Empty Nest Thoughts

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”- Galatians 3:26-28

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It was a good day today. I finally cleaned up our bedroom which had been filled with crates of family momentos that have been stationed there since last fall. For some strange reason last fall I decided to clean out the attic for the first time in 15 years. There was an incredible amount of stuff in there, most of which I didn't know what to do with but I didn't want it back up in the attic. Hence, it sat in the bedroom until after the holidays.

Looking at the mess for four months was getting to me. Even though I really hate to clean and sort, I knew the mess could not sit there any longer. Plus, I needed a break from the book I’m writing. So I set aside a few hours and set to work.

The stuff was mostly a combination of photos of our family and items my kids have made over the years, none of which I can throw away. I’m not a scrapbooker, just a sentimentalist, so most of the stuff went back into containers which will go back into the attic. But I did get rid of a considerable amount of stuff, so it was a good feeling to be able to see the floor of the attic and know what was in each box up there—not junk, but stuff I’ll again deal with at a later date.

As we are empty nesters now and two of our kids live across the country, it was sometimes painful to look at the items, as it brought back a lot of memories and made me miss them. They’ve only been gone a couple of weeks and it will be months before we see them again.

But they’re doing well so that’s what’s important. This may be a downer to read, but it is a part of mothering that’s real. I’m learning we don't stop mothering just because the kids are over 18 and out of the house. We help our kids by listening to them make decisions about their lives, sending notes to cheer them and let them know they're not forgotten, and keep them informed about hometown news.

How do you deal with your empty nest? Do you have hints of things to do to mother adult single children?

Happy (Belated) New Year!

“In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”- Psalm 118:5-6

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A new year! I’ve been remiss in keeping this up during the holiday season, partly due to a heavy work load from a business magazine I write for that is putting out an anniversary issue in February and had an unusually large number of profiles to get done in December. Of course, I’m not complaining, but it was tricky contacting the jewelry business owner whose busiest season is at Christmas!

Still it was a good season – all 3 of our kids came home. Two are living on their own now across the country so we were thrilled the weather stayed calm. Our youngest has started college. They are their own individuals and we could not be prouder of them. We had a great time together and it was a lot of fun having them around. But they are back to being a teacher, student, and USAFA pilot-in-training so we don't want to hold them back.

As for goals for the new year, I’ve set a few. I’d like to double my writing income, mainly so I can tithe more of it to a children’s home in Mexico that I believe strongly in and have known about all of my life.

It is run by a Christian couple – Dave and Sheri DeBolt -- and is one of the most honorable missions I’ve ever heard of. Not one dollar goes to waste there. It is called Casa de Ninos in San Lois Potosi. For more information contact Dave at Cdnfamily@aol.com.

That is where I’ve tithed my writing income in 2007. Hopefully it paid for a lot of tortillas! Seriously, some of the children at the school are approaching college-age and want to go to better themselves. The home could use additional funds for this and also to add a set of houseparents to help the DeBolts.

Since I graduated from college, worked at one for nine years and have sent all three of our kids to college, along with my husband, I definitely believe in this goal. I’m committed to working harder to help these students get to college.

I also reached a goal of reading through the Bible in a year – my first time since I was a teen! It’s helpful to read it online at www.biblegateway.com. Try it!

Did you set goals this year? If so, what are they and how do you plan to reach them? It’s not too late, if you’ve not created any yet.