As a child I hated the month of January. It meant the end of my beloved Christmas season, a whole month of nothing special with nothing to look forward to until Spring Break. When you're a kid, a month is a long time! I hated the empty way our house looked after taking down all the Christmas decorations. I dreaded the routine with no interruptions or special holidays or parties. I wasn't a fan of everyday life. Even when my kids were babies and toddlers January continued to be my least favorite month. It is VERY true when they say, " The years are short but the days are long." ...really long in the winter.
I suddenly realized this year in the middle of all the Christmas festivities that I was looking forward to January. After the craziness that began around Halloween and didn't slow down until after Christmas, my January calendar has a lot of empty space on it. I didn't even mind taking down the Christmas tree and freeing up a little room in our house. It was like I could breathe again.
I'm sure this means I'm getting old. I could see my old self in Sophie's eyes as I talked about putting the Christmas decorations away. Can't we make it last a little longer? But for the first time ever I didn't want it to last longer. I looked forward to routine without interruptions or special events. I've become a fan of everyday life.
Maybe it's a stage of life...I'm sure my mom can enlighten me on this. All I know is the ordinary, unplanned moments of this January are filling me up....an entire Saturday spent playing a Wii game together, helping John Curtis learn to read, sitting with my church family to worship on an icy Monday night, Sophie climbing in bed with us on a snowy morning, watching a movie at home with Taylor after the kids are in bed.
As I started writing this post I was sitting at the kitchen table watching John Curtis try to build a snowman out of the melting snow. I watched his face and could tell he was thinking hard, saw his mouth moving as he talked to himself. What a gift to watch him learning and growing before my very eyes. In few minutes my friend will come over to my dirty house with wet clothes and shoes by the back door and laundry stacked in piles. She'll bring Sonic vanilla Dr. Peppers and we'll eat leftover soup and talk and the kids will play and it will be ordinary. May your January also be filled with many wonderful ordinary, everyday moments.
I'm sure this means I'm getting old. I could see my old self in Sophie's eyes as I talked about putting the Christmas decorations away. Can't we make it last a little longer? But for the first time ever I didn't want it to last longer. I looked forward to routine without interruptions or special events. I've become a fan of everyday life.
Maybe it's a stage of life...I'm sure my mom can enlighten me on this. All I know is the ordinary, unplanned moments of this January are filling me up....an entire Saturday spent playing a Wii game together, helping John Curtis learn to read, sitting with my church family to worship on an icy Monday night, Sophie climbing in bed with us on a snowy morning, watching a movie at home with Taylor after the kids are in bed.
As I started writing this post I was sitting at the kitchen table watching John Curtis try to build a snowman out of the melting snow. I watched his face and could tell he was thinking hard, saw his mouth moving as he talked to himself. What a gift to watch him learning and growing before my very eyes. In few minutes my friend will come over to my dirty house with wet clothes and shoes by the back door and laundry stacked in piles. She'll bring Sonic vanilla Dr. Peppers and we'll eat leftover soup and talk and the kids will play and it will be ordinary. May your January also be filled with many wonderful ordinary, everyday moments.
2 comments:
That is the very reason I love January - the return to routine and unhurried days, early nights, resting before the busyness of spring. You are indeed growing older, my child. And it is good.
Amen, Amen, and Amen.
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