Transition Places

Transitioning times can be difficult. We know that jobs change, children grow up, babies are born, and people pass on, but the knowing never seems to lessen the ache of letting go of what was and moving toward what is.  We're going through lots of changes right now: new home, new town, new homeschool groups and friends. It seems like every time I turn around there is something else to be considered; we currently need a new family dentist and a new pediatrician. My daughter has had the same doctor since she was born, and he's amazing. Unfortunately, driving four hours for an appointment isn't practical! More changes.

In the midst of the chaos, I'm finding myself becoming very emotional. Seemingly all of a sudden, I went from being a Mom to a wee girl to being Mama to an almost teenager. The changes are beautiful; there's nothing more incredible than watching your child blossom into the person they were meant to be. Still, with every outer change that happens in our lives, our role in things changes; we transition too. This is good, but the road that moves away from bath tub peek-a-boo, kissing chubby baby feet, frilly little girl dresses, princess outfits, and fairy wings is a rocky one. Some days, even while in awe of the young woman our daughter is becoming, I miss those things. Just as she is learning how to be a woman, I'm learning how to best parent her. This happened so quickly.  I cherish even more deeply every moment I have with her, knowing that in a few blinks she'll be off on more adventures of her own and I'll be praying that her Dad and I have equipped her with the inner and outer resources to make good life decisions.

For today, the house is quiet. Everyone else has opted to sleep in (even the dog), and I'm grabbing a bit of introspective time. I'm transitioning too, into a time of more space to write and to create art. I'm learning how to balance our business responsibilities with time spent homeschooling in a meaningful way. My desire is to make more room for art and cooking and trips outside our house in the coming school year. I'm embracing this new way of being even as I'm feeling a little bit stretched trying to move into it. I'm reminded that whenever I start a new workout routine, certain muscles hurt until they're used to the new exercises. Once the soreness passes, the muscles are stronger and better formed.  Life is like that too.  I know that this is all for good, but I also recognize that it's okay to ache a little over what has passed into memory.  Nobody understands the word "bittersweet" quite like a Mom or a Dad.

Beautiful weekend wishes!