Their Biggest Adventures & Fondest Dreams

those know-it-all days of proclaiming easy answers & repetitive opinions & endless advice are slowly but surely fading to gray

Dear Faithful Friends,

Starting last Monday, the family eagerly began arriving, toting enough gear to make me wonder if they were all moving in permanently. And now they’ve departed, scattered to New York, Maryland, and Connecticut. The day’s errands are done and just us two remain, awake from our mid-afternoon naps, a bit stunned by the sounds of silence.

I find myself not quite knowing what to do. Clean out the jumble of leftovers jammed into the fridge? Throw another load of laundry in? Pick up the bits and pieces left behind? Shovel up the sand tracked through the house?

Or just breathe deep and sit quietly, scrolling through the snapshots, sifting through snippets of conversations, and stockpiling more (mostly) joyful memories for the solitary days ahead.

Loud stories shared by born comedians, competitive games played, meals casually thrown together, dreams whispered, gifts given. Far too much crazymaking and laughter. Quiet nooks ferreted out. Walks by the sea, shells and stones and sea glass collected, prayers prayed, relationships adjusted, connections deepened.

Over time, ‘Ma, will you go for a walk with me’ or ‘Ma, wanna do a puzzle?’ or ‘Ma, I want to paint together’ or ‘Can u send me all the pics of this week?’ have become the sweetest music to my ears.

My grandchildren are now all young adults. Life is far different than even just a few years back. It’s a startling and wonderful and scary reality, all rolled up in a cocoon of hopeful anticipation laced with valid concerns.

And a praying-without-ceasing role that I’ve come to find great peace in embracing.

I am slowly morphing from the doting babysitter and self-proclaimed wanna-be sage advice giver to eager listener, lover of souls, earnest prayer warrior, and cheerleader for their biggest adventures and fondest dreams.

My know-it-all days of proclaiming easy answers and endless repetitive opinions are in the steady process of fading to gray. I wouldn’t have it any other way. And either would they.

Tomorrow it’ll be two years since my Mom went Home to be with Jesus. Each day I think how delighted she’d be to see who her great-grandchildren are becoming. She wouldn’t cast judgement or wring her hands at the sometimes scary speed bumps that have emerged unbidden. She’d simply trust in God’s plan and purpose for each of them without a shadow of a doubt.

She showed us all how to be eager listeners, lovers of souls, earnest prayer warriors, and cheerleaders for our ever-growing family’s biggest adventures and fondest dreams.

Linda 💞💞💞