Here we are 3 weeks into Meg and Ethan's courtship. It has been a whirlwind of emotion, let me tell ya! I am incredibly blessed with friends that have walked this road before me and have humbly shared their life with me in the process of it all. As a mom who had never been there, I soaked it all in. I'm thankful for their transparency and I want to be able to be that for other moms who are not there yet or are unsure about this whole courtship thing.
Something I was thinking about today was how humble and teachable these 2 young people have been. Ready to learn, quick to ask questions, listening, and wanting to do what is right.
Ethan's parents have done a phenomenal job raising him with a vision to prepare for his future family. He is setting the standard in our home for all who are to follow after him. And he has made me think of how we are raising our boys. I hope to elaborate on that later.
I remember how tiring the days could be when I was the mom of a bunch of littles. It seemed like every moment there was a new issue to tackle and nobody big enough to really be a help. But now I look back and I'm so happy we invested the time it took to be intimately involved in their lives. Homeschooling, limiting tv, limiting influences period, has really paid off. Those were NOT the things we thought up on our own, but the things that God laid on our hearts that were right for our family. I'm talking to you moms of little bitties here when I say that it is all worth it...every minute! Every time you turn off Sesame Street and read or talk or play outside. Every time you have to say "no" when it would be easier to say "yes". And every time you choose to keep them close to you instead of sending them somewhere else.
I am humbled thinking that God has worked so mightily in our lives. The answered prayers of many years and sometimes many tears. In the meantime, He was doing the same for Ethan's family and the families of whomever is to come calling next. Wow.
I have spent the last 18 years keeping this sweet girl close. And now I realize that all that time was spent to prepare her to be somewhere else and with someone else. She won't be here with us forever. But she's God's, not mine. And I can not hold her in my tight fisted grip. That one simple concept took awhile for me to work through!
And here we are. All grown up almost. And I get to walk her through this, learning the whole way. I do want to share with you some of the practical aspects of courtship we're working through later, but today my heart is full of thankfulness that I've gotten to be her mom, that I've had her home, and I've gotten to spend most of every day of her life with her preparing her for the next thing.
4 comments:
Wow, Sandy, those are some beautifully expressed thoughts! Thanks! It's like God has given you a new pair of glasses to see things through from this perspective--thanks for sharing it with us. I feel braced to keep on the track God has had us on, like yours was, as we face high school and being grown up in the not-too-distant-future.
And thanks for sharing so freely with us! This has to be one of the great benefits of homeschooling: the wonderful wealth of wisdom and example one to another. May the Lord give you daily wisdom as you walk this out.
Yay, the M's! Have a wonderful time. We're there in spirit.
Love,
Wendy
Honey, I think of how the Lord uses the words "Quiver full". I think it so aptly describes children. They are in a tight little compartment - ready to be shot into the world..the intent is to have them ready to be sent off.
Thanks for sharing!! Sweet times.
You and I are at similar stages of life...I just wrote a letter to my son, who graduates from homeschool in May. It goes so fast. And what a blessing to see them growing in grace and maturity.
Mary, mom to 10
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