from last year.  And since the trees probably haven't changed all that much since last year, I'm guessing it's just that I'm noticing them more.  Praise God for showing me more!  :)

So it's a beautiful day, and fairly ordinary.  I taught my kids, and did some prep work for upcoming lessons.  I did a little laundry and put away some of the ever-appearing clutter on the various surfaces of my home.  What is it with countertops?  Clutter just gravitates to them.  So any day I consider "ordinary" has to include cleaning stuff off the counter.  

But regardless of all this, today doesn't feel ordinary.  It feels a little melancholy to me.  Because while it wasn't apparent by looking at my schedule today, my life is going to look a little different from now on.   My husband's parents are moving today.  Hubby and I have been married for 21 years now, and for all of those, we have been blessed to live by both sets of parents.  Now my in-laws are moving out of state.  I'm very excited for this new chapter in their life, but we will miss them dearly.   While I did my "ordinary" things today, my brother-in-law, and professional movers were packing up the sofa where we sit to open Christmas presents, the dining room table where we enjoy so many Thanksgivings, and the coffee table where the kids' Easter baskets wait for them every Easter Sunday.  

I was praying for them a lot today.  For a smooth schedule, that they wouldn't be too exhausted tonight, and that nothing would get broken etc.  But I was also thinking ~ not for the first time ~ how glad I am that my kids have been able to grow up with their grandparents close by.   I never even knew either of my grandfathers.  But when my Amazing Boy hit his very first home run ~ on his birthday ~ all four of his grandparents where there, cheering him on.  When my Awesome Girl had a volleyball tournament, she had four grandparents on the sidelines, cheering proudly.  

Having my wonderful in-laws a little farther away doesn't mean "out of sight, out of mind".  We live in a world of phone calls, email, texting and even skyping.  And we'll have a new state to explore as we make plans to visit them.  So my thoughts today aren't so much about "good-bye" to my in-laws, as they are about "thank you" to God.  He knows the impact that grandparents can have in a child's life, especially when those grandparents love Him, and pass that love and wisdom on.   And He blesses my kids by giving them that influence.  

For good or bad, we are who we are, because of the people He puts in our lives.   So as a new chapter begins, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I'm prompted to thank Him for His many blessings to my children ~ blessings of love, wisdom, forgiveness and knowledge ~ all of which is to say:  their grandparents. 

~ "I have no greater joy than to hear 

    that my children are walking in the truth" ~

3 John 1:4