Sometimes the Lord gives you glimpses of upcoming changes. He has done that many times in my life. Sometimes eerily so has He gotten me ready for changes that no one around me saw coming.
Well, I am in a season where seismic changes are happening. Now, one of them I was anticipating. Ruby is graduating and going away to college; this is not a surprise to me, though I am sure the shock of returning home without her in mid-August will be challenging. But in the midst of Ruby’s senior year and all that it entails, the youngest in this family has had a less than ideal freshman year, and he has asked to have a fresh start at a new school. I said no for about six months with no hint of giving this ludicrous idea a second of my brain time. But the baby wouldn’t relent. He asked us if we had prayed about it. I asked him if he had prayed about. Then, we all decided to pray about it. I was reminded from Psalms that the Lord lights our path and provides a lamp for our steps. He isn’t really handing out five year plans, much to my dismay. Mama likes a plan that comes together. But this one was falling apart. Or maybe it was coming together?
Then, our middle was invited to be an intern this summer at our old church in Georgia that has a “happening” elementary department. I feel certain she will learn so much and grow so much, and I am super excited for her to spend her summer there. But…..I wasn’t planning on someone flying away so soon. I mean, I am still preparing for Ruby’s departure, but now this has been thrown into the loop. Mama has decided to trust God’s plan. He definitely knows best.
So this morning when I was driving Mack to some testing for his potential new school, I felt the ground shaking under my feet again. For YEARS!! All the years of these kids’ lives they have been together. Together at home for many, many years. Together at the same school since 2019 and this year all three in high school, on the same halls and even in one class all together.
This fall Ruby will be miles and miles away in Virginia. Molly will be a senior at Carmel, and, Lord-willing, Mack will get his fresh start at a new school. It’s not only a new chapter, but a totally new section of the book! I am not sure what I think of it except that I trust God with my kids. I have raised them and done my best to train them. I pray for them. I love them. And I have to let them keep growing and maturing and trying new things–even though it shakes the ground beneath my feet. God is our firm foundation. It’s going to be more than ok.
