All the Feels: Part Two

Well...here we are again.

All. The. Feels.

Last month, I shared about our oldest turning 11 and heading off to his first youth camp. I knew August would bring another round of emotions, but I'm not sure I was quite ready for all of this.

Summer is coming to an end.

Backpacks are being packed.

School supplies have been purchased.

Our oldest is heading to sixth grade.

Our middle son is heading to fourth grade.

And our baby...

Is going to KINDERGARTEN.

I seriously cannot believe it.

I remember when we first moved into our school district. Our oldest was getting ready to start kindergarten, our middle son was in preschool, and I was pregnant with our youngest.

And now...

That kindergartener is heading to sixth grade.

That preschooler is heading to fourth grade.

And the baby I was carrying is getting ready to walk into kindergarten for the very first time.

How?!

People aren't lying when they tell you time flies.

And maybe that's why I've found myself thinking so much about time lately. Not just how quickly it passes, but how important it is to be present while we have it.

Time Together

A few weeks ago, we snuck in a quick trip to Michigan to visit my grandfather.

Let's just say the trip didn't exactly go according to plan.

There were hiccups.

Traffic.

A LOT of time spent in the car.

Plans that had to change.

And moments when I found myself thinking about all the things we had planned to do that we weren't getting to do.

But somewhere in the middle of it all, I was reminded of something.

It really didn't matter what we were doing. What mattered was that we were with him.

If we spent hours driving around because traffic was terrible, we were together.

If plans changed, we were together.

If we didn't get to everything on the list, we were together.

Sometimes we're so focused on creating the perfect memory that we forget the memory is simply being together.

And today, as this blog is released, my grandfather turns 82.

Happy Birthday, PaPa Dan! ❤️

I'm so thankful for him and for the opportunity my boys have to know him, spend time with him, and create their own memories with him.

As I get older, I realize more and more how much of a gift it is to still have him here.

There are things about who I am that can be traced directly back to him. Things he's taught me. Things I've learned simply by watching him. Memories from my childhood that I now get to watch my own children create with him.

At 82, every visit feels a little more precious.

Maybe that's another thing this season is teaching me: don't wait for the perfect circumstances to spend time with the people you love.

Just go.

Sit.

Talk.

Ride around in the car.

Laugh.

Listen to the stories.

Take the picture.

Be present.

Because time really does move faster than we think.

Another Ending. Another Beginning.

As my boys start the new chapter of a new school year, I'm also starting a new chapter of my own.

Last week, I closed a chapter in my career that has been part of my life for the last 15 years.

Fifteen years.

Even typing that feels a little surreal.

I started that chapter as a new grad nurse and walked away 15 years later as a service line director. Somewhere in between, my career grew and developed in ways I could have never imagined.

I learned.

I grew.

I was stretched.

I was given opportunities and assignments that sometimes felt way bigger than me. But with God's help, He provided the wisdom, guidance, and connections I needed to get the job done.

I worked alongside some incredible people.

I built friendships that extended far beyond the work.

I walked into rooms I never imagined I'd be in.

I discovered gifts in myself I didn't know were there.

And when I look back over those 15 years, I can see God's hand throughout my career in ways I probably didn't always recognize in the moment.

Last week, after 15 years, I walked out for the final time.

Talk about all the feels.

There's something interesting about knowing you're ready for what's next while still feeling the weight of closing a chapter that has been such a significant part of your life.

I'm excited.

I'm nervous.

I'm grateful.

I'm uncomfortable.

I'm expectant.

Basically...

All the feels.

But I've learned enough about God to know that uncomfortable doesn't necessarily mean wrong.

Sometimes uncomfortable simply means new.

And new requires faith.

So while my boys are preparing to walk into new classrooms, meet new teachers, and navigate new experiences, I'm preparing to do a little bit of the same.

A new organization.

A new role.

New people.

New challenges.

New opportunities to learn and grow.

We're all starting new chapters this August.

And I'm trusting God with every single one of them.

A Season for Everything

Maybe that's what I'm taking away from this summer.

There is a season for everything.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

I've read that scripture many times, but lately it feels a little different.

Because right now, I can see the seasons changing all around me.

The little boy I once walked into kindergarten is heading to sixth grade.

Our middle boy is heading to fourth.

Our baby is walking into kindergarten.

My grandfather is celebrating 82 years of life.

And after 15 years, I'm beginning a brand-new chapter in my career.

Different generations.

Different milestones.

Different emotions.

Different seasons.

And somehow, they're all happening at once.

Maybe that's why I've had all the feels.

There are seasons we wish we could hold onto just a little longer and seasons we're excited to step into.

There are seasons that feel familiar and comfortable, and others that require us to trust God as we step into something we've never experienced before.

But what I'm being reminded of right now is that God is present in every season.

I don't have to rush through this one.

I don't have to have everything figured out about the next one.

And I don't want to spend so much time looking back that I miss what God is doing right now.

I want to be present.

Present for the first-day-of-school hugs.

Present for another birthday with Grandpa.

Present as I close one chapter of my career and begin another.

Present for the uncomfortable.

Present for the exciting.

Present for all the feels.

Because there really is a season for everything.

I can't slow time down.

I can't keep my babies little.

I can't go back and relive the seasons that have already passed.

And I don't know exactly what the seasons ahead will hold.

But I can thank God for what was.

I can embrace what is.

And I can trust Him with what's next.

The same God who was faithful when we first moved into this school district—with a kindergartener, a preschooler, and another baby on the way...

The same God who has blessed me with another year to sit, laugh, talk, and make memories with my grandfather...

The same God who guided me throughout 15 years of my career...

Is the same God walking with all of us into what's next.

So yes, August has brought all the feels.

But underneath all of those feelings is gratitude.

Gratitude for the seasons that shaped us.

Gratitude for the season we're in.

And excitement for the seasons still to come.

P.S. To every parent preparing for another school year, I'm praying for you and your babies. Whether you're sending one to school for the very first time, watching an older child step into another big year, or somewhere in between, may we remember that the same God who has carried them this far goes with them into every classroom, every hallway, every friendship, and every new experience.

And to anyone stepping into a new season of your own, I'm praying for you too. May we have the courage to embrace what's next, the wisdom to recognize God's hand along the way, and the faith to trust Him in every season.

Here's to new seasons...and maybe a few tissues along the way. ❤️

‍