When we moved to Tulsa 8 years ago, my youngest had just finished elementary school in a small Kansas town. He had lived in the same house his entire life and grew up with friends in the same local church and same neighborhood school.
I spent that first summer helping him get acclimated to a new house, new neighborhood, new community libraries, and immersed into a new school that had more students in 5th grade than his entire past elementary school.
That little boy has grown so much and is about to graduate as a Salutatorian of a 6A high school. He built upon his childhood piano lessons and fell in love with playing cello, developing some wonderful friendships in his orchestra endeavors. He got to play soccer with his cousin, growing deeper family connections. He ran cross country with his older brother, gaining insight about his inner strength and building up the skill of endurance. He transitioned to the Boy Scout troop that his father attended long ago, gaining confidence to become the Senior Patrol Leader and achieving his Eagle Scout rank as a sophomore.
Was it easy? No.
Did we know what trajectory this big move to another state would mean for my little boy? No.
Were there challenges and losses along the way? Of course.
Did he achieve his goals immediately? No.
Was he able to build upon foundations that were already laid? Yes, and he made his own unique adjustments along the way.
Did we both learn more about trusting in God and leaning into His grace for our communication mishaps? You bet.
Did I pray over him for safety, guidance, and obedience to God's path? Yep.
Did I work through my emotional angst and gather up scripture focused on his spiritual growth to put on his Bible Quilt pages? Yes, ma'am!
Was it helpful? Yes, the Lord demonstrated His steadfast love to us over and over again.
As mothers, we nudge and prod. We comfort and corral. We chide and redirect. We sigh and we laugh. We might even prod some more. 🙄
We have side-by-side chats when eye-to-eye conversations seem like just too much.
We try to soften the blows of friendship woes and broken hearts, helping them find beauty in the brokenness.
We attend concerts and persevere through fundraisers. We sweat and we shiver on the athletic sidelines. We lean into the moments of growth for our kids and begrudgingly admit that we're continuing to learn lessons, too.
We cry and we cringe. We give side hugs and fist bumps. We ask way too many questions.
We fluently interpret shrugs and grunts as a second language. We read adolescent verbal cues like it's our super power.
We sneak pictures when we think they're not looking, but they catch us anyway. We encourage them to take the lead, basking in the fresh perspective of following their footsteps for a change.
We make mistakes and bake lots of cookies. We navigate loss and pass on legacies, both unspoken and through repeated family stories.
We drop little nuggets of wisdom amidst the mundane activities of daily life.
When our child reaches that finish line of high school or college, we cheer him on and tear up as we're caught up in the momentum of this beautiful metamorphosis realized right before our eyes. We celebrate the bittersweet in all its messiness. We hug tightly and whisper a message of love as he wriggles out of our grasp once more, off to celebrate with friends.
We take a deep breath and offer a prayer of gratitude for this moment, graduating from this phase of life together.
The Lord just keeps stretching our hearts for what comes next.
Motherhood is full of these delicate shifts, the relentless practice of letting go.
Graduation from preschool is hopeful and endearing. We enjoy a flurry of excited sweaty hugs and hold onto sticky hands that reach for ours eagerly.
Graduation from high school is an academic achievement and an emotional summit as we publicly launch our child into adulthood to the rhythmic cadence of "Pomp and Circumstance." We poignantly recognize our child's success and individuation while simultaneously realizing the pangs of loss and pride entwined in our hearts.
In this season of celebrating Moms and honoring graduates, sometimes it gets all squished together.
Our children may be the ones crossing the stage for a diploma, but mothers are graduating, too.
It's a mutual milestone to embrace and savor, tucking sweet memories into our hearts.
Congrats to ALL you grad Moms out there!
(And to my son who was my first BQ subscriber, I love you and am SO PROUD of you. You impress me with your competence and compassion for all you do.)
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." Hebrews 12:1-2
As mothers we are constantly pouring out to others, yet we need to be filled up, too. Take some time for yourself and soak up the expressions of gratitude coming your way, my friends.
You may be inspired to do a little Bible Quilting along the way and this lovely Teapot & Tea Cup set designed by my neighbor friend, Mary Jo, might be just what you need to get started!
**Use coupon code MOM25 to get 25% off all digital goodies**
~~Happy Mother's Day!~~
I love the stories about your boys. Wow! They were little guys when you moved from Kansas! You’ve really done a great job, Mom. You should be proud…of your boys and of yourself!