HomeWords – Spring 2009

Have you ever felt like you were left holding the bag? Every one else is off on their merry way and you stay put to try to make sense out of what remains? Well that is a bit of what this whole empty nest thing can feel like. I know we were warned to be prepared and we even make it a point to address this issue when we talk to parents. But nothing can really prepare you for the adjustments that come when the children, who took up so much of your time, energy and focus, actually do what you were training them for all those years – become independent young adults with lives of their own. Your daily routines are full of reminders: empty bedrooms, unoccupied dinner tables, clean SUVs, and unplanned Friday nights. It’s like you were pink-slipped but you still have to show up for work every day. The empty nest really makes the point that we try to drill into the hearts of parents when they are in the trenches of diapers, braces and driver’s licenses. We remind them that when it comes to parenting, the days are long but the years are short! It’s true! Our brief years in the trenches of parenting were gifts from a God who knows the heart of a Mom and Dad who miss their kids. There are some benefits though as the nest begins to empty. The house stays cleaner, your grocery bill shrinks, and you get reacquainted with your spouse. And you really do appreciate the times you can be together as a family and cherish the memories made. One of the more exciting results is that you start to look forward to the next phase of parenting – grandparenting! Our nest can seem pretty empty these days. Colt is off to college, Cody and his new bride Lauren are preparing to relocate to Dallas to start seminary, and Shiloh will be married in March. It is a good thing Karis and Mike have already ushered us into the Holy of Holies of parenting – Grandparenthood. We are counting our blessings and enjoying those sweet little grand girls! Here’s to recycling love and refilling the nest, Love, Darcy © Copyright 2009 Darcy Kimmel