We are in the process of moving…funny, I don't remember having this much junk when we moved in 10 years ago.
It's amazing all the emotions that come with moving, there is the excitement of the new things to come and then there are the tearful moments that come upon you before you even realize tears are streaming down your face.
Take today for instance. I was thrilled with the amount of junk I managed to stuff into one 33-lb heavy-duty Glad trash bag--that is until I tried to carry it outside. Anyway, I was singing a song while I climbed onto the kitchen counter top to clean the top of the cabinets... how in the world did all this dust get here? When I finished that task, or should I say, when I didn't feel like doing that anymore, I jumped down and went to the book shelf. I loaded half the books and then moved on to doing laundry.
You must be thinking; what a scatterbrain, why not do one room at a time? Well, here in lies my issue. At first, I am happy and then the realty of what I am really doing kicks in. Trying to avoid the inevitable, I move on to the next task, hoping for a different outcome.
No such luck.
Therefore, I decided to take a break. As I wandered toward my bedroom through the maze of boxes, I came across a special book entitled: "Ten Reasons why you are the best Parents in the World!"
This is a book that our children wrote and gave to us for Christmas 2000. Naturally, I had to read it. Here it is--exactly as written. You will need to use your imagination to see the drawings that accompany each reason.
# 1 – You always help us when we are sick!
Do you need anything? No thank you dad & mom.
# 2 – You always do what you tell us yore going to do.
Pictures of smiley faces and what appears to be a dog.
# 3 – You always say sorry when we get in to a argument.
# 4 – You are always there for us!
Do you want me to pick you up from school today? Yes please!
# 5 – You always take care of us!
We heart you!
# 6 – You always help us with our school work!
Do you need help? Sure! (No smiley faces in this drawing)
# 7 – You are always nice to us.
More smiley faces
# 8 – You always forgive us when we have done something wrong!
That's ok, don't do it again alright! Sorry mom.
# 9 – You always forgive us wen we get in a konflik.
Mean and crazed out faces with red eyes and snarled teeth.
#10 – You always make time for us!
Sure, but after I'm done here! Do you want to play a board game?
"It would take all the papper in the world to list all the reasons why you are the best parents in the world but we dont have that mutch papper so i guess we will just show you ok!"
Ah! When did the tears start flowing?
Please don't think I shared this amazing book with you to pat ourselves on the back. After all, the title of this story is Changing Seasons…
The tears bring joy and sadness. Joy, because this book represents a time when our children were young and naive. When they trusted us for all the answers and thought we were the smartest people on Earth. Sadness, because my soon to be 18 year old son, has suddenly realized he knows everything there is to know about life.
Just a few weeks back, we had a "konflik" about the house rules. Can you believe how stupid we are because we won't let him and his girlfriend hang out in his room with the door closed? What nerve!
Our son laid out his plan for the next year; save as much money as he can, move out with a couple of guys, and live his own life. "Not that I don't love you", he assures us. "Oh, and don't worry, I will finish high school."
In all honesty, it's not his failure that concerns me, it's his success. He is a very responsible young man and in many ways wise beyond his years. He works hard, pays his own bills, and stays out of trouble. He has been doing his own laundry since he was 11-years old and he knows how to cook-not even close to a Mama's boy.
My fear is that he won't remember to visit me or call me.
Daughters are different--no matter how far they move, they always stay in touch.
This move is proving to be harder than expected. It represents a season of change for each one of us. One thing I can be proud of and that is we are a close family and God has blessed us beyond measure. For this, I will choose to let these tears represent joy and excitement for the season that lies ahead.
© Teresa Ortiz
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