The school supply aisle – it is irresistible to me. The scent of sharpening pencils and chalk takes me back to wooden desks, chocolate milk, and little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls in a brown paper sack. Most people see January 1st as the new beginning, but not me – it’s the new school year; the moment to be everything one can be and more.
Although, I never liked seeing summer go – it always came and left like a birthday with little time to properly enjoy it; just as soon as the notebooks and college ruled paper hit the shelf, summer was over for me, and I was ready for something new.
This year for me is bittersweet. My two youngest are entering their last year of school. Every moment I have with them, I want to savor like that last piece of fudge from Christmas. I’m having a hard time determining what the empty nest really looks like. And because my two youngest have adventurous spirits, I know they’ll be flying off places that aren’t so close to home.
Life is funny that way – new and old; in and out; starts and finishes; gains and losses. My grandmother used to say, “It never ends until it ends, always enjoy the ride.”
Ecclesiastes 3 tells us, ” There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…”
I love “a time for everything,” and so should you. It means we’re going to experience what life is all about – the good, the bad, the fun, the not so fun, the light- hearted moments and the one’s that truly grieve our hearts. We’re going to live and not miss a moment. We’ll say hello and goodbye many times; we’ll love and lose; we’ll laugh and we’ll cry. And through it all, we will learn what “everything” in life really is.
This year closes a chapter for me. As I enjoy this final high school year with my youngest two, I’m excited to see what the next piece of “everything” will be. God wants us to experience all that life has to offer. Sometimes, life conjures up quite a storm and other days the prettiest of rainbows. It’s all about walking in and through it.
As the new school year approaches, embrace it with all the enthusiasm and zeal you can. Don’t miss out on any part of the “everything” of life.
