Welcome to “31 Days of Letting Go!” I am so happy that you are here! Once again, I am taking on the challenge of writing about a specific topic every day for the month of October. I hope you will join me each day as I share some of the lessons that I have learned about “ Letting Go. ” Day One: Letting Go of Fear Fear (noun): a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Concern or anxiety. Something that causes feelings of
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Today is my youngest daughter’s first day of her senior year of high school. She is so ready! I am genuinely excited for her. And nervous. And a little sad. This business of parenting is incredibly bittersweet. A delicate balance of hanging on and letting go. At this point in the journey, it is mostly letting go. My mama heart is a bit overwhelmed today. Another season of “lasts”… the last first day of school as a high school student, the last homecoming week, the last football game, the last Christmas concert, the last dance, the last day of school.
Lately I have been reading a lot about how parents of young children are frustrated by the phrase “enjoy every moment.” They claim that these words, often passed along by parents with grown children, are not realistic and the recipients end up feeling guilty as a result. I understand their frustration. Parenting is exhausting, difficult, and quite overwhelming at times. Not every moment is pleasant. Diaper changes, temper tantrums, projectile vomiting (usually in the middle of the night), runny noses, whining, homework struggles- none of these are particularly enjoyable. So why do I think that this is still good advice?
As you may know by now, my word for 2013 is “Focus.” Over the course of the last five months I feel as though my efforts to really pursue greater focus in my life have been completely under attack. To be honest, I don’t feel like I’m making any progress in this area. I feel more scattered and distracted than ever! Last night I was discussing my frustration with my husband. He was very encouraging and reminded me that all of us need to “refocus” every once in a while. The word “refocus” made me think about a behavior modification
Somehow I managed to take an almost two month hiatus from writing. I didn’t intend to take a break. It just sort of happened. I wish I could tell you that I was busy having some grand adventure in some exotic place, but I wasn’t. I was busy doing everyday life: laundry, dishes, feeding the dog, etc. I was doing a lot of reading and preparing lessons for my weekly moms group. I was walking my daughters through some heartache and disappointment. I was cheering on my husband through the ups and downs of completing his graduate program coursework. Sure,