Fall Can Be a Growing Season Too

Yesterday, at the park, a covering of dry brown leaves blanketed much of our path, letting us know that fall is on its way. Here in the Charles' home we're changing seasons as well.

A few weeks ago, Jon started an MBA program at the University of Louisville (proving he really doesn't bleed as blue as he says he does), and shifting us into some new routines. For 20 months, Jon will work during the day, go to class and study at night, and reach whole new levels of time management he didn't even know existed when he went through college the first time, ten years ago. So far, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when he kisses Isaiah and me before leaving for work, we're in bed for our morning snuggle, and when he comes, home he finds the whole family tucked away in our respective beds for the night. I don't even think the dog is waiting up for him! The poor guy's barely seen me in anything but nursing tank tops for the past six months, now he won't see me in anything other than pajamas...

Instead of looking at this as the struggle it appears to be on the surface, I'm searching for the opportunities hidden beneath. I mean, I started out as a single mom for the first year and a half, so this is just part-time solo-parenting.

Already it's been great for my relationship with Angie. Sometimes you just need some extended one-on-one time to reconnect and get your groove back. Like any teenager, she resists boring stuff like a walk in the park with her old uncool mom, but it never fails to lead to opening up and sharing. We're slowly solving the world's problems, well at least middle school's, which probably accounts for a large percentage. When her peers are hateful toward adoption, it hurts now, but it motivates her to be a better adoption advocate in the future and make a difference for other adopted kids when they're in such a vulnerable stage.


She wants so desperately to know about her babyhood. She vacillates between nightmares about her former family and almost waxing nostalgic, "I wonder if my other family still thinks about me. I wonder what my sister's doing now..." And I have the time to give her wandering thoughts my undivided attention, exactly what they crave.

And although I spend almost every waking moment, and far too many non-waking ones, with this little guy, I still just can't get enough of him. His two budding incisors remind me with every one of his huge no-longer-toothless grins, that he will never again be my tiny baby. Do any of you loyal readers (Mom) remember when Angie wore dangly earrings for the first time and I was convinced she was basically leaving for college?

Now, that Isaiah has teeth I'm sure I'll be dancing with him at his wedding any minute now, so I must make the most of every single moment he'll let me cuddle him.


And finally, Jon. Although this won't be a season for us to invest in each other through quality time, this is just another opportunity for me to die to self and learn how to put others first. As our differences in scheduling, study habits, and choices are highlighted, I'll have an abundance of chances to bite my tongue and support him through this. As he wrestles with insomnia after class, I have trouble turning my brain ON not OFF, and wonder how anyone could waste even a minute of available sleep time. Already, I find my instinct is to feel that I'm the one getting the short end of the stick here, but really the guy's not going to an amusement park every night! He's doing something hard to help our family and he's being pulled in more directions than I am, and sacrificing time he'd love to spend with us.


You know, other than the still-sleepless nights, things were really starting to get a little too easy around here. I may be the only wife who strives for an uncomfortable home, always looking for the next thing to stretch us and keep us from getting complacent. God is very faithful to provide such opportunities when we ask. :)