Hopping Down a Bunny Trail

I sat down with Stephen on Saturday and we filled out his first college application. After hitting the submit button, I immediately felt my eyes well with tears.

I'm so incredibly proud and excited for him. He is turning into a fine young man. He is growing in his walk with the Lord and starting to see what he wants to do with his life. He is moving forward with his life. And that is how it should be.

However, at the same time, I felt incredible sadness that a chapter in my life is coming to a close. I have tried to enjoy each stage of my children's lives. I have really enjoyed having teenagers. It's difficult sometimes, but it's wonderful to see them growing up and seeing the fruits of my labor.

I know some think I shouldn't share these emotions, but I do so in the hope that people will realize it's normal to feel this way. I know the Lord will be with me in the next stage of my life as it comes, but it's okay to mourn a bit. It's okay to express sadness at the change.

I'm not dwelling on my sadness. I'm not sitting here in tears. I'm not holding onto them with an iron grip. I do want them to move on in their lives and into whatever plan the Lord has for them. But I do feel a sense of loss at the thought and I wanted to take a little bunny trail to write about this.

It's definitely the beginning of a new stage of my life. It'll be exciting to see how the Lord leads.