We had a big dinner on Friday night when everyone got home. I cooked all of their favorites. Everyone was represented by a dish. We laughed and told stories and ate. We sat around the table and I smiled that there were no empty seats.
My older two even got up at 7:30am on Saturday morning to drive an hour away for their little sister's cross country meet. I have always learned the most about my girls on long car rides. This one was no different. They shared their stories. They shared their frustrations. But most of all they shared part of their hearts. It never fails that if you stay in the car long enough, they start to tell you things. For us, it hasn't changed.
We spent Saturday night doing wedding planning. We worked on the guest list and talked about the logistics of the event. We had dinner with the in-laws and made sure we were all on the same page. We went over all the wedding stuff. Who does what. How it will look. What the bride and groom want from the day. All the checklist items. We talked about it all. Good, bad and indifferent. We laid out a plan. We are all moving in the same direction now.
On Sunday morning we all sat side by side in church. We worshipped together. We opened God's Word together. We hugged on friends. I got to watch my girls be loved on by their church community. They waited patiently after church while their dad and I prayed with some people. It is still the same as it has always been. We then went to yet another meal and laughed some more. A table for five. Again, my heart smiled.
Before everyone left, we went on a shopping spree. Dad opted out of this adventure. We bought a few treats. Made a wish list for the holidays. Bought a few essentials. We even cheered on one sister as she made a major purchase with her own money she had been saving. Both sisters and mom assuring her that they were the cutest boots we had ever seen and the purchase was a good one. More laughing. More stories. More memories etched in my mind and in my heart.
The older two packed up their stuff; put all the laundry that we did back in the car and headed back to school. I checked their rooms to make sure nothing was left. I cleaned up a little behind them and then shut their doors until the next time they came home. Bittersweet.
The lone sister left in the house did some homework, studied for a test with a friend and ended the day with yogurt at Five Spot. We celebrated the fact that she was chosen as one of the runners of the week for her cross country team. She ran a 4 minute PR! Exhausted. Happy. I went to bed content and blessed.
My pastor has said for as long as I can remember that we cultivate what we celebrate. As my girls have gotten older, the wisdom of that statement has become increasingly clear to me. It is true for all parts of life; but for our families it is crucial. Celebrate the times you are together; there will be a time when that changes. Celebrate your children's stories and their accomplishments. Celebrate their good choices. Celebrate their ideas and their thoughts. Celebrate who they are. One day you will look back and realize that the environment you cultivated in your home and in their hearts will reap rewards for years and generations to come. When we celebrate life, we cultivate lives that want to celebrate with others. We pour into the next generation and they will pour into the generation after them. Cultivation produces a bountiful harvest and that is always worth celebrating!
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