I’ve been having the writing bug lately. Bought myself a new notebook and a pen that looked very sleek and fine pointed but seem to just be staring at the tools of the trade rather than putting them to good use. So I’ll do my blog!! I have been busy with my boys. I guess mothering them is a good way to put it. Spent two days in Wilmington with Ben that will be tucked away as a very pleasant memory. It began with my having to drive him back to school after the July 4th long weekend. All of the children except Bethany were here for our annual party as well as my friend Suzanne from Jacksonville and her friend Ellen. When all the excitement of the few days came to an end, we realized that we had to get Ben back to school, which is a five hour trip, before Monday’s classes. Since I’m not on the nine to five schedule, I seemed to be the best option. Ira and I had moved him into his little house on Park St. back in Aug. but we really haven’t been there since so I kind of had a hint that his little house might need some fluffing up. Oh yeah.....big time fluffing! I put on my rubber gloves and dug in. After a few hours we had a clean house, spotless bathroom, a toilet that you wanted to sit on and various other improvements, including a washer and dryer I found on Craig’s List. These boys actually don’t even notice these things but it does a mother’s heart good to restore some sense of cleanliness and order to the environment. A trip to Costco made a huge improvement to the pantry. I think, but am not sure, that he might be able to get through the semester with the essentials, being peanut butter and macaroni and cheese. I love Costco for the fact that I know he will not run out of toilet paper, toothpaste, soap and such; everything comes in such large quantities. Next day was our beach day, where he could finally show me his moves on the surfboard he got a few Christmas’s ago. So happy to just be hanging out with this precious son of mine. We got lots of sun and got back in time for him to get to class. We stayed up till 3am that night listening to all our favorite music and he and his roommate played guitar and sang some of their newest pieces they are working on. Took a bunch of his friends out to dinner at a seaside restaurant. Just a fabulous collection of small moments that cemented the bond that has always been there.
So yesterday, a week later, I moved into a very similar story with Gabe, my 24 yr. old. He just rented a beautiful little log cabin perched on a 3 acre hillside overlooking the valley and I wanted to help him do the same.....fluff! We carted things in, hung a few pictures. He had already gotten most of the furniture in and it was looking great. We stopped at Lowes and picked up several ferns, and a palm plant for the corner then headed for the grocery store and did a repeat from the past week. Tons of groceries, things he in his frugal ways would never buy. Just spoiled him a little, which feels so good. After putting all the goods away, we sat on his porch, had a beer and talked about life and love and then we prayed for his little chunk of the world and for all the new adventures God has in store for us all. I drove down the winding driveway around 7pm with tears of gratitude in my eyes for the blessing of these five children that God has given me. Each one, so unique and individual. Each one a lover of you God and each one dedicated to becoming an authentic expression of who they are in You.... I respect that so much. Every wrong turn or difficult path they have taken has only served to teach them the straight and narrow and I feel so much more confident that they are beginning to fly.
A few weeks ago a little sparrow made a nest in my hanging basket in the carport and when I went to get in the car, I noticed that her almost ready to fly baby had fallen out of the nest and looked to be smashed on the concrete floor. In horror we picked it up and really didn’t know what to do......the only thing moving was it’s little beak, slowly opening and closing. Ira had thoughts of putting it out of it’s misery but we couldn’t imagine that, so we took it inside and wrapped it in a warm towel and prayed for new life. Well, new life did indeed come in time. The next morning, it was sitting upright and so we put it back in the nest and mama soon came back to claim her own. We were overjoyed of course but realized how hard it is sometimes to fly. Many false starts and sometimes tragedy but the majority of God’s creatures,large and small, do find their way into the big wide world and many times soar!! I’ve been growing up these babies for 36 yrs. and I all of a sudden am realizing that maybe the real flight is just beginning. I have a big smile on my heart as I sit back and contemplate how great this next half of life is going to be.
