Today we helped move our daughter Hannah and son-in-law Rick into their new house in Marietta. My firstborn and her husband closed on their first house last week. He graduated from Georgia Tech in August 2006; she graduates in December. She is going to be working for the same company where he has been working since graduation. It's in the Marietta/Kennesaw area, and their house is just two miles from their workplace. How proud I am for them, and how excited. The house is only 30 miles from where we live; in this day and age, it would be hard to ask for better. They plan to continue to spend Sundays with us in the short run, both for church and for Sunday lunch and fellowship. The amount of time we see them each week will not appreciably lessen, from all indications.
Still, today was a bit melancholy. Although Hannah left home five years ago to attend Georgia Tech (while the rest of us were living 150 miles away in Dublin, Georgia) and that was definitedly a "new chapter of life," and the wedding 15 months ago was another monumental change, there is something still the same about the family when a child is only "off at college." Their continuing to live at Tech in married housing kept that sense intact, I guess.
But their move to a house (and her in three weeks to a career) somehow solidified in my heart and mind today that we have indeed reached a new epoch, another "bend in the road." This is the end of one aspect of parenting, or more correctly, it is the beginning of the end for a phase of parenting since Cindy and I have four more to go.
So while I am so happy for Hannah and Rick and so excited about the house and so proud for them, I couldn't help but feel a little melancholy as I experienced the emotions today of the changes. This is one of our great goals in parenting, preparing our children for the time when they will truly be "on their own," establishing their own homes and households. That day has come, and we could not be happier for the way Jesus is working in their lives. We realize that the change is not a subtraction but an addition--they will still be part of our household!--but it is still a change. Memories flood back from childhood; she is now "grown and gone."
I can still remember the time in my life when I made the similar transition. Is it possible that I am old enough to be on the other end of it? Wow--time continues to march forward. And for those of you snickering that this is happening to me, a word of warning: it will happen to you MUCH quicker than you think!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving
This morning we had our annual Thanksgiving worship service. My family and I love having a service of Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. After all, that's what the "holy-day" is for, the giving of thanks to God. What better way to celebrate it than with a gathered service?
What makes the service so special is the time given for expressions of thanks by the people who attend. We know that many families cannot attend because of their own family traditions; we schedule it at 8:30 a.m. so that it will be more convenient for many that will be in town or who won't be traveling more than a couple of hours. Today, we had a bit over 40 in attendance, not as many as I would like to see, but much improved over the 25 or 30 from last year.
Still, it is not a high attendance number that makes the service so special. It is the hearfelt expressions of thanks. It amazes us all to note that those who have seemed to have had the most difficult times in the past year are often those who seem to be the most thankful. I would guess that more than 20 of the participants rose to share a few sentences of thanksgiving to God. One read a poem she had written yesterday. Another expressed his praise in Spanish, his native language. Words of thanks were expressed for husbands and wives, for families and friends, for encouragement and support from the church body, for the guidance and providence of God, for the beauty of nature, for those who sacrifice for our freedom, and more. While that seems rather mundane and expected when I write it down, what is unexpected is the spirit and emotion with which the offering is given and the details that are unique to every individual.
Almost everyone who attends such a service is touched by what they see and hear and want to attend the following year. It certainly sets the stage for the rest of the day. Because so many are unable to attend due to travel and traditions, we have discussed trying to do something like it during a regular Wednesday night service and dispensing with it on Thanksgiving Day itself. It is hard to make such a decision after attending the service, and I was glad to see more there this year than last. Still, it is something we will talk about.
For our family, it is a very special tradition that remains a meaningful part of our lives. We are grateful to be able to gather with our larger family to give thanks--on Thanksgiving--to our wonderful God.
What makes the service so special is the time given for expressions of thanks by the people who attend. We know that many families cannot attend because of their own family traditions; we schedule it at 8:30 a.m. so that it will be more convenient for many that will be in town or who won't be traveling more than a couple of hours. Today, we had a bit over 40 in attendance, not as many as I would like to see, but much improved over the 25 or 30 from last year.
Still, it is not a high attendance number that makes the service so special. It is the hearfelt expressions of thanks. It amazes us all to note that those who have seemed to have had the most difficult times in the past year are often those who seem to be the most thankful. I would guess that more than 20 of the participants rose to share a few sentences of thanksgiving to God. One read a poem she had written yesterday. Another expressed his praise in Spanish, his native language. Words of thanks were expressed for husbands and wives, for families and friends, for encouragement and support from the church body, for the guidance and providence of God, for the beauty of nature, for those who sacrifice for our freedom, and more. While that seems rather mundane and expected when I write it down, what is unexpected is the spirit and emotion with which the offering is given and the details that are unique to every individual.
Almost everyone who attends such a service is touched by what they see and hear and want to attend the following year. It certainly sets the stage for the rest of the day. Because so many are unable to attend due to travel and traditions, we have discussed trying to do something like it during a regular Wednesday night service and dispensing with it on Thanksgiving Day itself. It is hard to make such a decision after attending the service, and I was glad to see more there this year than last. Still, it is something we will talk about.
For our family, it is a very special tradition that remains a meaningful part of our lives. We are grateful to be able to gather with our larger family to give thanks--on Thanksgiving--to our wonderful God.
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