Friends

Sharing a something interesting with friends makes life so sweet.  Today I have been “blogging” with my blogger friend Judy.  We have laughed, fussed, and looked at each other crosseyed all day!…BUT…we have had a blast figuring out what this new blog of mine is going to look like.  You can be SURE there will be changes…but for now!…AWESOME!   Thanks Friend!

Transitioning…

A friend inquired recently about how I was doing…
I used the word “transitioning” and grimaced…

Transition: Change, changeover, passing, passage, shifting, jump, leap, conversion, variation, transformation, transmutation, progression, gradation, graduation…

Why did I grimace? Thousands and thousands of women are here… in the same place as I am… transitioning from full time mom to full time???

A CEO walks into his office and everything he owns is in boxes…
The owner of the business comes by and announces… “Brooks, you are being moved to the 3rd floor!” He sharply turns, dismissing Brooks and marches away…

The 3rd floor!? That’s where all the…, the… “They have gone! Yikes!” He never thought it would happen to him! His life was over! He had no future! He no longer would be involved with the day to day operations of the company. He wouldn’t be having morning coffee with his team, his staff of 20 years. He would be in an office by himself…doing what!? He had no idea… Other guys had gone there and…what!? He had heard them called the Quiet Ones, but Brooks had really never given them much thought. He had also heard they were still there…but what? What were they doing!?

Jarring him from his panicked thoughts, a couple of burly guys busted through the door without even knocking. “Here to take this stuff to the 3rd floor,” they blustered with a bit too much self-importance and they began stacking boxes on the cart waiting in the hall.

It was a nightmare…no notice…not even a hint, a warning! One day he was running a multimillion dollar corporation and the next day…the 3rd floor! He would be lost, so very lost…never to be seen. No one would know where he was at…His future seemed dim…no dark…very, very dark…

You’d find me in a minute –
You’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
Night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.
Psalm 139 10-12 MSG

We mothers, the CEO’s of our families…we feel we have a kind of odd job security… On one hand, we know that no one can ever take away the title of Mom, Mama, Mother, Ma, etc… On the other hand, if we look at our “job description,” the goal of our life with our kiddos is to work ourselves out of a job…at least the day to day stuff.

I’ve been one of those crazy moms who have LOVED all of it… LIKED all of it…not so much, but the honor and challenges of raising a Woman of God and 4 Men of God has been a joy! No, I’m not in La, La Land… anyone who knows me, knows I have torn my hair out, cried swimming pools of tears, and coached more times than I can count. But, I enjoyed my kiddos! They are amazing people…when they were little and especially now that they are adults!

The tough part for me has been making the transition from all the day to day logistics that kept my days so full, sometimes to the point of exhaustion…to now…quieting my spirit, my heart to hear and know how and when to pray for them. That’s what I “do” now…Pray…Be quiet, listen, and pray, and pray …without ceasing…

Ok, Ok,…those who know me are laughing! Not chuckling…LOL as the short hand expresses! Donna and quiet in the same sentence! Yikes! Is that possible!? Yes, people…there is hope! I am learning, but probably not fast enough for my adult children!

The quiet leads to listening. The listening leads to praying. The praying brings the light to my heart and their lives. At that point, God is at work in my heart to do and to will as He wants for me and those I love.

Sometimes the transition may seem too quiet and it’s like I’m being abandoned to the 3rd floor, to be lost forever in the dark, dark sea of the forgotten BUT it’s not true! He sees me! In what seems like darkness to me, is really light! A new place of relationship with the Father! A new friendship with the Son! A new dept of learning with the Holy Spirit!

Psalm 139 7-12 NIV
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
So, in every situation that seems dark to me, God sees it through His eyes, which are light, His light. For me, His light is simply His Word and His hand in my life!

Practically, it looks like… hmmm…learning to rejoice in the small things. One example: For us, 4 boys and the food situation was always big…large amounts to buy, cook, and just thinking about it ALL the time…they ate constantly! When they were teens, their schedules weren’t regular, so it felt like the kitchen was open 24-7!
So, now….
1. The grocery bill goes down a bit…
2. I have the time and energy to try a new recipe…
3. As I try to adjust to the smaller amounts, I can share the leftovers w a young, pregnant mommy! (BTW…use smaller pans to cook with! It helps!)
4. I can afford steak once in a while for my hard working hubby!
5. I can buy one or two loaves of bread every couple of weeks rather than bags full for the same period of time.
6. The jar of peanut butter is a regular size rather than the mondo one they have at Sam’s!

There are more things, bigger things…(more later) …but for now…
I am trusting God that He sees me in what seems to be darkness…the transition isn’t really what is happening around me, it’s what is happening in me…It’s my Dad, my Friend, and my Coach…shining the light in my life!

Father – Thank you that you are light and there is no darkness in you…and as I spend time with You…I see the light and can walk in it. Please help me when it is all overwhelming. I trust you because Your Word says You are already waiting for me…and in my night, the truth is.. that I am really immersed in Your light! I love you ~ d