We blinked.
We wanted two children and lo and behold, God blessed us with two amazing daughters a mere fifteen months apart. Raising two girls that close in age was lots of fun but also very challenging at times. Their birthdays were such that they were only one grade apart in school, so for most of Sally’s life, she was literally just one step behind Amy…or you could say, Amy was literally just one step ahead of Sally. They were often together in their extracurricular activities, which made it fun for us as a family.
We were those parents that went to everything. And we truly enjoyed most of it—preschool soccer games in the Houston heat, swim meets until well past bedtime on Monday evenings after a long day of work, gymnastics meets that were held in gymnasiums with one parking space for every 10 families attending, middle school track meets in rain or shine, high school football games all over the state of Texas, college sorority mother-daughter teas or daddy-daughter tailgates, and even weddings of childhood and college friends. As I write this list, many of the events seem like they were just yesterday, even though some were more than 25 years ago!
I distinctly remember friends with children just a bit older than ours, telling us to slow down and enjoy the stage we were in because no matter what, time keeps moving and things keep changing. “Don’t blink or they’ll be doing……,” they would say.
Well, I blinked because last year as we planned our Christmas gathering with our family, I realized Amy and Sally were both part of new extended families. They are both now married to amazing young men and starting their own family Christmas traditions. The most amazing thing was to watch how they planned Christmas with their new families, focusing on what matters most—the birth of Jesus, attending Christmas Eve service, singing carols, and sharing their favorite Christmas dishes. My heart was full as they each added parts of our Durand family tradition to their new families.
Christmas is a time of new beginnings, as well as a time for each of us to reflect. We need to be reminded with all the busyness around us not to blink, instead to pay attention to what is happening in the present and try to experience the stories and traditions in a new way this year. Sing the carols, share the story of the Christ child, light the candles, enjoy time with your loved ones, because before you know it, a new year will start with even more opportunities for different experiences. Blink!
Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way she should go and when she is old she will not depart from it."
