Days of Craze

The days are full and moving fast. A handful of events, a couple of weddings, a dash of statistics, mixed with kids, chores, and laundry, all tossed with a political campaign are the ingredients of my daily recipe. Needless to say, it feels like I need a bigger kitchen!!
Even as the days stream by at breakneck speed, I am filled with joy and peace. The blessings bestowed on me by a loving God are immeasurable. Over the years I have nurtured and loved the ones God has entrusted to me and now they are individually taking flight, leaving the nest and spreading their wings out into the world.
My girls are getting married in a few short days and months. The youngest will be married this coming Sunday, the oldest in a few weeks. I have found that as I reflect upon my life with these two young ladies, my heart moves from a deep ache to pure joy at any given moment. My girls have been my constant companions for the past 20+ years, encouraging me, supporting me, loving me and now they are both moving on in the same season of my life. Can I cling just a little longer to that tender connection that binds our hearts together? I find it hard to let go if I allow myself to ponder that question for very long, but I know I must. There is this clenching deep down in my heart, squeezing tight as if it were a sponge, spilling over tears from my eyes with out a moments notice. Driving down the road, in the middle of a conversation, at the glimpse of an old photograph on the wall, any of these will bring the emotional wave to the surface as the salty tears begin to flow. How I will miss them!
But the joy comes in knowing that they are both marrying fine young men who love them and cherish them and will stand by them and care for them just as I have for the past 2 decades. The joy comes in knowing that Gus and I have raised them to love and cherish their new husbands and to be strong and faithful wives. The joy comes in seeing their hearts light up with love when they look into the face of the man they have chosen to become their husband. This is what I reflect upon when the tears try to overwhelm my heart. Knowing that God has provided each of them with a companion that will faithfully walk along side of them through life's challenges is enough to set my heart back on track.
Now for the next two!! These are the final two of the clan to be wed. Hopefully it will be a while yet!!