Embracing A New Season!

The good thing about hard seasons, is they come to an end,
The hard thing about good seasons, is they also come to an end!

Seasons come and go, I know that. But when a season you have been in for the last 21 years comes to an end, it’s not as simple as just moving on!

Our Gracie moved out of home into her own place. We are super proud of her for buying her own place by the time she was 21. It’s a great achievement and something we should be celebrating right?

But when the excitement of what she has achieved collides with the fact she moved into that said place, my emotions go all over the place.

Happy, sad, proud, sad, happy, proud, and the cycle keeps on going round and round till I’m so dizzy with emotions, all I can do is sit in my chair and reminisce about when the kids were little!

My head knows this is a good thing, but my heart is singing a different song!
It’s what we do as parents right? Grow, love, and nurture our kids so they become functioning, contributing adults. We raise young adults who are independent and capable.

But when you achieve this, when your job is done, you sit there and wonder how all this could have happened so quickly!
One minute they are playing with Polly Pockets and snuggling up for bedtime stories, and then the next minute, they are meal planning, budgeting, and talking about mortgage rates!

I’m excited for Gracie and this new adventure she is on, I really am. I know this is the right thing, but my heart is so sore right now. I am (once again) processing grief and I’m not loving it!

I have been doing a lot of reading about “Empty Nest Syndrome” and it’s a real thing my friends! 
It’s normal and part of the process, but it’s still a form of grief and so has to be acknowledged and gently dealt with.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it takes time to adjust to your new normal. You need to give yourself permission to feel all the feelings and time to allow the grief to be replaced by the joy you see when your kids are thriving. My head knows all this but my heart still hurts.

I miss our couch chats.
I miss her 10pm antics.
I miss her work stories.
I miss her bright and bubbly disposition that always brightens a room.
And I even miss her 4 pairs of shoes that were always in the lounge!

But I will be okay. In fact, I will be more than okay. I will embrace this new season and look for all the good in it. Like when the kids invite you round for dinner, and you see her Bible on her bed. When you get daily kitten spam. When you see them and they initiate the hug. For the joy of seeing your babies living a life you are proud of. For the continuous way they chase after God and the way they love people and give tirelessly of themselves.
There is so much to be thankful for, and I’ve learned you can be thankful even though you may have a heavy heart.

So to all of my Mamma friends, those of you with littlies, hug them a little longer tonight! For those of you with teens, embrace this season, stay connected with them. And for those of you whose kids have flown the coop, I salute you, you have done a great job Mamma!