Empty Nest

The big wedding day has come and gone and Joyce and I are finally getting rested up. We appreciate so much this church and all the people who helped with, and attended, the wedding. We are blessed with the choices our children have made as we see our family grow.

Someone decorated my truck, as our attention was on the newlyweds, with the words, “Empty Nest,” and, “Free at Last.” I understand the sentiment of both expressions but see them both as misnomers.

All of the kids have been out of the house for several years, counting college, work, and marriages. So the nest is only empty part of the time. When they are all away it is quiet but Joyce and I have learned to enjoy the time together. When they are here the nest has never been fuller, and gets fuller with every passing year. Now there are grandchildren to enlarge the nest. What I always heard is true. They are more fun than their parents were. But their parents also seem to be more fun now. So maybe we have gotten better too.

I also would not say we are free at last. Every stage of life brings new responsibilities and blessings. Our relationships with our families change like seasons with the seasons of our lives. There is a touch of sadness when we do not get to see them as often as we would like. Our children are scattered all across the country living their own lives. But that is what we raised them to do. At some point the fruit leaves the tree, is planted, and grows into its own tree. There is also a joyful satisfaction as we see our children grow into their own persons.

There comes a time when we all say goodbye to our childhood and become adults. I have discovered that adulthood has many major shifts as well. We can try to hold on to the past, but the past does not cooperate well with that approach. Or, we can embrace each new turn in the journey of life as an adventure. I prefer the adventure.

Bro. Robin
1 Corinthians 13:11-13