An (Almost) Empty Nest Christmas

Christmas.

It’s a time for family. A time for fun. A time to celebrate all of the blessings in this life. And, of course, it’s the time we focus our hearts and minds on the Savior who came to this earth as a precious baby, giving up the riches of heaven to take the form of a human who came to suffer and die to save all mankind.

For us, it’s been a different kind of Christmas.

There’s been so much change in our lives!

This year is the first in which one of the kids is married–meaning the first year we have a child who has to juggle two families.

This year is the first year in which two of our children are working grown-up jobs.

This year is the first year in which we don’t have a child in high school.

This year is the first year we don’t have children living with us full-time.

Cassie came home from college around Thanksgiving for her winter break. It’s been nice having her here, but she’s continued to be just as busy during her break as she was during the semester. She’s been house sitting and dog sitting for various friends and families. She’s been running between friends’ houses. She’s been helping at church. Always on the go. Rarely here. Going back to her dorm in another week.

Cole, my younger son, is in the middle of a 4-month training academy. He’s been working 10-12 hour days, five days each week, for several months. His break was only a 4-day weekend. Although he still technically lives here, he normally comes in to eat and sleep and little more. He’s looking for a house and plans to move out as soon as he finishes training and finds a house.

Blake and his wife, Kaylee, were in the process of moving across state lines where Blake has a new job as a flight instructor. He started his job the week before Christmas, came home for a few days to get Kaylee and pack up their apartment. We actually loaded their things on Christmas Day.

Finding a few hours to spend together, a time where we could all be in one place and enjoy the beautiful blessings of Christmas, was a challenge this year.

But we did it.

And we laughed. And we spent time together. And we celebrated the birth of our Savior.

And then we took off across state lines and left my baby boy in another state.

Letting our kids grow up is hard. The tears sting my eyes even as I type these words, knowing my sweet son is now living several hours away. I can’t just pop by to see him. It takes some planning and driving and looking at our schedules. I can’t just make dinner and drop it by.

So many changes.

In the midst of the changes, there are lessons.

It’s a season. Just as the seasons change, so it is with life. We go through seasons. Some seasons are really hard where others are fun and exciting. Over the years, I’ve had seasons of parenting littles, seasons of loneliness, seasons of excitement, seasons of abundance and seasons of scarcity. One thing we can always count on is that the season will change.

We are entering a new season. A season where our kids are adults and on their own. A season of learning a new role in parenting–one of friendship more than authority figure. A season of finding new purpose. A season of connecting with my spouse in new ways. A season of fewer responsibilities.

While there’s a sense of sadness that the season of raising kids is over, there’s so much joy in watching them grow and follow their dreams. Only God can give me the strength to let go as they walk into their own future.

There’s beauty in every season. Right now, I sometimes have to remember there’s always beauty. I miss the busyness of chasing my kids and watching them grow up! But can I tell you some of the beauty I am finding?

I get to spend one-on-one time with my husband. We married with a house full of teenagers, in the midst of the busiest season of life. We now get to have uninterrupted time together!

I get to have a front-row seat in watching these amazing humans change the world. My husband recently told me he could literally see the pride radiating from my face. Both my 23-year-old and my 20-year-old have landed their dream jobs. All of the years of hard work and sacrifice are paying off. I get to step back and see the fruit of years of work.

I have freedom to pursue my own dreams. Many of my dreams were put on hold over the years to raise my kids. Now I get to dig into the life God has for me.

And that’s just a hand full of the positives. While it is hard to let go and change seasons, there is something beautiful in every season.

God is in the midst of the season. There’s no doubt God has been with me every day of my life. There’s no doubt He has carried me through some unbelievably hard seasons. And there’s not a doubt He is still with me in this new season.

I don’t know what He will do as we move into this empty nest season, but I know I can trust Him. He has good plans for me, plans that will prosper me (Jeremiah 29:11). He is with me always.

And He is with you always, no matter the season of life.