Finding: Lessons From My Children

We have all heard the saying as parents - “They don’t come with an owner’s manual!”.

And it is true, we worry. How do I burp her right? Is she warm enough? What do you dress a baby in that is born in the middle of a heat wave – do you swaddle or not swaddle?

But as overwhelming as those decisions are, we realize with time, that those are, unfortunately, the easy decisions.

The time when we really could use that owners’ manual is when they go out into the world and they need to make decisions without us.

Those are the things that keep me awake at night.

This girl, my Peanut, has been trying to “find her place” for a few years now, to find her confidence and her strength.

And I have worried and fretted. I have read and asked and seeked and prayed. And sometimes I have gotten very specific answers, but she has taught me…

..the answers are not with me, they are with her and with Him.

I am learning that it is still my job to pray, talk, explain, give examples, provide ideas and guide.

But, it is her job to figure it out. And that just like we learned from our mistakes, so will she.

And it is my job to be here at each turn.

She won’t always get it right.

But sometimes – she will shine her light so bright it will bring tears to your eyes.

Sometimes, she will work hard, really really hard. She will practice and memorize and (the hardest part) make herself vulnerable enough to give it her all.

And sometimes, it all just comes together and she gets the opportunity to feel the satisfaction of the hard work paying off.

Sometimes she just gets to feel JOY.

And the next day, she is no longer the Wicked Stepsister or the Evil Queen.

There is no more stage makeup or costumes or lines to memorize.

The next day she is just your Peanut - and that is more than enough.

And you start the next part of the journey, which ever way it takes us.

Blessings to you all and thanks for reading!

Oh, and I would love if you stopped by to see Debbiedoo’s today. She is sharing a tour of my home and she is quite the lovely hostess!