In the preschool years, I loved the smell of the new school supplies filling the aisles this time of year, but now as the kids are getting older, it's the smell of dread of a new school year beginning, all the uncertainties of new teachers, new friends, new adjustments and anxieties, and this year, we send off another Kindergartner. Sigh. My heart breaks inside to let go another one of our littles to growing up.
As school was getting out and the days of Summer were beginning, so was my bucket list of all the things I wanted us to do. I had daily chores set up, workbook and reading time, personal Mommy time where we play games together, color together, make weekly trips to the library, the pool, picnics and walks by the Bay, make a lemonade stand, trips to the beach, ice cream, Chik-fil-a, etc.
We were going to make the most of every day of the Summer since I just want to squeeze up this bunch of time that is growing [up] away from me.
As Summer started, so did reality, and life found a way to divert my Summer fun parade. Moods, falling trap to that one awful Summer illness (in our case, Pertussis, eeek!), napping baby schedules, laundry, etc, all seemed to take over the Summer moments.
The 4th of July came. It's the middle of Summer barometer warning that school is coming in close. I began to feel disappointed that the days didn't match up to my fairy tale Summer expectations. The Mom guilt set in. But I realized it's not too late to soak up some of those memories and, really, it's not all about the bucket list at all.
It's like that still small voice inside told me that our Summer is exactly what it needed to be:
It's okay for our Summer to be made of rest. It's okay if we don't leave the house all day and stay in our pajamas and play inside and maybe for several days in a row. We don't have the pressure to do and to be. It's a whole season where we get the opportunity to recharge from life, take a sabbatical from the school year long of craziness and going strong. In our case, this whole last year was crazy with moving and bringing home a new baby, a colic one at that. We can play, go to the pool, eat popsicles, take naps, and relax from rigorous schedules.
I realized Summer lets us re-establish home base for our kids so that they know where they belong and where they are loved and where they are secure. We can re-instill our values in their hearts and build on new ones as their experiences in life grows. We get the chance to love on them more and with extra snuggles and hugs. It's in that same place I want my kids to know they can escape and "feel" home as soon as they walk in the door off the bus each afternoon. Home is the environment we create around us and Summer gives us the time to make it ours.
This Summer, one of the biggest take aways was teaching our girls the discipline of reading their Bible every day. In first grade this year, the girls started learning to read chapter books and have found they love reading. I thought it was the perfect time to introduce them to reading their "Jesus Storybook Bibles" by themselves. We (and me) started making a habit of reading some time each day. Some days we have quiet reading time together, each reading our own Bibles, or they pick a time during the day when they want to read by themselves. Some days we journal about what we read afterward. I ask the girls to write what they think the story was about or what they feel like the Lord is sharing with them as they read. When they write, it melts my heart. Kids have a way of sharing differently than us as adults that makes it so sweet.
As a Mom, it's easy for me to get lost in my own Bible reading disciplines. I mean, I never have time for myself as it is, so it's hard to make that time to sit down and dive into The Word in the little down time I do get.
But recently, I found the Lord really pressing upon me, 'You can't know Me without knowing My Word.'
Umm...Wow! I found that to be extremely convicting!! My daily desire is to know the Lord in deep relationship and to be ever growing deeper in Him. I have to be in His Word. Our kids are so eager to know about God and this is the perfect place to start and share in the journey.
School around the corner only reminds me to stay present and intentional of our time together. We will still plan some Bucket List fun and make some sweet Summer memories, but the most important ones are going to be the small daily things we do and instill in our kids each day that leave a legacy. It won't be that we rocked the Summer with stuff or catching all the Instagram happiness.
Happy Summer, y'all!
