Letting Go…
Today I told the world, or a few friends on social, a secret I’ve been keeping for a few months. I wrote a book! It’s hard to believe I’m saying that when in my younger years the last thing I wanted to do was write a paper. You just never know where God is going to lead.
I’ve found that getting my thoughts on paper is quite therapeutic. In fact, writing this book has made me feel more grounded in the season of life I’m currently in. I’m able to embrace it with grace instead of panic. Maybe it’s the fact that this is my second go ‘round with graduating a senior, or maybe with age comes wisdom. Let’s hope!
After I made this big announcement today, I had a few errands to run. My mind was racing along a speedway somewhere between Daytona and Talladega while I drove down the speedway we know as Pine Forest Road. And the words “letting go” came to mind. I personally believe that these very random thoughts are often a nudge from God to think about something further, or in this instance, write about it.
When we think of letting go of our kids, isn’t it true that we typically think of them growing up and moving on? But today it hit different. You see sometimes letting go needs to be more about letting go of our own hopes and dreams that we’ve made for our kids.
Do you remember playing pretend as a little girl? I do. I was a “play house” everyday kind of girl. The baby dolls were alive to me and the barbies all had their own social calendars and lives they led. My imagination was grand. I dreamt about my wedding and even collected bridal magazines before I was allowed to date. My plan was to grow up, become a teacher (never did that), and then get married and of course become a mom. I’d be a mommy with exceptionally well-behaved, athletic, straight A, super cool but never in trouble kind of kids. I’d be a stay-at-home, PTA mom with a bank account that never ran low, just like my mom was (or so it seemed) and life would be just divine.
But reality…
The reality is our children have their own hopes and dreams; their own likes and dislikes; and their own plans, just like we did. And most of the time, they don’t match up with the plans we dream up for them. They have to learn their own lessons about reality, just like we did. And letting go means we’re not just ok with it, we stand by and cheer them on just as loudly as we would if they were following our plan to the T. We catch them when they fall, pick them back right back up so they can start again, and pray that their future plans are exactly the plans God has for them, not ours.
What plans do you need to let go of for your kids?