Today was the day our youngest went back to day care. Though she only goes three days a week, it is a huge change for us. We “survived” the summer, but it was LONG! It is a challenge to think of how to keep two kids busy, well-fed and well-groomed while being present to each other, ministry tasks, life needs, etc. Maybe some people don’t struggle with the lack of structure and lack of the school year rhythm, but I can tell you right now, THIS person DOES!! Our oldest goes back next Monday and then we get to re-organize our days, trying to keep them balanced physically, emotionally and spiritually. If there is anything we are learning in this season with young kids in our home, it’s that we now have an ability to prioritize that we never had before. If it is not absolutely urgent or necessary for today, it just might not get done and that’s okay. There’s a level of flexibility and grace needed that I’ve never needed in the past. There’s a constant flux and re-ordering of expectations, an adaptability, a need to go-with-the-flow that has maxed out even this girl’s capacity. (I used to consider myself a pretty spontaneous person, but when I want to take the kids to the library or the pool and I’ve planned it for days because I finally have a few hours carved out for just that and one of them gets sick or falls and gets hurt, or for any reason can’t go, it can really throw me for a loop).
So today I am celebrating that fact that one is back in the school year rhythm and the other goes back next Monday. Today I am celebrating that I have time to write this blog quickly and then I’ll go clean up the kitchen, spend time with our oldest, reach out to some people in the neighborhood, get caught up on emails, and try to make myself available to what the rest of the day may hold. I also have to work at the day care this afternoon as part of the co-op style of day care that it is (I’m required to volunteer there for a half-day every two weeks).
Here’s to the end of summer! (A phrase I thought I would never say)
What I’ve been reading lately:
– A Knock at Midnight (sermons by Martin Luther King, Jr)
– The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian (love to read this slowly over and over)
– Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church by Soong-Chan Rah
– For the Love of Discipline: When the Gospel Meets Tantrums and Time-Outs by Sara Wallace
