Hello, Summer - how I've missed you so!

Today is the 1st day of our summer vacation.  I don't count the weekend, because, well, it's the weekend. So today, Monday June 4th, begins (almost) 3 months of school-free fun.  Don't get me wrong, I love school.  I am that classic teacher mom who gets all excited when I see my children reading and writing and doing math for fun (yes that really happens in our house).  I love teaching and lesson planning and surrounding myself with my little students who adore me - and yes, I adore them too.  But the pace gets exhausting.  Get up, get ready, get the kids ready, off to school and off to work, back home again, dinner, homework, baths, bed and then repeat.  Day after day after day...  What I hate about the school year is how little time I get to spend with my family.  My girls are growing up at the speed of light and sometimes it feels like I'm missing way too much of it.  So I look forward to school breaks, especially summer, and the time we get together to just... be together.  I'm not that mom that crams our days and weeks full of camps and classes and endless activities (not that it's a bad thing - I just enjoy being lazy!).  I try to give them just enough activity to look forward to and leave enough free time for them to actually use those God-given imaginations that get dusty during those fall and winter months.  Do they fight?  Sure - but there's no better way to learn some conflict resolution skills.  Do they drive me crazy at times with their fighting and whining and the dreaded mantra of "I'm bored!!!"?  Of course.  But there are so many more moments where I look over and see them lost in some fantastic game of pretend, or join them in an afternoon of splashing in the pool and it makes it all worth it.

I surprised the girls with this banner after their last day of school... because I'm not too grown up to love Crayola

Heading into summer, it's easy to look at 3 long months stretched lazily before us and imagine all the amazing things we are going to do.  The books we'll read, crafts we'll make, and new snacks we'll try.  The trips we'll go on, parks we'll visit, play dates with long lost friends we'll enjoy.  The visits to the library, the pool, the lake, the museum...  it's hard not to set the bar too high.  My pinterest board is full of amazing ideas that would never all get accomplished in 100 years, but sitting here on the 4th of June it seems possible.  Too often I find myself at the end of summer, looking back and wondering what I did with all that time.  Instead of happy memories of a fun-filled summer orchestrated by super mom and worthy of a feature in Parents magazine, I tend to focus on where I fell short.  The crafts/activities/trips we never got around to, the times I lost my temper and snapped at the kids, the moments I sat at the computer and typed a new blog post instead of joining the girls as they sang nursery rhymes in the kitchen (yes, that is exactly what's happening right now).  It's easy to fill myself with unrealistic hopes and expectations and then beat myself up for falling short.  I strive for perfection and miss out on the joy of "good enough."


Last night we had our first family campfire and as we sat around the fire, bellies full from roasted marshmallows and s'mores, we read this week's Home Front Weekly together.  For those of you who are non-CCCers, you're missing out. Haha, just kidding.  But seriously, the Home Front Weekly is a parent resource that our church sends out that previews what the kids will be learning at church the next week.  It begins with a brief devotional for parents and continues with the Bible story and discussion questions/activities for your family to do together.  It's a fantastic resource and we have seen so much spiritual growth in our family by using this resource.  Even if your church doesn't use the companion curriculum (Tru), you can get the free app Tru HomeFront which is fantastic!  And now back to your regularly scheduled programming...


This week's HomeFront parent devotional was written by a mom (Missy Wetzel) who struggles with that same concept of parent guilt and I found her words incredibly encouraging and well-timed.  Here's part of what she wrote: "I feel like the proverbial politician, giving diplomatic, noncommittal responses to their appeals to play.  "Not now" and "Maybe later" are commonplace.  The pause that follows my dodging response is a hollow void that we all feel: disappointment for them, guilt for me.  But you know what's so amazing?  God's Spirit brings us together and heals these gaps.  The truth is I could spend copious amounts of time with my kids doing the things they love but still feel disconnected from them.  But when we pause and invite God's Holy Spirit into our activity, I begin to see them differently (emphasis mine).  In the brief amount of time it takes to quietly tune in to the Holy Spirit inside of me, I get a picture of how my kids experience life and who they really are.  I love them afresh - a marvelous gift after I've hit the 6 p.m. "Mama wall."  With God's Spirit, I become wrapped in gratitude for this moment, that right now I am their mother and these impressionable little souls are in my keeping."


We went on to read the story of Phillip and the Ethiopian (found in Acts 8) and had a great discussion about listening to the Holy Spirit.  The girls shared times that the Holy Spirit had spoken to them - nudged them to make a good choice, or convicted them when they were making a poor one.  I shared with them how I have sensed the Holy Spirit leading us down this path of being a Safe Family and now a Foster family, and while that path isn't always easy, I want to be obedient to what God has called me to do.  We unpacked that idea of being obedient when it doesn't make sense or doesn't seem easy, referring back to the story we had just read - how Phillip didn't know where he was going when the Holy Spirit told him to start walking, but he didn't ask questions or argue.  He just started walking.  But because Phillip was obedient, the Ethiopian man found Christ, was baptized, and Phillip was able to celebrate that amazing moment with a former stranger who was now his brother in Christ.  We invited the Holy Spirit to join us around that campfire, and He brought us together, healed the gaps, helped us to see each other and our lives differently.    


So this summer, I will make a plan.  I will come up with great ideas and strategies for dealing with bickering and "boredom" and what to do on rainy days and during nap time.  I will create activities and opportunities for my kids to continue learning throughout the summer instead of forgetting most of what they learned this past year.  And I'll share those ideas with you if you promise to share some of yours with me :)  But more importantly, I'll follow the advice above and tune in to the Holy Spirit, inviting him into our plans and activities.  Over the past couple of years, as we've begun this journey inspired by Spiritual Parenting, I have found it to be much simpler than I ever would have thought.  It's amazing how when I truly ask the Holy Spirit to guide me... He actually does!  Imagine that - God doing what He promised.


I have a feeling that this summer is going to be amazing.  Not because of what we're going to do, but because of what God will do in and through us.  I can't wait to look back in August and remember and celebrate what God has done.


Have you included God in your summer plans?  Make a plan to invite the Holy Spirit to your activities this summer.  See what a difference it makes come August - hopefully we can remember and celebrate together!

Let the summer fun begin!